World Carp Classic - Offical Global Website
Lake Bolsena 3rd - 9th September 2012
| Reflections of Madine |
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 Steve Howard’s WCC blog (part 5)In July 2000, along with my good friend Danny King, I finally achieved my ambition to fish on the mighty Lac de Madine. At that time, the impressive yet still fairly unknown Madine had really only begun to establish itself as the top quality venue that it is now fabled to be, and the World Carp Classic was still very much in it’s infancy. Some may suggest that the WCC put Madine on the map, bringing it to the attention and forefront of the minds of countless anglers. Others will tell you that the incredible Lac de Madine was entirely responsible for the success of the WCC… I prefer to accept something inbetween, and believe that both the lake and the competition were a match made in heaven.. It was back then, and is again now an exceptional pairing; a quite unique “Fred Astaire & Ginger Rodgers” combination that seems perfect in every way. Thinking back, I believe that it was only the WCC being launched in 98 that brought Madine to my attention, and upon seeing the results of that inaugral competition it was somewhere that I quite obviously had to go. On my first encounter with the grand old lady, Madine proved to be every bit as magical as I’d dared to imagine and yet ultimately, I left for home with my tail firmly between my legs as she reneged on the promise of my dreams and witheld her most precious jewels. My fishing partner, Danny, was more fortunate than I, and I was left in no doubt just what it meant to him to bank not one, but two of Madines beauties. Although not huge fish by Madine standards - both were around 28lb – Dan had defied the rules of percentage and chance and banked two commons of beautifully classic proportions.  For me, fate had mapped out something quite different. I was to suffer the bitter taste of losing my only carp of the week when it kited round a tree stump at 300 yards. I had gone out in the boat instantly upon getting the take and, although I managed to free the fish from the clutches of snag, the hook pulled just seconds after doing so. I was totally distraught; so deep did it burn that even the passage of time has not eradicated the memory of the pain I felt at that moment. I vowed that I would return one day to rectify matters, but somehow it slipped from the radar until 2008 when the WCC returned to its spiritual home once more. My delight then, in hearing from Ross that the WCC was returning to Madine was fully understandable. I was among the very first to put my name on the competitors list that year, as I wasn’t about to miss out on this one, no sir - She owed me big time, and I intended to collect! Next time, tales from Madine Tight Lines Steve Howard |
