By Shaun Harrison
Another month passes by and, indeed, almost another year. So what has happened in the few short weeks since I last poured out my thoughts to the Carpworld readers?
Quite a lot actually, but most astonishingly the editor’s exploitation of Brook, my Staffordshire bull terrier – who, incidentally is a bitch, and not a dog, as Martin wrongly stated – in the November edition of Carpworld. I don’t know, you would have thought after seeing her puppies that he might have cottoned on to the fact that she is actually female, wouldn’t you?
Exploitation I said. I was quietly amused to see the first picture of her in her shades on page 132 advertising this issue. I flicked through the pages as usual, looking at the pictures first and seeing what delights I had in store when I would eventually get a few moments to myself to sit down and absorb. Next I got to page 177 and there again was Brook having a conversation with me (yes, it’s true, she talks, as anyone who knows her will confirm – as well as doing some obscure type of break dancing which she has taught herself ). Page 202 and she was there again – helping to advertise a Venture Carp Razorback bivvy system she never told me about. Looks a cracking bit of kit – tough enough for a Staffy!
So what? I hear you mutter. Well, it didn’t end there. I was at work a couple of days after the magazine was released and I received an email from a fellow British Carp Study Group member complaining that his daughter had seen Brook in the pages of his Carpworld, fell in love with her and promptly tore out the pages before he had time to read it! Soon there were a few more pictures winging their way to young Elyssia through the wonders of computers. Last report was she had gone to bed cuddling them. If only older people were as easy to please. Now then, you may think, or even hope, this is the last of Brook for this month. But no, she has only gone and landed herself her first film role! I have had a telephone call and she has landed a role to appear in a forthcoming fishing DVD. She is a dog for goodness sake.
Well, I said that and then she nearly put her neck out turning around as if to say “What did you call me?” So, straight after the Carp Society conference she will be strutting her stuff. Anyway, enough of all this doggy talk. This is supposed to be a carp fishing magazine so what else has been happening in my carp orientated life?
Actually, something quite major – I’ve joined a new water! 1¾ miles around the bank and about 80 acres of nice clear and bright water! I’ve felt the need for a new challenge for some time. I have been a member of the glorious Mangrove syndicate for a few years, as well as the Forgotten Valley. Both are incredible waters and an absolute joy to be at, but – and this is a very big BUT – I have not been able to take the aforementioned pin-up girl/future film star. Now this never used to be a problem until I became single. The whole of this season I have only managed three nights in the U.K. and this is from someone who always did 100 or so nights per year. Paying well into four figures for two tickets then only managing a few nights gets a trifle expensive, especially when I add the Land Rover fuel onto the job as well. I have felt like a caged animal.
For children you can get people to babysit. You try to get someone to look after a dog overnight. Anyway, it is now looking as though this may be about to change. I have joined a water which actually encourages dogs. So, for the first time in what seems like ages I have a bit of excitement welling up inside just thinking about making a start on pastures new. I’m not sure what I am going to do with my other tickets at the moment. I feel I should part with one but must admit I really don’t want to, but I can’t really justify paying the money and not being able to fish. We have just moved into the silly season with the first of the long run of conferences and shows. So, once again, despite paying my money and joining the new water in Cambridgeshire I still can’t get to fish. Isn’t the tackle trade great?
Is it just me, or am I right in saying what I have found to be oh, so true over the years and that is, it seems to me that when the temperatures get to their cruellest you tend to catch carp with more scales, be it heavily scaled mirrors or commons?
If there are only a few of them in a water then they tend to turn up when the weather is at extremes. Now this may seem a little far-fetched, but it has certainly been the case on many of the waters I have been successful on during the harshest of winter conditions. I have long held the personal view that commons and mirrors generally behave differently anyway but I am now starting to group the very heavily-scaled mirrors in with the commons, particularly in the extreme weather feeding situation. I know it sounds as though I am saying they will tolerate it because they have more clothes, but I can assure you I have kept schtum on this one for many years now rather than risk being ridiculed, however, after my admission of not being able to put a decent fish on the bank after a week in France, what do I now have to worry about? If you are targeting a particular big common or heavily-scaled mirror in a lake which is predominantly stocked with bald-flanked fish, then winter could be the time for you to increase your chances of contact. I am sure they are able to tolerate worse conditions than most other carp.
Best Fishes, Shaun
Article originally appeared in ‘Carpworld’
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