Total Carp Staff

Tom Oliver tells of a hectic month, and some lovely carp!June is always a busy month for me as it is the time of the year when most of the events in my competition diary take place and this year was no exception. My first outing of the month was to shoot a feature and I had chosen Bishops Bowl Fishery in Warwickshire to also give me the chance to practice for my UKCC Qualifier the following week. I won’t explain too much as it is written about in the feature but it was a tough day with the first period of hot weather and the fish had other things on their mind!!The following week saw me return to the venue for my Qualifier and although the fish had stopped spawning the conditions did not look great with high pressure and close/muggy conditions. I seem to be extremely unlucky with draws and this was no exception as my name was the last to leave the draw-bag.

Airline pilots bank giant African carp. Airline pilots and Avid consultants David Wooledge and Nick Eccles have been travelling around the world in search of large carp. Recently, while working in South Africa, the lucky duo managed to spend a couple of nights targeting one of the country’s impressive dams. With winter now in full swing in Africa, the trip was always going to be tough going but, after enduring sub-zero temperatures and frozen bivvies, the duo managed to bag a couple of very special fish.

Luxury lodge bargain at top carp fishery. With the current weather being as hot as it is, the festive season couldn't be further from people's thoughts at the moment – but in truth there is just 20 weeks until the big day. Mike Kirsch, owner of Gloucestershire complex, Cherry Lakes has come up with some great festive bargains on his luxury chalets. The cabins – which are all fully central heated – are designed to give anglers a little bit of lakeside luxury,and the seven-night breaks offer customers the chance to enjoy the festive week in beautiful surroundings – with anglers having a very realistic chance of landing a carp or two.

Alarming figures show 40% drop in young anglers. Environment Agency figures show a 40 per cent drop in junior rod licence sales between 2009 and 2013, a report on the BBC website claims. In 2009, 77,138 junior rod licences were sold, while in 2013 the figure fell to 43,924. In the short film, Geoff Brighty from the Environment Agency explains that the drop in anglers has cost the agency over £1,000,000 – seriously effecting the work that they have been able to do.