I sometimes have real trouble sleeping after a day’s or weekend’s angling. I don’t count sleep; I literally lay there going through each part of the trip, working out where I got it wrong and if my mistakes cost me an extra fish or two. This, after quite sometime, leads to a conclusion: my two fish catch could (and should) have been four fish. If I’d tucked that recast after the 19lber tighter to the island that would have produced a quicker bite. Or, by switching over to a 12mm hookbait instead of the 14’s I was using I could have reached those fish at the back of the bay.
      I go through this process after most sessions, the problem is, I don’t seem to do anything about it. However, after my last trip action had to be taken, hence our cover story this month. Nick Helleur, the master of getting quick bites is also a master at working out where we cost ourselves fish, so in the first part of Stop Those Silly Mistakes! Nick looks at islands, gaining yards, binning the marker float and when to recast. And thank goodness, because now we can change this frustrational nightmare and enjoy some sweet angling dreams.
      Elsewhere, we’ve got our monstrous Hardware Special (starting on page 112) showcasing all the new shiny and most desirable bait and tackle gadgets that you’ll be wanting to use in 2009. Another exclusive this month is in The Tank Tests (P80) where we trial Terry Hearn’s and Frank Warwick’s new boilies and we present the best ever Below The Surface (P42) feature where Rob Hughes looks at baiting and PVA presentation.
      Add to this Nigel Sharp (P48) explaining how to crack your water whether it’s small and pressured or large and open, Jon Mac (P63) with his new boiled food and Mike Willmott’s (P56) second part to “Piecing It All Together” and you’ve got the greatest carp bible known to mankind.
      Right, I’m off to perve at some ultra fit women at our 2009 CARPology Calendar shoot, and you, enjoy the issue…
Joe Wright, Editor