The Life Path of Nigel Sharp

“I’m not one for living a life full of regrets,” states Nigel Sharp – a man who’s now been a profession angler for over ten years and who for the first time is going to answer some quite personal and in-depth questions. Nige continues: “However, if I had to name one, it would have to be not spending anywhere near enough time with my Mum in her later years. The reason for this is, in hindsight, I was a bit of a worry to her as all I ever wanted to do was go fishing and didn’t care too much for anything else in life. Luckily though, no matter what I did, good ol’ Mum never gave up on me.

“Another regret I suppose is not getting into the writing and sponsorship game a bit earlier in life. In some ways I would have probably managed to catch more of the older, history fish that inspired me but in other ways, by working to save up to take time off to fish also helped me build up a better portfolio before I jumped in at the deep end of being a profiled angler. So really, maybe that’s not a regret.”

What about target fish, Nigel? Are there any you wish you’d either angled for or spent more time trying to catch it before they died?
“There are two main ones, one of which I did fish for and that was The Black Mirror. That campaign was bad timing on my part as my head was full of writing my book rather than being fully focused on the water. I did realise this and backed off after Jim Shelley caught the fish that year and started putting pen to paper. My plan was to go back once my book went to print but sadly the very weekend it did, things went horribly wrong at The Mere and most of the stock, including the mighty Black Mirror died.

"The other fish I’d have liked to angle for was Mary but after Terry’s record breaking capture the lake was mobbed by the who’s who in carp fishing and for the only time in my now 32-year career I felt out of my depth and unable to compete with the stamp of angler ‘record hunting’ at the time.”

Do you have a list of target fish and if so, is that list getting smaller all the time?
“I do have what I’d call a short list of target fish. In some ways I’m probably a bit too fussy about what carp I’ll fish for but in doing this I’m proud of my photo album and I’d like to keep it that way rather than just trying to rack up a CV of weights. I also don’t plan too far ahead for the same reason as what happened over at The Mere. Things change and fish die, that’s unfortunately life.”

With complexes like Frimley and Yateley on my doorstep, I’ve never had to travel

I do wish I’d fished for Mary after Tel caught her

What’s most important to you then: the looks, the heritage or the weight?
“It would be in the same order as your question: looks and heritage. As for the weight of a fish, that’s immaterial, as at the end of the day it’s still the same fish and I’ve caught plenty of fish at summer weights rather than over the ‘magical marks’.”

The likes of Jim Shelley, Terry Hearn, Darrell Peck and co. travel all over the country, why don’t you?
“I get asked this question a lot and basically it’s because I don’t have to. Where I live in the Blackwater Valley I’m pretty much within a hot bed of lakes and big carp. If I were to have a piece of string 20 miles long and put a pin in one end and drew a circle you’d see why the likes you’ve just named drive the country and end up in my area. I’m just lucky to live in this part of the country.”

From a personal point of view, what would you say has been your golden era – a time when you literally couldn’t put a foot wrong?
“There have been three. The first was my time at the Yateley complex; that only lasted three-and-a-half-years but I caught all the big ‘uns from all of the lakes in that time. Another time was from when I caught the Burghfield Common up until my capture of The Road Lake’s Big Dink. And last but not least the last 18 months.”

What would you say was the secret to that success?
“Timing, determination and keeping the momentum going. It’s as simple as that.”

Moving on to 2014, what are your thoughts on the current big carp scene and how has it changed since you came into it all those years ago?
“It’s far more aggressive but that’s because there’s more anglers about that are climbing over each other to get at the same fish to try and make a name for themselves. Social media certainly isn’t helping the whole scene because a lot of people are just after having their ego stroked rather than having any passion for the fish/sport or respect for other anglers around them. Social media has also taken a lot of the adventure out of finding a fish’s whereabouts so part of the mystery has gone but that’s just my view.”

The Mere: things didn’t plan out as I’d hoped

That leads nicely on to my next question: you’re one of only a handful of anglers who haven’t got caught up in social media – why is that and do you see social media as a good or bad thing for carp fishing?
“My views on the latter part of this question are already listed above but on the plus side, social media is an incredible marketing tool and in a day and age of smartphones and tablets, if you run a business you can’t poo, poo it. Although self-employed as an angler, writer and consultant, I personally don’t run what I’d call a business as I’ve nothing to sell, so in my mind it’s best to just let my sponsors use my captures/images for marketing purposes. This is why I don’t feel the need to tell everyone my day-to-day business. In fact, I’d rather not let everyone know that I’m out fishing and that my house and garage will be unattended. Some people will know exactly what I mean by this as they, like me, have been robbed. I’d also have a bet some of these people have posted something like, “Hi all, I’m off on holiday” or “I’m going fishing for the weekend” only to find their house or garage burgled when they get home.

“I’ve also seen lakes all of a sudden get very busy when a prolific Facebooker has caught a fish. This to me is strange, as I like a bit of P&Q when I’m fishing and the last thing I’d want to do is busy a quiet lake up. So many people just don’t realise what they are doing when they post up a picture and fall victim to their own successes. Lastly, another reason I don’t do it is I’d rather watch the water than spend my life looking at my phone.”

A full time angler – a guy who gets paid to go fishing – it’s a position a large percentage of our readership would love to be in but what’s life really like being a full-time angler? What are the plus points and what are the negatives?
“’Full time angler’ is just a phrase that the bitter boys use to knock us. The way I look at it is, yes, I could live on the lake full time but I don’t; I just use my time wisely and fish as and when I feel is my best chance or as the rules dictate, so that’s one of the plus sides of making the sacrifices that I have. Another plus for me is doing a job I love, so in doing that it doesn’t in anyway feel like work, even if I am writing or standing at a show all weekend. One of the down sides is other anglers trying to out-fish you so they can give it the big ‘un to their group of mates.

“Another one is, if like me your paid to fish, you can’t cower from the elements at home and wait until you hear they are coming out. I have to get out there and do it, or as my mate Johnny Mac would say, “Doin’ it”. In some ways the last two are minimal but the main problem is, if you are a known angler on a lake with a lot of time you’ll get stick about it from the ‘Yeah but he only catches because…’ crew but they’ll still come and drink your tea because they want to know want you know, if you know what I mean!”

I’ve recently moved to Wychwood and I’m pleased to say we’ve got some awesome things lined-up

In all your years of angling, has your enthusiasm ever dropped and if so, what was it that kick-started your love affair with carp fishing?
“I’ve always loved my fishing and the only time my enthusiasm might have dropped was after passing my driving test and discovering the rave scene in the late 80’s and early 90’s. That said, I still went fishing but it wasn’t the be all and end all of a young man’s life.”

You’ve recently joined Wychwood and Sticky Baits, so a: what was the reason for moving from your previous consultancy deals and b: what would you say to those who knock anglers for switching companies?
“With my three-year Nash contract coming up for renewal I decided after some negotiation that it was time for me to move on and split my sponsorships between several companies rather than have all eggs in one basket. By no means was this a bridge-burning split as I still get on with both Kevin Nash and Alan Blair. For me this is the best way as I’m 46 in two weeks time and during my life span I’ve spent 16 years under a Nash banner so that’s nearly a third of my life and half of my carping career. Life’s too short to go around making enemies and in a sport like fishing where paths are constantly crossed why make things difficult? Basically it wasn’t an easy decision to make but sometimes we have to take risks.

“As for the knockers, if any of them can tell me that they’ve worked in the same job since they’ve left school, kept the same girlfriend and that their favorite footballer, F1 driver or any other sports personality hasn’t changed team or sponsor, then they can have a dig. Things change and all good things come to an end. Maybe the grass is greener on the other side but it’s my life and my mistake if it all goes wrong. Watch this space, knockers, because you might like and start using some of what I’m helping to develop.”

Likewise, I’m also now part of the Sticky Baits team and there’s some epic new bits and pieces coming

Have any venues really beaten you up and which ones do you personally find hard to ‘crack’ – i.e. small pressured ones or large inland seas?
“I’ve never really thought that anywhere has beaten me up and I like both big and small waters for very different reasons. If I had to name one water that I’d say I haven’t really jelled with yet, it would be RDAA Pingewood. I wouldn’t say it had beaten me because I’ve caught a fair few of the lake’s residents, I’d just say that I didn’t start fishing it at the right time and never felt at one with the place. Since pulling away from the lake, these last 18 months I’ve had some great success so when I do return I’ll be fishing it with a lot of confidence in my own angling which is something I hadn’t done in the past. I’m a firm believer in confidence playing a massive part in my fishing and I’m not doubting anything at the moment.”

If pushed though, which lake would you say has been the hardest one to crack?
“The first one that springs to mind was the Yateley Pads Lake because the original low stock of just four fish just didn’t give away the signs so it was hard to work them out. I found I had to use other methods to outwit them. Other than that I found Pinge fairly hard due to the reason that everyone fishes the same and if anything new is discovered it doesn’t take long before everyone is on the said going method.”

In total, I’ve spent almost a third of my angling career with Nash

Does the lake and atmosphere concern you or are you just focused on your target?
“I prefer to focus on the job in hand and the atmosphere comes with the build up to a capture. It’s a hard thing to explain but it’s almost like an electrical buzz when I’m in the groove and everything around me becomes part of just being there and doing it. As far as being concerned about other atmosphere, I’d rather some things were left outside the gate and try my hardest not to get involved.”

There are more and more ‘instant big fish venues’ popping up – Pavyotts Mill and Elphicks for example – do you see them as a good or bad thing? It’s often said that ‘big carp should be available to all’ – what’s your take on that?
“The way I look at it, is every angler wants, at some point, to catch a large fish no matter what the species. Some of these venues offer that to all and in doing so some people live out their dream and get that picture to put on their mantle piece to show to their friends and family so they’re not a bad thing. The plus side of these venues are that they keep a lot of anglers away from the waters I like to fish, so good on them. I know what I want to fish for so each to their own, eh!”

Do you feel there are still challenges for you as an angler?
“Being a good angler is being able to adapt so yes, there’s always time for a change.”

What about unknown whackers: do they exist and if you believe so, will you ever go out after them?
“I wouldn’t say there’s so much the unknown, as a lot of fish are known or watched as they grow these days. What is unknown is how big they’ll get in the UK and how long it’ll be before our current record will be broken by an up and coming fish. I’m beginning to think it’s not going to be long…”

Finally, Nige, before we sign off for this month, what have you got planned for the future?
“To carry on doing what I enjoy, tidy up a few loose ends and enjoy the thrill of the chase.”

Nige reveals his top five angling books

1 Carp Fever by Kevin Maddocks, because it was an early in-depth book which was just what I needed during my early days as a carp cadet.

2 Carp Strikes Back by Rod Hutchison, again a book out in my early days which was inspirational, amusing and educational.

3 In Pursuit of the Largest by Terry Hearn because I’m a good friend of Terry’s and it starts pretty much at the same time as our friendship.

4 Still Searching by Terry Hearn. It’s nice to read about the stories I’ve heard sometimes first hand and even taken some of the pictures.

5 A Flick of a Tale by Dave Lane just because I like Dave’s story telling skills and I was interested in fishing The Mere at the time of its release.