Terry Hearn talking to Jim Foster The Big Interview
know about four or five lakes ahead though, one or two maybe! I still keep a folder with cuttings of fish that might be future targets. I might see a good fish in one of the angling mags and think it might be worth going for in the future. How many UK 50s have you had?
Six, with just as many known 50-pounders caught under that weight. Thought I’d add that in because I’ve got to be honest and say it’s a question I really dislike. People seem so obsessed with weight nowadays. Does that mean that Heather the Leather, the Causeway Fish, the Pet, Choco, the Kingsmead fish, the Burghfield common, and the Lenwade mirror, etc. didn’t count, because they weren’t quite as heavy as they’d been in the past? Obviously it’s nice to catch them whilst they’re plump, but at the end of the day it’s all about the fish mate, not the weight. Also, I can think of much smaller fish I have caught that have meant far more to me than some of my biggest. It depends on the lake you’re fishing and the area you live in. If you’re in Yorkshire, a 30-pounder is going to be just as special as a 40pounder in the south. It’s all relative. I always liked the rather catchy title of one of Jack Hilton’s books; Quest for the Best (a much later follow-on from Quest for Carp). I
think maybe that title, rather than In Pursuit of the Largest, would have summed up what my carp fishing is all about. Then again, that’s why it wasn’t called ‘In Pursuit of the Heaviest’…
You do all your writing yourself, don’t you? I mean, there is no ghostwriter; it’s all your own work.
Absolutely. Call me old-fashioned, but I believe someone who wishes to earn a living from fishing should be able to write their own material and take their own pictures, maybe even stand up in front of a crowd and do a presentation from time to time. Being able to consistently catch carp should only be a part of it. You know, I never did well at school, but I still taught myself to write, and nowadays photography is just as big a part of my life as the fishing. Some of the anglers appearing in the mags don’t write their own words, they know very little about their cameras other than how to switch on the Auto mode, and they’d run a mile at the suggestion of doing a presentation on their own. On the other hand, there are some sponsored anglers who make up their livelihood in other ways, maybe through doing angling tuitions, which is great. One or two of the anglers out there doing tuitions are truly gifted at teaching others, and that’s something I admire. They’ve found their opening, and good luck to them.
I hear you have another book coming out in the not-too-distant future.
It’s a long way off, but I’m certainly planning one, yes. I’ve already written a few bits and bobs for it. The second book is called Still Searching, but I’ve not yet thought of a name for the third one. Just lately I’ve been doing some writing on the bank using my iPad, which other than my e-cig is the best thing I’ve bought in ages. The next book will include most of my carp fishing since 2005, except this time there probably won’t be any guest chapters in there. The guest chapters are great, but next time round I’m going to replace them with my all-round fishing, perhaps a chapter on barbel, and a chapter on perching, etc. Obviously, by far the bulk of it will still be about carp fishing, but I think it’s a good idea to cover the all-round fishing as well; I’ve noticed more and more carpers are targeting other species through the colder months. I’d also like to write a lot more on rigs and presentation in my next book, and I plan to have a big chapter covering that.
I often think about writing a book – I have some good stories to tell and have fished with most of the country’s top carpers – but I’m not sure if anyone would be interested in reading it!
Of course they would! You should write it mate, definitely.
It’s all about the fish. A corking 47lb+ Big Pit winter whacker. It was 51lb the previous summer.
BELOW
From my experience, every angler has a different style and different strengths. Your strengths might not be the same as Jim Shelley’s, or Lee Jackson’s, but they might be similar to others, like some of the old school. You’re a bit of an all-rounder, like the senior Dave Ball, who’s an absolute legend on the Thames.
Funny you should mention him: I was with the senior Dave Ball the other night at a Mike Wilson slide show, which was mainly about the baiting pyramid. It was proper old school, really good, with all these large format slides of three or four Savay mirrors up to 30lb+ on Mike’s lap. Today it would be like having three or four 40s on your lap. Ritchie Macdonald even gave a quick talk on his capture of Bazil, which was awesome, and afterwards I had a good chat with Dave Ball about his chub fishing on the Thames. He’s a proper allrounder, a master of all species. Nowadays I enjoy talking about other species of fish with someone like Dave just as much as I do talking about carp. As for strengths and weaknesses, I’ve always just tried my best to master everything, whether it’s fishing Zigs, bottom baits, pop-ups, stalking, floater fishing, whatever. Maybe fishing as an allrounder helps me along with that. Watercraft is the strongest edge any angler can have though, and it’s the part I get the most satisfaction from. When you’ve worked it all out for yourself, got it right and then managed to pull it off, it’s a buzz that can’t be beaten. Maybe my not-so-great long-range casting skills could be seen as a weakness, but I can easily live with that, and rarely feel the need to cast over 100yds anyway. JF/TH
“It’s nice to catch them whilst they’re plump, but at the end of the day it’s all about the fish, not the weight”
JOIN US NEXT MONTH for part two of this exclusive interview with Terry, where he’ll be covering his recent exploits on the River Thames, talking about his interest in photography, and looking at the equipment he uses. He also answers a number of Carpworld readers’ questions, so don’t miss out, reserve your copy today!
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