Features
I arrived in the car park at British Waterways Clattercote Reservoir along with son Martyn, soon after first light on a mild but very windy winter’s morning.
Winter is a tricky time for any type of fishing but particularly so on commercial fisheries where by the carp seem to almost shut down once the water temperature drops.
Tip 1: Always remember the golden rule for all specialist anglers. ‘You cannot catch it if it isn’t there’ A bit obvious I know, but to catch any fish you need a plan.
The start of what was to be a busy few weeks was a visit to the Sky Sports studios to record an episode of Tight Lines, along with fellow consultant Bob Roberts.
After a decent night’s sleep I was up and sorting bait at 6am whilst Glenn went off to do the draw.
I think it must be every anglers dream to get a chance to represent their country so when I got the call up for the England feeder team this year to say I was made up is an understatement.
Although I’m mainly a carp angler, I also love fishing for other species, and in late summer early autumn my thoughts often turn to barbel. Not too far from my home is the magnificent River Trent, so along with good friend Graham Drewery we’ve been visiting the tidal Trent at Carlton, and I think it’s fair to say we’ve been well pleased with the results.
If you are a carp angler Etang Bertie is a fabulous place to spend a week with the family.
In many ways I’m the wrong person to report on a match, as the last match I took part in was with Potter Heigham AC on the River Waveney in 1962, and if memory serves me right I didn’t particularly struggle to lift the keep net out of the water when the hooter went, but having said all that I did attend a previous Dealer Match and became an enthralled spectator so I was really looking forward to the day.
Pegged around Gold Lake, Will Raison had chosen the most productive pegs to go into the pot hoping to give the guests the best sampling of the renowned Gold Valley sport on offer.