Fox Guide to Commercial Fisheries

This new 164-page Fox Guide to

Commercial Fisheries is the first

publication to look exclusively at the

tactics, baits and tackle required for

success on the nation's favourite type of

venue. Fox recognised the need to bring

today's breed of still-water angler right up

to speed on the entire array of techniques

such as the bagging waggler and method

feeder, plus baits like cat food, pellets

and 'Moondust'. Drawing upon the vast

expertise of top match anglers Mark

Pollard and Derek Willan to explain and

illustrate their approaches in an easy to follow format, the result is a comprehensive reference guide which readers will be able to pick up and glean tips from - time and time again.
Fox Match Guide to Commercial Fisheries is now available from the Carp-Talk Shop for £11.99 plus £3 p&p.

CC Moore’s 10mm Baits

It’s well known that using small baits during the

winter months can produce outstanding results.

Well, CC Moore will be producing 10mm round

and 10mm barrel baits throughout November, December and January. These sizes are available in their three most popular baits – Odyssey XXX, Meteor and Live System. To order any of these baits or if you require any more information either visit www.ccmoore.com or call 01963 362234.

Over the last fortnight I’ve been very busy with one thing and another. As the majority of you will know, work and families can take up a lot of your time. And at this time of year it can be very difficult to motivate yourself even if you do find a little spare time. However, if you really want to feel a bend in your rod you will make the most of any time you have available.

Last week I attended a screening of the new Rod Hutchinson DVD, Back on the Rods. Well, what a night - the film is excellent, it was a shame I’d already watched it only a week earlier! But the drinks in the bar all went down very well. Then two days later I attended a talk in Doncaster. The speaker was Bill Cottom and the night was organised to raise money for a local children’s charity I believe over £1200 was raised on the night which is very impressive and the talk was not bad either.

Fishing-wise, I’ve done two short morning sessions both of which were fruitless. The waters in question contain mostly doubles with the outside chance of a twenty. Both the waters contain a lot of silver fish so I think using maggots is out of the question. I’ve already being introducing a mixture of bait on a regular basis - sweetcorn, hemp and various sized boilies all mixed with groundbait. After this introduction I was surprised I did not catch anything on my first two mornings, perhaps I’ve chosen the wrong area of the lake and may have to rethink my plans. I can see my winter fishing being very limited and my sessions will mostly be short morning sessions on waters close to work. I cannot justify doing lots of overnight sessions throughout the winter, as over the last few winters 90% of my catches came during the hours of daylight and my time could be better spent doing other things - so morning sessions will be the best way to optimise my time.

Over the weekend just gone I had to help out at one of my local club waters to secure a container that has been repeatedly broken into over the last few months. And on Sunday I attended a work party at Brandesburton ponds – another HDAA club water. I always find these days worthwhile, not only do you achieve a sense of enormous satisfaction but they are a great way to get to know the other members. Having spent the last few months sat behind a desk each day, I now really feel like I’ve done a day’s work and the lump on my left index finger suggests I’m not as good with a hammer as I though I was!

I’m currently gearing up for the Carp Society Winter Show, that’s coming up this weekend. I’ll be working on the Carp-Talk stand which is conveniently right next to the bar - please come and say hello. Until then tight lines,

Ben Wales

A new path nearing completion at Brandesburton. Please make note: The guy standing at the front is Bill Brame, the Permit Secretary, carefully propping up a rake...

Welcome to issue 22 of Carp-Talk Xtra. We’re pleased this week to feature our first Xtra article from Ken Townley, and in the coming weeks we will have interesting features from other Carp-Talk contributors such as Ian Poole and Simon Crow. Let us know if there are any particular subjects you’d like our contributors to cover - you can email us at the usual address. Back to this week’s edition. Thanks to the nice guys at Furnace Lakes, two of you have the chance to win a free session at their fishery. You also can win a sample of Cotswold Bait Creations Future Range boilies by entering the competition on page three - as always there are no daft questions to answer just simply send us an email to be in with a chance of winning.

It’s show season now with the first being The Carp Society Winter Show this weekend; then it’s the biggest show of all - ‘Carpin On’ at the Five Lakes resort in Essex. Carp-Talk have a stand at both shows where we’ll be selling books, magazines, DVD’s and subscriptions and looking forward to meeting you. If you have any questions (or moans) you would like to raise with the team then you know where to find us. We hope we see you there...

Ben Wales

FACT Fisheries Posters

Fish theft and the spread of disease have been the big issues for Britain’s anglers over the last two years, and in response the Fish Welfare Group, a working committee of Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust (FACT), have launched two posters carrying key messages for the health of our fisheries: ‘Don’t Steal, Cook or Kill Fish’ and ‘Don’t Kill a Fishery’. The full story appears in this week’s Carp-Talk issue 690.

Winter Ticket Deal

Between 15 November 2007 and 28 February 2008

The Carp Society are offering a winter promotion in

which you can purchase one 24hr ticket and

receive a second 24hr ticket for half price. To take

advantage of this great deal and benefit from

fantastic winter fishing at the very best price

around contact the main office on 01367 253959 or visit www.thecarpsociety.com

Fish Care Kit at Horseshoe 

The stocks of fish in The Carp Society’s Horseshoe

Lake are of paramount importance and they intend

to ensure their safety by supplying anglers with

landing nets and weigh slings. The Carp Society is

leading the field in its initiative to combat any

possible spread of the virus such as KHV by possible cross-contaminations from equipment. They commissioned some specially-branded equipment at a cost of over £6000 and are determined to maintain the initiative.

Eastern Europeans boost carp sales

Whilst you’re sat at home this Christmas tucking into your turkey, spare a thought for our beloved carp. Around the world at this time of year thousands of carp will be consumed, but it’s not only abroad this will be happening but also right here in the UK. An article appeared in Monday’s Telegraph newspaper reporting that sales of carp in Waitrose supermarkets are up 50 per cent on last year. This is due to the influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe. The fish is often considered to taste muddy but is hugely popular in Hungary and Poland, where it is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve. The article even suggests a recipe for preparing carp. All this just three days after Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall demonstrated how to prepare carp on national television. Let’s hope we don’t see Two-Tone, Hendrix or the Royal Forty sitting on a bed of ice the next time we go shopping.

Dave Steuart relives 1955!

Last weekend many famous specialist anglers descended on the Lands End pub at Tywford, near Reading, for the book launch of master angler and gifted Hampshire artist John Searl’s marvellous new book, A Brush with the Avon. Faces such as Peter Wheat, Ray Walton, Fred Crouch, Len Arbery, Pete Cranstoun, Dave Gawthorn, Tim Goode, Frank Guttfield and many others were present to enjoy the proceedings. As ever Carp-Talk’s, ‘man about town’ Chris Ball, was on hand to mingle with angling’s great and good! However, Chris really had an ulterior motive for going (apart from the food and drink) - he went because he knew Dave Steuart (a notably and successful carp angler, prolific writer - and everything else as well) would be present.

Chris has an extensive archive of carp fishing memorabilia and years ago he acquired a proof copy of Dave Steuart’s Carp book from the ‘How to Catch Them’ series published in 1955. This 100-page hardback was the first practical carp-only book to be published in the UK. It became a little bible for would-be carp anglers of the period – such was its success that it was subsequently translated into many different languages.

Chris was delighted to get Dave’s signature in this ‘one off’ proof copy. However, Dave was later telling all and sundry: “Only a bloke as daft as Chris would collect stuff like this!”

Dave Steuart pictured with his book Carp in the ‘How to catch them’ series and Bally, looking dementedly happy, with his unique ‘proof copy’ of the same book.