claudia darga – Strike and Catch

If you are interested in carp fishing and using social media, chances are good that you have seen a fishing picture or movie clip of hers, or maybe you have read one of her stories on carp fishing. Claudia Darga is a modern day carp angler and a slasher of stereotypes. Hence, I was happy when she agreed to letting me write a featured article on her. For those of you who don't know her, Claudia Darga is one of Germany's most popular female carp anglers, and a highly skilled one at that. Furthermore, she is a very successful entrepreneur who has managed to turn her passion into a living. Find out more about Claudia and her passion for angling in this featured article. How and When Did You Get Into Carp Fishing? "In the beginning of 2010 I decided to join some of my closer friends while fishing. They are all very enthusiastic carp anglers. The first session was still one of my best I have ever had and contributed a lot to my passion now. It was a warm day during spring. Weather was just awesome and the nature was waking up. For me it felt like being in an unreal world, as I am living in a big city and do not know such silent and peaceful places. On top of that, we caught some beautiful and also very peaceful fish! Overall, it was the perfect session and my starting point to become more and more interested in carp fishing. The first year I was more passively joining my friends. In 2012, I started to get my own tackle and managed to become an active carp angler." The amount of content that Claudia Darga produces on the internet is astonishing, which partly explains her success and popularity. If you look her up on Google, you will find a enormous number of pictures of her holding gigantic carp. I actually started to fish for carp around the same time that Claudia did, but have not caught nearly as many, or big specimens as she has! I blame it on being a dad and not having enough time, mostly. But what Claudia has proven is that you can go really far when you've found your true passion in life. Everybody's got one, but not many people actually discover it, sadly enough. Claudia has discovered hers, and if you follow her adventures, it seems like she is having a blast doing what she does. What really sticks out is her authentic way of presenting the sport. You can tell that she goes all-in when it comes to carp fishing. What Was it That Attracted You to Carp Fishing? "I have tried so many different styles of fishing. However, I am always coming back to the decision that carp fishing is for me the one and only fishing. And also compared to other leisure activities, this is what I like most, as it combines so many things I love! I love the nature, I love animals and I love the silence, I love to chill and hang out with friends and I really love to sleep. This is all possible when fishing for carp. For me, one weekend out on the bank is almost like one week of vacation. It is more than just catching big carp. It is so much that attracts me to do this fantastic hobby. But of course, the best part of it is when you know your tactic worked out and you are catching a good fish. My second best moment is the sound of the bite alarm and the third is when releasing a big fish and realizing again how big and peaceful it was. It all contributes a little bit to my passion for carp fishing. All of that attracted me from the beginning and is still what I love about it." It is that passion and love that clearly shines through in any of her pictures of videos online. She is not your garden variety type (read Youtuber) of so called angler who just published video after video of themselves catching some fish in a local pond. You know the type, don't you. What Claudia Darga has built up around herself is a meaningful and authentic fishing brand personality. The fact that she is female somewhat aids the curiosity around her person, I get that. "It's the female angler!" This curiosity is also reflected in a ton of interviews and talk show appearances she has made. Which is cool, in a way, but not if the base for such appearances is the mere fact of her being female. That is very important to state, I believe. Claudia is simply a person, like anybody else, who just happens to be an amazing angler! Are There Many Other Female Carp Anglers in Germany? "Unfortunately not. I am trying to bring my friends to the bank. But they all do not like it. Nevertheless, there is a small amount of ladies finding their way to the bank. I am so happy to answer their questions online and help them to become a serious fisherwoman. What I really love to see is that more and more girls share their experiences online on Facebook and Instagram. It is so cool to see that those active girls are getting more and more into fishing from time to time. And this is exactly what I have done during the last 10 years. I learned a lot during this time and it took me a while to get all the knowledge and routine into this fishing. This is fantastic to see, and I expect it to become more and more in the upcoming future." Personally, that's exactly the way it should be! And while fishing has historically been a starkly male dominated sport, things change. The question is why and how anyone who is calling himself an angler could possibly think that girls or women should or could not enjoy angling. Such people can perhaps simply not find any real joy in it themselves, but that is up to them really. I for one am very happy to see and witness this societal change that is taking place, in fishing, and elsewhere. Everyone should be able to freely enjoy their passion exactly the way they want to. Claudia Darga is a very good example for that modern change taking place right now! As a vast majority of her fishing pictures include carp catches, I was wondering if she ever targets something else. Do You Ever Fish for Species Other Than Carp? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HwJbyj0PfA Claudia Darga Fishing the River Wye with Martin Bowler "Of course I have tried a lot from time to time. For example a variety of predator fish as pike, perch, zander and catfish. But also tench have been my targeted fish. Also, fishing for exotic species as Siamese carp or Arapaima I have done. I am trying a lot from time to time, but always coming to the conclusion that carp fishing is by far the best fishing style. Therefore, my focus is on carp. I would say that 90% I go for carp, because this is the style of fishing I am most addicted too. For me, it is different to all other styles of fishing." The word addiction, which Claudia mentioned in her answer, is a pretty apt word in combination with a hardcore carp angler! A passion for angling is one thing, a passion for carp angling is something completely different. I totally understand her reasoning! Carp fishing is so intense, both when it comes to the time spent on the bank, all the required gear and, perhaps most importantly, the insane time it can take before you actually get a bite, that you really have to have an ultimate passion to do it, and to keep at it. If you truly enjoy carp fishing, and you want to do it all the time, you literally do not have the time to fish for other species. Carp angling is that intense and authoritative as a fishing style. And it is exactly carp fishing's multi-faceted nature that Claudia Darga has used to her advantage as a popular angler. There is so much you can cover, film, write about, discuss, explain and show, when it comes to carping, it just never ends! As a brand and multimedia personality, it really is a super good industry to work with, and it is a lot of fun. Moving on, I wanted to know a little more about her preferences in regards to carp waters. Do You Prefer Private Carp Venues Over Public Ones? "In Germany, I only fish on public lakes. I have been once on a commercial lake this year in Poland. To be honest, after that trip I would say that I like public lakes much more. At a lake in Poland, I had to keep to the same to the same spot for four days, and had other anglers 100 meters left and right to me. In a public lake, I can decide where to build up my camp and if It does not work out, I can change it without asking anyone. I just enjoy the freedom at those lakes. Also, some of the fish in the public lakes I am fishing at have never been caught. I do not like seeing fishing that have been caught hundreds of times and having a mouth having a lot of injuries in it. Thus, I would always prefer a public water." That is a very smart and true answer, I find. In recent years, some aspects of carp fishing have perhaps gone a little too far. Of course, that's up to everyone to decide for themselves, but more natural lakes and stocks definitely attract more than certain private waters with carp that are fed on a weekly basis, just to get bigger and fatter, and to be caught most frequently by visiting anglers. Those lakes can be fun too, I am sure, but maybe, just maybe, there is less of a challenge and of the natural essence of angling in those venues. On the other hand, it is not everyone who is seeking such an experience. Claudia is though, that is for certain! She also has ambitious and really good and positive future plans. What Is Your Greatest Ambition When it Comes to Carp Fishing? "There is no serious ambition I am having in mind with what I am doing. Maybe it is a vision for the future to get as many girls to become serious anglers as possible. In my vision there are a bunch of ladies you are visiting daily on the bank, and who you are seeing in magazines and online. Coming to the point that it is normal to meet also a girl on the bank and not to be the only one out there.On top of that, I will try to travel to as many exotic places in the world as I can to go carp fishing, like South Africa, USA etc. I think that there are so many hidden places with huge carp out there. Those places are just waiting to get discovered." I could not have wished for a better way to round up this article! As previously stated, I too want to see Claudia's future vision to turn into a reality, sooner, rather than later! Fishing should be a hobby, an activity and a sport for everybody. Anyone who loves the fishing will surely agree. Being a dad of two little girls myself, I want them to grow up in a world where fishing, or really anything else they could think of, is not linked to a specific gender, color or type of people! Claudia Darga is the perfect role model and reference for that changed and better future! Both when it comes to equality and entrepreneurship. I have tremendous respect for her fishing and her hard work. If you want to find out more about Claudia and want to follow her on social media, check out here homepage and Facebook page. I wish her the best of luck for her future endeavors and the tightest of lines out there on the bank, hunting the next big carp! Petri Heil Claudia! More Articles on Famous Anglers: Martin Bowler: An Interview on FishingDes Taylor: Talking Fishing With a Legend