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This was always going to be a brilliant feature for me to compile and write as I have been a friend of Ken’s for years now and know what a great angler he is. I have seen first hand how he can adapt his fishing and target some of the most difficult waters in this country and make it look easy. I have seen the busy, forward thinking angler that is always looking and always learning, no bivvy slouch here.

With so much to cover, and to show Ken’s approach to the full, I decided to write just about his fishing and not how I approached the water. We chose one of Ken’s local club waters where he has been fishing for many years, as this would demonstrate the skills that he is known for to the full. I would be able to watch him and see how he goes about catching from this very difficult water and what makes him so successful. This club run a very strict set of rules so there was no swim saving, favours or making it easy for Ken, it all had to be done as it would be by any other member and at any other time for Ken.

I was allowed to fish as a guest of Ken’s and with the reputation of the water, and from my past guest trips, I was like a six year old on Christmas eve, I just love the place and always look forward to going there. Ken was to ring me on the Thursday afternoon at about 6.00 pm when he was over there and I was to meet him there shortly after. I received a call at about 3.45pm from Ken telling me to get over there as quickly as possible. He had found several good fish and they were feeding and feeding well. I threw the last of my kit into the car and headed of for the short trip, speaking to him at least three times during the 15-minute drive. I was so excited and so was Ken, even after all that he has seen, caught and done, he was still buzzing and enjoying every minute of it.

Within an hour of my arrival, I was set up in one corner, just down from Ken’s swim and where he had seen the feeding fish. Ken showed me around and suggested a couple of likely spots for me to fish and when he tells you this, you don’t ignore the advice. With the baits out and a few crumbled Fusion baits thrown over the top of them, I set about the job of watching Ken and taking notes like an infatuated kid. I knew that my angling was going to change for the better after this trip and so Ken had my full attention and I was loving every minute of it.

We sat drinking tea as I fired my ready-prepared questions at Ken and listened as he told me some of the amazing stories from his past angling experiences and his thoughts on today’s carp fishing, in particular, this water and how he was hoping to catch one of the fish that he had seen earlier. I have to make the point now that the old saying of ‘you get out what you put in’ is one of Ken’s true beliefs and to be know what he’s like, you start to see why he is so successful. Ken is a worker; he finds it hard to sit down and is always up trees, looking along the margins and trying to find fish. Not only this but he’s always watching the water noting what the birds are doing and asking himself why there might be diving in one particular spot all the time. Any strange behaviour and Ken has to know the answer and he will not rest until he does.

Ken would be the first to admit that he is not a ‘riggy’ person. He uses quite basic rigs that he has complete confidence and trust in and ones that have proved themselves time after time. He is quite capable of adapting his rigs to suit any conditions or waters but he will look at the bait first before changing rigs. It is all part of the bigger picture and this starts with finding the fish first and this is where Ken is one of the best.

Ken told me that prior to my arrival, he had walked the lake looking for fish and had found several good fish where we had set up. This was an area that he had been watching for some time, visiting and looking at every opportunity between and after work, sometimes three times a day. This is one of the factors that Ken stressed to me. When you are concentrating on one water, you have to be there as much as possible and keep looking and learning. You get to build up a picture of their routines and favourite places etc. Spend some time in each swim and climb as many trees as you can, with time and patience, you will find them.

The spot where the fish had been seen feeding was a small clearing about 12 foot from the bank and although the fish could now be seen crashing about 30 yards out, Ken knew from his observations that they would be back at some point. If he would catch one was a different matter as this fish have seen it all and can be very, very wary and smart. Everything had to be spot on with no room for error or impatience.

Ken placed one rod onto the clearing, set up with a 6-inch Fox Delude braided hooklength, a size 10 Connection series 1 hook (no longer available) and a 2 ounce lead on a lead clip. This was baited with a critically balanced 14mm Fusion bait made by cutting a pop-up and bottom bait in halve and then placing one of each together. This was then trimmed so that it only just sank, ever so slowly. The other rod was the same terminal set up but with 2-10mm Fusion boilies, one bottom bait and one a pop-up. Both rods were fed with about 40 baits, a mixture of 10mm Fusion boilies and 8mm Fusion pellet-shaped baits that Ken had made at home. Both lines were fed out until they lay very slack on the bottom and with the bobbins set on the floor, all was set.

So what now, sit back and relax with a cuppa? Not Ken, he was of up the tree that looked down on his chosen water and his eyes were everywhere. Even if the seagulls kept swooping on one place, he wanted to know why. His enthusiasm and keenness is remarkable for someone who has fished for carp for many years and caught so many good fish.

The night passed without any action other than lots of tea and talking about Ken’s experiences and his approach. Fish were still crashing about 30 yards out and Ken was sure that they would return at some time. After a couple more teas in the morning, I was beckoned up the tree by Ken who had seen a couple of good fish over the baited area. By the time I got my rather large frame up the tree, the fish were not to be seen but with Ken’s reassurances that they were there, I waited. It didn’t take too long before I spotted 2 good fish hovering at the rear of the clear spot. One of them came into the baited area and then was joined by another and with another 2 fish in the background; I was unable to control my excitement. As I tried to contain myself and relay the news to Ken who was now by his rods, 2 better fish came in and without any hesitation, one of them picked up the hookbait and started to turn. Now this was a special moment for me, and one that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I had actually watched the bait being taken and it was magic. As the slack was taken and the alarms sounded the take, Ken was in to his first one of the trip.

The fish proved to be a very powerful and strong one, obviously a good fish but even Ken was surprised by fight, and after a few heart-stopping moments, Ken guided it to the awaiting net. It was weighed at 31-0 and after some photos, she was returned and the kettle went on yet again in celebration. Over the tea we chatted about the chances of the fish returning to the spot and Ken was of the opinion that they would return at some time as they had been there for some time but he could not say when. We decided to call it a day later that day and return to complete the piece the following week.

It was upon our return that Ken explained that he had fished where he did the previous week to try to give me the opportunity to experience what I had. Ken knew that I had very little experience of watching fish up close and he wanted me to see what he has seen so many times before. It had worked a treat and that magical moment would stay with me forever and I was ever so grateful for that.

For this trip, Ken wanted me to be in with a chance of a take so put me into a swim that he knew had produced recently. He went into the swim to my right and over tea, he explained why and this reason just about summed up Ken for me. His chosen swim had not been fished for some time due to the weed that was present in front of it. It had always been a very productive area and Ken could not accept that it was not capable of producing a fish. He explained that during one of his many walks around, he had taken a marker rod and had spent some time seeing just how bad the weed was in front of this swim. He just would not accept that it was not going to produce and after a good look around, some clear areas were found and noted. Ken then watched these area’s and fed them with a handful of small Fusion baits every time he was over there. This trip was the first time that he had actually fished the spots that he had found and his plan was to answer his own questions and curiosity.

Ken could have gone into the swim that I was now fishing as the feature was about him and another fish would be good for the article and him. I have known for some time what Ken is like so it was no surprise to me when he put me into that swim, he gets so much enjoyment and satisfaction from others catching with his help, besides, he had his own business to sort out next door.

We both got our baits out to the chosen spots and fed a few handfuls of 10mm and chopped Fusion baits over the top and settled for the evening. The one difference was that Ken had not actually seen fish feeding in either of these two swims and you could see that he was not quite the same; he found it hard to settle, even more than normal. He walked the lake several times looking for fish but the light and coloured water was now against him and so he sat back and we chatted about what might be.

The night passed without any action and even though I was up early, Ken was already on his rounds like a man possessed and no tree was safe. He returned some time later and explained that he had found a few fish close in to a popular swim but one that again had been well down peoples choices due to the weed. The water was now a lot more coloured than our first trip and spotting fish was difficult but with patience and stealth, they can be found. I got the impression that Ken was moving as he had seen fish but was not exactly happy about leaving the swim that he had been in. There were still questions that Ken wanted answered but for now, they had to wait.

Within 30 minutes, Ken was set up in the new swim and two rods were placed in small clearings by a set of pads. No changes to rigs or bait from the last trip as there was no need, he had caught on them and so knew that they were ok. Within another 30 minutes and he was in! You had to be there to see what happened next as Ken could not give this fish an inch. He pulled with the force and power that you only do when you have that level of confidence and trust in your kit and the experience that anglers like Ken have. The fish was soon weeded and this made the job slightly easier as it stopped the very powerful runs and within about 5 minutes, another good fish was in the net.

On the mat, the fish was recognised as one called’ Tear Drop’ a known 30+ and a fish that Ken caught last at 16-10 in 1991. His joy was clear for us all to see and at 37-8 it was quite understandable. With the photos done and the fish returned, I set about my now regular ritual of making the celebration tea while Ken got the rod back out again. No sooner had we finished this, and Ken had tidied up after Tear Drop, the other rod was away and he was in again. Another dogged fight followed and with some help from the weed, another large clump of fish and plant made its way to the awaiting landing net.

The fish was a 22-0 Common that was in absolute immaculate condition and typical of the commons in this water where they go to 40lbs. This too was photographed and returned and yes you’ve guessed it, more tea! So within less than two hours of finding the fish, Ken had moved and banked two good fish and with another night left, it wasn’t over just yet. Would they return? Only time would tell know but Ken did manage to sit back for a while and enjoy the moment.

I’m going to sum up the rest of the trip, as I am keen to highlight some of the things that make Ken so successful. I lost one carp and banked 5 tench from the spot that Ken showed me which was no more than 10 foot from the front of the swim, and left shortly after the 22-0 common. Ken decided to stay on for another night and guess where he went? Yes back into the swim of the previous night and a phone call the following day said it all. Ken moved back into the swim as he still wanted answers so with the baits back out to the same spots as night one, he awaited to see if the fish were going to come into these new-found spots. Well they did because Ken banked another 20+ common and was now somewhere close to be happy about things. He had said to me on the very first evening that he could not believe that no one was fishing this swim. It had always been so productive in the past and he was determined to catch from it, not to prove anything to anyone else but to himself.

As I said earlier, Ken is not one of those people that change rigs every trip or is always looking for rigs to change to. He is happy with his basic but proven rigs and will only look to change when he has exhausted every possibility with bait. He will try smaller baits, chopped baits, halve baits in fact any combination of what he is using, in this case, the Fusion from Mainline Baits. He is always looking to be different from the next person and this is reflected in the baits and how he presents them. Critically balanced baits play a big part in Ken’s approach and he will spend hours at home making hookbaits using a mixture of Polaris pop-up mix and Fusion base mix until he has a bait that will only just sink with the weight of the hook.

Looking at Ken’s more ‘advanced’ rigs that he has tied up in his rig wallet, we can see that these all have similarities to rigs that have been published and shown by others in the past. The stiff boom with the braid section, the big hook mounted on a swivel with stops on the shank, the silt rig? Let me make the point here that Ken is not making any claim to being the mind behind these as some of them have been shown to him by other anglers in the past. The point that I will make though is that Ken has been using these rigs for many years now, as have others. Perhaps not the same, and perhaps without some of the latest modifications, but nether the less with the same mechanics in mind. These rigs are a last resort for Ken and are only used if he has watched fish clearing the freebies and has not had any action after working through the different hookbaits that he will try.

‘You get out what you put in’ is exactly true in the case of Ken and his approach will help me, any many like me, not only to catch more fish but also to be more aware of our surroundings rather than sit in a bivvy for days on end. It is worth noting that those static anglers on the lake while we were there, and there was quite a few of them on and off, all blanked. I have no doubt that their approach has its day and that they are all very capable anglers, but what it showed me was that when you think that it is hard and the fish are not having it, a walk around can change all that. It must work as Ken has proved to be the top rod on this water the years that he has fished it regularly and yet I was amazed that so many people watch what he does and yet very few actually try to copy this approach.

All in all, a very educational and enjoyable couple of trips with a very good angler and a very good friend. Someone who is happy to help others and pass on his knowledge and still fishes with such passion and vigour after so long carp fishing. As I left, a friend of Ken’s arrived and after a quick chat, Ken suggested the swim that I had just left and also gave him some of his small baits. That night Martin banked a carp from the spot that I had been fishing; prove if it was needed that Ken knows exactly what’s going on. We can all take something from this and I know that I certainly will. ‘They don’t get in the margins in here mate’. Heard that before? But can you be sure?