ONLINE FISHINGTV BLOG; Ian Russell’s Carp Coach
After completing the simple sign up process a couple of weeks ago, I thought I’d better justify the fee and actually watch something....The choice is pretty good, 147 programmes to choose from, so I used the ‘stick the pin in the map’ method to pick my first offering. ‘Ian Russell’s Carp Coach’ filmed at Thorpe Lea Fishery in Surrey was top of the list. Although shot during early winter, it looked pretty good from the free trailer, so I plugged the headphones in and started to watch.
Personally, I don’t know Ian Russell. I’m not one to really follow the ‘names’ so I didn’t know if he was ‘famous’ or not. He is however, very easy to watch on this particular show. Accompanied by his wife Lizzie, he presents in an extremely laid back style and the chemistry between them is quite amusing. I thought it was a great idea to have Lizzie on board as it may encourage more lady anglers to the sport. My wife is keen to come fishing with me, but a lack of females on the bank side puts her off; ‘I don’t want to be the only one....’ I wonder if this is true for other ladies?
The programme began with an analysis of swim options. Ian and Lizzie discuss their choice and describe exactly why they have preferred this particular piece of water. The importance of knowing the underwater topography was clearly explained, change of depth, plateaus, gravel bars and nature of the lake bed were all covered in easy to follow chronological steps. The pair then described a marker float set up and how each twitch of the rod gave information to the fisherman. Although the first rig ‘cracked off’ when cast out, the reason was clarified and it was nice to see that the show had not been edited to hide the fact that this does sometimes occur if precautions are not taken. After the float had been used to find a likely spot, Ian then moved on to show how an unbaited rig was lobbed out to the float to enable them to ‘clip up’ to guarantee accuracy before the hook link was tied on. Spodding was next; ten spods quickly flew out to the feeding area, again ‘clipped up’ to make sure everything was nicely on target.
The fishery owner, Gary Beale then helped Ian to assess some tackle that had been recovered from around Thorpe Lea. At this point I was amazed to see what can only be nominated as the stupidest rig I’ve ever heard of. Gary told how the rig, which included two hooks had been found in a tree on the island. One of the hooks attached directly to the bomb swivel would have left any fish unable to eject it, but the worst thing was the swivel used to join the leader to the mainline was fixed and prevented any of the components from releasing!! Gary had previously checked forty nine anglers in one day on the complex and found that only nine were using safe rigs! Instead of automatically banning the anglers, Gary and his team had given instruction on how to construct rigs that would not harm the carp which I thought showed some common sense. Lead clips were also discussed which I know are a contentious issue for some anglers. It did bring to mind the importance of fish safety, so was definitely a valid point.
Lizzie caught plenty of carp during the feature, all were fine looking specimens and were well treated. Fish handling was competent and the carp were returned with minimum stress. I was pleased to watch a programme that concentrated on the fishing; no promotions or ‘plugs’ for products were included so I didn’t get the impression that Ian was obliged to use any specific brand of bait or tackle. There is enough advertising in the sport so this was a refreshing change. I have to say that I really enjoyed viewing it on my PC. The sound quality was clear, the programme flowed without interruptions and it wasn’t snowed under with ‘arty’ scenic shots.
I will watch Ian and Lizzie again, but there are still loads of other things to see in the onlinefishingtv schedule, so I’ll let you know my thoughts on my next selection.
Clint Walker
July 2009
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