Quick Questions With… Oz Holness

He may have been a British record holder, He's even caught the Burghfield Common... But who's the real Oz Holness?

Three words to describe yourself?
Like a hobbit!

Who have been your biggest influences in carp fishing?
Hilton, Hutchinson, Hearn in that order…

Scariest moment on the bank?
Clawing my way down into the margins puking and retching with food poisoning… the cramping was so severe I was convinced I was going to die right there alone by the lake!

How long have you been carp fishing?
Thirty-five years.

How did you start carp fishing?
I was intrigued by the secretive nature of the carp anglers on my local club water and the romance of fishing overnight trips… I soon read ‘Confessions of a Carp Fisher’ by BB, a book left to me by my late grandfather… reading about the wily nature of the carp and the lengths these old anglers went to to catch them… it soon became an obsession!

Other sporting interests?
Surfing, shooting and most outdoor field sports.

One day left to go fishing, where would you go?
Somewhere unspoiled by human intervention and off the beaten track with no other anglers about!

Worst fishing-related injury?
Breaking my leg setting up in a swim just the night before New Year’s Eve!

Best three anglers you’ve ever worked with?
No such thing as best in angling as it’s just too subjective, they all offer something a bit different and they are all good in their own special and unique ways!

Your favourite moment in your carp angling career?
Landing the British record at Conningbrook with my little dog Jim looking on in bewilderment at all the fuss!

Favourite capture?
Burghfield Common for so many reasons!

Three things you’d never go fishing without?
Hope, desire and motivation!

Any regrets?
Not doing at least a few nights on W1 back in the Cemex days, just to suck in that historic atmosphere… all the while I had the ticket burning a hole in my rucksack… for three years!

I was fishing Burghfield at the time and it was meant to be my next adventure but was sold off just as I achieved my target!

Biggest character you have met through fishing?
Hmmmm… Peter Regan

What are your favourite bits about carping?
Getting lost around wild overgrown pits in high summer, or watching a big target fish going about its business in a quiet bay… to watching epic sunrises with that big target safely in the net, that first time you touch them, the hunter and the hunted connection! Plus enjoying my friends’ stories and successes along the way… all part of the soul of carping!

Your least favourite bits?
I try not to think in that way!

Who do you most admire in carp fishing?
Those who respect nature, their surroundings and the carp.

Tell us a secret?
It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you!

Tea or coffee?
Both, but I start the day with a strong coffee, just love the smell and the buzz!

Favourite biscuit?
Border dark chocolate gingers.

Favourite take-away?
Indian of course!

Funniest moment on the bank?
Getting caught bare-arsed naked out in the lake while clearing weed on the hottest day of the year! (It was a quiet lake at the time!)

One fish you would have loved to have caught – past or present?
Black Mirror.

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