Oz Holness - Nash Off The Hook Podcast - S2 Episode 74
This week’s guest is one of the finest, most driven big carp anglers that have ever cast a rod and he’s an incredible storyteller to boot, it’s none other than former British Carp Record holder Oz Holness.
When it comes to Oz there’s one thing that sets him apart from a lot of other anglers and it is undoubtedly the reason for such an incredible host of big special carp captures over the years and that is his mindset.
He talks about exactly what mindset is for him, what it means in an angling sense and how being in the fire service for over twenty years shaped this. He talks about “wanting it” which meant that despite a missus and a full time job he would ensure that he visited the lake as much as possible even if it was just to look at the water for an hour and not fish. Over his career he has captured some truly awe inspiring jaw dropping carp form venues big and small. Oz shares his thoughts on bait, rigs, spots, watercraft and his fishing on limited time.
The real stand out jewels in the crown of Oz’s captures have to be the Burghfield Common as well as the British Record at the time in the shape of Two Tone from Conningbrook. He talks in incredible details about the lead up to these captures and exactly what it took for him to achieve these goals despite working full time.
Being a Kent local for all his life Oz also talks about his friendships with other anglers such as Paul Forward and Si Bater who helped him develop as an angler and see that nothing was impossible. He recalls the capture of three incredible fully scaled mirrors from Kent off the back of him applying himself to the lake where these fish resided.
Finally, Oz talks openly about his future and what still drives him to target the most tough, sought after special carp out there, despite the changes that have been seen over the years in angling. This podcast is a true insight into the very elite of carp anglers and shows first-hand the passion, sacrifice and belief it take to capture these super special creatures but by the same token how this can very much be done by the average working man as Oz has shown time and time again.