Lewis Porter: Ex Editor, Marketing Guru, Carp Breeder

The last thing I bought and loved was a Stihl Strimmer. It brings a strange satisfaction when I’m obliterating stinging nettles and thistles in the garden and at my stock pond. 

With time on my hands I’d love to do more fishing, both here in the UK and overseas, but work and home life just isn’t allowing that, at present—so many things I want to do, so little time to do them. 

I’m not really a collector of anything when it comes to fishing. I just have the tackle and bait I require for the fishing I do. I am not sentimental, so if there’s something I no longer need, I’d rather pass it on to a youngster or a friend who might find a use for it. I am just happy collecting the memories and a few photographs.

I’ve recently discovered peppercorn sauce and onion rings… I cannot believe that I lived 30-plus years thinking I wouldn’t like either, but now I have tried them, I can’t imagine having a steak without them!

My favourite lake and swim are Bundys Pit and the Middle Hazels swim on the same lake. Come mid- to late September and through until Christmas, it was a magical swim during my time on there. A lovely flat area in 37ft of water allowed all 3 rods to be fished on it. You could fill it in with boilies, sit back and have some fantastic hits. The swim itself was also nice. Sitting on two levels, you had your rods by the water’s edge, with the bivvy set up a lot higher. You had a great view across the pit, and a large, clean grassy area to have nice socials on. 

In my bait bag you’ll always find a tub of white Northern Specials and another of Orange EsterFruit Creams—two hookbaits I have the utmost faith in—along with boilies and sweetcorn for free feed. 

The game-changing moment which altered everything for me was the day I decided that I wasn’t prepared to believe a fish was more intelligent than me. If I am not catching, it is because of a mistake I am making, not because a fish has outsmarted me! I don’t chop and change my baits or rigs. I have stuff that I am confident in, and all I need to do is position everything on an area where the carp like to feed, at a time they are actually there to feed—simples! 

I’m listening to The Thinking Tackle Podcast and The Fishing Gurus Podcast, both of which are very good. Non-fishing related, I enjoy The Hard Truth, by the chairman of Peterborough United F.C. It gives a great insight into the reality of running a football club on a very tight budget.

The lake I can’t wait to go back to is a private syndicate lake in Belgium called Coot, which I have been fortunate enough to have had two guest sessions on. It’s a truly magical venue. Those involved in running it are absolutely top people, and the stock is breathtaking. 

The one angler I’d love to fish with if I could is Alan Blair. His super-active style is right at the opposite end of the scale to my lazy bait-and-wait approach. I’d love a day with him, just to reaffirm in my mind why it is I don’t try and do that type of fishing more often. I like my sleep way too much, don’t like constantly looking over my shoulder and enjoy nothing more than sitting on the chair, tunes on, drinking tea and chilling out. I keep thinking that I should try to be more active, and ‘be more Alan’, but a day with him will surely make me realise that I am just not cut out for it!

The tech I couldn’t do without is my laptop, Halo 96K Power Pack and 4G connection. I am able to do a lot of my work from the bank, which allows me more fishing time than if I were to be chained to a desk in an office. 

An indulgence I would never forgo is my electric barrow. It’s an absolute game-changer which, without a shadow of a doubt, catches me more fish.

A recent find is Fink Food Fishing—I think their website will play an increasingly larger part in my pre-fishing-trip preparations!

The tackle items I would never part with are my RX+ bite alarms, undoubtedly the best alarms on the market by a country mile; and in recent times, my Frontier Bivvy—it sounds sad, but every time I use it I just smile to myself about how good it is!

My favourite apps are Swim Mapper, for recording spots on every lake I fish, and also the Met Office app, which I use all of the time to keep track of cloud cover, wind speed/direction, and air pressure, all of which will influence the venue/swim I will fish, on any given day. 

If I wasn’t doing what I do, I would be nowhere near as happy or content with life.