The Ultimate Carper

Long Distance Casting

2008-05-03T20:30:00.003+01:00

Ever wanted to improve on your distance casting,I came across this ten minute video which covers the subject fairly well including rigs and equipment.I found this a lot more useful than just using a fast taper rod and good reel,well worth a watch.Quest baits has some very good video tips and worthy of a bookmark check out the video vault.Join British record casting champion Mark Hutchinson here...
http://www.questbaits.com/docs/videovault/casting/index.html

Moreton Fisheries Impressions

2008-04-26T23:41:00.007+01:00

Spent a recent Day Session at Moreton Fisheries Astbury Congleton.First impressions were the guy at the lodge Mal I believe his name was,had to be one of the grouchiest guys to run a fishery ever,gave the impression that coming to the front door to get the money for the session was a major pain.£7 I paid, for two rods might have been more but I was reluctant to ask as he cursed f&&&in hell when I gave him a tenner and he had to get change.With those jollities out of the way I decided to walk around the lake for a closer inspection,there was a pond across the road called peck's pool which has some sort of float fishing only rule,for a largely bottom feeding fish seemed more trouble than it was worth,and there had to be some bigger monsters in the main lake didn't there?,also there was a cottage pool but this was a bit too close to the grouch for comfort.I wasted the first couple of hours trieing some pop ups recommended to me from Pickerings before I tried my trusty home made boilies,bang into a carp about five minutes after it was in the water,after that I picked up fish roughly every 2o minutes ranging from about 8 to 15 pounds on simple bolt rigs,about 1.00 pm when I was musing if there was anything bigger a couple of lads set up on the corner of the island opposite and cast across my main lines,fair due I was fishing some 100 yards out,but I had to reel them in before we snagged each other.They picked up a few fish mainly off my baited area, try as I might couldn't locate any carp closer in,so effective end of session,something was regularly crashing to my left,this would have meant a move which I contemplated wasn't justified for the time leaft.I've included a few pics of the fish I caught,I've seen carp in better condition,but they fought well and gave cracking runs.In conclusion if you can get over the inital shock of the grouch at the lodge and the drone off traffic on the A34 behind you it's a nice enough place to fish with herons and ducks(a pain as usual!),some of the pegs could use a little refurbishment,wellies are in order as maybe to recent downpours/flooding you can't walk all the way around the lake.marks 3/10 with new guy at lodge 7/10. the lodge ogre was the the only monster I came up against that day.

Westport Lake

2008-04-06T00:14:00.004+01:00

Good luck to the lads bivvied down at Westport Lake,who attended a work party last weekend so they could fish 4 weeks early,true dedicated carpers.This water now being handled by Middleport Angling Club,also day tickets available (from Pickerings).When I was first taken fishing here by my next door neighbour Mr Crane ,(some cough 35 years ago)we had some great fishing and better than I remember of late,but there's still an unknown quantity of thirties ,check the pic on the ice cream van,or some of Chiles fish, Stapely central stand,you might need some field binoculars to track them,but the rewards are there.The Landscape has changed from when I was a lad and a new energy efficient visitor centre is currently being constructed on what was a grassy slope decades ago.Although not as scenic as Trentham,Rudyard or Knypersely it has it's own charm and maybe a whacker for those that persevere.check this satellite link http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=westport+lake+stoke+map&ie=UTF8&ll=53.048889,-2.217093&spn=0.004295,0.009656&t=k&z=16

Shaun Pickerill

Revealed What Carp Really Love

2008-03-27T21:31:00.000Z

What follows is a summary of the findings of extensive research undertaken at Sparshot College-the country's leading fisheries institution.It follows a series of laboratory experiments on the flavour preferences of young carp.It was found that flavours such as molasses and worms,which both contain very high levels of betaine and amino acids respectively,were extremely attractive to a fish's sense of smell,at the same time,those baits were quite likely to be rejected because the fish didn't like their taste.Meanwhile,flavours such as halibut pellets and tuna were less attractive initially,but far more likely to be eaten because the fish linked them to the fatty acids found in their natural,rich protein-based foods that are essential for health and growth.

It pays to remember that most stock fish have been reared and weaned on a diet of fish-meal based pellets..The results of these tests highlight the relationship between smell and taste.The results also demonstrate that over flavouring a bait like a bright pop-up may make them instantly attractive,but that's not necessarily something you'd want to do to a long term food source.A single bait such as flavoured plastic corn,that looks and smells good will always get you a bite,but an effective bait is one that smells and tastes good.Fishmeal in summer,year round bait has to be sweetcorn.It's colour,sweetness,saltiness and amino acid content make it a superb choice for use as both a hookbait and feed.

Flavour Preferences

Molasses 95.2%
Worm 88.6%
Tuna 86.3%
Clove 84.8%
Strawberry 84.6%
Halibut Pellet 83.3%

Flavour rejection

Molasses 55%
Clove 48.7%
Worm 35.5%
Strawberry 33.3%
Tuna 13.6%
Halibut 3.3%

Angling Times

Mr Crabtree Bernard Venables

2008-03-26T00:22:00.000Z

Bernard Venables
Was the Author of Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing, the angling cartoon book that sold millions of copies in the 1940s
BERNARD VENABLES, who died aged 94 in 2001, authored one of the most successful books ever written about sport, Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing; presented in the form of a cartoon strip, it sold more than two million copies in the 1940s and 1950s, but since Venables was employed as the angling correspondent of the Daily Mirror he received not a penny! in royalties, all of which went to the newspaper.
Venables had trained as an artist, and in the years after the Second World War started to draw a series on gardening for the Mirror in which the pipe-loving Crabtree dispensed seasonal horticultural tips,yes that's right Crabtree was a gardener. Come winter, however, there was less for Crabtree to do, and Venables, a keen fisherman, accordingly suggested to the newspaper's editor that the character shift his attention to the riverbank.
Crabtree was provided with a son eager to learn the habits of tench and rudd, and along with the readers, young Peter was soon initiated into the piscatorial arts. Venables laid out and drew all the pictures himself, but the key to the Mr Crabtree's appeal was the skill with which he explained a largely intuitive sport to others. The Mirror was quick to see its success, and in 1949 a compilation of the strips, together with some new stories and watercolours, was issued in book form. Priced at five shillings, it proved to be a best seller.
Fifty years on, the characters possess a quaint but alluring charm: Peter Crabtree wears shorts in all weathers, while his father never sheds his tie. But the advice on fishing remains just as sound and pragmatic as it ever was, while the note of concern for the value of the countryside has become still more topical. For his part, although he saw no financial return from his success, Venables took great pleasure, and no little pride, in having introduced so many people to an idyllic and compelling pastime.
Bernard Percival Venables was born on February 14 1907, the son of a clerk. As a boy of five, growing up near Romney Marsh, he became fascinated by a local pond, imagining the fish swimming below its surface. He soon taught himself to fish with a piece of string and a bent pin. In later years he scorned anglers who relied on technology to make their catch; for him, fishing had to be a contest of skill and wits alone,a true carper.
The family later moved to south London, but his father died when Bernard was 15 and he left school young. He then had a series of menial jobs before entering art school (his grandfather had been a painter). Venables joined the Daily Express as a cartoonist and illustrator in the 1920s, later moving to the Mirror. When war came, and many of the journalists were called up, he was encouraged to turn his hand to reporting and discovered for the first time his ability to write clear and attractive prose.
Following the success of Mr Crabtree, Venables began to devote himself to writing about fishing full-time. In 1953, he co-founded the weekly Angling Times. He then became editor of Creel, a magazine aimed at the top end of the market, including those anglers who, with the growth of air travel, were starting to take fishing holidays in more exotic locations.
The magazine folded, however, when it failed to attract sufficient advertising revenue, and Venables then worked principally for the airlines BEA and BOAC, investigating opportunities for fishing tourism, particularly in Africa. His interest in angling of every kind took Venables all over the world in these years. In 1968, he published Baleia!, an account of the two seasons he spent with the Fayal islanders of the Azores, hunting whales in small open boats with hand-held harpoons.
Venables also travelled to Gibraltar to fish for shark, and hooked a 24-footer which he managed to bring on deck. The creature, he later recalled, then became very active. "The back end hit one of my friends on the leg, so that he had to go to hospital. The front end gave me a wallop on the head and knocked my pipe out of my mouth." When Venables retrieved his briar, he found that he had also lost a front tooth.
Another of his books, Coming Down the Zambezi (1975), grew from Venables's fascination with the newly independent Africa, and also from his interest in David Livingstone's explorations of the continent. Venables, by now almost in his seventies, travelled more than 1,200 miles down the river from its source in the forests of the Congo to the point where it enters Mozambique.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Venables gave much of his energy to the Anglers' Co-operative Association, which helped to clean up some of Britain's more polluted waterways. He was a dedicated conservationist, and came to see fishing as a sort of mystical act, a participation in a natural order of things greater than man.
"I make a very close link between our belonging here and the will to fish," he said. "There is no natural medium in which the sense of life on earth is more evident than in water . . . Most of the things which are least pleasant about life now are the things which are most antithetical to fishing."
He was the author of 18 books, including Fishing (1953), The Angler's Companion (1958), A Rise to the Fly (1999) and The Illustrated Memoirs of a Fisherman (1993). Mr Crabtree Goes Fishing was republished by Map Marketing last year. Venables had a lively, inquiring, analytical mind, but he also enjoyed the more reflective aspects of fishing, particularly the birdsong and the play of light on water.
He himself lived near the Wiltshire Avon, and even in his nineties worked seven days a week. Away from fishing, he enjoyed sculpting and especially painting, which he thought his true vocation. He married, in 1958, Eileen Willmore. They had two sons and a daughter.

Pleasure or Match Fishing

2008-03-24T16:23:00.000Z

Pleasure or Match Fishing?,no doubt some people do get pleasure from poling in silver fish the size of gudgeons every 20 seconds,but as a seasoned carper I have to admit it holds little appeal for me.I remember winning one river match on the Severn with about half a pound of Dace as no one else caught,and I thought I'd had a miserable session,never fished another match after that,I was almost to embarrassed to receive the cup.It's nice to take in the scenery even stroll around if someone's caught a whacker and you just can't do these things in the heat of competition.You can certainly take advantage of some of the groundbaiting after some of the matchmen have vacated to relate their stories of being half an ounce from victory.When the line screams from the reel clutch along with the steady tone of the alarm! you know that's no 8 oz roach on the end and battle commences.If you're a professional match angler who makes a good living from it fair due,personally I'd be bored out of my skull,so let's here your views or vote in the poll.
Shaun

Carp Fishing in Staffordshire and Cheshire

2008-03-16T23:32:00.000Z

Researching where to go Carp Fishing in Staffordshire and Cheshire is for me,(based in Stoke-on-Trent) a full time job.I've heard tales and seen the pictures of lumps pulled out of some unlikely waters,where I have to admit I've not seen many signs of carp at all.Rudyard Knypersley,Trentham even Westport lake(monster common pic on central stand at Stapeley Angling Centre).We have many clubs S-O-T Angling seems to have some of the best if a little difficult waters Capesthorne,Bolesworth Castle ,etc ,then there's Victoria and Biddulph good value at only £28.I have a soft spot for Cudmore Fisheries,Avoca where I caught my first 20 and have had some great sessions.Heronbrook fisheries is a strange place! no hooks larger than size 10!,I know there's some pretty big carp in there so why?.I was told to take a size 8 off once and was told this was the reason I hadn't caught anything yet,later I caught a 19lb common and the small hook ripped its mouth a little,did the old guy think I was fishing for silver fish with a rod pod and baitrunners,needless to say I haven't returned to Heronbrook,also the guy who runs Moreton fisheries Malcom I think his name is has to be one of the rudest guys ever to manage a fishery and I have many who will back me up on that.There are many other waters I could mention,I personally think some of the syndicate waters don't seem good value to me,but let's here your comments and opinions.Where you caught that whacker in the Midlands.
Shaun

Welcome Carpers

2008-03-09T22:59:00.000Z

Welcome to what I hope to make one of the best carping blogs on the web,if not the best!.It's beginning to take shape now,I have video from Youtube and feeds from some of the best carping and fishing sites,so I'm hoping you will bookmark and contribute to this blog.Around about this time of year I'm generally deciding where I am going to concentrate my carping efforts,so it's a review of clubs and waters along with checking tackle is up to date.Thanks for reading good luck to you all, get out there and catch a Whacker!
Shaun

Stapeley Gardens Angling Centre

2008-03-08T23:44:00.000Z

Definitely the widest range of fishing/carping equipment in Cheshire,or local to Staffordshire makes Pickerings look like a paper shop,Where else could you take some of the best known carp rods off the rack like the Infinity Magnum Taper and see how they really feel or compare to cheaper rods,some surprisingly good rods here too at just £29.99 and £39.99 that I would be more than happy to use.The bait available here is one of the widest available, although some of it looks a little overpriced,in fact you name it in carping gear they've got it,also some great sales items notably some of the bivvies and rods near the entrance,well worth a visit but take loadsamoney.

Budget Carping

2008-03-02T23:05:00.000Z

Here's a few tips on carping on a budget in no particular order,the internet is a great source for cheap equipment,ebay etc,but you can save money on other things too,making your own boilies for example,just get the basemix right and experiment with your own flavours,microwaving can turn a bottom bait into a pop up for example,soya flour and semolina can form the most basic basemix.Vitalin can be a great carpy groundbait/spod bait along with boiled hemp you can pick up 10kg sacks of this for around 10-15 pounds and take my word for it carp love it.Add some cheap long life milk/any milk to create extra cloudiness,plumrose luncheon meat has landed me a few carp when nothing else works get it from the supermarket not the tackle shop.Onto tackle now,in my opinion daiwa sensor line is a great budget line,you can't argue with a line that has landed so many specimen/record fish.Hook links,snake bite,korda IQ/hybrid/supersoft/stiff ,Kryston super nova and supersilk,infact anything! by Kryston,all great hooklink materials,Fox illusion also worth a mention.A good budget bait runner would be the Daiwa Regal 4500/5000 Bri for those of us who can't afford the Basia,rods is a little tougher but go for something with a fast taper and light tip similar to the daiwa infinity/longbow rods you need a rod that will cast distance/bully and play the carp,the new slimpower looks nice too! but take my word for it you can get similar.Bivvies well whats wrong with a cheap green dome tent,some tents are better made than fishing bivvies anyhow,but you need something that doesn't take a month of sundays to erect,you can't beat the trakker bivvies in that respect.More items soon feel free to add comments on your own tips.

Record Carp

2008-02-25T23:31:00.000Z

Here are some links to the Carp we should be aspiring to;
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.gofishing.co.uk/upload/4119/images/Darrel-Peck---Two-Tone-65lb.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.gofishing.co.uk/news/News-Search-Results/Fish-Catches/October-2007/Two-Tone-caught-at-65lb-4oz/%3F%26R%3DEPI-3153&h=400&w=600&sz=83&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=yGJNkH00Lw7WyM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcurrent%2Bbritish%2Bcarp%2Brecord%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

http://catsncarp.blogspot.com/2007/10/world-record-mirror-carp-paul-meridith.html

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.fishingmagic.com/news/images/emir8412.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.fishingmagic.com/news/article.asp%3FUAN%3D4817%26v%3D1&h=450&w=400&sz=44&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=feaC1ejwrzW59M:&tbnh=127&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3D2008%2Bworld%2Bcarp%2Brecord%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/07_02/bigcarpBN1707_600x396.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html%3Fin_article_id%3D469003%26in_page_id%3D1811&h=396&w=600&sz=77&hl=en&start=10&um=1&tbnid=hEBydPQfuDW7HM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3D2008%2Bworld%2Bcarp%2Brecord%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Introduction to the Ultimate Carper

2008-02-24T22:46:00.000Z

Carping has been a lifelong obsession for me,no other form of fishing for me encapsulates the search and trips out for these wily beasts.I have many fisherman's tales and hope to get them down on this blog before I forget them completely(yes I'm 48 and to you younger people out there careful what you smoke/drink, names seems to be high on the agenda for me,usually people I haven't seen for a while though).
Where would we be without some of the innovations in modern carping equipment/baits the reports on fisheries,even today's budget gear is better than some of the kit I parted my hard earned for in the past.
So here it is the introduction to the Ultimate Carper,haven't got the budget to get off to France as much as I'd like,so this is mainly a good old Blighty blog from me although I'm interested in any Trips worldwide,spring is rapidly approaching,and although I have done some winter carping,notably recent trips to Cuttle Mill,it doesn't compare in terms of feeding and fish on the mat.We all benefit from an exchange of information and my aim is to make this the reference for the Ultimate Carper.
Shaun