Take John Bailey, a 10 year old called Michael who’s desperate to catch his first carp, a guest appearance from Alan Blair of Nash Tackle, and a mixture of classic and contemporary methods, and what do you get?
Episode four of Fishing in the Footsteps of Mr. Crabtree sees John & Michael fishing for Carp. John visits his young friend Alan Blair to ruminate on the evolution of carp angling, and whether the Crabtree way has a place in the modern scene.
Michael catches his first carp, and it’s a BIG fish. He goes on to catch his second just minutes later and already he’s broken the PB of many established anglers! In this episode we see John reflecting on Bernard Venables’ teachings about Carp and his guiding barometer is nagging that Michael is missing out on the fundamentals….
Carping has changed so radically in even the last 20 years, let alone the 60-odd since Bernard wrote ‘Mr. Crabtree Goes Fishing’, and the production company knew this was always going to be a tricky balancing act.
Executive Producer (and carper) Lester Holcombe says: “As a Crabtree fan my instincts for this show told me to take it back to basics, to find a way to capture the magic and wonder of fishing the Crabtree way. As a carp angler my instincts said “Let’s catch big fish”. What John, Michael and the team managed to achieve was the best of both, and this episode, possibly more than any other shows that as much as fishing methods have evolved, the same basic skills, knowledge and pure, adrenalin-pumping excitement, apply to anyone who picks up a rod – no matter what that rod looks like!”
WATCH EPISODE FOUR – CARP – THIS SUNDAY AT 8pm ON QUEST.
