Carping in the old days

Coming from a long line of successful match anglers.
It was inevitable, that I was going to follow in their footsteps.
From the tender age of 5 years old.
I was on the canal or river bank, with either my father or grandfather.
Angling and my love of it has lasted for forty years.
Once you get the bug it never leaves you.
I fished successfully on the open match curcuit for over 12 years.
In that time I have met people, who have remained my friends to this day.
There are lots of good anglers out there, some could have become professionals.
But never got their lucky break.
Competition angling is a great sport, if you can spare the time to do it.
You can't win every match, but the friendships that form from it usually last for ever.
Its the only sport that is down to a single person.
Their knowledge, their perserverence, their own approach to angling.
If you don't win or some days, even come close, don't beat yourself up about it.
If you win, don't let it go to your head.
There was probably better anglers than you in that match.
But you was just the best man on the day.
Over the last 35 years angling has changed so much.
Not just the tackle, but the whole approach to the sport in general.
Carp fever has took over Britain.
Back in the day, catching specimen fish was a lifetime persuit.
It took years of work to find venues that held big fish.
Stalking around banks on lakes in the hope you could spot a big fish.
Then it was years of hard work to catch them, once sighted.
Once you were positive the venue held big fish, it was like the secret service.
You never told a soul.
Big fish photos were often sent to the anglers mail, but venues were always undisclosed.
I remember back in 1979 finding such a venue, behind a factory near Preston, Lancashire.
One summers evening, I thought I would just have a walk round the lake with the dog.
I had caught large bream from this venue and the odd specimen chubb. But the only carp I had ever caught  there were cruscian carp, which only ever grew up to a few pounds.
But this one night, I was creeping around this lake and sighted a huge dark monsterous fish.
I knew it was a mirror carp, I was knelt down quietly in the reeds.
Watching this fish in the margins.
But to my suprise, what I saw next inspired me to fish this this venue for years.
Along came another and then another.
I must have seen over fifteen fish that night, all over thirty pounds.
Tackle back then was a basic affair, this was the days before rod pods, bait runner reels, bite alarms etc.
I knew I needed to beef up my tackle to have any hope of landing any of these fish, if I happened to be successful.
I remember buying 2 Milbro pier rods, these were like mid way between boat rods and beachcasters.
Made from fibreglass, I think they was about eleven foot in length, not as heavy and robust as beachcaster but would do the job.

The reels I used to use back then were Mitchell Match reels, but as good as they were, I new they wouldn't handle what I had in mind.
So I opted for some other Mitchell 300 reels, that were slightly larger than the match reels, but would do the job.

The terminal tackle, was as basic as you like.
Large mustad hooks, hideous 20lb line.
On rod 1, I set up a link ledger which would just rest the bait on the top of the weed just short of the middle of the lake.
Which I baited up with three lob worms.
Rod 2, I freelined a large ball of bread into the magins.
The rods were supported by two extending rod rests, so the rod tips was facing upwards so the line would clear the weeds.
The bobbins I used were made from corks with a ladies hairgrip pushed through them and painted with bright orange model paint.
The open end clipped onto the line, the other end a piece of string and a sea fishing bell. the end of the string was fastened to the rod rest.
I wonder what the tackle tarts would say, if I was to turned up on a venue with this kit today.
Night fishing on this lake was prohibited, but I knew the head bailiff, who himself was a big fish finatic and the security guard at the mill.
After a bit of begging, they agreed to let me do full weekends.
So long as I kept it quiet and stayed down the bottom end where I had seen the carp.
I got my night kit together, which consisted of an British Army poncho fixed in true military style with bunjees.

an army maggot sleeping bag, torch, primus stove and mess tins for cooking in.
I was well hidden in the undergrowth with my combat gear on.
I fished it solid for four years, usually once or twice a month.
The fish I caught there were unbelievable, big monster eels, tench, chubb, countless bream.
But the carp seemed to elude me.
I was started to get a name for myself, as every angler who fished at weekends used to wander down and chat with me.
It started to become a regular thing.
Then I started to get the carp after reading an article in one of the fishing papers about using boiled birdfood, hemp and fishing over a bed of this with large boiled plate maize, like what they gave pigeons.

I started to use pigeon corn quite a lot, with tares maple peas etc.
1980 was one my most productive years, I had caught loads of carp but none over 17lb.
Neverless, I was over the moon with my catches, but I was a little disheartened that I had not caught any of the big carp.
Shortly after that I decided to have a break and go back to match fishing and just fish the lake every now and then.
Then I read an article in 1983 about hair rigs, boilies and trout fry food, a very small pellet type feed.
I had also seen some monkey climbers that took betalite illuminous units.
Needless to say I rushed out and bought them, illuminous climbers, what next.
Armed with my new found knowledge, I went back onto the lake in the following June, as there was a closed season back in those days.
I can remember we had quite a good summer in this year.
I was catching carp almost every session. My personal best was going up and up.
I was now catching them well into the mid 20's.
In September of 83, I baited a couple of swims for about four nights, prior to me going for my weekend session.
I lost a good few carp on the first night, the second night I landed three or four all 20's.
About 4.30am sunday morning, the bailiff I knew arrived to fish, as we were chatting, the climber was going mad, line was flying off the reel with the bale arm open. I took up the slack, struck.
The rod was bending like it never had before, I can still recall the adrenaline rush I got that morning, as i have never had one like it since.
After what seemed like a lifetime, the fish sufaced just at the edge of the margin.
I can still remember the bailiff, shouting like an excited kid.
Where I was fishing there was a bank of weed, the carp went straight into it.
It was like a tug of war almost a stale mate.
To my suprise the bailiff took off his jacket and in he went, the carp went on another run. This time I turned it and kept it up in the water. Straight into the net it went.
I helped the bailiff out who was almost stuck fast in the mud. He told to forget him and grab the net.
As soon as I started to lift the net I could feel the weight, I knew it wasnt another 20.
The bailiff scrambled out, he was more excited than I was.
I can still remember shaking.
32lb Common. This is more like I thought.
It just looked bigger.
We took the usual pictures, but as I was putting it back I notice another two or three anglers behind me.
I set it free in the water and away it swam.
That was the last time I ever fished that place.
Because every weekend after that, the place was packed.
I don't know if it ever got caught again or if the weight ever got beat.
I walked down there the following season in 1984. To my horror they had cut three pegs out along that margin and took out most of the weed.
The permit price had doubled, it was now 1 permit per rod. They banned any sort of of pellet and a list of particles, no boilies of any description were allowed.
A few years later, there was rumours that the club had got it netted and sold all the bigger fish.
I don't know how true that rumour was.