Academy
Back to Academy searchDarren Belton
Darren has been fishing for thirty years, exclusively for Carp for the last twenty.
Living in Kent, Darren has a good selection of waters available for his use and has been fortunate enough to have caught fourteen fish over 40lb.
News from Darren - 20th May 2010
"Well at long last we would appear to have seen off what is possibly the harshest Winter for Carping that I can remember and a few fish are at long last starting to slip up.
"I did manage to fish through the Winter (when it wasnt frozen) but only really on runs waters to try and land some fish for articles and the likes. Small fish were landed but what a grin - ,really hard work!
"Spring saw me return to a large southern pit for just for a few weeks as it seems to be the best time of year to try and capture a large mirror that I have had my eye on for a little while now. Again,we appear to be about 4 weeks behind and, although it was hard work I did manage a few upto just short of 30lb (but not the one I want!)
"I pulled off due to various angling commitments and have just returned from the BACS's at Cilham Mill.I fished with James Coleman and we actually managed to get our first choice of swims in the draw. In a familiar vein to the rest of the year the match turned into a real slog with a harsh north easterly wind shutting down the whole lake. in fact after 24hrs only two fish had been landed! We lost a Carp on saturday afternoon and managed to bank a small one Saturday night and right at the death(30 mins before the whistle), managed to lose a large fish to a hookpull! That would almost certainly have put us through to the semi final but thats angling! Many congratulations to the guys that did qualify - it was a real grinder for everyone.
"This coming weekend its back to Chilham for the members match which is always great fun, and then I can get back to my own personal angling. Hopefully my year will improve but from the numerous people I speak to everyone seems to be in the same boat at the moment and I will keep you updated on how I get on."
News from Darren - 16th December 2009
"Well autumn has been and gone, and winter is well and truly upon us.I fished hard through october and november,and if I am honest it didnt live up to expectations. I did catch a few up to 34lb but my target fish eluded me, and the water has now firmly shut up shop so time for a move for winter (but it will give me an excuse to go back next year!)
"I have only done a couple of nights on my winter water and no joy so far but I hope to put that right in the very near future.
"On the plus side I have had some very enjoyable sessions on runs waters whilst doing feature articles and the action has been thick and fast, so dont let anyone tell you that you cant catch a carp in winter!
"Next year promises to be a cracker with a few new waters in the pipeline, and myself and James have just secured a place in the British Carp Championships in May, which is something to look forward to!
"This is my last blog of the year, so I hope you all have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. All the best."
Darren
News from Darren - 22nd September 2009
"My next trip out was the August bank holiday weekend, and not suprisingly it was busier than usual. I opted to fish the middle section of the lake, so I would be able to see any carp activity, and hopefully put a new plan together.Well, it didnt go well! The extra pressure meant the carp wouldnt play ball, and not one carp came out the whole weekend! In truth, it didnt feel right at all, and I felt as though I was just camping. I did however see a carp show over one particular area ,and on theTuesday morning, when the lake had returned to normality I nipped round with a marker to see what I could find.
"I couldnt get a drop, and it was soon evident that the fish had been showing over fairly thick weed. I decided to get the mini weed rake out (one of the castable ones)and a dozen or so casts later, had cleared a small patch in the weed that had a lovely clean gravel bottom. A few handfulls of boilies where scattered on top,and I headed for home, planning to let it settle and return in a few days time.
"On my return I dropped straight into the swim and flicked a lead straight onto the spot, followed by another couple of handfulls of boilies.The night was fairly uneventfull,apart from a couple of bream on an open water rod and I was beggining to feel a little despondant. I neednt of worried though as, around 9am the gravel rod was away - an absolute one toner! Thankfully it headed out into open water and, after a fierce battle, another stunning mirror was kissing the spreader block and I returned home with a big smile!
"I am back out tommorrow for a 48 hr session,and we are quickly approaching my favourite month of the year - October.I try to fish as much as possible in this month,and except for a weekend trip to Chub HQ in Alnwick for a product developement meeting, I have managed to clear my scedule for the whole month! The plan is to fish my current water hard for the month before moving onto my winter water at the beggining of November,and I shall keep you up to date with how I get on."
Darren
News from Darren - 24th August 2009
"This year I was fortunate enough to gain access to an intimate water in deepest darkest kent that holds some truly awesome old Carp.The water itself is around 9 acres in size, and holds around 50 or so Carp.They range in size from upper doubles right through to a couple that go over the magical 40lb barrier,and every one of them is a stunning old strain of Kent Carp.
"Before I stepped foot onto the place I was told that it was a tricky water, and that if you had a dozen fish out in a year you were doing well, so I was under no illusions as to what to expect. True to form I struggled, and for the first 4 weeks I couldnt buy a bite. I was however, slowly putting together the pieces of the puzzle, and although I was tearing my hair out felt that it was slowly falling into place.
"I decided to concentrate on one area - it was very weedy, and seemed to be left alone by the other members. The bait started going in, and I had soon established a small clear patch amongst the weed. It took another 2 weeks before I recieved any action, but the first take I recieved was from one of the so called 'A team'- a stunning pure leather over the 30lb mark. Since then I havent looked back, and to date I have landed 19 Carp,including several over the 30lb mark, and another of the 'A team',a real old warrior of a mirror. Unfortunately my little spot has grown into a crater, and seems to have died a death, I have just got back from a 48hr session and it was my first blank in a while.Things didnt feel right, so my next session is going to be spent exploring some other areas of the lake. To a degree I feel I am almost going to be starting from scratch,but needs must.There may well be a few more blanks on the cards but thats fishing and I shall keep you updated on my progress!"
