INTRODUCTION
There are very few places in Europe, let alone the UK, where you can find carp that actually behave naturally. Their movements and feeding habits have long been modified to an angling environment and there are even venues appearing on the continent that guarantee you’ll catch a 30lb plus fish …………….. or they will give you your money back!
Okay for some I guess, but for most genuine anglers a personal best from a lake stocked with so many fish that you could walk on them is too ridiculous to contemplate. Mind you, judging from the popularity of such venues there are plenty of anglers, and I use the term loosely, that only care about grabbing a ‘proud’ photo of themselves with a 30lb boilie bucket whatever the circumstances. May as well pass a stuffed one around the bivvies and go home early.
Quite why this appeals is a complete mystery, goes with Kevin & Cindy sun strips or Go Faster badges on Citroen Saxo’s I guess. Anyway, having had a great deal of success with our experimental baits and terminal rigs we decided to look for locations that were pretty much untouched by anglers, at least those looking for carp. Finally we found the perfect venue.
60,000 acres, up to 300 feet deep, a shoreline of around 800 miles with more twists and turns than a cabinet minister. Daunting prospect, especially with little or no information on current stocks or locations other than catfish to 95lb, Walleye, Crappies and Bass. The only big carp that get reported are dead ones that occasionally get washed up on the banks. So we are off to have a look. We left for the States on July 23rd on a three week fishing trip to see if we can find and hopefully catch some genuinely wild Carp.
It is a long way to go and the logistics re tackle etc, are difficult to say the least so we will report the whole thing from airport to lakeside, and back again, in a series of diary reports beginning shortly after we leave.
So um….. Watch this space.
Steve Marriot
www.supafish.com
Note from Graham
My recent illness delayed publication of these reports, so unfortunately they will not be as ‘live’ as we would have liked.
Second report next week.
