Michael Graham

As a child growing up in the western suburbs of Sydney I did not have a  lot of fishing spots around me, however, I would often go on holidays and weekends to the Central Coast with my  Grandparents where we would go fishing. We often stayed at Long Jetty, The Entrance & Norah Head. I remember digging for worms on Soldiers Beach, fishing, prawning & swimming around The  Entrance, not to mention eating hot chip sandwiches, sitting by the water. My Grandfather was a top fisherman & always got us onto some fish, we always came home with a good feed of Whiting,  Flathead or Bream.

As I got older these holidays stopped, I found new hobbies, interest s & my love for fishing was forgotten.

When I was 30 years old, my family went on a weekend to the Central Coast for my Grandfather ’ s 80th birthday. My brother was starting to get into fishing, so we went down to the bridge between  Gorokan & Toukley & although we only caught some small Bream & Tailor which we released, this time spent fishing with the family, sparked my fire again.

Upon returning home I decided to get back into fishing. I wanted to start some new memories &  share the joys I had growing up with my wife & son. Slowly we started to buy some fishing gear, cheap tackle & Kmart combos got us going.  

My son caught his first fish, a Pinkie Snapper at Parsley Bay, Brooklyn, NSW on a Jarvis Walker Zenith combo that had cost us around 12 Dollars, he was so excited.

I learned Parramatta River held Carp, so I thought I would give it a go.  I set up on the banks behind Parramatta Leagues Club, right under a Flying Fox Colony. I was using bread for bait & whilst I got a few hits, I couldn’t land a fish until, an old man walked by & suggested I remove my sinker,  leave my bail arm open, allowing the line to run off freely with very little resistance. Not long after that, I was on. I had hooked a nice sized Carp, managed to land it & once again was hooked!

Every chance I got I would head down to Parramatta  & fish for Carp. Most times, I would sit there all day, just relaxing,  I didn't care if I caught a fish or not. I always managed to catch a few & remember well the time I landed a 70 cm Carp that weighed 14lb, I was so proud.

I started trying different areas, such as Duck Creek in Clyde & Toongabbie Creek down behind Westmead Hospital, which was a great spot. I found a little sandy beach area there with trees all around & whilst it was in the middle of suburbia, it felt like I was in the middle of the bush. It was quiet, peaceful & very relaxing. I managed to catch quite a few Carp on each visit.

In 2012, we moved from Sydney up to the Central Coast. The only thing I was going to miss about  Sydney was the times spent Carp fishing. One day, not long after moving to the Coast, I was driving past a freshwater pond & stopped to throw some old bread in to feed the ducks, within seconds I had several Carp sucking the bread down from the surface, I had found my new  Carp spot.

Whilst I do fish for Flathead & other Saltwater fish, I always feel much more relaxed fishing for Carp. I now have a small fishing Kayak, 2 small boats & plenty more fishing gear. I  also run my own Carp Fishing page on Facebook called Aussie Carp Fisho ’ s & it was through this page I found heaps of people that like myself, really do enjoy the sport of Carp Fishing.

I also learnt of a fishing competition to be held on the Nepean River, so  I decided to head down, camp the night & fish the comp. Even though I didn ’ t win, it was one of the best weekends I ’ d  had in a long time. Since then I have entered more comps & my passion for Carp fishin g continues to grow. I even managed to break my record with a 75cm Carp which weighed in at approxi mately 16  – 18lb.

Carp are considered a major pest in our Australian waterways & there are a lot of com petitions &  programs to help eradicate the species. To me, they are a lot of fun to c atch, but again, it ’ s not  always about landing a fish, it ’ s the experience, sitting back in a camp chair, listening to some good  music & relaxing in the sun, with a line in the water.

You can check out my website https://www.aussiecarpfishos.com/ and my Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/groups/aussiecarpfishos/