Where to start?
It was Thursday night and as what has come a nightly addiction I must admit I was scanning the timeline of my twitter account checking out the days events. I came across a tweet from Adam Penning saying he was at Chilham Mill in Kent.
A good friend of mine Les is also a Chilham Mill syndicate member and I knew he was due down there on Friday.  Quick tweet back to Adam asking what swim he was in. Also asking how he was getting on. Then a text message to Les saying Adam Penning is at Chilham Mill I have just tweeted him to see what swim he is in I will let you know. A quick reply from Les as good as saying “your talking rubbish I’m down here at Chilham”. After a few texts with Les and a couple of replies on twitter from Adam telling me he was in transformers I received a tweet from Adam, which at first I thought was him winding me up.
It read:
@leescarpblog
Any chance you could ask your mate to do me a pic? Got a 28 in the sling :

After reading it a couple of times to make sure I was reading it correctly another tweet came through

@leescarpblog I actually do need a pic! Can he help? #springcarp

I rang Les and by the sound of his voice I had just woken him. I said “I have just been tweeted by Adam he is in transformers he has asked can you take a picture for him?” First thing he said was “you better not be winding me up Lee!” I relayed over the two tweets I received so off he went.
This must be the first time someone has got a photographer through twitter just shows how good social media can be for Adam also for me as on the back of this he agreed for me to come to Chilham Mill to interview him for an article to go just on www.catch-and-release1.com. My first ever interview and it is with one of the greats of fishing nervous?        Yes!

Interview with Adam Penning         for www.catch-and-release1.com

The first question I had to ask Adam is Did Les take a good picture?

Adam: The pictures were ok there are definitely some usable ones. It can be hard to get a good photo at night. I also got him to take pictures for me in the morning of a lovely 32lb 8oz leather.

Are you still enjoying answering all the questions on your twitter account @askpenners I notice at times your answers can be facetious at times bringing a comedy factor to our timelines.

I try and answer every question I get sent through and believe me that can become quite a chore. But I don’t want people to feel neglected and not answer their question. I sometimes like to be facetious, sarcastic and funny because I know I have a big following that I am grateful for so if I can add some humour in there then why not. I hope it is making more friends than enemies. I do have a serious twitter account but as for @askpenners I like to think that anything goes.

You are fishing Chilham Mill Syndicate Lake what do think of the lake?

Chilham Mill in my opinion is one of the finest lakes in the country. I have been coming here for about ten years now. The lake has its own atmosphere as soon as your turn up it feels a very special lake. It is one lake that if you fish it right it is possible to catch a brace of thirties in a night and they are amazing looking fish the 26lb mirror I caught last night I think is the jewel of Chilham he has been 26lb for ten years. He has massive apple slice plates all over him little withered fins he is a real character defining Chilham greatness. It is great to see the owner is putting syndicate money back into the lake. They are just in progress on a management project felling trees to encourage wind action that is vital to put oxygen into the water. They have also increased the level of the lake and finally they are introducing some fresh fish. I really do think in a few years less than five this lake will be the best water in the UK if not certainly top five.

After having your fish last night you posted a tweet saying it was all down to watercraft and following the fish can explain what you did and what you saw?

So many people ask me on #askpenners “I am going to such a water any tips” I can suggest bait etc but quite simply if the fish are not there you will not catch. So you have to watch the water like a hawk but not only watching you have to react to what you see. I genuinely believe that out of all the carp I have caught in the last few years, whether they were 10lb or bigger; have all been caught because I have seen something and reacted to it. I hardly ever catch a carp fishing blind. Here at Chilham I have been successful because I saw where the fish were and I reacted to it. When I got to Chilham at dawn I saw couple of carp in front of the swim called “one pole” it felt the right swim for me there was good water depth out there I found a spot I was happy with and spoded out a mix with about six pints of maggots out with cell boilie crumb and baileys. I put three rods out on the spot set up everything perfect marked my line with marker elastic. I was very happy with my swim to the finest detail. But three hours later I saw carp showing further down the lake around the island.

Most anglers would never move once they are set up in a swim but you need to react to what you see. Although I had put all the work into this swim I had to move to where the fish are. I packed up my gear and moved into the swim transformers and started all over again. Putting my Spod mix out and getting everything perfect once again.

So to summarise the watercraft I have used on this trip is putting in the effort and reacting to what you observe people may think I catch more because I have lots of bait etc but the real reason is simple observation and effort.

Have you had the famous carp known as Chillies out of Chilham?

No I haven’t but I have photographed him four times for other anglers! I thought I had him on last night but it turned out to be a 32lb mirror but it was flat rodding me round a tree at a range of one hundred yards so it was certainly pulling just brilliant!

I know you are a fan of the chod rig but as you are not allowed to use the chod rig at Chilham what are you using?

To finish off just some quick fire questions

What annoys you in the world  of carp fishing?

Some who puts money before carp safety. You should not push your tail rubbers down tight to the lead clip you need to be able to shake the lead off yourself.

Your preferred bait?

Anything by mainline for example cell, active 8 I am very confident in mainline. Other than a boilie I like using tiger nut.

Favourite method to fish?

The one that catches the carp.

The most memorable catch you have had?

I have been lucky enough to have had a few, my first twenty, which I have written about a lot, but also my first thirty. I would say any fish that I have targeted to catch and have spent a long time hunting.

Favourite fishing venue?

Wraysbury

I would like to thank Adam for allowing me to come down to Chilham Mill and interview him for this article for the Catch and Release website. Just sitting with him for an hour I learnt some very valuable lessons. His eyes did not leave the water all the time I was interviewing him looking for the smallest of signs of a carp. I think a tutorial with Adam would definitely be well worth it, just to be able to fish alongside him and watch what he does best catching carp. There is a lot more to come from Adam in the future he was telling me about a book he is working on to release later on in the year and in the meantime he is doing his tutorials. For more information on his tutorials you can contact Adam through Facebook Adam Penning Carp Angler and twitter @adam_penning and @askpenners.

Until next time stay productive