NAME: Simon Crow
AGE: 37
STARSIGN: Leo
HOMETOWN: I was born in Wolverhampton but now reside close to the city of Hull in East Yorkshire in the north of England.
FAMILY SITUATION: Divorced with two daughters aged 7 and 5.
YEARS CARPING: I've been fishing since a very early age, but didn't catch my first carp until 1980. I landed this from Leighton's Pool, Wolverhampton, but back then I wouldn't consider myself to have been a serious carp fisherman.
PERSONAL BEST MIRROR: 55lb 8oz caught from Klaserie Dam, South Africa in January 2000.
PERSONAL BEST COMMON: 60lb 2oz caught from The Forest Lake in Austria 2007.
MOST MEMORABLE CAPTURE: I'd have to say it was landing a 52lb common from Raduta during what was then the first trip to the lake by UK anglers. It showed us all on that trip that the lake most definitely did contain some huge fish!
MOST MEMORABLE ANGLING MOMENT: I’ve a few memorable sessions, but the one which stands out the most happened in South Africa at Klaserie Dam during January/February 2000 when it was freezing cold in England. I mention it not just because it involved my biggest fish to date, but because of the whole package and memories I have of the trip. During an eight day session I landed a mid-50, three 40s and several good back up fish whilst my fishing partner Rob Hughes also had a healthy catch next to me. We experienced some amazing wildlife on the bank since back then the venue was very wild and hadn't been fished as much as it has today. We had a leopard visit our swim during the week which was just amazing, and all in all we had a great laugh with some great mates (Steve Briggs, Xavier Paolozzi, Glyn Leach, Sandy Hough, Martin Davidson). Best of all was seeing our old mate Martin Davidson from South Africa (who's as competitive as they come) wink at his fishing partner Gilbert Foxcroft when he heard me and Rob announce that we were going to try the Bushcamp swim where an angler had just blanked for two weeks! To this day I still joke with him that he wanted to see us blank! I've also fond memories of winning the first ever World Carp Cup in France in 1996 - the first ever high-profile global carp fishing enduro.
FAVOURITE VENUE: I've fished perhaps 300 different waters around the world, catching from over 200 of them. I've therefore got lots of fond memories. However, I'd have to say that my favourite venues are Lac de St Cassien in France, the legendary Redmire Pool, Orchid Lake, and Motorway Pond and Tilery Lake in East Yorkshire.
VENUES YOU’D LIKE TO FISH: The Orient in France is one venue that I will retire on when I feel the time is right for me to try it. A water like that needs full commitment and not a half-hearted approach. I'd also like to fish the famous 'Mere' in the south of England where the Black Mirror resides, but it's too far for me to fish week in, week out.
FAVOURITE VENTURE PRODUCT: The Razorback bivy…it’s just awesome…!
WHO ARE YOUR ANGLING ICONS: Lots of anglers have inspired me, especially Rod Hutchinson, Tim Paisley, Steve Briggs, Kevin Nash, Leon Hoogendijk and Alijn Danau. I will read any articles written by these anglers, so long as they are in a language I can understand!
WHAT IS YOUR NORMAL LENGTH FOR A SESSION? This is a difficult one to answer because I go whenever I get any available time. If I've one night free I might go then, or if I've a few hours free I'll perhaps go for a wonder around one of my local lakes. I do fish longer sessions, but these are mainly when I'm travelling some distance to get somewhere. My longest session in England is only seven nights (at Motorway Pond), whereas overseas I will go for 5-10 days. The longest session I have ever had on the bank is two weeks, something which I've done only three times in my career. A week-long session is never enough on the big waters because you can spend that time just trying to find the fish and getting in tune with the water and conditions at the time. Trips of two weeks or more though are difficult because of my work and family commitments.
ANGLING CV: I’m a self-employed angling journalist and consultant. My main work is as the news editor for the weekly magazine Carp-Talk. I was also the editor of Carpworld magazine for two years. I have written three books (all of which have been published in several languages), these being Strategic Carp Fishing, Discover Carp Fishing and Carp Fishing - Advanced Tactics (due out in 2006). I've also made several DVD's, including Short Session Carping 1 & 2, Dream at Madine, St Lawrence Carping to name a few, and was a presenter on the Sky Sports television programme Carp in Focus which ran for ten parts.
FAVOURITE TV PROGRAMMES: Wildlife documentaries, sports channels and Sky News. My favourite films are Black Hawk Down, The Wooden Horse and The Great Escape.
FAVOURITE MUSIC: I like anything really, ranging from hard-core dance to pop and even classical. My recent CD collection includes Oasis, Nirvana, Guns n Roses, Robbie Williams and U2.
WHAT MAGAZINES AND PAPERS DO YOU READ: The Sun newspaper although I'll pick up any paper if it's close by, and Boxing Monthly.
DO YOU LIKE SPORT: Yes, I love all sports, especially boxing, cricket and big events like the Olympics, World Cup or Commonwealth Games.
ALL TIME DREAM GIRL: Tough one, but I suppose it would have to be Sarah Harding from Girls Aloud or super model Cindy Crawford. I quite like Kate Beckinsale also.
PEOPLE YOU ADMIRE: Any man who fought for his country, and sportsmen like Muhammed Ali, Marvin Hagler, Tiger Woods and Ian Botham
LIKES OUTSIDE OF ANGLING: Keeping fit (I run and do weights regularly), golf, but most of all I love spending time with my two kids.
DISLIKES: Angling politics....
DO YOU HAVE ANY UNFULFILLED AMBITIONS IN LIFE OR CARP FISHING? In carp fishing I’d like to catch loads of big fish from the north of England (Yorkshire) and I’d like to bag a 50 from Cassien too. Other than those, I’d like to carry on and enjoy my fishing until way into the future. In life, I’d like to go and see an undisputed heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas, bag myself a super-model girlfriend (or several of them!) and see my kids grow up with a big smile on their face.
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