Hunts Corner Lake. [09/02/2010]

Eddie ‘Towerpower’ O’hara from Blackpool with a 17lb mirror caught from Hunts Corner Lake over the weekend using pop-ups.

Mirror Carp

Hunts Corner Lake. [09/02/2010]

Nick Walsh from Blackpool with a 28lb 01oz mirror caught from Hunts Corner Lake over the weekend using pop-ups.

hunts corner mirror carp

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John has been a keen angler all of his life, but has only recently started to take it more seriously by targeting bigger carp by design. This also coincided with him getting completely kitted out with Fox gear to help in his quest to smash his PB!
Hide…“Ever since I was a kid I’ve loved fishing, but my football commitments have meant that I haven’t been able to fish as much as I would have liked. However, I’ve started to take my kids more in the summer and whenever possible I’ve tried to do a night by myself after big carp,” said the Chelsea star.

My good friend Bobby Zamora (Fulham FC) got me on a great syndicate water and introduced me to the guys at Fox International – so I am now fishing a great venue and using the best gear,” he said.

It was on his first visit to the syndicate water that John got agonisingly close to beating his PB of 30lb 1oz. The 29lb 5oz specimen being his only fish of the 24 hour session.

“I wasn’t looking to beat my PB on my first trip. To be honest, I just wanted to get to grips with the venue and new techniques. The fact that I got so close to my PB has only fuelled my drive to smash it next time out,” he said.

John picked a swim that offered him a number of options, most notably a small cast to a tree-lined island. He put one rig directly under an over-hanging tree, a second just off the point of the island and his third was put in open water. This, he felt, would give him the best chance of sneaking an early fish. Each line was fed heavily with Mainline Cell boilies.

It wasn’t until 4am that his alarm screamed into life, with the rig presented under the tree doing the business.

“I was gob-smacked at the fish’s power. As soon as I hooked it, it wanted to kite around the island. I had to really apply some pressure to get in control and then steer it into open water,” commented John.

A further five minutes of battle later and John had the fish in the net. His rig was a combi-rig tied using a six-inch length of Fox Weedy Green Coretex, a size 7 Arma Point SSC hook. His bait was an 18mm Mainline Cell boilie, with a PVA bag of Cell Response pellets and broken boilies.

So, what now for John’s fishing?
“With games coming thick and fast and with preparation in full swing for the 2010 World Cup, I don’t get much chance to get back on the bank. But, as soon as I have another day free I’ll be back on the lake, desperate to break the 30lb barrier,” he said.

So, what gear does the England and Chelsea captain actually use?
Rods: Fox Horizon SFD 12’ 2.75lb (CRD095)
Reels: Fox Stratos FS12000e (CRL032)
Alarms: Fox Micron NX (CEI100)
Shelter: Fox Eclipse 1-man (CUM096)
Mainline: Fox Aquos 15lb (CML096)
Hooklink: Fox Coretex Weedy Olive (CAC168)
Hook: Arma Point SSC (CHK020)

The Titan

I have to say that all in the Nash team are absolutely stunned at the response surrounding the return of the Titan. In fact, I cannot think of one example of where an old design is revived and it seems it will be even more popular than before. When you consider the Titan is the biggest selling bivvy in the history of carp fishing that is some statement! Why did we bring it back? Put simply – due to demand. We have been continually contacted by carpers saying their trusted Titans are coming to the end of their life or asking us to reconsider and bring the NASH Titan back. The general view amongst many is that the pram-hood and other bivvy designs still cannot rival the Titan for strength, speed of setup and ease of use. The new Titan, which will simply be called Titan, will be available in April. We have used the best factory we know for manufacture. Nonetheless, because of the complexity it has still taken getting on for three years to reach the highest level of technical excellence I demand. Luckily, I invented the Titan, so have grown up with it, knowing all its idiosyncrasies and technical challenges. That I believe, incidentally, is the single reason why it has never been rivalled. I have seen at least two copies over the years that have failed dismally. The Titan is an excellent example of the fact that if you copy something you cannot possibly understand it in the way the innovator did. So, it is likely you will miss valuable detail.

We delayed the launch last year to put the Titan through long term field testing. We have been testing two and have exposed them to some pretty rigorous conditions. This proved invaluable and enabled us to further tweak. Now, I am 100% confident that this new Titan will out-perform even the Titan Viper (which out of all the Titan’s was the best and biggest seller). However, there is a difference between a prototype and production. What I mean by that, with volume production a lot more people are involved. So, quality control is critical. For this reason we have ordered only one batch of 500. The thinking being when this first shipment arrives, we can carefully check the quality before release. Rather than the situation of having a series of orders in place whereby a problem could occur throughout the batches. This will mean that after we have checked the first 500 and are satisfied then the next order will take possibly three months to arrive. Therefore there will be disruption in supply. This may be frustrating to many of you, you might have to wait even longer to obtain a Titan. I trust you understand our reasons for this.

Design

The new Titan’s shape and size is similar to the Viper, but not exactly the same. This new Titan is more rounded in the back panels, enabling the user to get his bedchair further into the back, so there is less storage space behind the bedchair, but more in front. My view is that storage space behind a bedchair is an awkward place to get to your gear. One of the questions I have been asked is whether the Viper Winter Skin and Extreme Canopy fit? We tried it and at the back where we have changed the shape the skin is off the ground by some 10 inches. I am sure you could use your existing skins if you added a cord to your pegging points. Whilst it may not look quite as nice with the skin off the ground at the back, it will be functional and perform adequately.

Frame

Again, similar to the Viper except the dimension difference. Also, there are new mud feet and a mud foot on the back pole instead of the back pole spike to prevent sinking on soft ground. We have replaced the plastic spigots in the block with metal ones. I have heard complaints from anglers, who have had their original Titans uprooted in winds and as a result the spigots broke. My original thinking with the Titan design and for making the spigots out of plastic was to install a situation similar to electronics where you have a fuse i.e. in the instance of overloading the fuse blows, preventing significant and costly damage to the appliance. The same as with the Titan. It was relatively easy and cheap to replace the spigot, but not cheap to replace new legs or block. As this concept was not fully grasped we have changed to all metal. So whilst the Titan is stronger, if your pegging points fail because you cannot get adequate grip and the Titan is uprooted and blown away, then there is a possibility of frame damage. When you consider though part of the Titan’s legend is two anglers lives being saved when half tonne tree boughs fell on top of them, this strength is now further enhanced.

Cover

Much discussion and testing went behind our final decision on material choice. Recently there is a swing towards lighter weight materials and so called breathable materials on bivvies. Of course everyone has their own ideas and preferences, so if I give you my thoughts you can decide if a Titan suits you. We have used a heavy-duty armoured material, recommended by some of our army friends whom have experience of its performance. Therefore, it is not lightweight or high-tech or breathable – but it is bomb proof! We could easily have used a lighter and cheaper material, but we take the view that lighter materials can never be as strong or have the tear strength, such as for example when setting up next to brambles or a thorn bush. With regards to breathable materials I have one word to say – bull**** hype! The fact is a breathable material can never function as it is suggested on a bivvy. Breathable materials work by forcing moisture from the inside out. This can only be achieved if the material is close to the skin, enabling the body heat to force the moisture through the pores. So it is ineffectual on a bivvy. Also, it is worth pointing out that breathable materials only work when the material is dry and totally clean. Not a lot of use I would suggest on a muddy lake when it is pouring of rain! I would acknowledge they soak up some condensation, but I do not believe on wet, damp nights you will see any difference on the underside of the bivvy skin – it will still be wet. The Titan is no different – we noted there was condensation on damp, cold nights, but on no occasion was condensation drip experienced. I still believe there is only one way to mostly eradicate condensation and that is to use two skins that then act like double glazing and also increases insulation. It seems mostly the experienced carpers agree with me as this awesome material has greatly impressed, judging by the comments the Titan has received at shows. I do not think at 9.1kg anyone will complain at the weight. Like I said above we could make it lighter, but refuse to as this would mean a sacrifice in strength.

Infills

The waterproof infill is similar to the Viper, with side clear windows and see-through storm window on the door. It has see-through windows that are fully storm proof and provide light. However, there is a secondary full mosquito mesh infill and just like the waterproof infill this can be zipped on or off. I think this is superior, allowing for a much more airy and comfortable sleep on summer nights. With previous Titans we provided a lightweight groundsheet with the costly heavy-duty groundsheet available as an accessory. The new Titan comes complete with a heavy-duty groundsheet, as well as bivvy sticks, storm adapters and pegs, so it is complete and ready to go. Planned accessories are the BushWrap (that I will write about separately as soon as I have time) as well as the Winter Skin, which to my mind is just that – only necessary if you intend to fish through the colder months to enhance storage area and insulation. There are a number of other tweaks and subtle changes that, whilst I will not mention to save space, have been implemented as a result of the years of experience I have with the Titan.

I think that covers most of the questions we have been asked. Of course you can check the Titan out further on our website.

With the ice clearing at last the rods are out again but in the next month or two I will be appearing at two shows and hope to see as many of you there as possible for plenty of free giveaways,how to get the best from Nash tackle, entertainment and your chance to put me on the spot

Saturday 6th February 2010 – I will be doing a very rare slide show in Aid of ECHO at the Tyrwhitt Arms, Shortferry, Fiskerton, Lincs. Rather than the usual show I will be talking about the most important part of carp fishing… yes, you and your motivation and determination to catch carp. From location to short sessions, baiting approach to a spring approach all will be revealed. There will be a mega raffle and much much more. For more details contact them on 07830315802 or check out the site on www.endtackle.com

Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th March 2010 – its the annual Five Lakes Carp Conference in Essex where as usual I will be running the bait and rig clinic with Mike Kavanagh of Carpworld fame. There will be all the best from Nash tackle of course and when my special guests at the clinic will include Terry Hearn and Dave Lane you know its going to be very special…. For more details about the show check out www.carpinon.co.uk

Just come along, introduce yourself and it will be great to see you

Until then get out there and bag your first carp of many in 2010

For Bait and Tackle why not visit Brunos Carp Tackle Store

Update: Monday January 25th 2010. All lakes are now open. Please note that we’ve still got cold weather forecast for next week, so there is the potential of the lakes re-freezing if the wind drops – please make sure you check before setting off to the fishery in case we’ve re-frozen. Also the water levels are high on the Guys Syndicate, Oxlease and Hunts so don’t forget your wellies and/or thigh waders. For further updates keep an eye on this web site or you can contact Roy Parsons on 07885 327708.

They are awesome and we have a sniff of the first batch. Check back soon for results

Mr Locke braved sub-zero temperatures in just a T-shirt to break the world record for catching the biggest ever carp a 94 pound whopper.

The enormous mirror carp weighed the same as Minogue and beat the previous record by 3lbs.

After reading about his feat on Telegraph.co.uk she Tweeted: “Hahaaaa congrats Mr Locke!!”

Brit Mr Locke jumped out of his lakeside tent at 6am in temperatures of -3C to net the monster fish that tipped the scales at 94lbs.

Angling records and their celebrity equivalents
Wearing only a T-shirt and trousers, he jumped in his boat and motored 200 yards out to the fish and began reeling it in.

At first he thought he had hooked a sunken tree trunk due to the weight of it but was gobsmacked when he heaved the carp to the surface.

Getting it in his landing net was like ‘trying to land a small hippo with a tennis racket,’ but after succeeding he towed it to the shore to weigh it.

Despite the early hour and freezing temperatures, many other anglers gathered round to celebrate with the new record holder.

Mr Locke, from South Darenth, Dartford, Kent, left the fish in the shallows until daylight when he photographed the aquatic beast before returning it to the lake in good health.

The world record carp has been broken by Martin Locke: “The only way I can describe the shock of this capture is to compare it to sitting alone in a dark room and then have someone hurl a brick through the window.”

These are the words of Martin ‘Lucky’ Locke, who last week smashed the world carp record with this huge mirror weighing 94lb.

World Record Mirror Carp 94lb caught by martin locke

The giant, known as ‘Briggs’ Fish’, beats the previous record by 3lb and was taken by the Kent-based Solar Tackle boss when a week-long trip to Rainbow Lake in France produced a single ‘life-changing’ bite.

His bait had been sitting over a light scattering of mixed seeds, hemp and crushed boilies for four days until a rod-wrenching take in the early hours of the morning saw him jump into a boat and prepare to do battle with the same fish that set his previous personal best of 84lb back in September 2008.

“Imagine experiencing the most ferocious barbel bite you could ever get, striking into what felt like a brick wall and then doing battle with a 94lb carp that’s living in a minefield of sunken trees. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions during the fight,” said an elated Martin, who took the fish from swim 12 on the 110-acre venue.

“Once I’d got the boat over the fish I honestly thought I’d hooked a snag because it was so heavy, but then my heart nearly stopped when the beast rolled over on the surface. My landing net was frozen and not laying open properly, so I drew the head and the shoulders of the fish over the net then I dropped the rod in the boat, lifted with both hands and luckily the fish dropped to the bottom of the mesh.

“I will probably never catch a bigger fish in my life, but when I get home I’ll be happy catching doubles at my local runs water because I just love catching carp.”

Martin used an ultra-tough rig comprising an 85lb Kryston Ton-Up hooklength, a 12oz lead and a size 1 Solar hook sporting a long hair carrying three Solar Club Mix boilies.

The capture means that Rainbow Lake, situated close to Bordeaux, has wrestled back the world record venue crown from fellow French water Les Graviers, which produced the former record carp caught by Andre Komornicki in 2008 at 91lb.

One man who knows first-hand the challenge presented by fishing at Rainbow Lake is Rob Hales, the UK fishery boss who himself banked ‘Briggs’ Fish’ at 90lb 4oz last May.

“Many people have no idea of just how challenging the place is. You can go weeks without a bite and trying to locate where the fish will feed in a huge lake that has a bottom like an underwater jungle is the ultimate test for any angler.”

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9fuek_cant-believe-fishing-with-a-remote_animals

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