WORDS — carp

Sam's enthusiasm, passion and drive for carp fishing is infectious and impossible not to buzz off. Anyone making the arduous drive down the M6 week after week to fish the likes of Burghfield is also some kind of hero in our book.. Not only is he a successful big fish angler, he's also a music tech and sound engineer and holds down a serious job amidst the chaos of the big carp life. You know the drill, kettle on, sit back, and enjoy. Here's some northern soul... 

German based artist and photographer Marcel Panne talks about his love of free-diving and photographing carp and other species in the magical and mysterious underwater worlds of the lakes surroundings hometown of Cologne. Take a deep breath and enjoy.. 'it’s very difficult to describe it, most fish have no real personal traits, but the carp has definitely got it, some times more, sometimes less and sometimes I’m overwhelmed by it, it’s like meeting an old soul...'

Whilst turning forty did strike some fear into our ed, he did manage to use that as an excuse for a big drive south to celebrate it with the rods out and Sarah for company, under some big starry Alps and River Lot skies...

Big drives to distant reservoirs, nights spent afloat listening for shows, and even diving to find the best spots… Here we dig a little deeper into what makes Phil tick, and how he goes about targeting carp from such vast, and demanding waters