A RETURN TO MOROCCO
BIN EL-OUIDAN - SAM JEFFERYS AND JAMES WEST
We've been following Sam and James for a long while, both capture their own angling lives and adventures in a lovely off kilter way and we had the pleasure of meeting James on a little local tench lake last year, a million miles from the raw red dirt and vastness of Africa - but he was seemingly just as at home fishing ten yards out amongst the pads for big tench as he is here, knee deep in mud and wrestling big carp. As goes the saying, diversity is the spice of life, and this film and the accompanying shots are certainly both those things - diverse, and spicy...
Whether or not you'll ever venture to Morocco to fish for carp is irrelevant, it is just exciting to soak up some of the atmosphere and scenes, even from a distance. Carp fishing means a hundred different things to a hundred different people, and this film definitely captures one of the more niche slices of the experience - it may well not be for you, but the lads capture the essence of the place and the adventure beautifully.
The set of shots here are accompanying ones from the new Thinking Anglers RAW Vlog they made out there on a recent trip. Well worth a watch and a reminder that there's a lot to be experienced beyond our little green island. Incredible skies, mountains, mist, horrendous mud, massive winds, rain, sun, mint tea, tagine... goats, and loads of lovely carp. What is not to enjoy. Nice one lads!
20 years ago we came across this ridiculous common, sat there in the sun in the local market, that had been caught in a net. Heartbroken, We shot back to the lake to grab the Reubens and returned to weigh it….93lb! Bin El Ouidane still holds the African record of 75lb, a fish that’s not been seen for a few years now
A land of profound historical and cultural importance. A land of great geographical diversity and constant surprises. This was the land that sent me on an epic adventure, that has since shaped the path of my carp angling journey to this day..
The immense topography of old river beds, ridiculous depths up to 150m and huge shallow bays with islands that appear and disappear as water levels fluctuate, along with warm year round crystal clear water and a deep rich red clay bed, that is full of minerals, has allowed these fish to thrive. With snow capped mountains, lush green valleys and remote pinnacles, it offers a real escape from the often pressured, public European waters
'The nights are usually warm, calm and still, with the sound of frogs and crickets, occasionally broken by the call to prayer from the mosques the echo down the lake - I love it.' James
The immense backdrops of deep rich red clay shorelines, encompassed by the atlas mountains and year round blue sky's, as well as the calm, still, starry nights all have magical feel to them
The mirrors are possibly some of the most stunning, beautiful, scale patterned mirrors you'll find worldwide, and are the dream target for anyone heading out there
At the start 25 years ago, I spent a number of nights in the boat, just quietly drifting way out into the dark abyss, letting the slight breeze push the boat wherever, hoping to hear a few fish crash….It was really on these night boat sessions, that I started to piece together areas that held fish...
It’s like no other carp lake in the world, comparable almost to fishing on the moon! The hot Moroccan sun, and Saharan wind, can feel a endurance, it’s a testing place to fish, but theres a unique magic to this lake, with its spectacular backdrop of mountains and rich red clay shores, that I’ve not found on any big water on the continent
'Being able to chase truly wild African carp, on a 15000 acre lake, on a different continent, in a world that is very different from the western world. There literally is nowhere else like it' James
Fire up the kettle for that mint tea and kick back at 6PM tonight.. TA Youtube
www.morocco-carp.com