The Progression

Not phased by targets or goals, James Barrett is one of a younger generation of carp anglers who has already racked up a number of impressive captures. His focus lies within unlocking the venues he targets, catching and moving on to new challenges! Baz clearly loves his fishing; his drive and passion have taken him far from his Norfolk hometown, but the heart of his desire comes from the progression, excitement and learning factor when embarking on new venues for the first time.

Alex Grice: When did the carp fishing buzz start for yourself?
James Barrett: “Unlike most people who are introduced to angling at an early age through their granddad or dad, I was actually taken for the first time when I was about 14 by some school friends at the time. Their whole family fished and they asked me along one day. I wasn’t really sure if it was going to be for me, as I was mad keen on football at the time. I probably had a pre-conception on what fishing was at the time, but after spending the day float fishing with them, I was well and truly hooked. That day I actually caught a 6lb common and at the time, I had never seen anything quite so big!”

Alex Grice: Was Norfolk home to your fishing over the following years?
James Barrett: “Yeah, I spent a few years fishing a place called Taswood, a beautiful mature, intimate venue with your typical pads and Norfolk reedbeds. It was a great place to be and grow up, while learning about what fishing had to offer. Most of my early carp fishing was based around a visual approach, finding the carp and free-lining a single Mixer to them. I learnt so much from doing that and it really did add to the excitement.”

Alex Grice: Did you just naturally progress into the big carp side of fishing you love today?
James Barrett: “I guess so, when you are young and everything is new, the fishing world just seems huge. After chatting to the bailiffs at the lake and reading the odd mag, I got the urge to move further afield and try new styles of carp angling I suppose. I moved on to Waveney Valley and dabbled on a few of the lakes there while I learnt key fundamentals about rigs, bait etc.”

Alex Grice: So what brings you down to this part of the Colne Valley?
James Barrett: “It dates back to when I was at university in Leicester. After finishing uni, my girlfriend and I decided to travel out to New Zealand. Upon returning, we decided to move down to Bristol and we have been there ever since. In all honesty, there isn’t a great deal of fishing around the Bristol area which is one of the main reasons I have more recently travelled and fished around the Colne Valley area.”

Alex Grice: Have you always been one to travel for your angling?
James Barrett: “Always, but I guess when you want to progress and search out new adventures, it is a necessity to travel. I have a lot of friends who live close to the lakes we are at today, but they just happen to be over 100 miles for myself; but that just adds to it in my opinion. The hardship of travelling and putting in the extra effort makes it all the more rewarding.”

Alex Grice: Going back a few years, you were fishing the Carthagena syndicate, how did that come about?
James Barrett: “Previously, I had fished a few club lakes around Norfolk up until I started at uni. I took a break while I was at uni with the workload and nowhere to store any of my gear. After returning from NZ, the opportunity came up to fish at Carthagena with my good friend Harry. The venue itself is a beautiful place, very tricky and crammed full of naturals and weed. I did a lot of nights there and ended up catching just the one that season, which in all honesty, I was happy with having returned to carp fishing with a break from it.”

Alex Grice: Did you learn a lot during your time on the venue?
James Barrett: “Yes. It was the first proper venue I had fished that contained a large abundance of weed and naturals, a real eye-opener and a challenge to face what you were up against in the lake. The biggest thing for me was witnessing the dedication and commitment from the guys who were doing well; the way in which they were priming spots and spending time at the lake without fishing. It certainly motivated me having watching them succeed and helped build a better plan for my angling: pre-baiting spots and looking to create areas instead of just fishing off-the-cuff so to speak.”

Alex Grice: Being gin clear, how did this differ to waters you had previously targeted?
James Barrett: “The biggest learning curve for me was actually being able to watch fish, and from using the advantage of trees, I was able to notice behavioural patterns emerging and spots areas that would be effective to target, such as holes in the weed and the bars that were present.”

First visit to a days only estate lake in my home county. June 16th, 2015, The Big Common at 41lb+

The grappling lead helps to reveal exactly what the spot is like

Alex Grice: In amongst this, you fished a lovely Norfolk estate lake, what was the real draw to that?
James Barrett: “Yes, Harry and myself had been planning on fishing there for a number of years and we had heard rumours that there were two big fish in there: a 40lb common and a 40lb mirror. The lake had a typical close season and one year we decided to give it a go. We got down there on the 16th, so early in fact that a ranger kicked us off before we had even started. We went back to the car park and sat around until the early hours before we could head round and grab a swim. The stock is fairly minimal, but with a good head of bream present. After getting a few rods sorted and fishing to the far bank, we spread a good amount of bait around the area. Pretty soon after, Harry has caught one, a lovely 30lb common, so we were both pretty amazed having not really been expecting a great deal. After a short doze, I woke to my bobbin signalling what looked like a bream bite, I struck into it and was met with a solid resistance. After a short battle, I was steering what turned out to be the big common towards the waiting net. At over 41lbs, I couldn’t quite believe what had happened!”

Alex Grice: With it being days only, how did you adapt your approach?
James Barrett: “We tried to gain as much information as possible beforehand. With being days only, we had to make the most of the time we had, and that meant getting down there before anyone else and fishing right through until closing. Those first few days we fished it were hard work and we both must have slept very few hours between fishing. Our baiting approach was tailored to getting the fish moving around and picking up baits, spreading the boilies over a wide area to provoke that type of response.”

Alex Grice: What did you learn from doing the days, it can be hard work, but I guess the rewards were there?
James Barrett: “The rewards are most certainly there. I would honestly say that getting up to the lake that little bit earlier can often be the difference between catching and not; that first period of low-light is one of the best times to be out.”

Alex Grice: Do you generally tend to research about a water before setting foot on it?
James Barrett: “Gaining as much information as you can only ever be a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, picking and choosing what info you use to influence your own approach is important, as there is no doubt some info can be misleading at times. Certainly knowledge that has been passed down regarding areas that certain fish come from is no doubt useful info, and then you can choose to apply this as and when you feel right. I have also been a little dubious about spots and with what one angler can tell you about a spot, doesn’t always make it great knowledge to apply. I have always been an advocate of finding the best spot I can through my own leading work, using the grappling lead to aid my decision.”

Alex Grice: K1 was on the list next, did you intend to fish there next or was it a spur of the moment opportunity?
James Barrett: “I guess that stems back a few years. I had heard about the waters when they were run by CEMEX and having read Laney’s old books, it was always a group of waters that I wanted to fish. I had been hearing about Kingsmead through the mags and media, but at the time, the waiting list was closed and I just couldn’t get my name down. It was only when they sold up that it became accessible again, with RK taking over the membership. I had joined a water in Norfolk for that winter and I was travelling 4.5hrs back up there from Bristol throughout the cold months to do sessions. Shortly after Christmas, the opportunity arose to fish on the Gold Ticket and after waiting a few months, it finally started around mid-April. Initially joining for K1, the first session was actually on The Church, as it didn’t look good for a bite over there.”

Alex Grice: What was the ‘goal’ for your time ahead on K1?
James Barrett: “As with all waters, the goal eventually is to get through to the better fish, but to start off with, all that was on my mind was getting a bite, which did actually happened very quickly. I had done three nights on The Church and with nothing to go on, I decided to head back over to K1 for a look. I saw one show and within 10 minutes of putting a bait on it, that rod was away. Unfortunately it fell off, but it gave me the confidence to know they were catchable.

“That following night I had a 32lber and things just went from there. At the time I was working the weekends, but was able to fish a Monday and Tuesday night, which gave me scope of many of the pegs on the lake. One morning in particular was pretty hectic; I was fishing into one of the bays opposite my friend Sam. I had an early wake up call from a fish and after quickly getting that rod back to the area, it was away again. Some mornings over there could be pretty hectic at times, but the fishing was great and very enjoyable.”

Live System crumb mixed with Odyssey XXX forms my cold water approach

Alex Grice: How did you approach the new venue?
James Barrett: “With the fish generally tending to be part of big shoals, my approach mainly revolved around heavy baiting. If you were in areas where the fish wanted to be in and stay there, such as swims that had large weedbeds in front, then you knew they would be up for a heavy feed. I would put out a bucket of bait if I knew the odds were on for a few fish and generally, they would get on to it pretty quick.

“One session later in the year was particularly rewarding, from a swim that received a good amount of pressure throughout the year. Most anglers fish long to an area where a lot of fish get caught from, but after seeing one show in the morning, I decided to bring one shorter to the area where it has surfaced. After casting out, it became apparent how clean it was there so I applied a good amount of bait. The following morning I ended up catching a fish around 32lbs and my first 40 - all off the back of that single sighting. Those keys bits of info are often what are more valuable than knowing the regular haunts that see bait week after week and it certainly paid dividends that time.”

Alex Grice: Nowadays K1 is very busy, did that have a big effect when you fished it and how did you get around this?
James Barrett: “It didn’t have a big effect on my angling, as I mainly fished during the week when I had my old job. In fact, it would sometimes work against me when there were fewer anglers at the lake, as it certainly seemed to fish well when the angling pressure pushed them around. A lot of the known spots received a lot of pressure week in and week out, but some of my better results came off the back of finding new spots away from these but in the same peg.

“Like with all circuit waters, you do have to keep on the ball and stay on your toes, as hesitating to move onto showing fish will only open up the gap for another angler to capitalise on. I had a tactic that worked well for me from the off on there and because of that, I stuck with it. I had confidence in what I was doing, so ensuring I was doing it in the right places was the only piece of the challenge that I had to execute well. I think those type of waters become difficult when the tactics aren’t working, you lose your head slightly and then it just seems a struggle to get back into any sort of consistency.”

Alex Grice: You work full-time, so how does your typical week-to-week sessions pan out?
James Barrett: “That’s right, I certainly don’t have the luxury of fishing in the week that I once had; I now only have the weekends to play with unless I take annual leave, especially in the spring, where I fished most weekends and took leave to add onto that. In a way, it hasn’t differed much from when I fished the Mondays and Tuesdays, as I still wasn’t overly flexible then to as and when I could go, which can at times be frustrating with changing weather conditions and moon phases.”

Alex Grice: Do you feel this has an effect on the way you fish?
James Barrett: “Not at all; you still have to make the most of what you have when you are out. Even if I don’t manage to get into a fancied peg and have to slot in somewhere, I still put maximum effort into what I have in front, and picking up pieces of info by learning different areas of the lake can provide key clues that can help out further down the line.”

Alex Grice: Do you value the social side of what the venues have to offer?
James Barrett: “For definite! With spending so many nights out on the bank, it is nice to have those mates you can spend the long hours with. There does have to be a balance between that and the drive behind your personal angling and I think if you can strike that balance well, you will enjoy it all the more! I do try and plan a few trips throughout the year with friends to break up my week-to-week angling over here. A change of scenery and catching up with a few good friends can sort get the fire burning and motivation up again for a return to the campaign water.”

Socials have always been a big part of my angling

Alex Grice: How would you describe your style of angling, has this evolved over time?
James Barrett: “I generally try to find out what is working and what it is the fish actually are turned onto at that present time, this can often mean chopping and changing between tactics to find the most productive. I do like fishing over bait and I will, whatever the venue, try my utmost to get on the fish. Having attraction around the hookbait is certainly something I am confident doing at all times of year, as opposed to just fishing singles. I guess you have to adapt and learn as you go on and that is the mentality I have always adopted when fishing these types of water. I spent the spring chasing them around which unfortunately didn’t lead to any success, but I tried it and learnt from it.”

Alex Grice: Does spot type/choice come into this?
James Barrett: “I would prefer to fish over a clean lakebed, but there is no doubting that in the spring, a bit of early weed growth, eel grass or the like can be a huge draw to the fish, so then I am happy to fish among this. I use the grappling lead to search out these types of areas and if they seem presentable, then I will no hesitate to fish among them. Finding those natural larders can be a real game-changer, especially on pressured venues.

“I also pay close attention to hitting the clip and ensuring that my hooklength is kicked out dead straight before entering the water; those small percentages in my eyes add up to ensuring you are fishing as effectively as possible. My time is always valuable and I need to ensure everything is right.”

Alex Grice: Are you particular about the type of fish you target?
James Barrett: “I wouldn’t class myself as a ‘target angler’ as in the sense of; I really want to catch that one fish and that is all I am there for. I go fishing to catch fish, wherever I choose, my main aim is to get bites and hope that a better one comes along. On most waters, you cannot physically pick out the one(s) you want unless you are stalking them, so I generally just try to get bites and build a swim from there. My worst fear is catching a fish and not being happy it isn’t another; I think then I would be fishing for the sake of it. I’d much rather fish for the better looking fish, even if they are smaller, they are the ones that have something special about them.”

Alex Grice: Most recently, you have been targeting Horton, how does this venue differ to the previously fished K1?
James Barrett: “The Horton fish are no doubt trickier to catch than those in K1, they certainly show and at times they can be very temperamental. The lake itself is much deeper, which will mean that the fish have a great deal more depth to roam around in without the need or urge to drop down onto bait. The lake is smaller, but that could also be a reason why they are just that little cagier at times; it’s a difficult one to pinpoint to be honest.”

Alex Grice: You didn’t have the easiest start over here, why do you think that was?
James Barrett: “I started by chopping and changing too much initially, not really giving the tactics I have confidence in much of a chance. I have always had great results on fishing Hinge Rigs, a rig that has always been a strong hold for me; they are great at converting bites, provide solid hook holds and allow me to effectively present well-balanced baits over a variety of lakebeds. But for some reason, I just played around too much with Chods and bottom baits, and in a way I started to lose my head a bit. If you’re sat behind rods, contemplating whether you are doing the right thing or not, it can begin to play with your head. Confidence is such a big thing in angling and ensuring you are fully confident is so important in a busy, modern-day scene. I didn’t get off to the best start by losing the first fish I had hooked after 12 nights, but this all came good shortly after landing my first, a cracking fully scaled one. Only then did things start to fall into place a little better.”

A single steeped black tiger in the edge produced my first Yateley carp on a Pads Lake social

Beautiful mornings over flight path central

Alex Grice: Have you looked to change the way you go about fishing this venue now?
James Barrett: “In here it has become apparent that they simply love yellow hookbaits, all of my bites have either come to yellow Northerns or baits tipped with a piece of yellow. Many waters will often change from year-to-year and your hookbait plays such an important role at converting bites, so finding the colours or types of hookbait that are most effective is very important. Over on Kingsmead, those bright baits seem to die off pretty soon after they had spawned, so I made a switch to big 18mm XXX corkballs and they soon began to get the bites going again while others were not catching on the small bright baits. No doubt, these very pressured carp are radically changing behaviour and being on the ball to capitalise on this will pay off.”

Alex Grice: What key factors do you feel like you need to succeed in a modern carp fishing environment?
James Barrett: “Determination to make the effort to get up to the lake as much as you can, because those hours on the bank, watching and searching, all add great value to your approach. You have to be adaptable, because if you do have limited time, you need to be fishing effectively and apply previous knowledge from waters to achieve this. Confidence is the biggest factor, but ensuring that when you aren’t catching, maintaining a positive outlook will help to motivate you for future sessions.”

Alex Grice: Does bait play a big part in your approach?
James Barrett: “Unlike most anglers, I have always been an advocate of using a mixture of boilies; I just think different textures, sizes, colours and types of bait gets the fish feeding harder. So when using boilies, I mix two and chop them/crumb them up. Different fish have individual preferences, and that is why I mix the Live System with the XXX; a sweet and savoury combo, which adds an awesome visual signal in the water column.”

Alex Grice: What does the rest of 2018 have in store for you?
James Barrett: “My ticket on here finishes in March, and as much as I would love to renew, I have some big expenses with getting married this year. I have the next chapter of my angling starting in April, with my ticket for Stoneacres, which I am pretty excited about. Lets see what the year brings…”

Trusty Northern Specials bought the bites later in the year