The Carp Fishing Podcast

This month Mark manages a rare night and even catches a new personal best. Mike rediscovers the beauty of bobbing a float down a river and our special guest is none other than the man known for his hat and carp catching abilities, Mr Ian Poole. Ian might be out of the mainstream media these days but boy this chap has a serious album of big carp and so many stories to tell. Enjoy.

This month we delve in the areas of Nutrition, Attraction and Digestibility and discuss how attractive these things are to carp and why. We also discuss a month of plenty in terms of carp captures for both of us, it's been a wonderful month, the carp gods have certainly looked after us. Lastly we couldn't end this months podcast without touching on the topic of the month, so say suspicious substances that force carp to feed.....

This month Mike manages to burn Mark's leg. They chat about fishing exploits over the last few weeks, bring back munchie of the month but most importantly we get to interview Tim "Panther" Harris about his early Leney hunting exploits around Reading in a pair of pink board shorts. A time when a few more of these incredible, old carp still swam in our waters. 

This month we caught up with Cypography's Rich Stewart. A mountain of a man who's inspired so many anglers with his videography and wonderful film making skills. Rich has been a friend of ours for years, so it was great to sit down and catch up on his work and angling journey, one that's seen him travel the world and work with just about everyone in the carp angling industry. Rich is an extremely modest man with strong values and you'll soon appreciate that Rich is a mine of carp fishing history, with an almost photographic memory! Enjoy 

This month we caught up with Dave Mag and delve into a life filled with angling. Dave spent years in the limelight of carp angling, catching some of the most prestigious carp of our generation. However life is different these days, Dave's angling is very much on his own terms, with a young family and very busy job carp fishing often consists of short sessions, fitting in around life but that's not stopped him catching more incredible carp. A naturally gifted angler with a seriously impressive album. Dave does it his own way and catches loads. We've also got Jamie Cook back on to chat about some new projects being run by the Angling Trust that are well worth getting involved in. 

We feel extremely privileged to welcome Kieran Hopkinson onto this months podcast. Kieran is a Scottish carp angler who's adventures have culminated in some of the biggest carp in Scotland. But forget size, Kieran's spirit of adventure and freedom come through by the bucketload and its infectious. Extremely low stocks, huge expanses of water, an element of the unknown, far less carp anglers, years of blanking are just a few things that we discuss. The struggle is real but the rewards are very special. Mike and Mark also discuss spawning concerns and Mark delves into some floater fishing tips. 

We're joined this month by John Beecher or "The Cabbie" as some may know him. John isn't usually one for sharing his stories so it was a pleasure to have him on the podcast. We chat about the big Chertsy carp, the Royal plus many of the old Horton Church lake jewels. John has caught loads of big carp, at times using different tactics to most. Many a time using just one rod. Plus we have the pleasure of Jamie Cook from the Angling Trust back on as we discuss the risks of Natural England's seemingly Anti Carp agenda! 

How did Linchhill get stocked? where did those special fish come from? fish like Bitemark and the late Petals? History’s important in all walks of life, having an appreciation of our carp fishing heritage always proves just how many big carp are around today in comparison. Our guests this month are two men on a mission to document the history of Oxford carp are Paul Harris and Geoff Adams. These guys have lived and breathed the Oxford scene since kids and have now started to collate it’s rich carp fishing history into a book that will document a part of the county that is now a magnet for so many carp anglers. We also have Jamie Cook from the Angling Trust, we talk about a really important campaign linked to water companies discharging raw sewage into rivers and costal waters over 400,000 last year, a 37% increase on the prior year! 

Bazil was one of the most iconic Carp to have swam in our opinion and it's no surprise that anglers would dedicate years and years of time to pursue this special carp. One such angler was Steve Fudge aka Fudgey. Steve dedicated 96 nights in pursuit of Bazil and this is his tale to tell. We also discuss pre baiting edges, sponsorships and have the pleasure to welcome Jamie Cook back on from the Angling Trust to tell us whats been happening in his world since night fishing was back on the agenda. 

Mark Bryant is back with story like no other, a four year quest in search of a few special carp, a story that Mark has never told or ever published. Hiding in bushes, baiting at midnight, buried treasure and wrestling with badgers are just a few of the hurdles that make this one an extra special episode, one not to be missed. Marks personal fishing is rarely spoken about but rest assured, when he’s on it, his focus and commitment is incredible. Sit tight as this one will have you on edge of your seats. One mans quest into the unknown...... Plus we have Jamie Cook back on to give us an update on all things Angling Trust related. 

This month Mike takes the opportunity to delve into Mark's life as he talks through his struggles with school and his football career. But from the struggles came a gritted determination to make Baitworks a success. The struggle was real. Plus we have Jamie Cook back on from the Angling Trust with a monthly round up of whats happening in his world. We chat through the next steps for angling and discuss a really important campaign that the Trust have got involved in over in Kent, where the Kent Wildlife Trust are trying to evict a long standing fishing club from waters they control! 

This months guest is Joe Morgan, the man behind a new, carp fishing channel on you-tube called Carp Angle. What a pleasure it was to sit down with Joe and delve into his life, a life thats already had some incredible experiences. The once front man of Carp TV is back in front of the lens with a new project that we get to discuss. We also cover a variety of other topics from mental health, spirituality, travelling and of course big carp fishing. We also have a slight twist on this months topic of the month, in the form of a rotary style chat. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

What a whopper, this month's podcast is over 4 hours long. We have a great guest in the form of Chris Pearson or CP as he's well known. An angler who is part of the history of carp fishing and a guy who was fortunate to catch a carp only a few people can claim to have held, the incredible "EYE" from Sonning Eye. Chris was full of passion as we took a trip down memory lane and what a trip it was. Mark and Mark also discuss rigs, wine, and mince pies along the way. 

Our longest podcast to date. This month we have Jamie Cook as our special guest. A passionate angler who takes us on a trip down memory lane to a time when he was chasing some well known carp of today, fish like the Baby Black. Jamie also talks about his new role as CEO of the Angling Trust. An organisation all anglers should support as they really do make a difference in many areas that are often invisible to most of us. Mark and Mark discuss the biggest carp in the UK and also touch on the challenges of fishing lakes that have Otters hunting on them. Plus we find out how Mark once got stuck in a cat flap! 

It's a whopper, three and a half hours of carpy chat. This month we have Simon Croft as our special guest as he takes us on a trip down memory lane to a time when big carp occupied a big part of his life. It was hard to pick one from his impressive album but I just had to get him to recall his obsession with one of the most famous carp we've ever had, the King of the North lake, Bazil. Mike and Mark also chat about carp fashion, photography and Mike recalls an encounter with a massive carp.