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Introduction to The Burping Angler.

 Hi people, my name is Anthony Bahnik aka The Burping Angler. I’m 27 and have lived around Solihull all my life. I was introduced to fishing 1994/95 by Nigel my mate Bren’s dad. He was like a dad to me and took me everywhere with Bren. I owe him a lot! We went to Ireland 7 times over the next 7 years fishing the Erne system and the River Barrow. We joined a club. He took us fishing every weekend and all holiday times to all the main stretches of the Rivers Avon, Severn, Teme, Trent and Arrow. We fished loads of commercial Carp venues on Pole and Waggler.   Nige is an amazing river angler and Bren’s at home now killing the River Arrow that lies on his doorstep. Fair play! 

1997 We were killing all the match waters and having some really nice days on the rivers with some really respectable Barbell and Chub. The bigger Carp were starting to call me by now. This is when I met Ian. A proper nutter. A wicked person really. A good mate. He introduced me to Packington fisheries. He’d been doing well on the Guerys Lake but it was the 20s in anniversaries I wanted. To cut a long story short we didn’t stay on Annis to long. We caught whiff of a lake called Molandsmere. A 16 archer gravel pit with up to 4 30s to 38 and loads of 20s. We joined here late in the year but I did manage a Pb of 17lb off the top.

                                                                                               (My first double figure                                                                                                         Carp)

1998. The best year of my life. I left school in summer, dossing about. Spent most of the spring and summer until about September fishing on Molands. We became part of the infamous Molands syndicate. I really was doing some fishing. We were fishing around 5 nights a week all that season. Ian’s little scams kept us sweet for everything. I could go on forever about this amazing lake, people and fish but I’ll save it for sometime later. I ended that year with 10 20lbers my first and biggest from the lake. Breaker 24.13. I had a couple of 20s of the surface and a 24lb linear. 

                                                (A couple of molands 20lbers)

1999. Tragic news! Molands has been lost. They turned it into a 3 or 4 lake match complex that year. I could have cried. I probably did. They put some of the fish in a lake called Group pool. We joined it, but they didn’t do too well in there and most of them died. I started course fishing again. It really killed me loosing that lake.

                                                                              (One of the Group Pool Commons)

2000. Met Becky who is now my fiancée. Didn’t do much fishing this year. Ireland as usual.

2001/03. Did only course fishing. Did a fair bit of Barbel fishing with Bren. Had a 9lb 8 from the Avon and a 6lb Tench from River Arrow. Ireland as usual.

                   (6lb Tench from the River Arrow)                     (9lb Barbus-Barbus)

2004. Started fishing with Steve. Who is still fishing with me most weeks now. He was a match angler. Taught by his dad. He hadn’t done much for a few years but was intrigued into the Carp fishing. I took him under my wing and taught him the basics. More an excuse to find a fishing buddy, and fire myself up into getting back into it. We Fished linear fisheries in Oxford and all the local “easy” waters like Blyth, Lavender, Annis etc…  We struggled at Oxford, and the easy waters became too easy again. We needed a syndicate.

                                                                                     (One on a sesh with steve)

2005. February I had my first 30. It was 31lb 14oz from Orchid lakes. It’s called Daisy. One of the Orchid originals. We returned few weeks later and I had 5, including a 25 Mirror Carp and a 22 Leather. I got great news that me and ste had been accepted for the newest Packington Carp syndicate. Broadwater.  Finally a chance to catch some of those old Molands Carp I’d fished for 7 years ago albeit from a different lake. Also a great chance for ste to really find his style of Carping. This is the lake I met Lee. A great character and a wicked angler. Most of the lads were the best I’ve met yet. A lake full of characters. What more could you want?  By winter I’d had a Pb 30lb 10oz Common Carp off the surface, about 10 of the lakes 20lbers including some recaptures from 1998 that was special. Ste managed to get his first 20, which was one I had back in the summer of 98.

        (Ronnie Biggs caught 1st in 1998 from Molands, and again in 2005 from Broadwater)

2006. We ripped Broadwater apart. Had a new Pb of 35lb 6oz The Oxford fish and a Common Carp Pb of 33lb 8oz. The Minter.  This was by March! Went on to catch another 2 30s off the surface in June and around 55 fish for the season. A lot of the 20s were re-captures but I had pretty much had every Carp in the lake at least once. I had some mad parties and some real laughs with the lads from Packington.  It was sad not to re-join.                                                                  (Warty linear, typical Broadwater stunner)

2007. A Mad year!!!! Moved back home with my Mum. Becky off to Uni. Left my job at Land Rover. Fished March until end of June solid on Hams Hall. A Famous little place around us that only held a handful of originals. These included a 40lb Common Carp and some real shy characters that naused the heads off some very respectable anglers over the past 20 years. Long story short. Had 10 originals but missed out on the big un. Unfortunately it died in the tragic fish kills of 07. Fortunately I had the chance to see it up close and personal feeding alongside my rig in gin clear margins on a few different occasions. We needed a new lake!!!!! 

Got onto the Wellingborough syndicate in Northants in August. Fished Heron Lake. Nice place, quiet syndicate. We did well. I had 9 to 33lb 4oz. An amazing linear. Steve did brilliant! I think he had 6 30s in the short 3 months we did on there. We Got a Mill winter ticket in November and moved over as soon as it started. The Mill is the venues flagship water and boasts up to 6 40s at the right time of year.

(Above: An elusive Hams original)

(Left: Steve with a 30lb Heron common)

2008. Well….. How do I begin? 10 years since my first year proper Carping. It’s August now and I’ve been fishing the Mill hard. I’ve had 24 Carp out there so far this season, including some catches of a lifetime.  36lb Mirror Carp, part of a 5 fish catch. 31 & 35lb Commons Brace, off the surface. 38 Common Carp & 32lb Mirror Brace, Zigs. Most recently a near 34lb stunning Mirror Carp off the surface.

It’s turned into a year to remember and it’s only half gone. God knows what will happen during the autumn feed up…………………………………………………. Watch out the big 48lb Ski Pit Common Carp……….Safe and peace!

                                              (A Nene Valley 35lb+ Common)

Anthony Bahnik aka The Burping Angler