Fishing for wild carp is about adventure, history, atmosphere, mystery and emotion: searching for and discovering secret waters and forgotten strains of ancient fish. Wild Carp captures this aplenty, describing Fennel’s 20-year quest to find the oldest strains of carp in the UK. It’s also about nature connection and a desire to uncover the seemingly impossible – a place where we can discover and live out our dreams, to completely indulge the mantra of ‘Stop – Unplug – Escape – Enjoy’.

Chapters

1. Foreword
2. Introduction
3. A Gift from the Romans?
4. Golden Dreams
5. Old Maps and Ancient Waters
6. The Moated Manor
7. A Haunted Pool
8. The Monastery Pond
9. A Trip to the Shops
10. Amongst the Secret Carp
11. Chasing Mollies
12. Double Vision
13. A Flick of the Tail
14. On Hallowed Ground
15. A Clacking of Knobs
16. The Freeminers' Brethren
17. The Embowered
18. Beyond Midnight
19. The Lake at the Edge of the World
20. The Sleeping Giant
21. Steady as She Goes
22. The Monster of the Deep
23. Across the Moors
24. The Sanctuary
25. Ginger Beer and All Things Holy
26. Freedom and Forgiveness
27. Return to the Folly
28. The Mist of Believing
29. Return to the Folly
30. The Wild Carp of The Danube
31. The Wild Carp of Wales
32. Wild Carp Identification
33. Further Reading
34. Wild Carp Conservation

Most popular quote from Wild Carp

"Some will say that searching for your dreams is like looking for unicorns in an emerald forest. They will say that following a golden thread will lead only to a king, dethroned and living in the gutter. This may be so. But the king was made, not born. The crown was never his to wear....If ever the adventure proves tiring, or you lose sight of your dream, look to the west at sunset. There, on days when the skies are clear, you might see upon the horizon a thin layer of golden mist. When it appears, you will know its purpose: it is the mist of believing."

Reader testimonials

"Writing of the highest order." Classic Angling magazine, July 2020.

“Such inspiring writing. His words ‘Somewhere in the undergrowth of the impossible’ had me staring out from the page in amazement. Fennel’s writing is pure poetry.”

“Fennel’s writing flows un-hurried without overly romanticising each point, and the research is thorough; from the first sentence I was thinking, ‘this lad can write!’ It’s informative and very refreshing.”

“A magnificent adventure and call to arms for us to pursue our passions and protect that which matters most. This book is destined to be an angling classic.”

Publication details

• Published by Fennel’s Priory Limited.
• Copyright © Fennel Hudson 2009, 2020
• Hardback ISBN 978-1-909947-14-6
  
  • 216 x 140 x 22 mm
  • B&W interior with monochrome photos
  • 338 pages, 74 B&W photos.
    
• Paperback ISBN 978-1-909947-15-3
• Kindle ISBN 978-1-909947-12-2