When and why did you start carp fishing?

I started fishing the same way I’m sure everyone does. A relative taking them as a young boy/girl and instantly I was hooked. I started around the age of 5/6 so pretty early in the grand scheme of things. But I would say it was around the age of about 12/13 I discovered carp fishing properly. I would have to argue with my grandad who took me to go to lakes with bigger carp in as he wanted to fish for tench and course fish. When I turnt 16 and was old enough to get my self about I joined my first syndicate and it’s just snowballed from there really. If your asking when I turnt serious and become more of an obsession then a past time it would of been around 3 years ago when I started to meet a few lads who where a little higher up in the game and wanted to feel that level of accomplishment. 

Your youtube channel is doing well, Why did you start filming your sessions?

Originally I started writing written blogs for a group called ‘Chronicle Fishing’ who at the time wrote articles and did lake reviews for ‘Big Carp Magazine’. It wasn’t long before they asked me if I was capable of doing video blogs and I thought I would try my hand at it. That’s where V-Log 1 came from. I was doing well on a local syndi and decided to try my hand at it. I banked to fish in a couple hours fishing for the cameras and started to piece the video together. The response from the original video that was uploaded to chronicles YouTube channel was immense. 18k views to be in fact still to this day one of my highest viewed videos. I instantly became hooked. Not from the publicity it gained me. But the filming and editing side of things. I was always the camera man for the syndi running up and down the banks doing everyone’s catch pictures with the camera. So to be in control of my own films was something I relished.  left chronicle fishing and decided to start my own channel and Again it snowballed from there and before long I was 10 episodes deep in a YouTube series. I started to realise I could gain from the videos in ways of sponsorships and that sweetens the work load as there is a lot that goes into the videos people don’t see. Endless hours of editing and filming. It’s hard balancing fishing with filming. If I had someone to film me it would be a lot easier and the end result would be better but then it wouldn’t turn out how I want it to so there’s pros and cons to doing it all yourself. 

Lee England – V-Log 10 – Carpers Paradise

Here’s The final instalment to the VLog series. VLog 10 was filmed and edited by Lee at Carpers Paradise’s Gran Caneria venue lake chira.
In this instalment Lee is actually on holiday but manages to get a day session at the prolific venue. With the stunning backdrop this episode lives up to its name and the long wait is well worth it.

Tell us about the company’s you are currently working for?

I’m a full consultant at a fantastic up and coming bait company called north east baits. The bait itself is rolled in Newcastle so I have the added edge of no one around here using it. But it’s brilliant it really is my catch rate has gone back up. I’m finally comfortable and settled on a bait and the lads on the team are great. I run the team aswel as the media for NEB. 

I recently was made a consultant at RAD limited who manufacture some of the best British made bank ware on the market in my eyes. I was using the gear for a long time and constantly sending them product shots and reports as again I found my self behind the lense of the camera quite abit playing around with shots. I’ve got friends who use some of the bigger brands bankware and in my eyes my stuff still looks new compared to there carbon and mine gets a lot more use I can assure you of that.  

Again another recent addition is a place on Deep Blue Particles team. I’ve been in talks with Jason there for quite a while and nearly took a deal a year ago. But I found the need I had to use particle was very slim and it rarely featured in my fishing. This year I launched a lake review series on the YouTube channel and I have a lot of new venues I haven’t yet fished so it made sense to take the deal now and have that in my armoury should I need to resort to particle. 

Tell us about your favourite capture?

My favourite capture would have to be lilly from Suffolk water park. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea an ornamental ghost carp but it rarely sees the bank and to take it from a 24 acre gravel pit was a brilliant capture in my eyes. Along with the story that goes with it. I took a trip up there with an old pal who at the time was with urban baits. I met him during my time at urban and we had a good crack together on the bank. Cutting a long story short. We stayed in touch and as I mentioned took a trip to Suffolk water park for a 48. All weekend I listened to him telling me I made the wrong move leaving and I wouldn’t catch up at the park using the bait from NeB which I had only been using a couple months, to great success might I add. The last morning of the trip it was me who was in the water having the snaps done and made the capture of lilly all the more sweeter.  

Tell us about the one that got away?

I’ve had a few tbh and i don’t really like to talk about the ones who got away. The ones that hit the mat are more fun. 

Have you had any weird experiences on the bank?

Many. One that springs to mind was down a local syndicate that was open to the public. . I was fishing a point swim which had some side reeds on the left and a big bunch out in front. I use to fish a single rod to the right and two out the front. One evening session a dog walker came into the swim just as I was putting my last rod out the front. We started chatting and as I was setting my bobbin I had just a single beep on the rod out the side. I didn’t think nothing off it. I continued to talk to the bloke and once finishing my last rod stood at the bottom of the swim where I had a good view of all 3 rods. Out the Corner of my eye I noticed my line becoming slacker and slacker at the rod tip although the stow bobbin didn’t move or signal a beep. I walked to the edge of the sleeper and continued to watch the line drop and drop. It was Asif my line had been cut above the lead yet I couldn’t work out why the delk was still registering anything. Then out of no where a large common swam slowly right in front of me across the front of the swim and under the rod. As it turnt round I caught a glimpse of a tiny 12mm wafter in its side lip and it suddenly dawned on me why the line was dropping. I picked up the rod and started to reel. The line picked up from the side reeds and started to come towards me before I caught up with the fish and then set the hook. After setting the hook the fish went mental and 20 mins later I had it on the bank at 26/27lb. It must of not know it was hooked. Crazy 

What is your go to rig when you start fishing a new venue?

Simple wafter rig. Critically balanced. Size 6 wide gape. 15lb soft coated braid. Inch stripped back. Heat shrink kicker and rig ring. Knot less knot. Blob of putty job done. Will fish effectively in 90% of scenario. 

How much time do you spend on the bank per month?

I do at least 1 12 hour over nighter a week and Every Friday after work to Sunday evening. Work permitting. 

Have you got an edge you can share with our readers?

Keep it simple and use your eyes. Location is becoming more and more important. Find the fish feed them and you’ll catch most of the time. 

If you could fish for any carp past or present what fish would it be?

Would have to be the linear Chris Yates caught from redmire in 1980. 51.5lb of historic fish from a even more historic venue. One that I would give anything to dangling a line in and will do one day. 

Thanks for reading 

Lee England. 

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