Tapping into the mind of James Timberlake

Anything from age, - looks and the lake itself all play a part when it comes to deciding what carp James Timberlake will target next. The 21-year-old all-rounder from Winchester gets more excited and overwhelmed by really old, beautiful looking fish, which is why he tries his best to catch these gnarly-looking carp. “Size is probably the least important factor in picking somewhere to fish,” he tells me. “For me, I like to look down into the net and appreciate that fish for the story it has, not just something that fills it.”

James, at only 21 years of age, you have chosen a very different path to many. With so much information out there, what was it that influenced you to take the route you have done?
“Reading articles when I was younger, and the stories from particular anglers gripped me. They were targeting specific carp for their own reason and that was what interested me. They were also catching some amazing carp and for me, I would rather have 20 blank nights to eventually catch something that meant so much to, as opposed to catching every night and not appreciating the carp that I was catching, if that makes sense?

“Being based in Winchester, there were a few old scaly carp. They weren’t huge, but that didn’t matter to be honest, I just wanted to hold one. I was in between Ringwood and Yateley, which were both - and still are - producing some huge carp.”

Summer ‘16: a great time for sure

Where did you start fishing?
“There was a small lake near home that I fished for around six years, until I was able to drive really. The lake was a fairly small place with a few absolute corkers, which for a young 11-year-old seemed impossible to catch. But as I got older and learnt from my mistakes I suppose, I started catching some of the known fish in the lake and they totally blew me away.

“From there I got my licence and ended up venturing down to Ringwood. I fished on a lake called Summerly, which had quite a few fish, but some real old ones too. I would spend as much time fishing it as I could, often with friends too. I’ve had some great times and fond memories of that lake, catching carp in ridiculously cold weather.

“It was from there that I ventured up to Yateley. At the time the old ones from The Car Park had gone and people had almost forgotten about Yateley. It had loads of carp in most of the lakes, but there were some really special fish in a few of the pits. They weren’t huge, which is why they may have gone unnoticed or talked about, but to me they were epic old creatures.”

A big winter common from Ringwood in 2014

Back to my roots: The Broken Linear from a Winchester club lake

Which one did you start fishing?
“I fished on The Match to start with and occasionally dabbled on The Copse, depending on how busy the lakes were. I only get to fish weekends, arriving fairly late on a Friday night, so having the pick of the swims doesn’t seem to happen often, except the winter, but I’m normally off fishing for other species then. There were only nine of the older ones left in The Match and despite there being a few other fish much bigger, they were the ones I wanted the most.

“With it being so busy and there being so many carp in there, it made it tricky to try and single out those ones for sure. Over time I got to know the areas that certain fish favoured, times of year that they are known to do a capture and any snippets of information that I could glean.

“I remember fishing in a swim called Nige’s, out to a silty area at around 40yds. I had been catching quite a few from the spot and it felt good for another one. I recast the rods early afternoon in preparation for the night ahead, when in the evening it pulled up tight and out the clip.

“Shortly after I had one that I really wanted above all, a fish known as The Stumpy Leather. I think it was around 31lb and that fish just blew me away. It was a classic looking Yateley fish, just like the ones that I read about all those years ago. I was totally hooked on fishing the place and spent the next couple of seasons on there.

“I ended up catching The Big Twin, The Other Leather, The Dungeness Leather, and a 28lb mirror that nobody recognised - and still to this day, as far as I’m aware, it hasn’t been caught. I ended up catching The Copse Lake Scaly last year, which was one of the biggest buzzes I’ve ever had in my angling.

“I kept on going back for it and to eventually catch her was such an amazing feeling. She was the biggest of the older ones and meant so much to me.”

Don’t take things too serious, it’s about having a laugh and enjoying yourself

Where we are today is like an upstep to your time on the other pits, which I imagine involved many blank nights. How do you keep going through the hard times?
“Just thinking about the good times. All those blank nights leading up to a capture make it even more special when it happens. I surround myself with good friends too, who I enjoy spending time with. Each weekend is firstly fishing, but also having a laugh with my mates. Comparing information and theories, being there for each other when one has their moment, it is what makes carp fishing so special.

“When you work really hard for a bite, it definitely means a lot more in my eyes. I can remember everything, where I placed the rod, the weather, bite and the fight too. That moment it goes in the net is such an exhilarating feeling, it’s unlike many other things that is for sure.”

Glugged up hookbaits. The prep work is always done prior to fishing.

On lakes with a low stock of big carp it does attract a lot of experienced anglers, do you feel that you learn a lot from guys like this?
“I definitely learn a lot, that’s for sure. I take in a lot from the people that I fish around and it plays a huge part in my angling. Watching how they approach a lake like this has opened my eyes to a lot of things. They have a lot more experience fishing lakes like this, grinding it out for a result.

“They are all like-minded and are open too, not just making it about themselves, they ask me things too and we talk about all sorts. It is nice to have good people around me, which I fortunately do. My friend Matty is just next level and you cannot fail to learn off guys like that.

“It is good to have people like that around you, especially at Yateley, where people are always very chatty and are happy sit in each other’s swims for hours.”

Yateley’s Big Twin from the autumn of 2015

It isn’t all about carp

There seems to be a certain style of fishing at Yateley, did you adopt to this or stick to what you knew?
“I have definitely had to adapt my approach that’s for sure. Where I used to fish there wasn’t a lot of weed in the lake. At Yateley it is often choked with it, so that offered a new problem for me. The lakes have got various bars, humps and bumps and from fishing The Match, I have learnt to put out the best possible set-up I can think of depending on the situation, instead of the same thing every time.

“Trial and error was key and familiarising myself with certain presentations and scenarios in which they have helped me or let me down has helped. I feel I am happy enough now to fish for very tricky fish, where I may get one bite a year. If I got it though, it would be the best feeling in the world.”

Yateley result

Do you prep anything up for the weekend?
“Prep plays a huge part in my fishing. I like to be totally prepared for when I go and have everything that I need, but not items that I might use on a rare occasion. I don’t like carrying a lot of gear, I like to have my essentials and be able to move easily if needed.

“I normally have my bait ready, not so much rigs, but food and so on all sorted beforehand. In the lead up to the Friday I am always thinking about it. Working outside, I can smell the air and often it just feels carpy. I will feel the breeze on my face and if it’s warm, work out the direction it is and instantly picture where it pushes into at the pond.”

Spawned out but healthy, Scaley

What do you do with your bait and is it key to your fishing?
“Bait has to be one of the most important aspects of carp fishing and using a good bait is so important. Certain times of year I like to glug the bait, especially in the summer months. In the spring I don’t ramp up the bait, I just make them salty. In the winter I would use a lot of liquids and I would come off the Krill and go on to something like the Manilla.

“I will normally fish hard through until December and depending on the weather, I may call it a day. It is often a tough season and the lakes beat you up at the best of times, so I usually take the winter period to spend more time with
my girlfriend and fish for some other species.

“I am lucky with where I live at the moment, as there is plenty of exceptional grayling and roach fishing. It is nice, especially when it those clear, frosty sunny days, watching the float trot downstream and know that once the sun goes down and the temperature plummets, you can pack up and go home.”

What has been your standout capture so far in carp angling?
“It would have to be The Copse Lake Scaly, just because for once everything went to plan. I found the spot in the edge, primed it up and eventually caught her. It was so difficult to pin that one down and to eventually catch it makes me smile now just thinking about it.”

A big spring mirror on a lake that doesn’t produce many, but when it does...

What are the plans for the future?
“I plan to stay on where I am now, which only has around 28 carp. I have caught a few, but am willing to grind it out to try and catch a few more that’s for sure. Not only are these ones old, they are also big too; so the next bite could be the biggest carp I’ve ever caught.

“I think I have done 11 months now for six bites, landing four of them. Each one was a real special one and I would put them as some of the best carp I have ever caught.

“I’ve got my name down on a few other tickets, but I am in no rush, I’m enjoying my fishing and I will continue to do so.”

One rod in the edge fishing for The Copse Lake’s Scaly

Your photography has always been at a high standard, is that something that you have learnt and pay a lot of attention too?
“I love working with my camera. It isn’t a great one, but I feel I can use it to the best of my ability and love taking photos. With this sort of fishing there can be a lot of down time and watching, which helps you see things that many would miss. I like looking back on a nice crisp image. It is important to me to have nice photos. I would like to get more into it, but it is finding the time and money to do it all really.”

Mega early spring torpedo

What is it about carp fishing that you love so much?
“It is being out here, regardless of catching, it is just the nuts. I love being out in the open and enjoying it, spending time with friends and chilling out.”