let itself be netted and a wave of relief flowed through me. Briefly it was a private, mist-shrouded moment in a team event, and then ten minutes later it was a euphoric shared moment with partner Jacko and Runner Benji, later to be shared with the entire world via the grapevine and the internet. It says something for this family of carp fishing that everyone else on the lake – and possibly beyond – appeared to enjoy the capture almost as much as Jacko and I did, simply because of what had gone before. We celebrated, of course, and settled back to the reality of waiting for something to happen which may never happen again: but then that’s the ethos of carp fishing! The fish weighed 47lb+ and won the Biggest Fish in Section prize for my long-suffering partner Jacko and me.


If this is your first World Carp Classic then beware because these events can become addictive! In all honesty I cannot for the life of


me remember how it all started in terms of publicity, although I can remember when. Early in 1998 word was out that a bloke no


one in carp fishing had ever heard of was organising a major match at Lac de Madine in eastern France with a first prize of £10,000. Now there had been one or two false alarms in terms of one-off major carp matches in the 90s but the approaching Classic caught the world of carp fishing’s attention on two counts. One was the prize money: we’re all human! The second was the venue. Lac de Madine was a known big-fish venue and the match would include night fishing, in addition to which the areas to be fished would include banks and islands that weren’t normally open to carp fishing. A number of very influential carp anglers from our shores were up for that first Classic, including Rod Hutchinson and his Dream Team, plus Martin Locke, Steve Briggs, Danny Fairbrass, Frank Warwick and many other high fliers. That first event was a scene-


setter really. It was an individual match and was won by Paul Rayment from Kent. I drew well and caught a fish; and so did Lockey, as did Lee Jackson. But it was the charisma of the event, and fishing a venue of 2,500 acres that captured me far more than the actual fishing. Major international matches are huge carp-family social events and from that moment on my friends and I have been up for every one that has appeared on the scene. That first World Carp Classic was a trap – a Honey trap – and many of us fell into it hook, line and sinker, if you’ll excuse the very mixed metaphor! I’ve fished every one since, and a number of world championships, and


One of my favourite shots from 13 years of World Carp Classics.. Lee Jackson at sunrise on the back of the island at Madine in 2010. We were just camping (again)!


Magazine sponsored by Pescalis www.pescalis.com


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