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Back to Academy searchMatt Eaton
Matt has been fishing for more than thirty years with the last twenty being dedicated solely to Carp angling. His early fishing was match orientated where he won a number of club championships and represented his club at National level.
Matt's interest nowadays revolves around the pursuit of large, thoroughbred, English Carp and he is usually found fishing difficult waters. He has banked a number of Carp over the 40lb barrier, the most memorable of which was Horton's Shoulders. His personal best Mirror is 45lb 6oz while his biggest Common to date is 45lb 4oz.
Spending three nights fishing, most weeks, means that Matt has very specific requirements from his tackle and has a reputation for adapting and improving items or custom making them to suit his fishing.
Matt writes regularly for Carpology and has also penned pieces for Carpworld, Advanced Carp, Freespool and Big Carp as well as writing a guest chapter for the Horton Chronicles.
News from Matt Eaton - Monday 19th December 2011
"I've been plugging away at Dinton for the winter despite the fact that it doesn't tend to produce much at this time of year. With the stock in the lake it can take just one bite to make it all worthwhile. I had, more or less, decided to go elsewhere for the winter but, with it being so mild, had stayed on. I was beginning to think it had shut up shop, as I hadn't had a bite for the last five trips even though I was managing to get on fish each time.
"For the last two sessions I had entered the 'land of confusion' by trying all sorts of different tactics to try and induce a bite. Last week I reverted to what had been working for me all season, which was a pop-up over 50 x 14mm Cell freebies, and received a very gentle bite in the early hours of the morning of my last night. The fish came to the surface immediately and, initially, I thought I was attached to a tuftie or a Tench as it wasn't putting any pressure on the rod.
"The fish was netted really quickly and we identified her as one of the lakes jewels - Son of Triple Row at 37lb 1oz (image 12)."
News from Matt Eaton - Tuesday 20th March 2012
"Finally the show season has ended and I've been able to concentrate on my fishing. I'd not managed to get to fish Dinton since the freeze so I was keen to get back there. As I arrived at the venue it was obvious that, despite it not being particularly warm, spring was here and some Carp action was, if not likely, certainly possible.
"There were a few anglers on but nothing had been caught since January. Despite my best efforts I didn't manage to find any definite Carp to set up on. I did spot the disturbance that a showing fish made but it was so subtle that it could easily have been a Tench. With nothing else to go on, however, I decided to start in this area.
"Two rods were fished on high attract singles, which is, by far, my favourite tactic for catching carp as they exit their winter torpor. The third was fished over 40 or 50 14mm Cell freebies and this was the rod which I found myself playing a fish on at first light. Although small, the fully scaled 14lber was welcome on my first trip back.
"I started seeing a lot fish showing in a swim on the opposite side and was just readying myself for a move when the same rod was away again. Another stockie, even smaller than the first was the culprit, but at least it seemed that they were awake and willing to feed. I re-did the other two rods, this time accompanied by a couple of handfuls of Cell and it was one of these that produced one of the older Mirrors, in winter colours, at 24lb 4oz.
"I left on the Thursday instead of the Friday as I was working on the Greys and Chub stand at the Carpin'On Show at Five Lakes. After a busy weekend I was back at the lake Monday. After the previous weeks action I was confident of some more but it wasn't to be. Two more small fish were banked but not to my rods and I left on Thursday with more questions than answers.
"I spent Friday and the weekend working on the Atomic stand at The Big One in Farnborough and began my next session on Tuesday. I'd only been there for a few minutes when a fish showed in the that I'd caught the three from two weeks prior so I parked my barrow in there while I had a look at the rest of the lake. I found nothing better so stuck with this swim and saw a couple more whilst setting up.
"Over the next 24 hrs I saw a few fish in the area but they didn't look like they were feeding. On the Thursday it looked as if they had moved off as the only ones I saw were a couple of swims to my left. I'd just moved all my kit, bar the rods and landing net, when I had a take and found myself trying to extract a Carp from the weed. It wasn't weeded that badly as I could feel the fish but it was still necessary to take to the boat to land it. On getting above the fish I could get it moving but only up to a point where it locked up solid. Thankfully I was just able to reach the end of my leadcore leader and handlined a ball of weed in. It appeared that the fish had gone but a broad back suddenly became visible as the weed parted. My mate, Lee bundled the whole lot in and we returned to shore with an old warrior of 39lb 7oz in the bag."
News from Matt Eaton - Friday 21st October 2011
"Following on from my last blog things haven't slowed up at all. My next session was in classic Carp fishing conditions. Warm South Westerlies, cloud laden skies and a bit of drizzle. All the angling pressure was on the end of the wind but I hadn't seen much Carp activity in the area. As I was enjoying a cup of coffee with a mate, Lee deciding whether or not to mix it with everyone else at the busy end of the lake, I saw a good Carp show in the central section of the venue. Another one showed soon after followed by two more and that was enough for me. I scalded my throat as I threw the coffee down my neck and barrowed my kit to the area that I had seen the activity in.
"It was difficult to know exactly which swim they were in due to the tree lined banks but it looked as though I'd judged it right when a small mirror stuck its head out in the first swim I walked into. Another showed to the right and then what looked like The Twin, the one I want to catch the most, rolled around 20yds out. It took me three or four casts to get some sort of drop on both rods and although I wasn't entirely happy with the presentation it would do for now as I didn't want to create disturbance during bite time.
"Although I was expecting a quick chance, due to the number of Carp present, nothing happened so I sorted the rods out properly during the evening. I found a couple of spots fairly close in where I could get a lead to hit bottom in the thick weed and scattered 100 Cell boilies around each spot. The following lunchtime I had to call for the boat as a fish had weeded me up on the right-hand rod and with the use of the boat a 31lb fully scaled beauty was in the net. A similar occurrence on the left-hand rod on the following day saw me holding up a stunning, mid 20, Zip Linear.
"I missed the next week due to work and having to get the car through its MOT and then suffered a two-night blank. I just don't think I was on the fish but couldn't find anything to move on. I even reeled in at three in the afternoon and walked the lake until three in the morning all to no avail. I did see a couple of fish but one of those was close to where I was so I stayed put.
"I was back in the groove next time out fishing the middle area of the lake. I'd found a few fish in the same swim that I caught Harvey's and set up there but, after watching them for two days, I realised it wasn't going to happen. They were showing over my left-hand rod and one of them was a recognisable orange colour and was responsible for the majority of the shows. I think there were probably only three individual fish present and although they were feeding I felt the chances of a pick up were slim.
"A few swims further up the lake I saw a couple of stockies show along with a mid 30 Common. I moved all the kit up there and soon had one rod sorted. The other rod was proving troublesome. I'd got it fishing ok but I started seeing fish around ten yards out during the night so needed to re-do it. As I was thrashing to get a drop close to the thick marginal weed I received what appeared to be a bream bite on the other rod. I picked the rod up and felt a thump but it was all solid in the weed and there was no moving it. At first light I took to the boat with another angler and eventually landed a Mirror of 29lb 2oz.
"The next trip saw a return to the Southerlies but all the anglers were on the back of it as the last few captures had been in the car park bay. Not much had been seen at the far end for a couple of weeks so, despite not seeing evidence of carp anywhere, I decided to get away from the pressure to where I was sure the fish would turn up. Over a couple of kilos of bait I managed a 29lb 2oz Common followed by a 28lb 4oz Common the following week, in similar circumstances.
"I've had a week off, on holiday and missed out due to a dose of the flu and the number of bites that are occurring on the lake is dropping along with the temperatures but I'm going back tomorrow for a three nighter. I need to make the most of the available time before it shuts up completely for the winter."
News from Matt - Tuesday 23rd August 2011
"My season on Dinton just seems to be going better and better. I arrived at the lake late on Tuesday to find that my first two choices of swim were taken. I wouldn't normally choose a swim prior to locating fish but, on this occasion, I knew that the wind was going to turn round from a South Westerly to a North Easterly in the early hours of the following morning. I had a pretty good idea where the Carp would be heading for and wanted to get my traps set before their arrival.
"I'd only seen one or two fish before I set up but shortly after dark fish were repeatedly showing over both my baited spots, which had each received around half a kilo of Cell. Whether or not they were already there or had just turned up before the wind turned I'm not sure but, either way, I was feeling confident that something would happen. I was even happier that one of the fish showing on the right hand rod was a ‘biggun'.
"Just before 9am the right hand rod was flying off, despite a tight clutch and I had to give the fish some stick to keep it from burying itself in one of the myriad weed beds. Aided by a light lead most of the fight took place in the upper layers and the Carp was soon brought over the net cord. I was extremely pleased to see another one of the big, old originals in the mesh - Harvey's at 37lb 15oz (see pics 9 & 10.)"
News from Matt - Monday 15th August 2011
"Following on from my last successful trip to my syndicate water I found myself at the opposite end of the lake. Although the wind was due to turn South Westerly I was not at all sure that the fish would follow. They had spent a whole week at the northern end of the lake and I thought that their feeding had probably depleted the natural food. As masters of their environment there was a good chance that the Carp would stay elsewhere while the naturals recovered.
"The lake was unusually busy for midweek but I was able to find a few fish cruising and set up on them on Tuesday evening. By Wednesday morning I was sure that I was not fishing the right spots and repositioned my rigs where the fish were showing. On Thursday morning I lost a fish in the weed so when I received another bite that afternoon I was straight in the boat and above the fish. I think it must have been taken by surprise as, the moment I applied pressure from above, it popped out of the weed, up to the surface and straight into the net.
"There are so many cracking looking Carp in this venue and this was no exception. It was in fine condition and was up in weight on previous captures taking the scales to 35lb 11oz."
News from Matt - Tuesday 9th August 2011
"Things have slowed up a bit on Dinton now. It usually fishes well for the first couple of weeks but this year has been productive into the middle of July. I'm pretty sure this is due to the times the fish have spawned coupled with some good fishing conditions. I've still been getting a few chances but have lost a few in the weed.
"Last week I made the trip to the lake on Tuesday when it was hot with high pressure. Not much had been caught since the previous week so, considering this, along with the weather, I fished over a mere 30 baits. A check on the forecast revealed that Thursday was going to be very wet and the air pressure was to drop considerably. Bearing in mind that the fish had not fed a great deal I decided to go for broke and put a couple of kilos of 14mm Cell out in the swim. This was spread around a large area, which seems to be working for me lately.
"Thursday was indeed wet and the carp were feeding hard. I ended up with four bites - 1 lost in the weed, a 15lb Mirror, a 16lb Common and a 29lb 12oz Common. Apart from one the boat was needed to land the fish as the weed has really taken hold now. Come Friday and I was hoping for another chance but it was again hot and sunny and nothing happened. I'm going back tomorrow and I'll be keeping a close eye on the weather forecast to see if I can capitalise on another change in the conditions."
News from Matt - Thursday 31st July 2011
"Following last week's success at Dinton Pastures I was back in the same swim this week. Conditions looked good for the area and there were a number of Carp basking in the sunshine close by. On Tuesday, although there were still a few fish about things didn't look so good. The wind had grown much stronger and the Carp do tend to back off it a bit when this happens. On most lakes I'd be expecting action at any second whilst fishing into a strong South Westerly with low pressure and a bit of rain but not Dinton.
"By Wednesday morning it was obvious that a move was called for so I reeled in and went for a look around. Some way further up the lake a spotted eight fish show in no more than ten minutes so immediately packed up and moved in. On Thursday morning I landed one of the lakes bigger Carp and certainly one of the best looking. I had a right old tussle with the weed but eventually 43lb of long, lean, linear carp was held up for the cameras. Bernie's Linear is one of the fish I have most wanted to catch for a long while so I'm over the moon."
News from Matt Eaton - Wednesday 6th July
"Dinton Pastures opens on the traditional 16th June at midnight. I was lucky enough to come out early in the draw and neither of my top two swims had been chosen. I decided to go in what is probably my favourite swim on the lake as there were plenty of Carp about and the wind was trickling in there. It is also one of the few swims that has a decent area of water to fish even if the adjacent spots are occupied.
"This end of the lake ended up rammed with anglers and the fish stopped showing the moment the first lead hit the water. They started showing towards the middle of the lake as they backed off the pressure even though they weren't being fished for until midnight! As they had moved off I put in a couple of kilos of Cell on an open water spot which is surrounded by weed and some pellet in the edge for the 2nd rod.
"I had to be off on Friday as I was attending a Chub/Greys open weekend at Kent Tackle so was pleased to receive a pick up on Friday morning. Despite going solid in the weed for a while I landed a dark mirror of 27lb 4oz (see picture 4) followed quickly by a 12lb stockie. I've just started using the Greys Prodigy SX in 3½lb test curve and they dealt with the weed admirably. I don't do much range fishing but find that a beefy rod is far better for weed fishing than a lighter rod.
"That's it for the fishing. The weekend at Kent Tackle was an enjoyable affair, chatting all things fishing with their customers and having a cast with a number of the rods. I'll be back on Dinton this week, as the fish do seem to be off their guard for the first couple of weeks of the season."
News from Matt... Wednesday 8th June 2011
"I haven't fished as much as I would have liked through the spring as I had let a lot of work slide through the winter and needed to catch up. In addition I have been looking at some potential new products for Greys and Chub which has taken up a good proportion of my time. Making prototypes, refining them and then starting again from scratch seems to take ages. Still, I'm getting pretty handy with a sewing machine!
"had hoped to spend the spring on a new water but, in reality, apart from a couple of stalking trips, have managed to fit in only three sessions. The lake in question (Atomic Charvil) holds around 60 fish in its 16 acres with a 40lb plus Common and an old Mirror that was caught last year at 42lb. There are islands and snags everywhere, which is right up my street. Some venues seem a little sterile these days but this one is very different.
"I've gone in fairly heavy with the boilie approach, scattering three to four kilos of Cell with the throwing stick each night. So far I have managed to land five fish and lost a couple although I am yet to catch up with any of the lakes bigger residents. I've been fishing a variety of depths but all of the bites have been from areas just two feet deep.
"I'm just about to leave for my last trip of the spring so hopefully I'll have more to report before I go back onto Dinton Pastures for the summer."
News from Matt Eaton - Thursday 5th May 2011
"With the season on Dinton drawing to a close I was eager to put another fish on the bank during the final week. A look at the long range weather forecast suggested South Westerly's for the latter part of the week so I pre baited a swim on the end of it. There was no guarantee of getting in the swim, as the last week was bound to be busy, but thankfully, I managed to secure it on Monday lunchtime.
"It was obvious that, although the wind was still in the North, there were a few fish about - particularly in the reeds to the right of the swim. I put two of my rods in open water, one over a kilo of Cell and the other on a single. Both were adorned with chod rigs due to the abundance of silk weed. The third rod was fished along the margin to a gravel spot that had produced fish for me in the summer, with the clutch locked up owing to the proximity of the reed bed. Within half an hour of casting the margin rod was bent over as a fish boiled on the edge of the reeds. I had to play the fish hard and soon landed a beautiful mirror of 27lb 15oz. This was followed by a similar scenario a couple of hours later and a 30lb 7oz common was on the mat. I caught a small mirror the following morning form the same spot and on the last night managed a 23lb 1oz from the open water.
"That's it for the season on Dinton, but I'll be back on there in June when it opens again. I'm having a couple of weeks off fishing as the list of jobs that need doing is getting ever longer but I've had a look around a couple of waters for the Spring, one of which looks particularly interesting ."
News from Matt - Tuesday 22nd March 2011
"After a difficult winter on Dinton Pastures the Carp have finally woken from their torpor. I have been putting in the time, when the lake hasn't been frozen and I haven't been working at the various shows, without result.
"However, just as I was starting to pack away on Friday morning I had a pick up on the middle rod. Although my experience suggests that fish are generally a little lethargic at this time of year this one tore me up a bit. It's not that surprising though when you look at the shape of it. A stunning, torpedo shaped, zip linear weighing in at 31lb 13oz. Happy days!"
