Jaco Jacobs

"Fishing for those big bars of gold is my passion; it’s my life. The sound of my bite alarm tearing off in the middle of a freezing winter's night is what my dreams are made of. Not knowing what is at the other end of the line is what keeps me going. It’s all about the goal and the journey to achieving it – preparation is the key to my success.

Nutritional, balanced baits combined with a well-planned approach and the ability and willingness to adapt to any situation can take you a long way to achieving your goals."

Q&A

How many years have you been actively pursuing specimen angling?

I have been fishing for around 20 years, but have only been targeting big carp for the last five years or so. 


How often do you fish?

I fish two to three times a month.


Amount of waters you fish on average?

I try to target one or two venues for an extended period of time to get the best results from that water. At the moment, I’m fishing two venues.


What would you say is your niche in angling and what can you contribute that is new and fresh to South Africa's carp scene?

Definitely homemade boilies. I pride myself in catching carp on baits made in my own kitchen. By showing consistent results, I hope that it could change a few minds regarding the use of boilies in South African waters. Ultimately, giving back something to our beloved carp.


Biggest rewards/achievements in angling?

I have had a few of my catches posted on Carpcrossing.com, which was a personal goal accomplished.

As for rewards, there is nothing more satisfying than achieving a set target. Two things stand out for me from the past year. Firstly, I changed my approach completely by moving away from the use of particles. The results were far beyond any expectations. It changed me as an angler completely. Secondly, I wanted to break the 30lb mark on a mirror. I narrowly missed this target in January 2014 with a fish weighing in at 29lb 7oz. Coincidently, this is the same fish that eventually broke the 30lb mark for me in September.

ARTICLES BY JACO JACOBS

Rigs for different occasions

Carp fishing, in general, has three very important aspects in my opinion. Firstly finding the carp, secondly using top quality ...
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Location is Key

Fishing heavily pressured suburban waters is never an easy task, especially if not all areas of the lake are fishable ...
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Session Report: Attention to Detail

Bait and tackle preparation is an important aspect of my approach to any session, especially bait. As per usual, my ...
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