Underwater secrets

The submersible camera and the filming of Carp in their natural environment has become a great asset to us anglers who target the species.The abillity to examine the way the creatures behave around the rigs and bait that we have dropped into their homes has progressed our understanding of the carp and their routines far beyond the point of just being able to peer down through the waters layers with a pair of polaroids.
Brought to the attention of the Carp angling community by tackle giants such as Korda and subaqua photographers like Rob Hughes,the use of underwater cameras is set to become more popular as time passes,without doubt.
However,and i am no expert on this subject,but the filming of the Carp or indeed any other fish being angled for in their home environment must take skills surpassing the average keen photographer so for me it's easy to appreciate such undertakings as they bring masses of help to the way i approach my fishing,as i am sure it is the same for alot of other fanatical Carp fishermen.

Underwater Secrets is a site who's author has obviously got the gift/art of underwater filming down to a fine art.From the very first time i visited the site i was fascinated by the quality of the recorded footage.The site authors simple text that is written with each of their videos doesn't try to explain anything away in a know all fashion rather you are left to make up your own mind on what is happening and why.What has been put in the water in terms of rigs and bait are not overly explained,but there's enough for you to make an informed opinion on what's going on down there,besides if there is anything more you want to know about each piece of footage then you only have to ask.Underwater Secrets are obviously more than happy to answer any of your questions judging by the contact links on the site.Lay out and navigation are simple so going back and forth between videos is easy.Filmed in the Darenth valley area over the past 5 years and having a musical soundtrack rather than a narrated one Underwater Secrets is a great site uncomplicated in a lot of ways but totally invaluable in all the right ways.This site is fantastic and were hoping they keep the videos going up on the site for as long as possible.Brilliant!.

Follow this link to Underwater Secrets  www.underwatersecrets.co.uk or you can get to it through your browser,whichever way you get there if your mad about your Carp fishing then you simply need to visit this site.

CAUK
                                               www.underwatersecrets.co.uk

48Lb New Welsh Carp Record

The Welsh carp record has been broken in style with the capture of a 48Lb common fron Roath Lake.(Full report in the carp news section.)

Carp Tackle online with free delivery on everything

If your after carp tackle at reasonable prices and also don't mind shopping online then the site i am about to spill the beans on might be for you.After getting the nod on a couple of online tackle shops by a pal of mine and knowing he had a good nose for a bargain i decided to check out the sites he had told me about.After having a look through the recommended sites there was one that caught my eye.Not because it was an ultra fancy site with every widget known to man on it,neither did it boast to sell every product under the sun,but it did deal exclusively in carp tackle and their deliveries to UK mainland addresses are free.See that is a rarity in itself alot of other online tackle shops will actualy charge you extra if you only wanted a packet of say lead clips.I know one online tackle peddler who if you were to order a single packet of lead clips would charge you an extra tenner plus P+P just because the order is so small.It's actually done by quite alot of tackle dealers taking small orders as they must see it as a waste of their time so they charge the extra when infact they should be flattered that folk are using their services in the first place.
The i-net tackle shop that impressed me into writting this post are called Faction Carp Tackle and they make a point of explaining that they absorb the cost of UK delivery as they want to keep the customers prices down as much as posible.The free delivery isn't next day or anything quite as swift as that Faction say up to 5 days from the confirmation of the order but i still say that's a service to admire in a retailer.Next day delivery isn't a problem for £7 pounds it can be arranged without fuss.Overseas orders  are only available as far as the EU and will vary according to the size and weight of the package.
Payment of your items can be done in the usual online methods,Paypal,visa debit and the like with the necessary secure payment logo's displayed.
The merchandise itself is reasonbly priced offering the same quality on most of their stuff than any other i-net tackle store,for rig bits and so on Faction are the ideal retailer to make a B-line for.They also offer a good range of bait from Frank Warwick,Enterprise and Baitzone to name but a few.
Overall Faction carp tackle are decent online retailers and althought they may not have everything in the way of Carp tackle theres bound to be something there that you know your gonna need next time out,together with the free delivery we reckon you'll be sold.Check them out,open an account just in case you may want to take advantage of their free delivery.It's a thumbs up from us.
Here's Full details on their location and how to get in touch.
To order online visit http://www.factioncarptackle.com  or click on the link.
You can email Faction for info mail@factioncarptackle.com they will be more than happy to oblige or you can telephone them on 01926 813487.

Address:
Faction Carp Tackle
The Granary
Stockton Hall Court
Rugby Road
Stockton
Southam

CV47 8HS

United Kingdom

Please note: Unfortunately we do not have a showroom and cannot sell directly to customers at our premises. Sales can only be made via our website.

 

UK Grass Carp Record Broken

Sorry about the pic guys it's the only one we can get for now

This is the first time a Grass carp has featured on Carp Anglers UK, as mentioned it's not the species that instantly pops into your head when you think of carp but we Carp Anglers UK pay homage to these fantastic looking creatures and to the man who has just broke the UK record,a common or mirror of this size would be the fish of a lifetime but a Grassie that size,well some anglers don't even manage to catch a Grass carp in their lives,the stuff dreams are made of!

101Lb New World Carp Record

A New World Carp Record
Read about this monsterous fish in Carp Anglers UK's Carp News category.

 New 101Lb Carp Record

The "Hair Rig" A Brief History

Prior to the development of the 'Hair Rig' it was common practice to mount the bait directly onto the hook.Although Carp were still being caught to some degree it was acknowledged through the observations of how Carp fed that a more effective method of hooking the fish could be developed.The development of the 'hair rig' was no accident,in the late 70's forward thinking anglers Len Middleton and Kevin Maddocks would be the one's to develop the 'hair rig'.Watching the way Carp fed in a fish tank would be instrumental in the design of this soon to be devastating method of bait presentation.
Taking it's name from the material used (a human hair) the new method was to increase catch rates dramaticaly.Seeing how Carp would eat food offerings freely whilst quickly learning to avoid those with monofilament or hook shanks protruding out of them was to be the logic behind the new methods development,by attaching the bait to the hook via the hair it would become apparent that the bait acted far more naturaly in the water thus not spooking the Carp who were wary of food items that did not act naturaly in the water simply because it was mounted directly onto the hook.
This new method of presenting the bait to the Carp would be a revolution,one that would send catch rates soaring,the 'Hair Rig' was born,the great leveler and as history has shown Carp angling was never the same again.

Using the knotless knot to acheive the Hair rig

CAUK

The Hair Rig

Kryston Bogey Review

A very under used substance gets the CAUK once over in our tackle review section,see what we thought of Krystons Bogey and whether it's worth investing in a pot.

Keele Estate Lakes

The first visit to Keele Hall estate lakes was so successful that our next visit will be filmed and published on You tube,keep watching.

Canal Carp Challenge 2012

These places are stuffed with carp

Many carp anglers are put off when it comes to fishing on UK canals,carp are notoriously elusive the sheer size of the canals equate to a vast body of water.Some canals hold more carp than others and besides from the stretches that have produced recorded carp catches in the past there is not a lot known about what carp are in what canals overall.It is this lack of information and knowledge that has given us the idea of launching the Canal Carp Challenge 2012.Carp Anglers UK are asking England's carp fisherman to take pictures,weigh and record all the details of each carp caught from any of the canals in England.It's common knowledge that the canals hold carp but the numbers and sizes of carp in the different canals across our country are not specific,unlike that of the stillwaters.It is our intention to gather as much information on the canal carp as possible over the coming year and present our findings on the Carp Anglers UK blog aswell as to any other party the information may be relevant to.
For the Canal Carp Challenge 2012 to be a success we need as much data as possible so the pictures and catch records sent to us really are important.The title of our project may suggest that we are running a competition when in fact we are challenging you to go and catch carp of any size and report it back to us.There are no prizes for the challenge this year but the person who sends us details of the most catches (not heaviest) will be named Canal Carp Challenge champion 2012.There will be prizes for the 2013 canal carp challenge a number of retailers have pledged prizes but our first year must generate enough participants to gather the data required for us to make an analysis of the carp content in our canals.
The 2012 Canal Carp Challenge will officially begin on the 14th April 2012,this is when the logging of the information you sent us will begin.This initiative will benefit all anglers in the long run,knowing our target species and the waters they inhabit is one of the most valuable pieces of information we can use in the successful pursuit of the fish we love to catch,Carp!
So if your targeting carp on any of the canals that are situated in England regardless of their size and weight,we want to know about it.

(The Canal Carp Challenge will only be collecting details of catches from canals in England.)

For more information on Canal Carp Challenge 2012 or to report a catch Email: sharpercarper@fishhoo.com 

REMEMBER: Anglers logging catches must supply the following,Name,Email,Location of catch,weight,tactic,bait and a picture.
Good luck and thank you to all who are planning to take part,the information you send us will be very valuable,CAUK.

Fishing in beautiful surroundings,bonus!

Be Prepared

Extended overnight fishing sessions,if your a serious specimen hunter whether it's Carp,Pike,Catfish or Barbel then the overnight session is an inevitable factor in the pursuit of your quarry.Last week myself and a friend decided to do our first overnighter of the year,i had checked the weather report on the internet for our region and it informed me that it was going to drop below freezing in the early hours.Taking note of this i equipped myself accordingly packing my bivvy over wrap and a season 4 sleeping bag aswell as the relevant clothing,ok the weight would be up on the barrow but to not have the correct gear can be damn right dangerous as i will explain.we arrived at Goldendale,our chosen venue and the weather  was really nice for the time of year.Starting to set up the first thing i did was to get my rods out i like to spend as much time fishing as possible and besides i can set up my base whilst waiting for a bite.This was also the case of my friend who also made getting his rods out a priority,this done we then proceeded to set up our bivvies,the first thing that struck me was how light my mates barrow was,i asked him if he had left some stuff on the van but he said he had brought everything.Anyway after making ourselves as comfy as possible we settled in for the night ahead and as predicted by the internet the temperature plummeted.Around midnight i shouted to see if my mate wanted a cuppa,there's nothing like a nice hot brew to lift your spirits in the freezing cold,i delivered his brew to him in his bivvy which had no overwrap and when i unzipped the door and looked inside he was shivering,there was also loads of condensation dripping down the inside walls of his shelter.I also noticed that the clothing he had on was completely inadequate for the temperatures we were going to have to endure.I did ask him if he thought he would be ok and he was adamant that he would be,i did in fact get on his case a little about how he wasn't really prepared for the session but he assured me that he would be ok.As the night wore on i had a couple of runs on culminating in the capture of a 26Lb 7oz common but the thing that struck me was the fact that he never once came out of his bivvy not to see my catch not even to tend to his rods,so i visited him in his bivvy again and this time when i saw him he was shivering uncontrollably he must have been at that stage of coldness for at least 3 hours.I told him to get the keys to the van and go turn on the heaters to warm himself up but he had got that cold he wasn't able to get up and do that.I got the stove from my bivvy and turned it on telling him to warm himself up enough to go and turn the heater on in the van and eventually he was able to do this.A little while later he was warm enough to be able to make it to the van where he remained for the rest of the session which was cut short because he had made himself really poorly through letting himself get to cold.It was that cold in the early hours of that morning that the condensation on the outside of my bivvy had turned to ice.The whole affair spoilt the session really,for myself it was the worry that my pal was freezing and for him that was a reality.If he had been well prepared and equipped we could have had quite a productive session,the fish where feeding.When i decided to cut the session short i had to pack my stuff up aswell as his,i even had to unload his tackle off the van when i dropped him off as he was unfit to help.He was actually bed ridden for 4 days after that,the cold had really got to him and it made him really poorly.Myself i could have quite happily stayed there for a couple of days not noticing the cold to any great extent and all because i had the foresight to be prepared.Freezing temperatures are a killer,it's a known fact and if extreme temperatures don't kill you then they will certainly make you very ill,it's always worth going that extra yard for comforts sake as this will keep your moral up after all if you lose your spirit whilst night fishing the session could become one big waste of time.Going on overnight sessions on a whim will almost certainly end with you at best going home with a runny nose and if your luggage weight has to go up a couple of kg's then so be it but for your own safety always be prepared,do a little research into the weather situation for the coming day or evening ahead this will help you to make an informed decision on what stuff you will need to take so you can fish comfortably for as long as your on the bank.Never go fishing overnight on a whim it's just a bad idea.CAUK. 

Carp Anglers UK Tackle shop Directory

 Carp Anglers UK Tackle shop Directory
Our comprehensive fishing tackle shop directory will soon be complete,easy to view and listed alphabetically in regions wherever you are in the country you should always be able to find a tackle shop in your area.If you do use our directory to find a particular shop,please mention this blog as the source of your contact.Many thanks CAUK.

Carp Anglers UK Helping to improve your Carp fishing

The purpose of this blog

I have been a keen angler since the age of 8 fishing for whatever i could catch and finding that i had an aptitude for catching fish.After i had been fishing for a couple of years i started to get a very good understanding of how my quarry behaved leading to ever more increasing catch results.I started to enter a few matches going on to win individually as well as within team situations.I then was chosen to represent my school winning the junior class nationwide championships twice before being asked to represent Greater Manchester transport as captain of their junior team gaining victories in numerous weekend and midweek leagues across the country.It was whilst fishing in these situations that i began to encounter some very big fish which on a regular basis destroyed my light match set ups which at that age i found sole destroying,the large fish that were taking me apart on so many occasions were none other than the magnificent carp.It was at this point that i decided to focus my attention on targeting these specimen fish and have been doing so ever since.Targeting large carp never loses any of it’s attraction for me as there always seems to be a constant learning curve and although i have had some massive fish over the years and become a very competent carp angler i know there is still a lot that i have to learn about these fish and the ever changing techniques in which to get them in the net.
Lots of my success at this sport has been due to the knowledge i have gained from other anglers who i find are probably the most unselfish class of sportsmen there are and i am always more than willing to learn what others have to teach as well as teaching others what i know,it’s satisfying to know someone is benefiting from what you have taught them and equally rewarding when you get good results from something newly taught to you.I believe that what you give out in life will come back to you in one form or another and it’s this philosophy that has spurred me on to start this blog.Whilst out fishing i lose count of the amount of times i get folk of all ages asking me how or why i am doing something in that particular way and to explain and get through to them is personally rewarding.
So i hope that by starting this blog it will result in the establishment of a community with a common interest in carp fishing and all it’s many aspects,i hope the carp blog will attract anglers of all abilities so those who posses good knowledge of the sport can educate those willing to learn and better their craft thus resulting in better conditions for us all,pulling together will safeguard our sport and conserve our fish stocks which are totally fundamental to our sport.
If your just beginning in the world of carp angling and want to find out specific information or if your part of the elite with some spare time to leave some of your valuable knowledge then please return and help us build an online carp anglers community that can benefit us all,the growth of UK carp anglers will take time to build as with any community but it will grow,thanks for reading this far and please return as your input is important.
If you have any queries as to how you can help the please email me.
sharpercarper@fishhoo.com