KWO Whatsapp – Tony Davies-Patrick
Globetrotter swimming with huge mirror carp underwater.
Where were you born and when did you first start carp fishing?
I am English and a British citizen, but was born on an island in Hong Kong… so travelling was embedded in my blood from birth. I first began fishing seriously for carp in 1965. It was the capture of a 11kg mirror carp way back in 1970 that first lit the fire of true carp fishing passion within my soul… and that fever still exists in my blood today. I hope that I am never cured!
We saw this picture on your Facebook page (click here). Is it true that you are a bailiff now at High Mill Lake in France?
Yes, I will work as bailiff and guide for all carp anglers fishing at High Mill from March 2014.
Can you tell us something about the job, the lake and the stock?
High Mill Lake (Etang de Brigueuil) is a lake of 25 acres (5 Hectare) situated near the village of Brigueuil, in the Charente region of north western France, only 38km from Limoges. It is a very beautiful lake and was first built by damming two streams during the 1750’s, so it has an incredible history going back hundreds of years! There is a good stock of carp, including more than thirty weighing over 40lb and five carp over 50lb. There is a good mixture of mirror and common carp, including some spectacular commons, stunning heavily-scaled mirrors, leathers and linear mirrors.
Tony with a beautiful 42lb mirror carp caught in January 2014 from High Mill.
The two natural feeder streams provide a high volume of oxygen all year round, making this a top venue in summer and winter. The lake is surrounded by forest and beautiful nature, and is far from major towns and cities, so a very quiet and peaceful place to fish. Large lily beds grow in the lake during summer and adds to the beauty and natural biosphere of this very special water.
You have fished in a lot of different countries. What was your most memorable journey?
I have extensively explored the world and fished for carp in 65 different countries. I have had so many incredible journeys that it would be very hard to single out just one because they are all so different. My fishing expeditions through countries such as Russia/Ukraine, Thailand, India, Africa, New Zealand were amazing. I do not just go to countries and tour the cities but explore the complete wilderness areas of each country. I have explored thousands of river systems across this planet such as the Colorado River, Hudson River, Columbia River, St Lawrence River, Ottawa River in USA & Canada, Murray & Darling Rivers in Australia, are just the tip of a huge list.
Globetrotter overlooking a spectacular lake in the valley of the Three Rondavals in Africa.
I do not just fish one place of each river but have travelled down the complete lengths of most of the world’s major rivers from snowline to sea. One of the most memorable journeys in search of wild carp was when I travelled through USA from the snow-capped peaks of the source of the mighty Colorado River and down through the Grand Canyon and onwards to the sea. There was also another amazing journey through Australia from the Snowy Mountains region at the source of the Murray River, and then to travel for three months along the whole length of the river until it reached the sea. Searching for big carp during the complete journey of course! 🙂
Can you point out the most beautiful spot you’ve ever fished?
Another extremely difficult question to answer, because I’ve fished at many thousands of beautiful spots. Worldwide, it would probably be the Grand Canyon and Topock Gorge regions of the Colorado River and huge lakes of Arkansas in USA, The Great lakes of Canada and some of the large wild and virtually untapped lakes of Africa. In Europe, some of my favourite regions are the northern glacial lakes and mighty Po River in Italy, and the Guadiana River system in Spain. All have pressed a button deep inside my heart and made me glad to be alive.
The Deep South. Alligator territory. Globetrotter in action fighting a big fish at a wonderful location on a wild river.
You have travelled the world. Have you ever had a close encounter with death or heavy danger (wild animals or criminals)?
I have had several encounters with wild animals; such as when a huge crocodile came swimming right up beside me while I was chest deep in water battling with a 45lb carp in the lilies of a large lake in Africa. Or when I fell off a high mountain in Canada. Or when a giant treble hook from a huge-sized Rapala lure went through my eye while fishing in the ocean near the coast of West Africa… and the horrendous ordeal that followed in having to remain wide awake during the operation. Probably the worst and most life-threatening ordeal was not with a wild animal but with humans… This happened when I was once shot in the head with a Magnum .45 calibre bullet while sleeping in my car one night parked beside a carp lake in California. It felt as if someone had hit me with full force on the head with a sledge hammer, and the brute force of impact threw me against the windscreen. The hours following this incident, until I was finally laying in a hospital bed, was a journey through hell.
Tony looking down on the mighty Colorado River Grand Canyon.
The good news was that the bullet had scraped the back of my skull and ricocheted inside the car. The doctors and police officer told me that if the bullet had been only a tiny of fraction over, it would have blown my brains out! It seems crazy that someone shot me in the head but I had to pay for the damage! The final good news was that my insurance paid for the two bullet holes in my car plus the ambulance and hospital bills. 🙂
Are you totally focused on carp fishing or do you still have an eye on barbel, catfish or other species?
I am always totally focussed and serious when I’m carp fishing, and although carp are my first love, I fish for big fish of all species worldwide. I’ve caught 2kg roach, 14kg barbel, 350kg sturgeon and 500kg shark and hundreds of other species of fish. To me, it is all part of the adventure of my journey through life.
Globetrotter with a huge 330kg Sturgeon from the Columbia River.
Are there any plans for new DVD’s in the near future? And where can we buy your DVD’s?
I have produced seven different DVDs covering my adventures in search of big carp and catfish, from private and public rivers and lakes in England, Holland, France, Spain, Gran Canaria, USA, Italy and Africa. I am at this moment half way through filming the eighth DVD, which will hopefully be completed sometime in 2014. All the different DVD titles were produced as professional 2-disc DVD sets, each lasting 2-hours each (14 DVD discs in all). My Globetrotter DVDs, books and clothing can be purchased direct from my online shop at www.WILDCARP.com
Globetrotter World films on DVD. Click on the pic to go to WILDCARP.COM
Recently you have joined the Dutch company MTC Baits. How did you get in touch with the MTC boys?
Barrie Wispels from Holland got in touch with me on Facebook and then we later talked on the phone. I have no contract with any tackle or bait company and free to do as I please, so I was happy to test out their baits.
Globetrotter with a wonderful 22kg mirror carp caught on MTC 25mm TRG boilies on New Years Eve.
What’s your opinion about the MTC Baits products and quality?
I began making my own special paste baits during the 1960’s and 1970’s era of carp fishing, and then started making my own boilies at the beginning of the 1980’s onwards. I have also long-term tested most carp boilies produced by the major bait companies in Europe and Worldwide, so have a very knowledgeable understanding of what is needed to produce a good carp bait. For many years I have asked a close friend and very experienced angler, Roger Hartwell from England (who owns Deception Baits), to make me special large Globetrotter boilies for my own carp fishing on global waters, and I still use these today. They are made with only the very highest ingredients, and so my interest was pricked when I found out that the MTC baits were made to a similar exacting high standard.
In this modern era of carp fishing, where everyone is rushing around cutting corners or using bad quality ingredients to make as much profits as possible, it is wonderful to know that there are a very few small bait companies that still value the actual ingredients they put in their products, regardless of the profit margins. MTC Baits is one of those very special companies that stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Tony is a professional photographer and film producer.
Will you be using the MTC Baits during your stay at High Mill Lake?
I have already begun! I did not agree to be a special consultant for MTC Baits until I tried them out thoroughly in my fishing. I first began using them during the Christmas/New year period at High Mill Lake. Winter is a very difficult time to fish for big carp, and to begin testing during this period makes the task even harder. But it does sort the wheat from the chaff! I chose a few boilies from the MTC line and put them to serious testing in freezing conditions during very short single-night sessions from dusk until dawn.. Like all baits, some produced more action than others. I tend to only target the largest fish in any given water, so my early results with big carp would be my gauge of what would work at High Mill. I’ve caught big carp on the MTC Globe, but one particular boilie quickly began producing the goods for me from the first session. This was MTC Triple R Garlic and has helped me catch a string of seriously big winter carp! Now the MTC 25mm TRG has become one of my favourite boilies. I look forward to testing other boilies from their range, but they need to be extremely good to topple the TRG!
I can remember a lot articles that expressed your love of fishing in the winter. Which type of water do you choose and what is your main tactic?
I am an all-year angler, so actually love fishing through all the varied seasons, not just winter. But the carp, being a cold-blooded creature, does tend to slow down its metabolism during freezing winter periods. A lot of my early knowledge was gathered through winter sessions in England. I also learnt a lot from my serious winter campaigns in Scandinavia and other parts of Europe, which also helped me to expand my ideas and approach to other cold-water sessions around the world. I have caught carp in depths ranging from 0.5 metres deep to 30 metres deep, so have no qualms about how shallow or deep a river, canal or lake is.
Tony with a beautiful 50lb winter common carp from High Mill Lake.
I also have caught big carp in temperatures below minus -15 deg Centigrade, so know that they will feed in the severest of winters. I do tend to target the deeper sections of rivers and lakes during the coldest weather. I have caught big carp in water of only 1-metre deep in minus 12 deg C, but that particular lake was very shallow and 1metre was the deepest section. In a much deeper lake for example, I caught a string of large carp in water 20-metres deep. Depth of course is not the only factor, and another important criterion for targeting big winter carp is to understand that their habits and feeding zones tend to be smaller. They do not move around as much as in summer. So it is vital above all else to find where they sleep (yes, carp sleep every 24 hrs) and the feeding areas. During severe cold, the carp will choose to eat in compact areas close to the resting zones. I do not believe in a ‘winter’ bait or a ‘summer’ bait. I use the exact same boilie throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions. At one time I used to follow the rule of only using pva bags or tiny amounts of bait for winter fishing.
During the past decades I have thrown this notion on its head and know that to get those sleepy big carp into a feeding mood, I need to give them plenty of bait. So I now bait up just as heavily during winter as I do during summer. My own winter results in a variety of different waters speak for themselves. I’m happy to continue in that mode.
How was it like to fish at an amazing venue like Dolphin Lake?
Dolphin Lake is a public water situated in southern France. It is not a large lake, but extremely rich in natural food and highly oxygenated filtered water. The carp also have superb genetics and have grown naturally from small size into monsters. The number of 20kg+ and 30kg+ in this lake would make any carp anglers eyes water. The clarity of the water is also very good, so I was able to swim through an underwater forest of submerged trees and film legions of gigantic size mirror carp ranging from 25kg-35kg.
Tony with huge mirror carp from Dolphin Lake.
It was an absolutely awesome experience to swim with these enormous fish. I had to work hard to catch them on rod & line though, but eventually I landed a string of huge carp beyond my wildest dreams. ‘Dolphin’ is not the original name of the lake and it was I who gave this ‘code-name’ to avoid it getting over-pressured by anglers. This disguise worked very well at first, until a stupid French angler decided to eventually publish the true name with maps of its location in a magazine. This resulted in a mad stampede! The following year I returned to fish at my favourite Dolphin, only to witness the sad demise of my once quiet lake. It was as if a virgin had been continually raped, and I felt so sad and heart broken inside that I vowed never to return again. I would rather keep the magical memories of those first sessions deeply locked in my treasured memories.
Tony with 62lb 2oz mirror carp from Dolphin Lake.
What are your plans for the near future? (Do you stay in France the next years or do you give your nickname ‘Globetrotter’ a spin and start travelling around the world again?)
I never plan long term goals years in advance, because my life is always full of adventures and I need to keep the dream alive. I will be spending the March-November period in France this year, but will also be in Holland, England and South Africa. And after that…where the wind takes me. The world is my oyster.
To drink deeply from this nectar is to be well and truly hooked for life’. Globetrotter fishes solo from an Island at a stunning big public lake.
Well Tony, thanks for the ‘peek’ in to your current life and your past. Good luck with all the project. We will see you on Carp Zwolle!
Thank you Michiel. I have been at Carp Zwolle for many years, first on my own stand and in recent years on the Karper magazine stand. In 2014 I will be on the MTC Baits stand, and besides bait we will also have my range of DVDs and books for sale and to sign. I look forward to seeing you all there and anyone is welcome to stop by for a friendly chat.
‘Globetrotter’ Tony Davies-Patrick
Visit also: www.wildcarp.com and his Facebook page!
