Bankside Tails issue #001

Welcome

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ow it’s finally here after years of planning I’m really excited to be bringing you the first issue of Tails magazine. A mini magazine focusing on the past three months tailored to the previous subscription box and the time of the year.

Each issue will feature the best consultants in the industry giving you hints and tips. We will keep you updated on what’s happening with ClubCarp and of course we will be including some exceptional images. This mini magazine is all about tales on the bank and we want to hear your story. Not only will we have regular, honest, no bull content from the pro community but we also want to share your tales and pictures.

Within this issue you will find some exciting content from Hassan, Loz East and Aaron Mckay giving us a round up of last years ClubCarp Euro trip.

We welcome your feedback and I hope you enjoy the first issue of Tails magazine.

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V I S I T W W W . C L U B C A R P. C O M

Contents

TALeS Clubcarp Euro trip

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Spring

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By Aaron McKay

Spring is on the way

By Jack Player

TOP TIPS

Articles

The magic of maggots

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66

Get riggy with it

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12

Maggot fishing

By Hassan Khan

Learn how to tie Hassans rig of choice

Keep it reel

Real anglers stories

Tried & Tested

A new Ridgmonkey tackle box

ISSUE 1

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ccPerspective

We take a look at your images #ccperspective

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VISTA

The shot of the day

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Success in Amsterdam

We interview the boss on a trip of a lifetime to Amsterdam

28 We

On the mat

take a look at what our readers have captured over the last few months

WIN A NEW RIDGEMONKEY ARMOURY LITE TACKLE BOX

Dan Hawkes NEW SERIES Carp Fishing; A Hawkes Eye View | Episode #001 WATCH NOW

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VISTA SHOT OF THE DAY!

TRIED & TESTED

WITH

LOZ EAST

RIDGEMONKEY ARMOURY LITE TACKLE BOX

It really is the tardis of the tackle box world.

Over the years I’ve used many tackle boxes and although there are some really nice ones on the market I never really managed to settle on one. I guess the main reason for this was the size issue, they were either too big and bulky or too small and I couldn’t fit everything in them, that was until now…

The brand new Armoury Lite Box in my opinion is the ultimate tackle box, not only is it aesthetically pleasing but the size is perfect. I don’t know about other anglers but I’m always trying to cut my gear down and take the bare minimum that’s required for my sessions, and this box makes this very easy indeed.

Not only is the profile compact and flat, which means it’s not taking up an excessive amount of room, but with 57 compartments housed inside it’s just a pocket rocket of a tackle box.

My biggest bug bare over the years has been carrying different smaller compartments to house certain items, but the Armoury Lite completely takes away the need for this.

The Armoury Lite holds even the largest of products such as spools like Spectre Fluorocarbon, Rock Bottom Tungsten Tubing, all your essential baiting needles, and even boxes of APE-X hooks!

I’ll be honest, there’s that much space inside that I can’t physically fill it, and I use the compartments that are free for things such as plastic hookbaits and zig foam, which again means you’re saving space elsewhere.

Personally, this has quickly become a main stay in my angling and is up there with my favourite products from the RidgeMonkey range.

If you’re in the market for a new tackle box then check out the new Armoury Lite because I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.

All the best, Loz

13

Spring on a Hertfordshire Syndicate

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Spring, for many anglers the season that excites the most, as we transition away from the cold long nights into a season which begins with the first daffodils, our optimism and hope of what a new season can bring almost reaches boiling point. This Spring also marked my first on my syndicate lake, having joined this small exclusive lake based in Hertfordshire back in July 2020, I couldn’t wait to get amongst some of the lake’s elusive prizes. With my

winter fishing at the lake ending with a truly special fish named Hazel at a new record weight of 36lb, I was itching to get my Spring campaign underway.

Two in the pocket

With up-and-coming filming trips and ClubCarp team socials booked in, I knew my personal fishing in April was going to be very limited, in fact I only managed one night in April on the Hertfordshire lake, 3rd of April to be precise. It was the Easter bank holiday weekend, and with a few personal commitments outside of fishing I could only piece together a quick 24 hours fishing.

Arriving at the lake after a week that felt like summer had arrived early, with highs of 21 degrees, I was feeling very confident of a fish or two, I jumped straight back in The Orange, with rigs cast straight back on the spots that did the business in March I sat back, cracked open a beer and felt very confident of a fish. I couldn’t have been more wrong, with fish showing in the area into the late hours, for some reason I couldn’t even muster a single liner on the rods over night, I felt something was wrong.

The next day, a close friend of mine arrived at the lake, with his wife and new born son for a

Hazel at a new record weight 36lb

picnic and an opportunity to flick the rods out.

With the rumours of a crafty scotch egg up for grabs and with the Orange spot not producing, I packed up and headed round to the other side of the lake and take advantage of the picnic. I flicked out a couple of rods tight to an island margin in the swim up from the lunch-based activities and spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon catching up with friends and reminding myself why I don’t have children yet… the number of nappies amazed me… anyway I am digressing!

With the bite of the promised scotch egg, one of my rods bleeped into life, I sent the egg air born and shot to the rod, lifting into the fish and quickly steering it from the island margin.

By this time Lee and the team had made their way over to help, with Lee grabbing the net and the others watching on in confusion as to why two grown men were looking for so serious with the rod bent into a carp.

Very quickly I caught site of the carp I was playing, as did Lee and at that point the pressure was on, not wanting to take any chances I cranked the fish into my margin and after a short battle under the rod tip I gave Lee the nod to dive with the net and scoop my prize! A period of silence ensued as we looked down as this very large slate grey fish, Instantly I knew it was one of the big mirrors I was after and with that I grabbed Lee in an embrace and cheered. The fish went 32lb11 on the scales, a thick set, chunky grey mirror, which actually, due to its shape was very hard to hold. With Lee jumping on the camera, we took a few shots, showed the future angler (the Baby) what he will be catching in the future and slipped her back, with my mind blown that I had managed another one off the target list so quickly!!

Unfortunately, that was it for my time in April, considering I was on

a hot run of fish it was very difficult to turn my back on the syndicate for the month to focus on filming shoots with Club Carp. With the 1st May being my first session back and nothing to go on I jumped back in The orange for another night, unfortunately as with my last session in the Orange not a single beep on the rods and I was starting to think my orange spot had blown. Feeling determined I was straight back down on the 4th May for a mid-week overnighter, we had big South Westerly winds blowing across the pond, rain and hail, it certainly felt Carpy! With the Orange spot on the back of the wind and not producing I opted to jump in a swim I personally name Gunnera’s. This happened to the be swim that produced so many fish for me throughout December, January and February, I quickly looked back in my diary and wrapped two rods onto the island spots that previously produced, opting to utilise my third rod to cast singles at any showing fish.

Just on dark my left hand rod beeped into live, like second nature, I picked up the rod, took 5 steps back and tilted the rod tip into the water’s edge, quickly turned the fish from the snaggy island margin I was fishing tight against. Fortunately, the fish didn’t put up much of a battle before I lifted the net around the mid double stockie, instantly filling me with confidence I was back on fish.

It wasn’t long before my confidence was confirmed as an hour later the same rod burst into life and this fish was certainly up for a scrap, after turning the fish from the island, it decided to make a break for the top end of the lake, but I had other ideas, playing the fish aggressively in the rain, I kept the rod tip low and reeled the fish closer and closer to the swim, eventually netting a much bigger fish and a brute of a mirror at 21lb14oz. 2 bites on an overnighter I couldn’t of been happier, and jumped into bed feeling content, I managed two more small stockies both between 12-14lbs, knowing I had to be up for work the next morning I unhooked my prizes in the net and slipped them straight back.

The weekend came back around, and I was straight back to the syndicate, certainly making up for lost

time. Again, the weather was looking sublime, with Saturday morning seeing a new pressure front incoming and a swing in the wind with 38MPH gusts. Arriving at the lake after work on Friday I couldn’t seem to locate the fish anywhere, on my third lap of the lake and my 5th tree climbed I eventually spotted a single fish passing through the shallow bay, it looked a small common but being my first sighting in nearly 2 hours it was something to go on, jumping in the Orange swim and casting over to the shallow bay I quickly deployed two rigs into the bay and scattered a spread of Odyssey XXX boilies, set my house up and relaxed.

With the days drawing later into the evenings it was definitely feeling like winter was behind us now, It wasn’t until 6am when the rod cast closest to where I saw the common busted into life with an absolute one toner, shooting out of my bed and running to the rod. I grabbed the rod and ensued a battle with the carp, it certainly felt heavier than the fish I saw the night before, but as the fish came closer and closer, I clocked it was in fact a common and instantly knew it was the fish I saw the night before but bigger! I often find it hard when I am up a tree to size the fish beneath me and I had certainly got this one wrong. As I lifted the net around the carp, I let out a cheer as this 24lb common has been on my unofficial target list since I previously took pictures of it for another angler.

This true old brute has to be one of the favourite carp I had caught this year, with unique scales from what looks to be healed scars this fish was certainly a character!

I also managed a second common from the same area that evening, with bites starting to come from across the lake I was starting to feel quite hopeful that the fish were starting to feed more confidently on the build up to spawning.

I made it down for a couple more mid-weeknights in May to no avail, chasing fish around the lake I was dropping into new swims and trying to fish for the odd bite going against the grain from my winter fishing of pre-baiting areas and fishing on it days later. With no avail on the roving approach, I decided to start baiting a corner of the lake I had not previously fished before, but having clocked a couple of fish in this section of the lake on a mid-week pre-baiting trip, I reverted to my original plan. I put a few kilos of boilies and hemp in the area knowing I would be back in two days for a nights fishing.

I walked round to the corner where Id previously seen fish and instantly stumbled across 3 commons feeding on the spot, initially in my attempts to size the fish I estimated the biggest fish in the middle was an upper 20 and possibly a fish I caught last September. I carried on watching the fish feeding, observing their habits and forging a plan on how to present the right bait for them, whilst I was watching the fish a couple of the small stockie mirrors circa 10/11lbs swam in to feed, at this point I realised the size this big common and quickly established this fish was definitely a 30lber! I quickly moved into a swim around the corner and set up, watching the fish feeding

tight the deck, the pop ups went out the window, opting to fish a Pink Northern Special wafter on a Slip-D rig. Just before casting out, I nipped back to the corner and introduced a few handfuls of bait in the attempt to push the fish off for enough time to allow me to place my rig. Fortunately, my first cast was bang on, straight onto the spot, I quickly clipped the line, whipped in the rod and wrapped out the distance for future reference, only a short 4.5 wraps, I attached the rig and flicked the rod back out, I nipped back round to the spot and watched as the PVA foam dissolved and the Pink Northern settled on the lake bed.

SUC CE SS

I made it back to my bivvy and quickly devoured my dinner feeling hopeful for a night bite on the spot. As I flicked the kettle on for a brew, the rod beeped into life and I could see a fish bowl waiving out of the corner, I grabbed the rod and couldn’t believe the power of this fish with the clutch locked I flicked the back wind on and held on as the fish took an easy 30 yards off me surging up the lake and up one side of the island, there was nothing I could do to stop this fish.

Fortunately, as he slowed, I managed to crank the fish back past the island and into open water in front of me, as soon as it realised it was close to my margin he set off again taking another 30 plus yards off me and up the other side of the island, the process repeated its self again, as the fish slowed and I cranked him back past the island and into open water. At this point if you had told me I had hooked an unknown catfish I would of believed you, the power this fish had, I knew I was attached to something that did not want to be in my net. The fish made one more last ditch run stripping another 20 yards off me, but this time I managed to slow him quicker, I started cranking down on this fish harder, I couldn’t afford for the fish to make another run up past the island and turn, running the risk of losing it. I cranked the fish closer and closer, and quickly darted for the fish with the net… SUCCESS I managed to

net him on my first attempt. Peering into the net I quickly realised I had landed the bigger common I saw feeding, having previously sized the fish at circa 30-32lbs I rang another angler asking if he could pop down for photos. With Josh only living a couple of minutes from the lake he shot down instantly with his camera in hand, he walked straight to the net peered in, quizzing me if I was sure the fish was a scraper 30, from memory the words “Bruv, that’s got to be a F*cking 40 mate!!” There was only one fish that could be this big, one known as the Big Headed Common, having not seen the bank for two and a half years, anglers had told me that he was probably dead and I was wasting my time targeting this elusive common. As I put the big common on the mat, we both commented that the head on this fish was huge, it had to be the last common on my target list, the Big Headed! I don’t think I could contain my excitement I as we lifted the fish in the pouring rain, Josh read the weight out, 38lb8oz! A new PB and for the third time in less than a year I had broken the lake record again….I couldn’t believe it!! Josh managed to capture some fantastic pictures and made his way home slightly soaking but relishing in my elation of landing the fish everyone told me was no longer there!

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JAck PLAYER

A few days later and with the weather significantly improving, the fish were starting to look moody, spawning was on the horizon, with this in mind the lake owner took the decision to close the syndicate for 4 weeks to ensure the fish had plenty of space to enjoy themselves but also recover from the stresses and strains. This coincided with another ClubCarp social and a special filming trip, but also marked the end of my Syndicate fishing for a period of time. This spring has been nothing short of epic… A new PB, a new lake record, 3 30’s and 4 of my target fish it’s safe to say Spring on the Syndi…

Smashed it!

As with always keep the lines tight and I look forward to updating you shortly on my next articles! @JackPlayerangling

On the mat

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e take a look at what our readers have been catching over the past few months. We would like to grow this section of the magazine and showcase some of your success. We have some brilliant prizes up for grabs including a 24hr session with George at Wraysbury, bait bundles and tackle items.

Submit your catch clubcarp.com/ catch-reports

Name: Tom Smith Venue: Mid Kent fisheries Fish Weight: 28.2oz Rig Information: I used a size 6 krank with some shrink tubing around the eye of the hook and a tiny piece around the bend of the hook with a single boilie on the end from fivestar bait.

The winner of this quarters on the mat will receive a new Ridgemonkey Armoury light tackle box and will also be short-listed into the end of year competition to win a session at Wraysbury

Name: Sam Preston Venue: Seven lakes fishery Fish Weight: 26.9z Baiting Information: Mixed pellets in a pva bag Rig Info: Ronnie rig

New Years Day Success Name: Mitchell Scott Venue: Club water Fish Weight: 30.1oz Rig Information: A spinner rig consisting of Cygnet tackle components fished on a boom material on a korda heli safezone leaderbait.

Baiting Info: CCMoore Dairy supreme fished over CCMoore Livesystem crumb and Carpparticles UK salty maize I topped the swim up with four spombs after each bite.

Name: Simon Smith Venue: U.R.A.C.’S club water Fish Weight: 15.8oz Rig Information: Korda ready tied spinner rig Baiting Info: Sticky Baits pineapple & nbutyric dumbbell wafters over a scoopful of 3.5mm halibut pellets.

WIN

NER

Name: Jordon Venue: Elsons Fish Weight: 37.10 (Baby Dave) Rig Information: Naked chod, rig over the area with a 14mm white pop up over the top (in buttercorn goo)

Baiting Info: The catapult! 40/50 baits over a small area, that I’d chosen.

From getting glassy like drag backs from the lead. fishing Short less than 10 wraps the catty was the weapon off choice Trent baits 16mm (shrimp)

W E N

PB

Name: Kurt Hilton Venue: Linear B2 Fish Weight: 25.8oz Rig Information: The usual solid bag rig consisting of a size 8 wide gape Kamakura hook. A 4-5inch camotex soft hook link with a tungsten kicker.

This was my first ever visit to linear, after blanking on B1 for the initial 24 hours, I went for a walk around B2 after seeing fish I’d got as close as I could. Found a clear spot close to a weed bed 11 wraps out and the rest is history.

Forgot to mention it was a new UK PB :)

Submit your catch clubcarp.com/ catch-reports

Name: Alex Palcu Venue: Nazeing Meads Fish Weight: 39lb Rig Information: I was using a hinge stiff rig with a pink plastic pop-up due to the weed.

Baiting Info: About 15 midi spombs of boilies, half boilies, tigers and pellets.

I turned up to the lake and most of the angling pressure was concentrated on the wind so i decided to fish back of the wind in a quieter area on top of a shallow plateau Name: Tom bate Venue: Grey mist mere Rig Information: Ronnie rig constructed of a pre made Gemini boom along with a size 6 E.S.P trig hammer and a 15mm Mainline I.B pop up.

Baiting Info: Scattering of Sticky krill boilies using a throwing stick.

After casting a light 1oz lead into the area to assess the weed I found it to be pretty dense but the fish seemed happy enough to feed. After getting the rod out a it wasn’t long before I received the first bite. A recapture of an old crusty that I’ve caught numerous times so I just got a few quick picks and slipped it back. The rod was cast back out with a few more baits sprayed over the top and about 30 minutes later the rod went again. This time it was one I had not caught before and a really rare visitor to the bank, once again another cast, more bait and an hour later wI had my 3rd and biggest fish of the session.

THE MAGIC OF MAGGOTS

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Maggots are a great bait option in the colder months.

Hassan Khan tells us why.

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he humble maggot certainly has a lot going for it in terms of a carp fishing bait!

They are packed full of natural goodness/attraction, easily digested and they also have the key element of enticing movement to help catch the attention of even the most reluctant of carp.

There’s has been so many occasions I can think of where I’m certain that maggots have got me a bite whereas if I had been fishing without them, I would have gone home with a dreaded blank.

Maggots are often an overlooked bait but if fished correctly in the right circumstances can transform your angling. If you haven’t tried maggot fishing yet I can’t encour-

age you enough to make sure between the months of December to late February that you make sure adopt them into your fishing (where fishery rules allow).

This period of time in the calendar is optimum for maggot fishing in my opinion due to the lower water temperatures. This drop in water temperature decreases the carp’s metabolism and if they are going to feed then a bed of attractive, easy to digest, wriggling maggots have a whole lot more appeal then boilies. Also, the cold water reduces the silver/nuisance fish populations activity allowing your bait to not be taken, damaged or messed around with until Mr Carp comes along.

Maggots are certainly a key elements in my angling, their carp catching magic has been proven to me many times! Here’s a few key points to hopefully help you when you are fishing with them…

HOOKBAITS

A lot of anglers simply add maggots to their spod mixes or PVA bags but don’t use then as hookbaits. If I’m fishing maggots, I always use them as a hookbait in some manner. There are a number of ways I do this.

Firstly, I will use just a bunch of maggots balanced by some zig foam as a hookbait.

In addition to this I will often “tip off” my hookbaits (popups, wafters and zigs) with maggots.

For this you will need to attach maggots to you hookbait/rig and this can be done in two ways depending on your own preference.

The most common method has to be the traditional floss method. Get a maggot baiting needle and thread on the chosen number of maggots you want being sure not to pop them. Thread them onto a piece of floss, I actually use light mono as its easier and more secure to knot down and blob at the end. Then pass the floss with the maggots on through your hair loop/micro ring swivel and tie a series of granny knots to secure the bunch of maggots.

The way that I prefer to attach maggots is to simply use super glue. Add a small blob of glue to the end of the maggot and attach them to your hookbait.

STORAGE

Maggots are expensive but if stored correctly they can last for weeks. To store them correctly you need a cold dry place, an airtight bucket, a maggot riddle and some additional maize flour from the tackle shop when you buy your maggots.

Place the maggots in the bucket ensure they have some maize flour on them and seal the lid before storing in a cold dry place. Every three to five day, simply open the lid of the bucket and riddle the maggots, then add more maize flour and re seal the lid. You will find that when you come to use the maggots, they are initially dormant but start to come back to wriggling life pretty quickly once the lid of the bucket is opened.

ADDED ATTRACTION There’s so many things you can add to maggots to help boost their attraction. For me the use of powders such as Scopex Squid stick mix or standard Turmeric powder, these really help boost attraction when added to the maggots. I also use hookbait booster sprays/liquids such as Citruz Spray as well as good old Nash Plumb Juice especially if I’ve tipped my zig rig with some maggots.

You can experiment with you own additives that will help set your maggots apart form the norm, it’s a great edge especially if you fish a lake that sees a lot of other people maggot fishing.

PVA POWER

When it’s really tough to get a bite, a small mesh PVA bag or Solid PVA bag of maggots is my “get out of jail free card”. A small mouthful of irresistible maggots in the right area rather then gallons upon gallons of maggots spodded onto a spot is deadly. Don’t always think you have to put lots of maggots in, casting small bag around to locate the carp has led me to some big hits using less than a pint of maggots in the depth of winter, give it a go!

BE OPENMINDED As much as I’ve talked about maggots in cold water carp fishing, on the right venue they are just as devastating in the warmer months especially as lots of angler’s head back to boilies and pellets. When it comes to the right venue to try maggots in the warmer months look for a venue with a low nuisance fish/silver fish population and don’t be scared to apply a few pints to get the fish grubbing around on them. I’ve used them on venues from silty mere’s through to small spots amongst weed and they been just as effective in getting the indicators moving. Another great tactic is to freeline them to cruising carp or dormant carp sitting in the layers, a wriggling ball of maggots flicked in front of a passing carp has caught me many a bonus fish.

I hope this article helps to try maggot fishing or add something to your maggot fishing if you already use them. For me maggots are that good I never leave home for a session on the bank without a pint or two with me regardless of the time of year.

Hassan Khan

#CCPERSPECTIVE

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EURO

C

ROPE CLUBCARP STYLE

W H E RE D O By

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Aa ro n

E V EN STAR T Mc k a y

From big carp, large amounts of stumpy beers, scorching hot temperatures and numerous PB’s broken Vallee lake 2 had it all when we went back in August.

As I embarked on this adventure filled with excitement, nervousness and a car that wanted to break down every 5 minutes I set off to Dover to meet up with the other Clubcarp members for what was to be a fantastic Clubcarp French social.

As time ticked on & everyone finally arrived, we slowly boarded the ferry, and all decided to meet up inside. Was very happy to see some familiar faces who I had met before on previous CC socials as well as some new ones. As we were slowly approaching the French shoreline, we were truly blessed a beautiful sunrise.

After a few minor breakdowns on the lovely French highways we were slightly ahead on time as we couldn’t get onto the lake until 11 so we decided to pop into the local supermarket to stock up on the essentials (beer & snacks) before heading down the road for a well-earned McDonald’s. When we all took the balls out of the hat myself drawing ball 6 and also selecting peg 6 we all rushed away to start our French session.

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Scorching hot days with temperatures reaching plus 30’c and bitter cold nights, meant a few of us were really struggling around the lake to land our first fish. Lucky for some over across the lake in pegs 3 & 11 the fishing was only just kicking off. By day 3 multiple fish had been banked. Due to my fishing taking a slow start I was lucky enough to focus my attention on my photography and with the guidance of Jack and George I was really able to capture some special moments. Whacking them waders on and getting knee deep in silt I was able to capture some of the bangers which Billy, Liam and the others were catching.

As well as fishing we did venture out to a local pub to enjoy the lovely weather, which we were being blessed with and to split up the week, we had another trip out to a local restaurant called La Mama which made the most delicious pizzas.

While on the subject of food during the week we were truly spoilt with some amazing cooking and maybe some not so amazing. As a group we decided to pair up to share cooking responsibility’s and make dinner for us all. From chicken fajitas & no rice (my apologies) to spaghetti bolognese but Liam came through with his amazing potato salad which he had been backing all week.

Billy Carey New PB of 51lb

From the early morning “Good Morning my neighbours” yell across the lake to the offer of a baileys coffee or Billy landing yet another fish, Vallee had quite a few memories made. The late night drinking, the pranks and the fear of getting wiped out by the multiple trailers every night was always a laugh. The still most talked about moment from the whole trip is when we all dressed up and our friend Jack who couldn’t handle his alcohol (Bottle of freixenet & whole bottle of limoncello) decided he would try and hold it in and then end up throwing up over himself in front of the bailiff. Let me assure you this wasn’t a pleasant sight to see, and he quickly got himself to bed.

On the last morning of the trip Liam was got lucky with a magical capture, unfortunately not a huge carp, but a very special creature indeed. After hearing a scream from across the lake asking for a boat Tom lept into action and rowed over to Liam in his swim. After picking Liam up from the bank they were towed into the centre of the lake where, they knew they were in for the long haul. After an intense hour-long boat battle with himself and the big man Tom, they managed to finally get this huge powerful creature to the surface and finally reveal what it actually was, which to their surprise was a huge slimy catfish.

After struggling to even get it into the net due to the sheer size of it’s head, they finally managed to slip it into the back of the net. After a brief realisation of what they had just managed to achieve, they rowed back in and once again peeked into the net of dreams. After a dig around to find the biggest retention / weigh sling they had, they transferred it over and both just about lifted it, to discover the mouth-watering weight of 110lb.

As I wandered over, I could see that the realisation still hadn’t set in but after a few discussions on how we were going to try and capture this truly special moment, I set up my camera as I watched Liam struggle on his own, but once again biggg upssss ma teeee Those moments will stay with me forever.

As everyone packed up, the time had come round to where we had to leave this magical place. After spending a week with an amazing bunch of guys and girls, there was still a little bit of time to go and photo the last of the amazing captures. I found myself in Charlie’s swim first where I had to photograph a brace of 40s then around the other side of the lake to capture Tom’s beautiful capture. Once again knee deep in silt and just in awe of what Tom had picked up from the retainer. A stunning 44lb dark French Mirror... What a character it was, but a very unhappy one at that. Unfortunately, she did manage to get the camera lens slightly wet, so the photos didn’t do this fish justice but the moment Tom and I got to share will last a lifetime.

Jack and I had to do forfeits, as we were the only ones who blanked. A quick strip down to our boxers (No pictures will be shown) and a lovely dive into the lake was the forfeit which was a blessing in disguise as I was covered in silt from all the morning shoots.

Straight into the showers and a fresh pair of clothes , we exited the shower block to say our last goodbyes to the group before departing back to the port.

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Exhaustion, sleep deprivation and two broken chairs later, for some of us no words can be used to fully explain how good of a session this truly was. In 7 days, multiple PBs were smashed, and many fish were banked for some of us, but the experience and the camaraderie made the actual trip a memorable one. From just a group of anglers at the start of the week, to becoming lifelong friends, that’s what the ClubCarp socials are all about.

By Aaron McKay

En

do

rs

ed

Emergency Carper is a non profit organisation.

We are a group of emergency service staff & armed forces personnel who have fished together for many years as a way of dealing with stress.

We want to encourage more people to use fishing as therapy & aim to assist people to get into fishing.

We often run charity fishing events to raise money. We have a lot of fun doing it, as well as giving away prizes to those involved.

ALL PROFITS GO TO CHARITY.

Find out more!

Visit our website to find out more about what we do, who we are & the latest news and information about upcoming events.

Save the date!

Our next event is in May at Linear. Terry Edmonds, George Treadwell & other pro's will be joining us.

Follow this link to register your interest.

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Getting Riggy With It

slip-d multi rig skinlink stiff 20lb gravel / hook ring swivels twister long shank size 4 / SHRINK TUBE anti tangle sleeve short / nash tungsten sinkers scopex squid boilies 15mm

by hassan khan @officialnashtackle

@hassancarpkhan

Got a rig question ask Hassan

skinlink stiff 20lb anti tangle sleeve short

HOOKLINK 1.

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FIGURE OF 8 LOOP nash tungsten sinkers

HOOK

1.

SHRINK TUBE twister long shank size 4

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FIGURE OF 8 BIGHT

hook ring swivel

scopex squid boilie 15mm

We catch up with George Treadwell and quiz him on why his latest European trip to Amsterdam was so Special

AMSTERDAM IN WINTER IS A BIG DEAL Over the years George has visited many different European countries and caught lots of special carp but this trip was something special and we want to share it with you. We interviewed George to find out what was made an ordinary trip to Amsterdam so unique What was the highlight of the trip?

Honestly, that has to be the capture of a fish known as the King.

An old, dark mirror with huge apple slice scales at just under 40lb. I actually had the privilege of seeing and photographing my good friend Jack Player with this gorgeous creature a little over a year ago. So capturing this target fish was a dream come true. We knew this low stock park lake in central Amsterdam was home to some amazing carp and it wasn’t going to be easy fishing. I also managed to capture another target fish in the same session. A fully scaled upper 30lb mirror.

Low Light?

A trip full of very special carp

That’s an easy one! It rained non stop and I forgot to pack my rain coat. Having got soaked the first morning I made the decision to head off to the local shops in the hunt to purchase an overpriced rain coat.

SOMETIMES JUST KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE CAN BE THE TRICK. USING LIQUIDS AND POWDERS IS Definitely AN ADVANTAGE.

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What was the key to the success?

When we got to the lake it was around 2am, pitch black and raining hard. My first thought was to get the bivies out and go to bed but in true fashion standing in the rain looking at the lake I mumbled to Neal “effort equals reward” and on that we began the long arduous task of finding spots in the heavily weedy lake. Having found three areas with less dense weed, no bigger than a car tyre each in size, I decided to bait each one with a few scoops of CCMoore tigers mixed with Odyssey XXX. It then took several attempts to get the rig in position and fishing well with confidence.

Does your approach change when fishing in Holland vs the UK? Actually not as much as you would think.

The only changes I would make would be to the line or lead weight. Some of the venues can be full of debris. We have even seen cars and bikes in park lakes. By using braid and a strong 50lb leader I give myself the best odds for not getting cut off. The other change would be to the lead. In some cases we have fished over 350m away from the bank and a heavy lead is crucial in keeping the rig in place and giving maximum indication when it’s moved.

We have also found ourselves on fast flowing canals in Amsterdam and Belgium. By using a 6oz lead I can ensure the rig isn’t moving around on the bottom.

Public venues or Pay lakes?

That has to be public venues in Europe. Over the years we have discovered some incredible places and incredible carp. I have come to realise that capturing a carp out of the unknown is far more rewarding than a stocked fish out of commercial fishery. I still love my day ticket fishing as there are some brilliant target fish to go after, but for me if I had to choose it would be Public lakes all day.

Effort equals reward How do you prepare for a Euro trip?

I spend a lot of time looking on Google maps. You can be sure to find carp in most European waters, especially in Holland. When you have found a lake on the map, type that into Google search with ‘Carp Fishing’ but spelt in that country’s language and you will be more than likely to find information about the fishing.

I also spend a large amount of time checking and testing my gear. Everything is stepped up a notch. From stronger line to boats and batteries, it feels like you’re taking the kitchen sink at times, but it all needs to be checked and charged.

Looking forward to 2023, where’s next for you George?

First stop is back to Lac Saint Casian for a reccy mission. We have a large ClubCarp trip planned in 2024 and I need to get familiar with the area again.

We also have some plans to visit our good friends Rene and Jeffrey from the Holland Ridgemonkey team in Amsterdam.

Who knows where else we might end up!

T I P KEE l E R R

eal anglers with real stories. Each quarter we will join a ClubCarp member on the bank.

Different anglers, venues, stories and approaches we want to find out what real non sponsored anglers are doing today!

In this first edition we hear from Ed Kirlew who recently attended a ClubCarp social

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fter a long break away from carp fishing due to personal reasons a good friend persuaded me to get back into the sport. I had wanted to for sometime and with my mental health not at its best I thought this could be an ideal opportunity to help myself move forward and not only enjoy the sport again but give me focus and a goal.

At the beginning of 2019 I started to purchase some gear and realised that during my long break from the sort that things had changed massively within carp fishing; the rigs, the gear, what bait etc, it was a minefield! But I was soon back on the bank enjoying something that I had really missed and that my father had taught me and had done together since I was 4/5 years old.

He was an old school match angler and I started on silvers and helping him set up matches when he was

Ed’s Dad Richard Kirlew

Running them for the Ambulance service and Hospital in York. During my time off from fishing I never really lost interest I followed the likes of, Julian Cundiff, Darrell peck, Jimmy Armstrong, Tom dove, Neil Spooner, Danny Fairbrass and Rob Burgess as well as others In 2020 I discovered ClubCarp. My confidence had grown and for all I hadn’t landed the “monster” yet that everyone dreams of, my

catches were growing.

I am always learning new things and whilst scrolling through Instagram one day I came across ClubCarp. I was buying magazines left, right and centre at the time and thought this looks good. I really liked the concept and decided to sack off my other subscriptions and give ClubCarp a go.

I received my first box that quarter and remember being very excited. This was a very different concept.

The box was packed with end gear and a rig card so that you can use those elements to build the rig. There were also several other freebies and merch from ClubCarp. Along with the subscription as a member you had the opportunity to attend one of the ClubCarp socials.

I had never done a social before, I was very aware that there was probably some very good anglers amongst the group but thought “let’s give it a go”. I noted one that was at Norton Disney, a place I had seen on fishing films etc. I had followed Rob burgess for quite sometime and I had

wanted to fish Norton Disney too. I noted that Rob would be there so I booked on. I remember being very nervous; not only would I be fishing somewhere like Norton Disney, I might meet Rob Burgess or even Danny Fairbrass.

After a long drive from Somerset the day before and staying with some friends in Sleaford for the night I arrived at Norton Disney.

I remember pulling into the car park and straight off met some really friendly guys who helped me feel a little more at ease. We finally all moved off and headed to Turners lake.

On arrival I was greeted by George, Jack, Aaron and to my surprise Rob burgess. I won’t lie I was a little star struck! I didn’t think I’d meet him until the next day. I love Robs style of fishing and I had learnt so much from his YouTube videos and other films he had done for brands such as Korda, CarpFix and the likes.

Rob is the man responsible for boosting my confidence Within carp fishing. If something isn’t working, change it; whether that be the

rig, the bait, the location. He is always looking to get that bite, just that one bite and actively works and adjusts to the conditions.

One thing I had been using which in my opinion works well quite a lot was the solid bag approach. His style of tying them is spot on and really does make sense with the flat bed style. I practiced and practiced to get those bags exactly like his. Trust me. As Rob would say, there were some absolute “calamities” but once I’d mastered it, it worked and started working consistently which again helped boost my confidence. Finally after 44 years I’ve actually got half decent at something!

After the meets and greets we were given our session packs, a tour of Turners lake from Rob and we had the water craft draw. I’d never done one of these and was very lucky to have got my second choice. My choice, peg

10. It was a double peg 9 and 10 together. I was instantly happy with that. I’d seen Rob fish there on several programmes and knew that swim produced, whether I caught or not didn’t really matter I was at Norton Disney with a group of like minded people who made me feel very welcome.

After setting up and finally getting the rods out (I wish I’d had 12 foot rods lol). But I did the best I could and set 3 solid bags about 18 wraps out. I really wanted some bait over the top and prior to starting had spoken to George and Jack

about spodding which was a very new concept to me; I had never done it! Jack very kindly lent me a spod Rod and both him and George gave me some tuition on spodding.

This was brilliant! Another new skill!! Once I got into the flow of it I loved it. As the first day drew in I went up to the team tent to socialise and speak to people, Rob did some tuition in bag tying and anticipation was high. Who would catch? What’s the weather going to be like tonight? Am I in the right spot, “Any shows” you’d hear from people.

I re-baited my rods just as it became dark and out about 10 spombs over the top with a mix of CC MOORE Odyssey XXX crumbed, halved, and whole, some pellet, some sweetcorn and a good glug of CCMoore GLM liquid over the top of my bags. I heard not long after dark Rob Burgess had caught something and I remember sitting up and watching the water for ages but was ultimately happy with my rig position. I finally got my head down and in the small hours my left hand rod screamed off!!

I couldn’t believe it. I remember exiting my Bivvy thinking “don’t cock this up” I struck into it and it was a decent sized carp. I was literally shaking thinking I need to land this.

My next door neighbour Cal came out to assist me. After playing it for a while it was ready to come in and I remember wanting to punch the air as it slipped over the net cord into the net. As I looked at it in the net I thought “that’ll do, that’ll do nicely”.

The best fishing experience I’ve ever had!

I was excited to have some pictures with what was potentially a pb. I had weighed it but wanted another opinion. I re-baited all 3 rods before George, Jack and the team came around. The guys came around and took lots of pictures and did a piece to camera for their social media etc. this was epic. I really was on a high then. We weighed the carp again. It was confirmed a new PB at 23lb 14oz mirror. I couldn’t be happier.

During the weekend I got to know some of the guys. Everyone was really friendly we all had a good laugh and I

made some friends. The last night we all met for a BBQ at the team tent, shared stories and got to know each other. The night went by quietly for me on the fishing front but I’d heard that someone had caught in the night, was it bigger than mine? I didn’t realise until the Sunday morning that there was a prize for biggest weight etc. I didn’t mind to be honest, I was still buzzing that I’d caught at Norton Disney, I had met Rob Burgess and spent some time with him, I’d had some great tuition from George and Jack, had a right laugh,

met some brilliant people and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Truth be told I didn’t want it to end.

The Sunday morning was wet, very wet.

Nothing worse than a wet pack down but we all packed up and made our way to the team tent. The prizes were awarded and I came second. What a weekend. I was pipped to the post by Robbie, but I was so chuffed for him. We said our goodbyes and I started the long drive back to Somerset reflecting on the weekend. I’d realised that I’d probably had about 6 hours kip

all weekend, I’d barely eaten because I’d forgotten to but it had been the best fishing experience I’d ever had. All thanks to Jack, George, Aaron, Rob and ClubCarp. It not only boosted my confidence in fishing but also in general. I couldn’t wait to book the next one which I did immediately.

By Ed Kirlew

Thank you ClubCarp

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