I am back out again and hopefully Spring is on it’s way and we have turned a corner and the warmer weather is here to stay. I am back on my favourite resevour in my quest to catch a big common carp. I arrived at 1740, to find only one person on the lake, in the reeds swim. As I did not fancy the dam end, I opted to fish the middle of the lake which also gave me a good view to spot any carpy signs.
My Swim
Rod -1 was placed just off the boards were I had been baiting on and off over the past months.
Right under your feet
Rod -2 was cast out 20 yards to a nice silt patch. There was no change in the rig set up, just sharpen the hook’s as normal.
Jag Hook Sharpers
I use JAG hook sharpers as you get two for the price of one. A fine grade one and a harder one.
Oh well, with another blank night its off to work we go.
Richard
50.897435
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About richardhandel
I would like to give a brief snap shot of my life and introduce myself;
My name is Richard Handel and was born in 1965 in Suffolk. I have worked as a UK Operation & Intermodule Manager for a shipping company. I live in Hampshire now and am married with 2 young children, both girls so I am a bit outnumbered even the cat is a girl!
I have been fishing since I was about 7 years old. I started on small local rivers in Suffolk, then moved onto gravel pits and then carp fishing. My personal best is a 39.08 mirror, over recent years I have started river fishing again, on the Hampshire Avon, this is a nice break from the carp lakes.
My life has turned a big corner this year, the company I was working for relocated their Operation centre to Estonia. I was offered a job at the head office in London. This would have meant a 5 day commute and working in Stratford. As a family, we did not fancy this, as I would hardly spend any time with the children (and the Mrs). So after 22.5 years, I was given a nice redundancy package and with my wife is working full time. I became the house husband.
This has meant a complete turn around in my fishing, as I can pick and choose when I go. I have found a splendid new syndicate to fish this year, which includes 5 lakes and some 8 miles of river with only 150 members. It's an amazing change to the way I am able to fish.
I am now trying to start my own tackle business and make a bit of a name for myself in the world of fishing, as I have retired from real work.
Richard
UK Carp & Coarse Fishing 
I just happened upon your blog. The title caught my eye- someone purposely fishing to catch carp. Here they’re a nuisance invasive species- the way they feed introduces too much phosphorus and nitrogen into our lakes, creating algae blooms and fish kills. I know of a handful of people who catch them with a hook and line by mistake. I think fishing works differently in the UK, but here some people carp fish at night, from a boat with a generator and mounted lights. And we shoot them with specialized bows, with lines, reels, and barbed arrows. 😛 Though, I don’t think we’ve caught any monsters like the one on your About page. Holy moly, is that thing a pig.
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