| England v Portugal |
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Even in the most notorious places the best of us can struggle and as a match angler it hurts to say, ‘struggle’, believe me I have struggled on some occasions. One such memory takes me back to one of the famous Embassy Challenge qualifiers I took part in, on not a very good stretch of canal in the UK. It was three hours that I sat there waiting for that first bite, hoping it would lead into hooking that one fish that could win me my section. Instead of getting that all elusive ‘bite’ I was so desperate for, trudging by me, wet and laden in tackle, came a disheartened guy named Tom P. When this happens guys it’s time to quit. A totally professional angler and a very respected name throughout the world of angling walks past your peg three hours after the ‘all in’ on his way home, you take a long hard look at yourself and start to doubt everything your doing from tactics, bait, depth and so on. Obviously three hours without a bite for some anglers is just too much. What can I say? The rain started to fall, the wind started to blow and suddenly golf was looking a pretty good sport to take up..! Another two hours I sat there bite-less and doubting my abilities. Five hours without a bite! As much as I enjoyed catching fish in England over the years, I started to look at catching the bigger fish on a more regular basis, this meant ‘Carp’. As more and more man made ‘Carp’ lakes hit the nation I became more curious of my own capabilities on how to hit these big fish on what I knew best, ‘the pole’. For 18 years I have fished the long, sometimes short pole for these magnificent fish and won many match on just fishing for the ‘biggies’, bagging over 200lb of carp in 6 hours on some occasions and in England this is excellent but sill I started to want to catch more carp. In 2006 I left England, not just because of the fishing; my wife would have never allowed that! With some big bags to my name and fond memories of match fishing and fishing trips with my fishing buddy ‘Dale Newton’, (all the best kid)…I thought this was it. No more fishing. Portugal I thought my fishing days where over when I came to Portugal but whilst surfing the net I came across a guy who acts as a coarse ‘guide’ over here, so me, a keen Angler jumped at the opportunity to go fishing. I have been with the guide just a few times and his hospitality and knowledge is second to none and have caught good carp every time. Compared to the English waters the waters here are enormous and as I have found out, full to the brim of fantastic well conditioned carp. As an experienced angler I can tell most of these carp here have never even seen a hook never mind been on the end of one. On my second trip to water in the Alentejo, I just had to try the ‘long pole’. My trip prior to this, I fished the Carp rods and still bagged-up on quality carp, although I’m still waiting for that 60lb + to take a run which there are many of in the waters out here, unlike in England. Now i'm living in Portugal, i aim to carry on catching 'Carp' and along the way breaking a few of my own old records. At least here I don’t struggle for a bite as I have in England. On the first time out on the ‘long pole’ I spent just over 5hrs on a water I had only fished once before and therefore really didn’t know and still bagged up over 100kilo of good carp. The only thing that lets Portugal down in my own view, is some people out here don’t work to the ‘Catch and Release’ policy that England have, basically because there is none. Some anglers take them home to ‘show the neighbours’ their days catch. I’m sure the English angler would be rather annoyed if their kids brought home a couple of 6lb’ers and put them on the Barbecue table. This is hopefully only a short term problem as I know people out here are attempting to get this changed for the good of the sport. Anyway, now all of a sudden I’m looking forward to my fishing out here, I’m sorry to say England, even though I’ve not been here long, it’s not just the football they’re better at, it’s providing a good basis for excellent carp fishing too…..you’ve just got to try it!.......it’s fantastic! |
