Monday morning at the office for some lucky barstools, Carl and Alex

If this is not their day job it should be, Carl and Alex are brothers, fishermen, film-makers, and still at an age that does not require them to use glasses to read ingredients on food packets; dam them. As someone who dabbles in fishing and fumbles through film making I have some understanding of the time, effort and in their case the talent required to make films at their standard. So even though unfortunately they are big carp fishing fans (no one is perfect) I still come back to their films looking for inspiration and a stonking great story, told with enthusiasm and care; they never fail to disappoint.

Their latest adventure is a tale from both sides of the pond, I mean the big pond which sees them teaming up with another pair of siblings (I cannot even get my brother to come fishing with me, or make me toast) to take up carp fishing challenges both at home in England and the USA.

I know there is a great future in this field for these guys but lets help them get there a little sooner by adding our support and subscribing and sharing the sh*t out of their videos.

P.s. When I grow up I want to be Carl or Alex

The Friday Float: Tench and the Northwest Fisherman

I once described Tench as the ugliest fish in the pond, this was probably because at the time I was not catching many. As My catch rate has improved so to has my appreciation for these green sumo wrestlers that lurk at the bottom summer ponds. But more importantly is the discovery that pursuing them on a sunny morning by a quiet pond is as close to heaven as some of us mortals are likely to get.

Vinny also know as the Northwest Fisherman as he is based in the Northwest of England has found a little time between float making and work to make this very beautiful film about summer tench fishing. I know when summer is over and the tench have all buggered off to Tench land for the winter I will be putting my feet up, finding a wee dram of something and reliving morning glories by watching this probably too many times. Also check out his blog The Northwest Fisherman, his writing aint half bad either and he takes some great photos and there is always his Facebook Page

Image Below: A few of Vinny's homemade Wagglers (there is no Innuendo here)

A Summer Tench from Vincent Coulson on Vimeo.

Building A Balsa Fishing Lure Part 3

After spending a little too long messing with videos I needed to get out and get some fresh air. So this morning I headed off to the local pond while the weather was bad enough to deter less fool hardy anglers.  Building lures can be great but fishing with them is in a whole different league. I wasn't expecting much from the pond it had rained for the whole of the previous day which had raised the water level a little but surprising not coloured it much beyond its normal noodle soup hue.  

There was one carp angler who was packing up his tent after what looked to have been a heavy night. I clipped on a Phox Minnow and sent it the short distance across the lake. With the summer weed almost gone the lure bounced off the bottom on fast retrieves only bringing home the occasional autumn leaf.  I worked along the reeds and covered both shores at the tail of the water. When the Carp man had gone I moved to a deeper stretch and took a jack almost on the first cast. The hook was looped around a gill raker but luckily it had not pierced any flesh and there was no blood. I slipped the hook out gently and the raker flopped back into position undamaged. Back in the water the pike bolted and I move along the bank a little.  Five or so minutes later I was in a again and then as I struggled to find my camera the fight came to an end as the pike broke the surface and threw the hook.  I took a few casts over the same spot hoping for a replay and surprising I hit into something a little larger once again I let the line fall slack as I pissed around with my camera and then the pike was gone.

I put the camera away and headed over to a small stand of reeds on the other side of the lake where I had often seen movement. This had all the looks of classic pike hold up,  a sunken tree trunk, reeds, shoals of juvenile fish and almost impossible to fish with a lure. I managed a few casts and something rumbled under the surface on the edge of the reeds. In the excitement I buried the lure into the submerge tree and after a harsh tug on the line there it stayed and will probably always stay. I tied on a new trace and clipped on my larger pine minnow casting it way out beyond the snags, it wobbled its way up to the reed bed and the rumble came out to meet it.  This was a much bigger fish and I kept the camera safe inside my jacket until I had it on the bank. 

I need a go-pro or a cameraman

Jack Pike On A Phox Minnow

Fishing The South Pacific (straight to video)

Image Above: Tackle Box made from an old video case.


I am sat amidst what looks like the aftermath of a rock festival, a long train of debris surrounds the lake like a tide mark. Summer has brought its fair share of litter louts to the pond, tins of sweet corn and empty bags of ground bait mix with half eaten packets of crisps and pop bottles, fish food and fisherman’s food.

The smell of weed wafts over from the next peg and in the distance on the far bank a voice breaks into a few verses of and old Roxy Music hit.  The vocalist is a big guy and continues to run through hits that may have been popular in his youth.  I reach into my rucksack and pull out a video, South Pacific. There is a pause as I look at the palm trees and dream and then I open the case and take out a fishing float.