New world Record Common Carp 86lb 6oz

German common carp is new world record 86lb 6oz

Well this certainly makes my personal best common of 25lb look a bit sorry to say the least.The venue of the stillwater is secret(wouldn't we all like to know that one!).I've heard also it's not taking any new members and is notoriously a difficult water as a lot of these big carp waters (innevitably pressured) are,by that I mean you can wait months for just a bite.Imagine the patience and dedication involved here,not to mention the blanking and toll on your available free time.Hats of to German angler Nermin Caro who had all of the fore-mentioned to bank the new world record common carp at the weight of 86lb 6oz.

The 33-year-old caught the massive fish, (Mary), from a secret lake in his homeland after taking a few tips from his brother, Emir, who banked the specimen himself in 2007.

“Straight away, I knew it was a huge fish. It shot straight out into the middle of the lake, but with solid pressure I managed to turn it slowly. After about 20 minutes, I got my first glimpse of the fish – it was the venue’s biggest resident, Mary! My knees started to shake and I just kept mumbling ‘please, please go into my landing net’, which she did at the third time of asking – I couldn’t believe it, she was mine!” he said.

Nermin took the giant fish on a snowman hookbait made from a 26mm Dynamite Baits Red Fish boilie, with a matching 15mm pop-up. He presented this on a 35lb Kryston Quicksilver Gold hooklink, a size 4 Korda Wide Gape X hook, and an 113g Fox inline lead.

Nerim’s catch beat the existing world record common by Dieter Markus Stein in February 2009, by 13oz.

Gawsworth Hall Fishery

Went Gawsworth hall fishery for a brief night/day session last week caught 5 carp and 1 large bream,weren't feeding on top as usual even though it was millpond calm so had to take the pot luck of the alarms,no monsters biggest was 12lb,a very difficult session with fish falling mainly to tutti fruiti boilies and one to strawberry,mixed commons and mirrors,well at least I didn't blank.It's getting close to the time of year when I caught the 25lb common and there was a bit of a feeding frenzy going on then with some definitely bigger fish about,the trick is getting the timing right as they feed up for the winter but no signs of this as yet.

Moreton Fisheries Astbury Congleton

Thought I'd post a quick comment on Moreton Fisheries (ticket day/night),old misery guts Mal(you know who I'm talking about) has retired,the people running it are a lot friendlier,now even has a toilet and butty/burger van open all day and things are being tidied up (work is being done!).I know people who've avoided it like the plague for the reason of the grump so I thought I'd pass it on.To those of you who got on well with him and he never cussed,you can only of visited once.
Shaun

Facebook Carp Fishing Group

Set up a Carp Fishing UK Network group on the increasingly popular Facebook,feel free to join and add yourself as a friend(costs nothing)and could be great for Carp Fishing networking and news if I can get enough members.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49603846305

Environment Agency and Post Office Ltd. Mess Up Our Rod Licenses

Still waiting for your Rod License,nearly a month ago when I applied for mine,have to fish with an email with an  order receipt number on it.Don't know how they can check this if the systems messed up,got this from the EA Website,seems like an oppurtunity for bogus receipts to me:

We are aware that some customers who have bought their licence online or over the telephone in the last couple of weeks have not yet received their licence. We are very sorry for this delay. We are working with Post Office Ltd, who operate the online application system and call centre on our behalf, to fix this problem.

You can begin to fish immediately after buying your rod licence by taking the receipt reference number with you. You do not need to wait for your licence to arrive. If you have paid for your rod licence you are covered to go fishing and we will get your licence to you as quickly as possible.

We are sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused. 

Not very impressive is it.

Ultimate Carp Venues Luke Moffatt's The Graviers Dijon

No Carping Venue review would be complete without including the current World Record Dream Carp Venue Luke Moffatt's First Class Fishery The Graviers.Andre Kormoniki from London is the current record holder landing the world record carp(pictured below). Andre used a Greys Platinum 12.5ft 3lb Carp Rod to land the 91lb Mirror(Scar) at Luke Moffatt's Le Graviers water in Dijon France. Known as the scarred fish or the fish of two halves as it has a scar running round its body, amongst other less flattering names. The scar was apparently caused by a rope which was tied around the fishes body to retain it, this was done many years ago before people were more concerned about carp care.The Scar also follows the fate of Carp like Two-Tone as being one of the most saught after of captures being the current world record from various other record weights . The bait Andre used was the Baitcraft T1 a bait with a track record for the bigger specimens. Andre used a blowback rig tied with a Kryston Super Mantis hooklink and a Korda Longshank X Hook to catch the carp of a lifetime. Not content on catching the world record Andre also caught ten more fish including carp of 63lb, 56lb, two at 50lb, 40lb, 37lb, 33lb, 32lb, 29lb and 27lb. Apparently the next available season to book is 2011(2009/10 are now fully booked) although you maybe luck enough to get a cancellation ,contact Luke via his website linked to the title(best of luck with that).You may want to make a note that February 1st 2010 is the next available date for reservations and some notable DVD's featuring the Venue include(5 Days in France 2003,Tactical Carping 2004 and Back on The Rods 2007.

Frank Warwick Ultimate Carping Legend

Frank Warwick Age 40 lives in Wimslow, Cheshire and works as an Angling writer/consultant.Current UK Pb: 43lb 14oz from a Shropshire water European Pb: 57lb 11oz from the Graviers Dijon Favourite Bait: Spicy Shrimp & Prawn and favourite Rig: Long shank blow-back. All-Time Favourite Venue: Raduta in Romania Proudest Moment: Catching two 50lb-plus carp for the TV cameras Achievements: "Pioneering the Fluro bait phenomenon and my input into new rig designs" What’s The Next Step?: Catching a European 60lb carp.

I've sometimes followed Frank on to waters where he has cleaned up and I've tried to find out what he was doing that I wasn't.An impressive long distance caster check out the DVD An Interactive guide to Carp fishing with Pete Castle and Matt Hayes.Frank's knowledge of Carp Fishing is unsurpassed.

Paul Young Ultimate Fishing Legend

Paul Young (born 3 July 1944 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK) is a Scottish television actor.Son of the actor John Young.
Credits include The Tales of Para Handy, No Job for a Lady, Coronation Street and Still Game.
Paul has gone on to find more fame among the fishing community, fronting a series of fishing TV shows, which began with "Hooked On Scotland" on the BBC in 1991. The show enjoyed great success, winning a BAFTA for the first series. After two series, the show switched to ITV (Scottish TV), the name changing to Hooked on Scottish and Paul's brief widening to include trips to fishing around the world.
In 1999, Paul was hooked by Scottish, and the show - with much the same format of Paul catching fish in lots of interesting places, each episode showcasing a different type of fish - was taken on by the Discovery Channel with the name changing to "Hooked on Fishing". This ran successfully for 6 series up to 2004.I remember Paul losing his rod to a fierce take in one of the US episodes and taking chase in the boat.
Paul's latest venture in 2006 is Fishing Road Trip USA a 5,000 mile journey sampling the delights of fishing in the USA.You can't deny Paul has in particular popularised fly fishing with some impressive game fish from all over the world.

Terry Hearn Ultimate Carping Legend

Terry Hearn Age 33 of Boxhill, Surrey has to be the Carp Angler people most want to be and came top in a poll of Carp Anglers on this blog, he works as an Angling writer although for a writer the website(click above title) is a little disappointing(just an ad for a book really) well he's got to be out chasing another 50 and all that!. Single UK Pb: 55lb 13oz (Mary from Wraysbury) Favourite Bait: The Source,Favourite Rig: Hinge stiff-link/Chod rig. All-Time Favourite Venue: No particular favourite but Toll Pits and Causeway Lake.Proudest Moment: "Catching the British record carp and when I caught my first 40lb carp", which was Basil from Yately North Lake. Terry has been Angling Times Carp Angler of The Year and two times Cobra Carp Cup winner.'In pursuit of the Largest' is an unmissable read and here is a link exclusive to a chapter of his new book 'Still Searching'.

http://www.dynamitebaits.com/index.php?id=648

Matt Hayes Ultimate Fishing Legend

Matthew 'Matt' Hayes (born 24/11/1961) in Smethwick near Birmingham, UK ) is a British angler who has been making television angling programmes for the last 10 years featured mainly on the digital TV channel, Discovery Real Time(Shed). Due to his television work and the numerous fishing articles he has written, Hayes is one of the UK's most famous and recognisable anglers. He is often seen on TV alongside his fishing companion and fellow programme contributor Mick Brown. A lesser known fact Matt has a Law degree from Wolverhampton University and also won specimen fishing’s top prize, the Drennan Cup in ‘98 he then dropped out of serious big fish angling to rediscover pleasure fishing. I still like to catch big fish but for me, what really counts is experiencing fishing in all of its forms. I came to realize that measuring success in pounds and ounces is a road to nowhere" (A quote I can personally identify with),Matt currently lives in Shropshire and
has written a weekly column in the Angling Times for almost ten years.Matt pictured with a whacking common "Don't they ang on!".

John Wilson Ultimate Fishing Legend

John Wilson (born 1943) the jolly fisherman who has put more fun into fishing than Rex Hunt and probably kissed more fish, is a legendary British angler who has been making television angling programmes for the last 20 years featuring on channel 4 Television and more recently on the digital TV channel, Discovery Real Time(Shed). Wilson was voted 'The Greatest Angler of all Time' in a 2004 poll by readers of the Angling Times Newspaper a testament to his popularity.
Wilson was born in Enfield, London where he fished on the River Lee. He had careers in hairdressing, the Merchant Navy and printing before opening his own fishing tackle shop based in Norwich in 1971. John now lives at Great Witchingham, Norfolk,where he fishes on his local River Wensum and owns his own lake complex.If ever a knighthood was merited for services to fishing this man would have merited one decades ago.Check out Sixty Years A Fisherman the long awaited and updated new edition of much-loved angler John Wilson's memoirs, an icon of the angling world! John reveals the real life story behind the camera lens of a man who was once a cruiseship hairstylist and who later became one of the most recognised TV personalities to have come into the world of angling. Packed full of fishing anecdotes and stories of his travels around the world, Sixty Years A Fisherman is beautifully illustrated with John's own photography. http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/id/Sixty_Years_A_Fisherman_The_Autobiography_of_Fishing_Legend_John/9781905828395

New Discovery Channel Shed

I just thought that you might be interested in a new channel which is being launched by Discovery this Friday – Discovery Shed. To mark the launch four times world angling champion Bob Nudd is going to be fishing at Victoria Park, London on Friday (20th March) from 8am. If you’d like to come and join Bob for some morning fishing and to get some tips to help improve your own technique, just turn up at the pond, which is near the park’s Pavillion Café (enter at Crown Gate West) at 8am on Friday.Discovery Shed will be the place for men who like good old practical activities to escape to. Watch Matt Hayes' Greatest Catches on the channel from Friday 20th March at 9pm and 9.30pm, Bob Nudd's Right Angles follows at 10pm and 10.30pm.

Moon Cycles and Fishing

Freshwater anglers fortunately don't deal with tides like saltwater anglers, but the phases of the moon are equally important to them as well. What the angler wants to focus on are the new moon and full moon periods on the calendar. The two or three days following these two occurrences will result in more fish activity. It's that simple.
The moon phases are a very real factor in the feeding patterns of fish. The perfect weather situation combined with a full or new moon. When this happens, theoretically you will have a great day fishing.here is a link to a moon phase calendar for 2009.

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/time/moon/

Barometric Pressure and Fishing

The barometer can be an effective tool for measuring the feeding behavior of fish. The barometer is an instrument used to measure ambient atmospheric pressure. The measure of barometric atmospheric pressure can then be used to help predict the weather and the feeding behavior of fish. Haven't we all wondered why fish were so easy to catch yesterday, but today you can't even get a bite?
You see when a low pressure front is building, the barometer is low and dropping and a storm is either present or on its way. When the barometer is high or rising, the weather is fair and dry. If you’re watching the weather on the TV, that's what the large capital L or H means on the weather map. The L stands for a low pressure system and the H stands for a high pressure system.
So what does this mean to a fisherman?. The barometer will unlock many of the "mysteries" of fishing. When the atmospheric pressure fluctuates, it affects the air bladders in fish. A fishes' air bladder is what it uses to stabilize itself at different depths of water. When a fishes' air bladder isn't feeling right it won't want to eat. When the barometer is low or falling, fish will spend most of their time equalizing their air bladder, and the last thing they're thinking about is feeding. When this happens you'll have a difficult time fooling a fish into eating. On the other hand, when the opposite is true, and the barometer is rising, your chances of catching a fish, is far greater, because they feel more like eating.Here a link to the met office pressure charts.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_pressure.html

Conningbrook Lake Ultimate Carping Venues

The anglers lucky enough to fish this difficult water on a regular basis know that the next run could be the new British record.
The lake has produced the British Record Mirror(Two Tone) of 61lb 2oz which sustains an average growth rate of 3lb per year. Be prepared for 'a few' blank sessions though.
Information: Dug in the early eighties the original fish were stocked form the Mill Pool in Faversham and the rest is history.
The lake also holds some very nice pike too.Main Lake:Approx. 35 acres: Carp 64lb 15oz, Pike 30lb and Roach. http://www.midkentfisheries.co.uk/Conningbrook.htm

Donald Leney unsung Carping Heroes

Ever wondered where the Carp came from that inspired the boom in Carp Angling. Many of the most famous carp fisheries and plenty of the most notable carp in the country are a direct result of one mans passion for carp. A non-angling fish farmer working for the Surrey Trout Farm from 1923, Donald Leney almost single handedly sowed the seeds of some of the most magnificent carp and carp waters that have been seen in this country. Donald travelled to Holland where he hand picked fast growing Galician strain of carp to bring back to England. They were indeed stunning fish, characterised by a long torpedo like body shape, heavy scaling and deep colours. These Galician strain carp, now referred to as Lene carp, have played a key role in the making of our carp heritage. Donald Leney's carp went everywhere from Billling Aquadrome in Northamptonshire to Frensham Small Pond in Surrey to the mighty Savay in the Colne Valley. But Redmire Pool, the most famous of all our carp waters benefited from Donald,s love of Galician carp like no other. In 1934, some 50 5 to 8 inch carp were introduced to the three-acre pond in Heretfordshire to try and control the weed. In 1951 Bob Richards landed a 31lb 4oz mirror from the pool, the first of three consecutive British records from Redmire. Then on September 13 1952 Dick Walker, the father of modern specimen fishing landed one of the few commons from the 1934 stocking - a 44 pounder he called Ravioli (later Clarissa). The giant claimed the British record untill the opening day of the 1980 season when another Leney giant - a 51lb 8oz linear- was caught by Chris Yates. Three consecutive record breakers came from 50 small carp, not all of which would have made it to adulthood - a remarkable statistic. Another legacy of Donald's carp is their longevity. Until its sad death during the 2003/4 season another Redmire mirror carp first caught in 1961 - was thought to be the oldest documented carp caught in the U k , aged over 70 years and also suspected to have been part of the 1934 introduction. It is suspected that Redmire pool still holds the crown for the oldest living carp in this country, another of of Donald Leney's amazing babies. A linear mirror, the last survivor from the original stocking from 1934 and probably spawned in 1932 is now if still alive as I write an amazing 73 years old. Although not banked for a decade, untill last year was known to be still swiming around this historical venue and is thought to be around 40lb. Over a 25 year period up until 1956 there were hundereds of thousands of Galician carp imported and stocked throughout the U K, most delivered by rail. Many were stocked into unsuitable venues and fell by the wayside. Through his beloved Galician's that prospered, Donald Leney perhaps contributed more to modern carp angling than any other. This artical was originally written by Colin Davidson for Anglers Mail.
Look out for The King Carp Waters is written by carp historian, Chris Ball, this tells the story of the Donald Leney stockings of Galician strain carp into a number of (now) famous waters in the 1930`s and 50`s. The book looks at 6 venues in detail: Redmire (of course!), Frensham, Billing Aquadome, Savay, The Army Lake and, the odd one out, The Electricity Cut on the River Nene at Peterborough.

Redmire Pool Utimate Carping Venues

Redmire Pool is a farm pond just under 3 acres in size in Herefordshire.The venue has always captured the imagination of Carp Anglers worldwide. Donald Leney was instructed to stock the pool in march 1934 with 50 small Carp (5.5"-8") in an effort to combat the extensive weed in the pool. Hence the 'Leneys' came along with the Redmire stockings and stockings he carried out elsewhere around mainly Southern England producing most of the known big Carp in England today.Unbelievably these fish lay untouched until 1951 when a local angler by the name of Bob Richards got permission to fish the pool.I can't help thinking it must have been a little easier to catch these unpressured monsters. On the 3rd October Bob was to re-write the record books by capturing a magnificient Mirror Carp of 31.4lbs.The next year saw the famous Richard (Dick) Walker on Redmire, and on September 13th he caught the famous 'Clarissa'(chistened Ravioli by Walker but the zoo didn't like the name)at a new record weight of 44lbs. 'Clarissa' spent the rest of her days residing in London Zoo.I wondered why, but apparently record fish were routinely killed to establish their provenance and Walker hated the idea of killing such a magnificent fish so he persuaded the aquarium's curator at the zoo to take it .Dick's record stayed intact until Chris Yates captured a massive 51.5lb Mirror(the Bishop).Redmire has been fished by all the famous names in Carp Fishing over the years.In those days Redmire was private and secretive, now thanks to the present owners the magic and mystery of Redmire is available to all(but book early!).

Chris Yates Ultimate Fishing Legend

Chris Yates is a true gentleman of the fishing fraternity and it's most visible in the TV series A Passion for Angling perhaps the best fishing series ever made.Often looking like an extra from Sherlock Holmes he has a penchant for classic centre pin reels and split cane rods.The once controversial record holder of the 51lb 8oz carp(the bishop) from Legendary Redmire is also a prolific writer and former co-editor of Waterlog Magazine as well as finding time to be a photographer.Worth looking out for Catching the Impossible and Caught in Time,here also is an ever expanding wikipedia link http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Yates_(fisherman)

SP

Carp Innovations

Over the years there have been more products and innovations appearing for Carp Fishing than the average wallet can cope with.Some are labour saving,better quality e.g Basia Reels,new lines and rigs,new baits,better bivvies/bait boats/night vision.Some are so simple you wonder why you didn't think of them yourself.I'd like people to comment on their personal favourites or maybe you have your own gadgets and bag of tricks you couldn't live without.Mine are pva/radio bite alarms/coated braid/pram style bivvies/muddy bite indicators/quick links.Your comments please.