Choose life. Choose a lake. Choose a swim. Choose a bait. Choose a rig. Choose sleepless nights under the stars. Choose the nocturnal music of branches creaking in the wind, leaves whispering, and the eerie night-calls of owls and wildfowl. Choose bright moons shattered in the rippling surface of lakes, and purple skies at sunset perfectly mirrored. Choose silent mist-shrouded pools at dawn. Choose visions of white-flowering waterlilies turning green-gold in the half-light. Choose the flashing bronze flanks of carp, twisting below the surface, on the edge of visibility. Choose a heightened heart-rate. Choose an emotional rollercoaster. Choose the psychological assault-course of planning, watching, locating, preparing, casting and waiting. Choose the endless hours of strung-out anticipation. Choose the rush of striking, hooking, fighting, and landing (or losing) the fish. Choose to walk the tightrope between desperate failure and the adrenaline-inducing, life-enhancing triumphant high of success. Choose life. Choose obsession. Choose Carp Fishing.
"Greg Freestone, Carpspotting 2011"

Questions and Answers with Adam Garland




An interview with Adam Garland, sponsored angler and Nash consultant.

Before I begin this interview I would like to say a big thank you to Adam for finding the time to do this interview, it really is appreciated, right then let’s begin…


So then Adam, when did it all begin?  Where was the first place that you wet a line?
When did you begin to target big carp?



I first got in to fishing through attempting to catch Crabs with my late Grandfather, which soon moved on to course fishing when he got me my first telescopic kit for my birthday. I spent my early years happily float fishing on local waters          
at every opportunity my mum had to take me and being so young sit with me, but one day at Gilmorton fisheries i hooked and lost something that i just couldn't stop and from that moment i knew i was going to target the carp!






Carp fishing goes from strength to strength each year. Like myself, you target big carp, did you just follow the trend?


Certainly not i would of happily fished for other species for years to come and back then 1992 i think there really wasn't anything like the carp scene there is today, to give you some idea i remember attending the Carp society carp school in 1992 and i met a young man by the name of Danny fairbrass who at the time was selling leads, I think if you had told him back then how the carp scene would change he'd of laughed at you!  I totally agree there are many trends in the sport but for me it's about catching on my terms the way i want to i guess.



Can you tell me, and everyone reading this interview, more about your personal angling?


I work full time as the Manager of a Ford Franchise so my time off is far from ideal for angling.
My general pattern is arriving at the lake on Tuesday night at 6.30 -8 pm depending on distance to the venue, and i have to be back at work without fail on the thursday for 8.am.
The majority of my sessions are just the 18 - 24 hours but if the fish are on the feed i've been known to stay the second night and travel to work at 6.am.
As an angler I'm probably a bit hard to categorise as I fish for 90 percent of the time over very tight beds of particle and pellet, so I'm not your typical boilie angler, although i use boille within the mix and nearly always as hook baits, so again I'm probably not your usual particle angler.
For me fishing all my rods close over a good amount of bait is my usual tactic, and whilst i have to admit to it being an all or nothing tactic, experience has shown me that the good hits far out weigh the bad.


With all methods there is a down side and without doubt the negative to this style is the inability to target individual fish, but again i view it as a tactic to catch as many as possible as quickly as possible and hope the big fish join the party.



Do you have a memorable capture?


There's a few but the one that really stands out when asked this question is the brace of 35lb commons i took on an overnighter back in 2010






What’s the best piece of advice you could give to anybody reading this regards targeting big carp?


Decide on a method and approach and stick to it. spend the time to decide the rigs and method that suit your style of angling and stick with it regardless.
Over the years i've often gone off on a tangent with great rig ideas, however when i sit and think it through i pretty much end up at the same rigs i've used for the last 10 years, and why wouldn't i as my thoughts and ideas on feeding fish are totally reflected in those rigs.



I think the key to catching big carp is simply being consistent and keeping the faith with the approach you have, be it pre baiting or targeting a particular area of the lake, or as mentioned above the end tackle you use.
Chopping and changing will get you know where.
Spending time with a marker rod is a valuable asset and one that seems almost neglected in todays busy carp scene so learning how to use one effectively is certain to give any angler an edge against not only the carp but the other anglers also.
Finally if you are undecided on rigs and tactics then remember the golden rule "if it isn't broke don't fix it"


No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.