An angler interview with Eik Weis, talking about his quest for big carp all over Europe. Matthew Fleet from the Carp Marathon asks the questions…
I’m delighted to have spoken to Eik and so pleased that he agreed to do this interview, a big carp angler who fishes some challenging waters in Germany and Hungary. Like myself Eik is a member of the Carp Punk clothing team, a lovely bloke and all the team are so proud to have him on board!
Can you give me and people reading this a general background about
yourself?
My name is Eis Weis, I was born in 1972 in Bruchsal, Germany. I work as a mechanic for a big German firm. I have lived with my girlfriend since 1990 and we have a 2 year old daughter.
When did your passion for angling begin?
In my family I have no fishermen, I began angling in 1990, my girlfriend’s father was a fisherman, he took me and got me started.
Eik with a pellet and tiger nut caught carp
When did you begin to target big carp?
After I finished my licence (something you have to do in Germany) I joined the angling club my girlfriend’s father was in, there I met Thomas Ballreich, we have been good friends ever since.
When I met Thomas he was already targeting big carp after previously doing English-style match fishing. Thomas sold big carp fishing to me, he took me under his wing and the rest is history.
You travel far and wide in your angling, what’s your favourite country/venue your angling has taken you to?
From the very start of me targeting big carp, I read everything about carp fishing I could get my hands on. In those days information was not that easy to get your hands on like it is today, also the stuff I did get hold of was in English, which was not that easy for me to understand. The big names in those days were Kevin Maddocks, Carp Fever, Andy Little, Rod Hutchinson, Jim Gibbinson and Kevin Nash, to name a few.
With all the information I managed to obtain the dream began with me travelling to various countries in search of big carp. I must add I only travel to countries where night fishing is permitted, night fishing is not allowed at a lot of venues in Germany.
Here is a list of venues I have travelled to over recent years in search of big carp:
1. Lac du Der
2. Saint Cassien
3. Orient
4. La Maxe
5. Mosselle
I have recently returned from Hungary and Lake Aqua.
Here’s One Of My St Cassien Captures
When you plan a session is it always a long haul session i.e. a week or possibly longer?
Most sessions consist of at least 4 – 5 days, reason being the length of travelling time needed to reach the venues, it’s more cost effective for me to go for longer than shorter.
When I went to St. Cassien I did a 14 day session.
Do you fish alone or sometimes with a friend?
If someone wants to tag along that’s great and they’re very welcome but I’m not that bothered, I’ll go with or without a friend.
Bait – Is your angling boilie focused or do particles, pellets, etc also play a part?
I use various baits but my main bait is the boilie, pellets and tiger nuts are a also great favourite.
What’s your most memorable capture?
My first 25lb+ carp which I caught from Lac du Der. In my opinion every carp you catch has it’s own story, for most carp anglers it’s only the big captures that they want to talk about. I’ve caught plenty of carp over the years and the ones I have caught with friends are extra special to me.
Is there any venue or country you have not targeted yet? If so, are there any future plans?
I do like Italy, a beautiful country and home to some very big carp. Lac de Madine, I have visited this venue many times but have yet to wet a line there. My main goal is England. Thanks to social media I now have a lot of English friends so my chances of visiting have now increased.
What’s the best piece of advice you could give to anybody reading this regards targeting big carp?
Keep your spirits up. I’ve seen many anglers rise like the phoenix and burn like the sun. Enjoy your angling whatever size carp you catch they don’t all have to be big.
What a very interesting interview, I think all of you reading this would have to agree.
A personal thank you to Eik, again keep in touch and continue to live the dream.
Matthew Fleet, Carp Marathon Blog
@MAF79
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