Ask Matt Hayes, Anglers Net questions from 2001

Dear Matt Hayes,

Hello my name is Craig Mitchell, I seem to catch Carp in Summer using floating bread flake, but could you please tell me some tactics and also some
Carp fishing rigs, so I can Catch Carp on the less hotter days and how I should approach the bank.

Also things to look out for on the lake where Carp would be.

Cheers Mate!

Craig Mitchell

I think that it would be worthwhile getting hold of a book about carp fishing. To answer your question properly would take hours! I am currently writing a book for Fox that deals with all aspects of carp fishing, but it won’t be out for a few months. Why not buy the Fox carp videos? They are full of information, rigs and advice about location. Part one deals with basic carp fishing techniques, while part two is more advanced. Both are three tape sets and offer more than three hours viewing. You can get the tapes off Fox direct or via one of their many dealers.

Good Luck,

Matt Hayes

I’ve been watching your programs on sky for some time now and have been fishing since I was very young.

In the future I wish to work for the Environment Agency with the fisheries Department…..and maybe with a bit of luck with my knowledge host my own Fishing TV show.[my dream].

How did you get to where you are now? Did you ever work for the Environment Agency? What qualifications will I need?

Yours sincerely,

Liam Whitwell 13, Eastbourne, England

I got to do what I do now by accident. I was working in idustry when I got the chance to make some fishing vids. After that, I went for the opportunities presented to me in a big way and here I am.

I don’t think working for the environment agency will help you get a TV series, although the work would probably be very interesting. If you are interested in a fishing career, studying English is more important. I would say that journalism and photography are the best courses anyone could go on if they want to go into the fishing business full-time.

Matt Hayes

As an avid fisherman, mainly with the fly, but also a keen coarse angler I must comment on the way you handle the fish you have caught.

With the current anti-blood sports crowd now trying to have a go at fishing for pleasure, television programmes must not be seen as being in anyway harmful to the actual fish. In my view when you catch fish on television you spend too much time admiring the fish and showing the viewer its fins, colours, mouth etc. Whilst I am sure the fish are not coming to any harm it does give the non fishermen the wrong impression and would you please in future programmes return the fish to the water quicker.

Tight lines

Simon Carfax

I appreciate the point you are making but showing fish to the camera is a very important part of fishing television. We always take good care of the fish while handling them in front of the camera and I can assure you that I have not lost one yet! I frequently retain the fish in the landing net between shots to give it a the chance to recover its strength.

I am very sympathetic to your viewpoint, however, and I do think that the way we portray angling on TV is vital to the general perception of the sport. We are constantly debating issues like this one and one of the key changes we intend to make in the next series of ‘Wet Nets’ is greater use of an underwater camera so that we can hold the fish underwater and talk about it as it is being returned.

Matt Hayes

Have Watched Your Programme Wet Nets (Brill) and have seen you with a Boss Feeder Rod Rest Head. Could you plese tell me
where this can be purchased and also the cost? I live in Huntingdon and local tackle shops do not seem to know of this.

Thanking you in advance for any help,

Roy Mason

I’ve no idea. I bought mine ages ago (at least three years ago!) and it is still going strong. Whatever it costs, it has been a great investment. I am sure that if you contact Boss (I don’t have the number), they will help.

Matt Hayes

I am a regular viewer of your fishing shows and really enjoy them, except for the music. The music in Total Fishing is dreadful, and there does not seem to be any in Wet Nets

Guitar based music is a big part of most fishing programmes, and if played well can definitely add an atmosphere and compliment a show.

I am a musician myself and would love the opportunity to send you a demo of my music that you may want to use for future programmes. I have been a musician for over twenty years and can play a wide variety of musical styles, just tell me what styles of musi
c you would like, and I will send it.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Best Regards,

Paul Elder

I agree tha the music in Total Fishing was pretty dreadful, but bear in mind that the shows are several years old. We have since moved production companies and we have just recorded a new series in Cuba. The music in ‘Buena Vista Fishing Club’ is outstanding and it will be more to your liking, I think.

Matt Hayes

Your help with this is much appreciated.

Mark Oakley

Most anglers assume that being a top pro fisherman is all about being a good angler. It isn’t! Yes, you do need to be an excellent fisherman, but there are lots of them around. What is more important is being able to communicate your love of fishing to other people either in writing or verbally. A career in journalism and photography is possibly the best background along with some marketing and presentation training. The life is nothing like what people think it is and to get to the very top you have to accept that your fishing will be severely compromised. Having said this, I love what I do and I would not change it for the world.

Good Luck,

Matt Hayes

Hi Matt,

I really love your show . I have just started fishing and I have caught perch, Crucian carp, bream, roach and dace. I live in Thetford and there are some carp lakes called Nunnery. Have you ever been there? What is a good bait for carp and what is your biggest fish, is it the 60lb catfish that u caught in France?

Thanks,

Samuel

Hello Samuel,

Thanks for your support. I think that you need to buy a good carp fishing book or video. There are so many rigs and baits for carp that it is impossible to give meaningful answers here.
My biggest fish is a nineteen hundred pound Great White Shark caught off the Australian coast in 1995. It was five metres long and as big as a double decker bus – or at least it seemed like it was at the time!.

All the Best,

Matt Hayes

Hi Matt,

Could you please e-mail me any info on fishing the Severn at Bewdley? My wife and I are going to Bewdley the first weekend in October and we Have never fished the Severn.

Thanks,

Clive

Hello Clive,

Hope this gets to you in time. Fishing in Bewdley town is free. The fishing can be good for barbel, dace and roach. The BAA control lots of fishing in the surrounding area and you can get a ticket either from Stan Lewis Fishing Tackle in the town or at Mal Storey Angling in Kidderminster.
I would recommend visiting the tackle shops for an up-to-date appraisal of where is fishing and where isn’t. The Severn has been patchy this year and the fishing ahs been poor in comparison to other years. The river is good at the moment – low and clear.

All the Best,

Matt Hayes

Hi Matt,

I would be very grateful if you could help me. You recently featured a carp fishery named Churchbridge in your WET NETS programme on Discovery H&L. I am trying to find details of where exactly it is in order to book a trip there. I have spent many hours without success. I would be extremely grateful if you could help supply this information.

Thanks,

Neil Myatt

Hello Neil,

We did not fish at anywhere bearing that name. We filmed at Furnace Mill Fishery in the Wyre Forest and also fo rthe big carp at Acton Burnell carp fishery. Furnace Mill is a day ticket venue but Acton is a syndicate water controlled by Rob Hales. Places do sometimes come up but there is a long waiting list. Keep your eye on the carp press.

All the Best,

Matt Hayes

Hi Matt,

I am a very keen specimen hunter and after watching "Wet Nets" on Discovery Home and Leisure, I am interested in finding out more details on the venue where you caught the two 60lb Catfish (Wells).
I would be very grateful if you could e-mail me back with the phone number and address, or any other details, of this venue.

Thanks,

Mr. M. Windsor

Hello,

The venue is Winton’s fishery, Burgess Hill, Sussex. The place is run by Alan Etherington. To fish at Winton’s you have to become a member and thereafter day tickets can be purchased. It is a great fishery and although it is not cheap, the fishing is excellent and the atmosphere is always very pleasant.

All the Best,

Matt Hayes

My friend and I have been fishing a river which is quite small. We have been fishing for perch. We use worms, the conditions described in your article match our swim it is quite deep and next to a fast run. It has produced many perch and even some chub. The best we have had were a 1 and a half pound perch and a 3 and a half chub.
We would like to know if there are any better techniques than ours. We use 2 SSG’s and 2 no.4’s on the main line and a size 12 hook. Please could you help us for future fishing?

Thanks,

Garry Scott Lewis Reynolds

Hello Gary & Lewis,

It sounds as if your tactics are effective! I use 3 tactics for river perch.
For locating fish, spinning is very good. I use light spinning tackle, a wire trace and twenty pounds braided mainline along with size three and four Rapala Vibrax spinners. The Firetiger colour is very good.
Float fishing with the bait either trotted through just off bottom or laid on a foot overdepth is very good. I feed chopped worm and red maggot, using a whole or half lobworm on the hook. A size 12 is good for the half worm but for a whole lobworm go up to an 8 or even a 6. Chubber style and crowquill and avon floats are ideal for this style.
Finally, I quivertip for perch using a light running leger. I use SSG and AA shots for leger weight, three or four pounds line and a whole lobworm on a size 8 or 6 hook for bait. I like to quivertip for perch, using the softest quiver I can get away with. This improves bite sensitivity and encourages the resistance shy perch to hold onto the bait for longer. I try legering the worm around the swim until I find where the fish are laying and either continue to leger or lay on with a float. If bites are hard to come by, try twitching the worm periodically by winding the reel handle a couple of turns. This tactic often encourages perch to bite.

All the Best,