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We catch up with Joe Morgan following a year like no other, as he gives us his personal take on 2020, and explains what 2021 has in store…

AN INTERVIEW BY CARPOLOGY 

CAPTION YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW SCARY IT WAS BEING TOWED AROUND THE BUOYS WITH THIS ON THE END!

what have you been up to since Carp-TV was sold?

“When Elliott took over Carp-TV I lost my buzz for the game to be honest! I’d literally worked in the trade since before leaving school, so for over 20 years, my life had revolved around fishing. Instead, I put more energy and focus into the events I put on and got my head stuck into my music, and I travelled more. I’ve been DJing since I was 22 and have always had a love for the underground party scene. On my travels in Indonesia, I also discovered a more chilled style of electronic music that suited the scenery so well: deep, melodic, atmospheric stripped-down beats, with sounds and influences from all over the globe. In fact, if anyone fancies checking out my sets, search ‘Joe Morgan Beats Therapy’ on Mixcloud; it’s perfect for background music by the lake.

“Anyway, on my travels I had a taste of levels of freedom and happiness that I never imagined were even possible, and to be honest, if money was no object, I’d be more than happy spending my life living that way. Sadly, I could continue living the life of Riley for only so long, and eventually, not only did I run out of money, but I also found myself in a fair bit of debt! Returning from my last trip away two years ago was actually far harder than I thought it would be. Every year I’d been away previously, I had always returned to work, money, a place to live etc., but on this occasion I was coming back to none of those (and minus funds), so to say it took me a while to get back on my feet would be an understatement. To be perfectly honest, I still haven’t, financially or mentally… ha ha, true story.”

Did you miss making the show?

“To be honest, no, not to start with, as for the last six to ten months that Carp-TV was running, it felt like the passion had gone and we were both just churning out a show for a wage… I knew the only way it could carry on, was for me to work with another enthusiastic angler whom I could bounce off and for it to have a fresh revamp. Unfortunately, Elliott had his own plans and wasn’t keen on teaming up to buy it. I considered doing my own thing at the time, but I knew deep down that the fire of desire had burnt out, and you can’t be on camera unless you are loving what you are doing. Passion and enthusiasm are the highest priorities of any presenter and faking it never works. If you’re not enjoying doing it, no one is going to enjoy watching it… simples!”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOE MORGAN AND FRIENDS

BIG PITS… HARD WORK BUT REWARDING WHEN IT ALL COMES RIGHT

Looking at your Instagram feed in 2020, it was clear that your buzz was back with a bang, but it wasn’t always like that; did you have a year or so out?

“In 2018, I hardly fished at all! I had a couple of trips to St Ives, but as previously mentioned, I just wasn’t fired up enough to try and get my head to the level of desire required for such waters, and no doubt a hardcore, obsessive campaign -something which, at the time, I was trying to move away from! In my mind, I had spent enough time on my own, and knowing how addictive special lakes can be (combined with my addictive personality), I had to get myself out of there before it kicked in. Clearly, though, the force of the complex had already got its invisible roots into me, and I was soon dragged back the following year for another go.

“The summer of 2019, I fished three nights a week for a month, all on the Meadow and was rewarded with four fish up to thirty-pounds -I think I got lost in ‘Planet Festival’ for the remainder of the summer and enjoying the good life! 2019/2020 was my first full winter in the UK for five years, and I had de-climatised myself to the point that not only did I not want to go fishing, I didn’t even want to be outside.”

What reignited your passion for carp fishing then?

“The trouble with staying indoors for so long when you are an outdoors person, is that the inevitable happens and you get yourself down, so by the time spring arrived, I was itching to get out fishing, to immerse myself in nature’s energy and also to give my mind something to focus on. The trouble I had at the time, was that I was skint and literally had no tickets whatsoever.

“It was actually reading one of Adam Penning’s fantastic diary pieces in CARPology that ignited the piezo that led to me getting back out. I keep in regular contact with Adam, and we often share the buzz of captures either with a call, a photo or an over-excited video of us with one in the net. On reading this particular article, I was reminded of the lake he’d been targeting the year before. Suddenly, I found myself going back through old WhatsApp messages about some of the other inhabitants of the lake in question to inspire myself. I remembered how much he’d enjoyed the place and being that it was free fishing, it seemed like the perfect water for me to use, to attempt to reacquaint myself with our beloved pastime.

“Within 18hrs of arriving at the guesting water, the buzz had returned in full. I caught the biggest carp in the pond: an absolute unit at 51lb and a UK personal best. Suddenly, I was reminded of the incredibly powerful feeling that comes with catching such a huge fish. I was literally shaking for two hours! I try to look for signs in life, and by catching that one, it felt like I was being encouraged back into this direction. Elliott Gray drove up from Essex with his wife and son to do a bit of filming for Cypography, not the Mother’s Day Gemma had in mind, I’m sure, ha ha… I guess that’s a typical occupational hazard when married to ‘Elbow’!