anglersmail.com 9 JULY | 23NEVILLE FICKLING
Britain’s best-known pike angler, angling historian and
carp fi shery boss reveals all in this fortnightly column.NEVILLE FICKLING
J
UST once in a while, every
fi shery has a hot period
when some exceptional fi sh are
caught. We had such a period a
few weeks ago at Manton – very
welcome after a dour spring.
Things kicked off with a lake
record catfi sh of 69 lb, caught
on a popped-up dead roach. The
same afternoon my good friend
Dave Moore had a personal best
cat of 35 lb. Unfortunately, I was
in Cambridge when a member
phoned me, telling me that
he was worried about Dave,
as he was acting strangely. I
eventually got hold of my wife,
who said it could be two things
- a mini stroke or transient
global amnesia. Either way, an
ambulance was required, and
the members at the lake sorted
it out. Dave returned the next
morning to collect his car. It
wasn’t a stroke, I’m pleased to
say, but we will be reviewing our
procedures should any other
event occur.
Another drama, and
thankfully not one involving a
member’s health, came when
Tom Jacklin landed an amazing
brace of rudd, weighing 4 lb 8 oz
and 4 lb. The big one was only
2 oz from equalling the British
record, and equals the previous
English best and former British
record, caught from Ringmere,
near Thetford, by the Rev Alston,
in 1933.
Tom Jacklin was carp fi shing,
but unlike a lot of carp anglers,
who return what they like to
call ‘nuisance fi sh’ in disgust,
he weighed and photographed
them. I’m a great believer in
appreciating what life throws
at you, especially in the way of
bonus fi sh.
Years ago, a Manton member
asked me whether I wanted to
buy the half a dozen grass carp
that he had in his koi pond. In
those days, grass carp were
supposed to be a viable method
of weed control, but six grass
carp wouldn’t make much
difference, so I bought them, for
their novelty value, and obtained
a licence to stock them. Fast-
forward to the present day, and
Richard Letts caught a surprise
35 lb 2 oz grass carp, which was
probably 30 years old. They
cannot breed in the UK, so one
day the lake will be devoid of
grass carp, but in the meantime
our members enjoy them when
they come along.
Last, but not least, the New
Lake carp record has fi nally
been beaten, with Steve Wroot’s
capture of a 42 lb 9 oz common
carp, probably one of the fi sh
that we grew to 27 lb in the
stock pond.
Over the years there have
been three big restockings
from the stock pond, and the
27 was one of the biggest fi sh
ever recovered. The forward-
thinking required to grow fi sh
in the stock pond has paid off
many, many times, as we have
not bought in any fi sh other
than 6-10 in. carp since 1998,
reducing the risk of imported
diseases. Other fi sheries in
the area have taken chances
and paid a very high price,
one example being a ‘dodgy’
40-pounder that wiped out
most of the existing carp.
One question that I am asked
regularly is: why do we not have
an otter fence? Otters have
visited, but they have moved
on each time, and no carp have
been found killed, luckily. The
reason for there being no otter
fence is the complexity of the
site, as we are surrounded
by land drains, and also have
a major land drain running
through the middle of the site.
With the site extending to
about 60 acres, comprising
three lakes and two stock
ponds, the fencing costs would
be astronomical. Access for
farm machinery has to be taken
into account, and each year the
drains have to accessed so that
they can dredged, to maintain
the drainage on the fi elds.
The one bit of luck that we’ve
had is the number of otters that
have become roadkills in the
area. While sad for the otters,
unlucky drivers in the area may
be winning the battle that we are
unable to participate in.Monster fish
at Manton
Heavyweight battles...
Steve Wroot’s New
Lake carp record
of 42 lb 9 oz.Richard Letts’
35 lb 2 oz
grass carp.Dave Moore’s
35 lb catfi sh.Tom Jacklin’s
4 lb 8 oz rudd.