75. The Carp Fishing Podcast - Mike & Mark - Euro Disasters & Receding hair lines

We're back again with another episode of the Carp Fishing Podcast and what a difference four weeks can make. In fact in this episode we've gone from frosts to Mark floater fishing live on the bank as he tries to outwit a cotswold carp on a freelined floater. While the events unfold we discuss a recent Baitworks staff social, the importance of a stealthy approach and we also touch on a guest session with a lovely chap called Graham who donated money to the Angling Trust through an auction to fish with me and Mark for 24 hours. The Panthers sermon is back after last month's popularity with the chance to win a Baitworks prize. We finish off with a great guest, my recent right hand man on our Forty Autumns film, Gaz Fareham. This time I got a chance to chat through his work life balance, how things have changed, the demands of work overnighters, keeping it fun and in perspective and we finish off with a tale of a big un caught between a busy work schedule. Enjoy. 

Welcome back to another episode of The Carp Fishing Podcast. This month we have a new feature, in fact it's a competition so keep your ears primed for the Panthers Sermon and be in with a chance of winning a Baitworks bundle. That aside, we touch on a great trip we just experienced in Europe, Mark's deep sleep patterns, the importance of water depth in the spring before we have a great chat with this month's guest, Jack Barrett. Jack is no stranger to big carp and his passion and obsession with being outdoors was plain to see. We got to delve into a tale that saw Jack land a 50lb plus urban mirror, one that came with many challenges before Jack managed to get his moment. Also, we discuss the issue of money moves in the industry and how at times that doesn't always align with authenticity and integrity. Enjoy. 

We kick off this month's podcast with a deep dive into Mark's measurements, make what you will of that but be warned it caught me off guard. Topics of discussion this time round also include a deeper dive into the functionality of a carps gut governed by water temperatures. Do you think about the carp's cold water digestion process when you apply bait, maybe it's not front of mind but considering a carp's gut operates differently in cold water it's a topic that's worth exploring. We also have the second installment of Dan Kilgour's story. The first episode went down a storm, Dan's passion was infectious and the drive and determination he puts into his fishing, his particles and his profession was incredible. I really enjoyed recording these two episodes and I hope you get a real insight into the life of a working man, one juggling family life and carp fishing while growing his side hustle, the highly regarded Big Dogs Nuts. Enjoy.  

We've been looking forward to this one dropping. This is the first part of a really honest chat with Mr Big Dogs himself, The Iceman, Dan Kilgour. We delve into the sort of big carp hunting that runs deep in Dan's DNA and discuss how demanding it has been over the years, but as you'll get to hear, he wouldn't change it for the world. We also delve into mine and Marks winter tactics that have recently helped us catch some lovely winter carp. We also touch on what carp are looking for in the winter, how they digest food and how our approach shoud be tailored to cold water carp, to keep the bites coming. Enjoy! 

We're back, it's 2025 already and we kick off this year with another long, format podcast. Once again we discussed a wide variety of topics, including a recent health scare, how our relationship with carp fishing has changed with age, we also delved into the fantastic "Fox Fish Fund" a new initiative inspired in some part by our Cotswold Carp events. Lewis Porter and the guys at Fox have recently donated 25 carp to open access fisheries up and down the country so it was only right that they feature on this month as seen on screen.  We also have a special guest, in the form of Mr Globe-Trotter himself and all round nice guy Henry Lennon. It was great to pop up to Nash HQ for a good catch up with Henry, he's caught some absolute monster carp from all over Europe in recent years, all of which have come off the back of serious graft and dedication.  I got to delve into his rather unusual introduction into carp fishing while growing up in Europe and discuss how that's shaped his desire to travel the globe in search of adventures. I also got to pick his brains on his recent underwater films, what he'd learnt and what he'd change in the future. Last but not least we end with a friendly game of Top Trumps, against his brother in arms, Jacob Worth. Who's the strongest........? Enjoy. 

This month we kick off our monthly ramblings with tales of Mark's underwear. In fact Giles dropped us a line with some information from Mark's old football days that needed clarification. We also discuss the passing of time with age, Mark's new fishing plans (Thursday Club) before delving into the latest Monument stocking, all 64lb of it. In addition, we have a great guest this month, a man who's handled more carp than most will catch in ten lifetimes, Ollie Thomas. Many of you will be familiar with Ollie as he's the man behind the wonderful instagram account "Carp Collection" which simply showcases Ollie's home grown carp. Ollie has invested many years in growing the cream of the crop in terms of looks and heritage, his carp really do "stop the scroll" so to speak and it was great to hear that he's secured a role at Linchhill Fisheries to manage an on site breeding programme that will secure the future of the fishery with exactly the same carp the venue is famous for. It's a really fascinating chat, one that delves into growing carp at home, the issues at play when growing carp in tanks and how to overcome them. It's also our last podcast before Christmas, so a huge thanks once again to all our listeners, without your ears and messages of support our podcast wouldn't be possible. Have a wonderful festive season, we hope your sacks are full and we'll be back in January with more of the same. 

This month we didn't manage to track down a special guest for one reason or another. However we still had lots to discuss, including our recent disaster trip to France, rigs with loops and clips, Mark's lack of rig finesse and my receding hair line according to Mr Bryant. Enjoy. 

Warning.........We start this month with a rather embarresing moment as Mark delves into his porn collection stories and how his hiding spot got rumbled by his mum during his absence in America. We soon get back on track with a dissection of Gaz and Elliotts recent underwater film series, Submerge on CYP. We discuss line angles, colour, teritorial carp, rigs and hooked ratios, a must watch and a superb series. Following on from our usual ramblings we have an epic special guest, the big carp Ninja, Matt Townend.  Most will know Matt from his editorial days at Total Carp but he's also got an album of big carp that he rarely talks about. I got a chance to pick his brains on his free lining approach and talk through a vintage year that saw Matt catch some incredible Colve Valley carp to over 50lb, a serious achievement by such a humble guy and one that rarely shouts about his successes. Enjoy. 

This month I caught up with Elliott Gray and jumped straight into his Burghfield campaign. A challenge that's seen him invest alot of time in search of what many believe to be the pinnacle of carp here in the UK. As you'll get to hear, his first year on this ball breaking venue resulted in some incredible carp, doing things his own way and keeping focussed on a plan that came good in the end. We also delve into some recent changes to CYP and why Elliott and Rich decided to re-brand this popular stream of content and focus heavily on underwater filmmaking. El is always open and honest with his opinions and views and considering he's hardly spoken about his own fishing in recent times it was great to hear his trials and tribulations in search of the BC. In addition me and Mark somehow delve into the world of cremation, having both experienced some rather random moments with relatives ashes. However, we do discuss the recent Korda underwater episode and delve into how our carp fishing has changed over the years since the arrival of kids! Enjoy. 

We’ve got a great podcast this month and for a change our special guest slot is occupied by a fantastic angling duo, Otto and Emma. If you haven’t watched their fishing adventure film on the Fox YouTube channel than I urge you to check it out. Otto decided to bring his girlfriend on a tour of the French public lakes and film it! Emma had never been fishing before and was thrown in at the deep end but what the pair captured on film was hilariously funny, real, witty and it was also full of carp. I loved it and if you read the video comments you’ll soon see I’m not alone. So we decided to get the dynamic duo on as our guests and delve into the trip in a bit more detail. This one is full laughs as you can imagine and Emma stole the show (sorry Otto) As always me and Mark ramble on a bit to fill the gaps, while waiting for a bite in tropical conditions  that feel far to warm to be fishing in!