The Hunter Within

‘Consistent’ is certainly one of the words to describe Cambridge-based big fish hunter, Dan Stacey. With an incredible track record of lovely, old English fish to his name, Dan has seen and caught some truly respectable, prized big fish, from a number of different venues in his years of angling. Dan has an insatiable ability to track down, find, and catch fish from waters in and around his home county that have seen little or no previous record of captures. That alone is what makes this highly driven man tick, but we were keen to find out where this man on a mission started out…

Dan’s younger years taught him well

Alex Grice: Growing up around Cambridge, you have always been blessed for waters, but where did it all start for you?
Dan Stacey: “When I was about six, I used to fish the rivers with my dad. I guess I learnt the traditional way and I am very appreciative of that today, I have fond memories of the Ouse around Kings Lynn, Littleport and Ely, my home town. That continued most weeks until the age of nine when I really wanted to go more often, between school, and at the weekends; it was starting to become a big part of my life. One summer holiday, my old man built me a trailer to go on the back of my bike so that I could cart my gear down to the river. I had no end of fun with an old pole, bagging silvers all day long. It progressed from there and I ended up doing the youth matches on a few stretches around the area.”

The lucky mascot

Alex Grice: Did carp fishing shortly follow?
Dan Stacey: “At the time, my dad was a keen carp angler; he used to fish a unique old pond called Stoney Grange. I used to go with him from time to time, but I would never fish for the carp, I just watched and took in what he was doing. I could see the patience needed to catch these fish and despite the fact they were only mid-doubles, each one was hard-earned when doing the days. That Christmas, I asked my dad for a set of carp rods and I was soon lucky enough to own a pair I could take the following year when he went.”

Alex Grice: So, was Stoney where you caught your first carp?
Dan Stacey: “Yeah, I was about 11 at the time and we had planned to fish Stoney along with another venue, which had a greater stock of fish. At the time, Dad wanted me to experience the various forms of carp angling and to appreciate different venues and fish. Stoney was a very unique water in that it was steeped in history, being an old Roman horse-feeding pool. The venue was eerie and there was always something quite strange about the atmosphere at the place, but it did hold some lovely, old fish. My first fish turned out to be 14lbs and as you can imagine, completely blew me away at that young age. Dad actually sent the photo off to the Angling Times and I won a badge for my efforts; a real special time in my life.”

Alex Grice: I guess after experiencing that, the carp bug really did take hold…
Dan Stacey: “Exactly that, both dad and I fished on Stoney for a few years after; I really did learn a lot from that place and my angling improved tenfold over those few years. It helped having my dad there to teach me some of the more important aspects about catching them. I was about 15/16 when we decided to join another water: a shallow Northampton estate lake. It was around the same time my Mum became very ill. I used to finish school on the Friday and Dad would be there to pick me up. We’d boot it down the A14 in the old Metro to get to the lake. A few years down the line we joined the syndicate lake at Catch 22 in Norfolk and that was where I caught my first 30lb fish, which was a story in itself.”

Alex Grice: What do you mean by ‘story’?
Dan Stacey: “I had turned up to fish at ‘Catch’ and ‘Spug’ was fishing around the corner from where I had set-up for the night. He told me not to wake him if I had one, as he had been fishing some dodgy waters of late and didn’t think me disturbing him in his sleep would be a wise idea! Anyway, that night I landed the biggest fish I had seen to date, with my previous PB being only 24lbs. I didn’t know what to do, so I went to wake Spug to see if he could help… not a good idea! He actually swung for me and when he realised it was me he said, ‘I told you not to wake me up.’ To be honest, I was just buzzing so much I had to tell someone, so he came out to give me a hand weighing her. “

Alex Grice: That is class. Things started to get serious after that, you ventured over to St. Ives, which must have been a daunting prospect at the time?
Dan Stacey: “I just bit the bullet in a way. I wanted somewhere local with a good challenge and my good friends Darrell and Micky were fishing over there a fair bit, constantly pestering me to come and have a go. I purchased the required book and my plan was to go in with what I had learnt over the previous years, albeit a much greater challenge. Back then I simply couldn’t afford to bait at the quantities that other anglers were, so I had to tailor my tactics and fish light scatterings of bait in areas I had seen fish. The Lagoon was notoriously hard and at times; I felt well out of my depth, but at the end of the day I was young and what did I have to lose?”

Alex Grice: How did things progress on the Lagoon, did you fall into the trap of other anglers?
Dan Stacey: “In all honesty, it wasn’t easy going, but I didn’t expect it to be. I had been fishing the stringers that I had done so well on and even today, still use for a lot of my angling. I awoke one morning and saw a few fish showing at range; they were clearly happy being out there and after 17 days of blanking, I was starting to lose my mind a little comparing the venue with other waters I’d previously fished. I tied up a rig with two pieces of yellow plastic corn and whacked it out as far as I could towards where the fish were showing. I was being hopeful more than anything and I was basically peeing in the wind to say the least. Incredibly, that rod rattled off and much to my amazement, The Lady was there lying in the folds of my net not moments after. It was one of those times where everything was just a blur from start to finish; I can still only recollect the final parts of the battle today. It turned out to be the only fish I caught from the venue, but I wasn’t complaining and it’s still my biggest to date.”

A Folly 40lb+. Dan enjoyed the brief time he spent at the venue

Long links - something that Dan has used since his early days

Alex Grice: I bet you felt a little lost after catching such a highly respectable fish…
Dan Stacey: “I was to be honest, and when I decided to leave the Lagoon behind, I just didn’t know where to go. I am lucky in that where I live is surrounded by water and after dabbling on a few venues in the area, some notably tricky, I decided it was time to get my head back in gear and get into fishing one lake again.”

Alex Grice: You ventured back to the old estate style lake in Northampton. How did you make the transition between fishing the pits of Cambridgeshire to this?
Dan Stacey: “I had fished the venue a few years previously with my dad, but back then I struggled having only properly fished a few very different venues beforehand. Now I had a much greater understanding of spots and areas that would produce bites, as well as the armoury to stay adaptable to outwit the fishes’ cagey behaviour. These carp were notably difficult to catch with the water being so shallow, and despite the murky conditions, they were just masters of their environment.”

Alex Grice: What was your approach on this shallow water?
Dan Stacey: “Dad had done so well back at Stoney fishing long rigs between 10- and 14-inches, while many of the others struggled to catch in swims where he did. Even to this day, I still fish long hooklengths, as it is something I have so much confidence in. At the time I was doing really well fishing over big beds of particle in the margins, but still presenting the long hooklengths over the top, something that many anglers would frown upon today. It worked so well for me and I caught some of the much rarer, older fish by using this tactic. I would simply lead around in the edge until I found a firm spot among the silt, introducing a bucket of hemp and particles over the rod before walking along the bank to place the rod in position. It worked so well for some reason and within a year or so, I had caught a good number of the prized residents from the venue.”

Alex Grice: Did any fish in particular stand out from your angling on there?
Dan Stacey: “The Perch Common has to be my highlight from fishing the shallow estate lake; the fish was immense and a real character. I was unfortunate that during my time, the big common eluded me, but hey I guess that’s fishing for you.”

Alex Grice: Having been on such a roll, your confidence must have been sky high, but what challenge did you seek next?
Dan Stacey: “I was lucky enough to obtain permission to fish a truly old and historic venue in Cambridgeshire, not far from the river. Hutchy, Maddocks and friends many moons ago, had previously fished there and to be totally honest, it was a stab in the dark as to what it contained. It turned out to be a gamble that paid off and after fishing it hard one spring, I had a good number of what could only have been a young generation of original Leney fish. By now, I had a bit more money behind me and I was rolling my own bait, using ingredients from CC Moore. Living not too far away, I spent many evenings at the venue watching dark shapes glide over the light patches between the weed. After baiting a few likely looking areas of the long, narrow venue and after a number of weeks, it was time to start my next campaign. With so little pressure on the venue, I could bait with confidence knowing that the carp were eating my offerings and it paid off hugely; I caught a good number of the residents that spring and summer from various of swims around the lake.”

The first big common from the Big Pit, taken early in the season after heavy pre-baiting

Alex Grice: Do you have any particularly good memories from the venue?
Dan Stacey: “James Armstrong came down to see me one day in the height of summer and I had been doing well out of a swim where a large seam of silt runs off an island to the right. That day was truly memorable, as I went on to catch what is deemed the queen of the lake: The Linear. In fact this fish hadn’t been caught for a number of years, despite my seeing it from the boat on many occasions; a real rare one to say the least. The consistent baiting to that seam of silt had worked so well for me that year and having the boat to pinpoint those specific areas in the lake was a real edge in my angling. Where possible, I try to use the boat to learn the ins and outs of the water, which does help hugely when mapping out swims for future reference.”

Alex Grice: What is your angling time allowance and how do you maximise this?
Dan Stacey: “Working continental shifts - four on and four off - actually means that if I wanted to, I could fish three nights each week. Depending on how the shifts fall, I aim to fish two nights during the week and avoid the weekends. Even if my days off fall at the weekend, I will still try and plan to get out for at least one night, just to stay in tune with the venue. With this style of work,

I can plan well in advance when I will be out at the lake and as a result, prepare my kit and get my bait sorted in advance. Quite often, especially in the summer, I go straight from work and having everything packed and ready to go just makes everything that bit smoother.”

Alex Grice: With so many venues around your hometown, how do you go about picking and choosing your next venue?
Dan Stacey: “I guess with my fishing now, it all depends on how busy the venue is, relative to what fish are in there. I would honestly rather catch nice looking twenties than not be able to get a swim on my days off work. The quieter lakes are harder to come by, but many venues are generally quieter in the week if you find the right ones. It just allows me to do things the way I want to in terms of baiting-up and being able to get on fish when the opportunity presents. The venue has to be inspiring too; I want to finish work and look forward to getting down the lake above all else; sort of like those old days when I was a kid.”

The Big Pit, home to two uncaught 40lb commons

The Unknown Common, tracked down with a heavy baiting tactic from an un-fished swim

Alex Grice: Does the type of carp you are fishing for have a big influence on where you go?
Dan Stacey: “I have been blessed in the past to have been given permission to fish for some very old English fish that simply will not be around for much longer. Don’t get me wrong, I know there are a lot of venues out there now that cater for anglers with so many big fish, but I would rather spend time finding venues that contain those old ones, even if they are much smaller than I have caught in the past.”

Alex Grice: I know you put maximum effort in week in, week out; does pre-baiting play a big part in your angling?
Dan Stacey: “Where I can pre-bait I certainly will as it offers such a huge advantage especially when spot fishing and getting fish feeding confidently and during the periods when you are not at the lake. Sometimes this is only possible on the quiet waters, but if it doesn’t interfere with other people’s angling, I would still look to bait at the end of the session, knowing that I would return the following week. That type of baiting strategy has really paid dividends for me in the past on some waters.”

Alex Grice: Do you have any plans to fish any of the big sailing pits in the area?
Dan Stacey: “The big sailing pits require 100% dedication, as you are generally fishing for a low stock of fish. I do have plans in the future to do that, but I have a few tickets and venues in the pipeline where I want to focus my efforts beforehand.”

Alex Grice: You did put a lot of effort in to a big pit close to home not so long ago I believe, how did that fare?
Dan Stacey: “I did, I really hit that place hard for a good few months, driving up and baiting the back of this plateau I had found from the boat over the winter period. This big lake in question is over 100-acres in size, but split into two, so the boat plays a significant role in my finding features and areas where the fish have grazed. I wasn’t entirely sure what the lake contained, but I knew it had a good number of fish a few years back. It is just so risky now with so many otters about, but I took the gamble and went all out with baiting and fishing. Over the course of the spring, I managed eleven fish, including two completely unknown commons of over 40lbs. It turned out to be some crazy fishing and they were smashing the Pacific Tuna and particles I was regularly introducing, even with a hard frost still on the ground during the spring.”

Alex Grice: How do you find out about these kind of lakes Dan?
Dan Stacey: “Much to my girlfriend’s dismay, I spent a lot of my spare time researching, looking over Google Maps, investigating and trying to work out who owns and runs certain bits of water. It may take me years to get those vital pieces of information, but when I have them, they could lead to a season’s worth of memorable angling. Walking and using your eyes and ears are always your best tool in carp fishing and not just for fish location.”

Alex Grice: Have you had any standout captures over the years that have really made you appreciate the stamp of carp that you fish for?
Dan Stacey: “One fish, ‘The Moon Common’ from a quiet Cambs water really does stand out because of how and when I caught it. This rare old fish is a real character and the night I actually banked it was quite surreal. I had already got the rod in position a few hours before and I was sitting back for the evening, when a song that had played at my mum’s funeral came on the radio. I got pretty emotional, as you would do, with it bringing back some fond memories. Two minutes after that had stopped, the rod pulled up tight and I was playing a real powerful fish, out in the boat, with the night as still as anything. The atmosphere was crazy and it sent shivers down my spine; a real memorable event in my angling and a fish that means a lot. I guess those memories are what make carp angling special to each and every one of us.”

A jet-black Norfolk warrior

Alex Grice: How would you describe your personal angling approach?
Dan Stacey: “I guess I would say proactive; I put every ounce of effort into my angling when I am at the lake for those two nights each week. Come rain or shine, I will be there, because I am always confident a chance is on the cards if I work for it. My rigs are by no means anything special, but I thoroughly believe I can get on fish if I try hard enough; constant looking, walking and staying in tune helps to unlock the hardest questions any lake can throw at you. One thing I have got much better at over the past few years is reacting to signs, moving and making the extra effort to get on fish. It has certainly put a few extra fish on the bank for me in recent times.”

Alex Grice: A few of the venues you have fished in the past have seen very little pressure; do you think this has a positive effect?
Dan Stacey: “Yes and no in a way. I think on the venues that have seen very little pressure, they soon wise up to anglers and baits and then it can become harder much quicker. I genuinely believe that if you can find an edge, something different to what most others are doing, even on pressured venues you will find that the fishing will become easier. I was fishing a small irrigation pond with a large head of crayfish and most of the other anglers were fishing in the corners on the venue. After noticing the areas that received constant pressure from anglers and the tactics that they were employing, I went down the opposite route and fished large beds of boilies as opposed to the 20 or so baits the others were using. I was rolling the bait at the time: Equinox, and introducing it fresh every week in large volumes. I kept seeing the carp we referred to as ‘The Unknown’ in this area, so I kept the bait going in regularly, happy that the other anglers were baiting lightly elsewhere. A few weeks later I had the ‘uncaught’ in the net… a truly memorable fish to say the least!”

Alex Grice: What do you look for in a bait when setting out on a campaign for the year?
Dan Stacey: “The most important thing for my angling is a bait that they want to keep eating and I have maximum confidence in using. A lot of the big venues I fish, I want to guarantee that the results are consistent and they are looking for the bait I’m using. The Tuna has really changed my fishing in the past few years and it’s accounted for many big fish shortly after starting a campaign.”

Alex Grice: Last year you decided to venture further afield, which took you to Norfolk, why was that?
Dan Stacey: “I had always wanted to catch a Norfolk 40lb fish and after speaking to a few close friends, I decided to get a ticket for Coston, a lovely mature syndicate lake with a day ticket water next-door. Incredibly, I went on to catch the big girl on my very first night, but I loved the venue so much and there were a good number of fish I wanted to catch even before I started. Coston was a big eye-opener in my angling, as I had previously been so used to catching one, maybe two fish a night from the venues I had targeted in the past. It was like speed fishing for big carp and some nights I would end up catching as many as six, then packing up and moving onto showing fish in the morning. It was hard work, but well worth all the effort.”

Alex Grice: What does the season have in store for yourself?
Dan Stacey: “I have a number of plans up my sleeve. First and foremost, I managed to secure a ticket for Bundy’s Pit last year, so I plan to scope that place out come the spring. I also have a few other ideas, but I can’t really say what they are at this point. The big pit that I fished heavily a few seasons back is also back on my radar, as there is still a good amount of potential with the place; I feel I’ve merely scraped the surface as to what it contains.”

Roids at over 40lbs, taken on the first night from Dan’s new water

Crinkle Tail, one of Dan’s highlights from 2017