AN INTERVIEW BY CARPOLOGY

It’s been a year to remember for Greg Ellis, for more reason than one.

We caught up with him on the banks of his winter water as he explained what’s keeping him motivated through the colder months…

Read: another sixty-pounder, but this time it’s a mirror.

THE FIRST ONE FROM A NEW WATER IS ALWAYS A BUZZ

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEWIS PORTER

THE BURGHFIELD COMMON HOLDS A LOT OF PRESTIGE, NO MATTER WHO CATCHES IT. I HAVEN’T CAUGHT AS MANY FISH AS TOM MAKER OR MARCUS CLARK AND I FEEL A BIT GUTTED FOR THEM, BUT IT’S A PEOPLE’S VOTE AND I DIDN’T PUSH FOR IT.

CARPOLOGY:  Last time we met up, it was to get a rundown of your epic capture  of the Burghfield Common; have you come back down to earth yet?!

GREG ELLIS: “I have, yes. I was a bit down in the dumps then, but everything’s sorted now and things are good; my carp buzz is back and I’m enjoying it. There was a lot of negativity from jealous people who don’t know Burghfield and had never seen it. I put my video on YouTube about seven weeks after I caught the Common, when all the dust was settling, so to speak. The video was open and completely truthful, and I thought that it would go one way or the other. In the end, it received only two negative comments, from the usual fake accounts, amongst the seven hundred-odd posted. I’ve had positive messages on Instagram too, and I think releasing the video has done me the world of good. People have seen that I’m real, and that I’m a normal working angler doing weekends. When I get grief, I show it, and I think people can now relate to that.

“There were negative comments on the thread on CarpForum, but those people won’t say those things to your face -I’d love to bump into them at a carp show! I’m sure there’ll be another thread about the video… they love me on there!

“I could put another video out about where I’m fishing now, showing the carp I caught back in October, but all the anglers would come back and that would ruin my winter on here. At the moment, I don’t want to draw attention to myself, or the lake. I just want to do my thing. I’ll probably put a video out, but it’ll be in the spring after I’ve long gone.”

CARPOLOGY: We’ve just heard that you’ve won the Angling Times’ Carp Angler of the Year award. Firstly, congratulations, and secondly, how does that rank amongst all the things you’ve achieved so far in carp fishing?

GREG ELLIS: “I’ve won a few awards in the past, and usually, you have to send details of your captures to the magazines, like Carp-Talk. This one, though, was out of the blue, after someone nominated me. I’m humbled to have been nominated and I’d like to thank everyone who voted for me. I didn’t put it out there myself, because I didn’t think I deserved the award… Catch of the Year, maybe, but Carp Angler of the Year is all about consistency. Okay, I didn’t just catch the Burghfield Common; I had all those fish leading up to it, and those from this water that no one knows about yet. There are people like Tom Maker and Marcus Clark, for instance, who’ve been consistent and caught a lot of fish; maybe one of them deserved it.

STARTING A NEW CAMPAIGN IN THE AUTUMN PREPARES GREG FOR THE WINTER

“The Burghfield Common holds a lot of prestige, though, no matter who catches it, and nothing comes close. I haven’t caught as many fish as Tom or Marcus and I feel a bit gutted for them, but it’s a people’s vote and I didn’t push for it. Thanks again to everyone who voted; it’s an honour to win the award.”