Testimonial - John Southgate
My friend and I were lucky enough to enjoy a day's coaching session with Ian Gemson of Smart Carping last weekend and I wanted to share the fantastic experience that we had and recommend it to anyone, at any level, that is looking to improve their skills and get more carp on the bank.
I initially became aware of Smart Carping when reading Ian's spodding and marking tutorials which were posted on FishingMagic and became inspired by the clear way he described the methods. I was also looking to replace my old rods and had posted a question on one of the forums asking people's opinions on the choice of rod. Having had several responses with various people's views I received a fantastic and lengthy response from Ian explaining in detail the various rod actions and the need to find a rod to suit me and my fishing style. I decided that it would be worth calling Ian to find out about how a coaching day would be structured. As soon as he picked up the phone I knew I was speaking to someone passionate about fishing, just like me! What I expected would be a quick call to check costs etc turned into a long call talking about carp fishing in general and it was clear that a day fishing with Ian would be an enjoyable experience.
The day finally came around and Ian met us at the train station (both having suffered a hungover journey on the train from Waterloo!!). As soon as we met, Ian put us at ease that the day would run at whatever pace we wanted and that we could cover whichever topics we liked. He also kindly brought along a thorough selection of rods for us to play with so that I could make my buying decision having actually tried the rod rather than looking at or holding it in a shop. We quickly got setup and fishing so that Ian could have a look at our casting "techniques"!! His advice was always constructive and we both had many eureka moments when it came to casting, marking and spodding. It really was a day of revelations. Those techniques are going to transform my fishing and I can't wait to try them out and refine them on my next trip in a week's time. I feel confident that I have been pointed in the right direction and got so much from the session. I have read many books and websites and subscribe to the usual suspects magazines, however, none of these come close to having someone of Ian's ability standing next to you and showing you how it's done. In the afternoon, having spent about an hour chucking out the selection of rods (which more than doubled my previous casting range) we set about building some rigs. Again, Ian's instruction was great. I've made my own rigs for a while now, however, Ian pointed out some really simple tips that will also transform that part of my fishing.
We'd had an amazing day, however, the icing on the cake really came as we were packing up our gear. One of the rods we had left out burst into life and my mate was quickly onto it. From the way it was running we knew it wasn't a bad fish and I was confident my mate was in for a new PB. After an enjoyable fight we soon had the net under it and even at this stage Ian gave us pointers that resulted in a much calmer fish being placed on the unhooking mat, being weighed and held for the obligatory photo. Weighing in at 16.14lb it smashed my mate's previous PB and I'm not sure who was more excited, my mate or Ian!!
We can't wait to get back on the bank with Ian and I highly recommend a day with him. Excellent value for money for a day with someone with infectious passion and immense talent! Thanks so much Ian!!
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