Dave Ellyatt: Carp Angler And Tackle Designer

It was my Dad who first taught me to fish, so I suppose he was my angling mentor. I would have been four or five and it was with a split cane rod with the line tied to the tip ring and a little peacock quill for
a float, fishing whip style to hand. My first fish was a tiny rudd and no doubt my Dad unhooked it for me. In later years there’s been no mentor as such, but lots of anglers that I have huge amounts of respect for and who have influenced my fishing to
some degree.”

 The greatest asset a fisherman can own is definitely keen eyesight. I have an astigmatism which has meant wearing glasses since my early twenties and a few years ago my eyesight started to decline fairly rapidly, to the point where I was struggling to tie rigs (probably why I started using the Ronnie!). Luckily I was introduced to the world of varifocal lenses which were a game-changer. ‘Lamps that light the way’.”

What would I like to own that I don’t currently possess? Definitely a lake. It would be deep, weedy, snaggy and tap clear with a low stock of special carp (and maybe some big roach). I would leave it as wild as possible. Overgrown paths, minimal swims, no wood chip or white gravel, just as nature intended.”

The last thing you bought (well, pre-ordered!) and loved was Horse Girls’ debut album. They are so damn good!

 With time on my hands I would definitely fish more—although only when the conditions were right. I wouldn’t necessarily want to become a long-stay angler; I enjoy the prep more than sitting behind the rods for long periods.”

 Rewinding time to pick a past lake and swim where I would be happiest is a difficult one. There are certain lakes that have a character or atmosphere that draw you back but usually it’s all about the fish, isn’t it? If they weren’t there, then neither would you be. But the ‘feel’ of the venue still plays a major part, so I would plump for the Big S and a nondescript slot in the marginal willow saplings along the Bank of Death. Not even a swim as such, there was a small polished gravel patch at the base of the marginal shelf that I spotted when wading the entire length of that bank one day and this little gap in the willows was conveniently bang in line with it. It had been created naturally where the high water level and waves had undermined the shallow roots of a sapling. The gravel spot was no more than five yards out and it rewarded me with some of the most impressive carp I have ever caught. That pit was truly wild back then and the big Oxfordshire skies and cinematic sunsets made it a place I loved to spend some time.”

In my bait bag you’ll always find an overly expansive collection of hookbaits which I keep in those little squeeze top herb pots and depending on the time of year, usually a bag of boilies and another one of tigers, plus two catty’s for different scenarios that I keep in a custom made waxed cotton baiting up pouch.”

The game-changing moment which altered everything for me was probably catching Stumpy, the Oxford park lake big ‘un way back in the spring of 2000. It was my first thirty and a very special old carp from a seriously low stock, enigmatic pit. A fluke capture and although the carp fishing fire had been lit well before, this capture poured fuel on the flames.”

The one angler I’d love to fish with if I could is John Holt. I’ve met him a couple of times, such a gentleman—and I’d ask him to bring Steve Allcott as a guest!

I prefer my solitude when angling so I tend to steer clear of other anglers, and thus don’t get irritated much. However, the ongoing obsession with celebrity is galling. As The Smiths once wrote (about thirty years before social media—how prophetic): ‘fame, fame, fatal fame, it can play hideous tricks on the brain’.”

I had most of my gear stolen just before Christmas about 5 years ago and there were a few sentimental items amongst it. A landing net handle I made by stripping down a Tel MK2 12’ 9” butt section, the Trangia kettle that I’d had for years, plus a Coleman 508 stove that was so much better than the new 533 I replaced it with. All of those items I wish I still had.”

If I wasn’t doing what I do, I would mostly be doing (occupation-wise): no idea. I’ve worked in the fishing tackle trade for the same company for nearly twenty six years, well over half my life! Which probably means I’m somewhat institutionalised. But psychology and criminology interest me so some sort of further education in that field, or I wouldn’t mind being a gig promoter as I love live music, or writing, or failing all that—driving a van. Pastime-wise: I think I could get seriously into hiking, and metal detecting also intrigues me. I guess it has many parallels to angling. But as much as I like a good stroll in the countryside, it is never the same as being beside water—it’s all about the water.”