CarpFever 2015

Q&A
If you had the choice, which would it be:
large, wild non-stocked waters or stocked
UK waters and why?
What would you say are your main
strengths in carp fishing?
All UK waters have been stocked at some
point in time, either legally or otherwise, but
I get what you’re asking. I think we would
all like to be fishing for the ‘unknown’ on a
large untapped water, after all it’s the air
of mystery that attracts so many people to
angling in the first place.
Because I fish such a huge variety of venues,
I like to consider myself an adaptable angler.
One week I could be fishing a huge inland
sea, the next it could be a tiny farm pond,
and I find myself employing lots of different
tricks and tactics to try and achieve the best
results. Because of this constant variation
I like to think I can adapt quickly to most
venues or situations that I encounter.
Below: Mark’s
most memorable
catch; his first
river carp caught
while filming The
Challenge.
Please tell us more about your most
memorable catch?
That was earlier this year actually whilst
filming episode 8 of The Challenge; River
Revenge! I had never caught a river carp
before and we had filmed a river challenge
the previous year but unfortunately I failed
after hooking a carp but then unfortunately
the hook pulled. This time round everything
went to plan. We fished on the opening
night of the season and the atmosphere was
electric. To our surprise that night passed by
uneventfully, but the following day I found
several carp cruising around a slow moving
back channel and I was able to stalk one on a
piece of freelanced bread crust just feet from
the bank. It weighed around 19lb and I was
shaking just as much when I landed that as I
did when I landed my personal best, which
was nearly three times larger.
When you arrive at your selected venue,
what is the first thing you do?
I know it sounds obvious, but I find the
fish, regardless of how long it may take.
So many people are in a rush to get set up,
often jumping in the first aesthetically
pleasing area they see, but I’m happy to
walk around all day, and into the night if
need be. On many venues I fish the carp are
more active during darkness and it’s not
uncommon for me to be setting up in the
dark once I have located them.
Lead size and arrangement preference?
Depends on the situation. For PVA bag work
it’s a flat inline lead, which is less cluttered
than other lead arrangements and folds
neatly into the confines of the PVA bag. For
long-range work I’d employ a helicopter
setup, which is more aerodynamic and
reduces air resistance to enable me to gain
extra yards. But, for the majority of my
fishing I use a simple lead clip with a fairly
heavy 4 to 4.5oz distance shaped lead. I
prefer a lead of this size to improve the
hooking potential and it also cuts through
any side winds and aids accurate casting.
www.carpfever.co.za December 2015 | 13