Welcome to the Thinking Tackle podcast.

And if haven't already, please hit the subscribe button so you won't miss an episode.

And today, we are joined in the studio by Phil Buckley, a man who's managed to hold down a full-time job

whilst targeting some of the most difficult waters on the UK carp scene.

The Thinking Tackle Podcast.

Phil, thank you so much for coming in, mate.

Pleasure.

And I know that time is of the essence for you a lot of the time, and you're a guy that

works full-time, so it makes it all the more special that you've made time for us. No problem. It's partly why I wanted to get you in, mate, and that is because I feel like we really needed to reflect what life is like for the big fish man who wants to do it on his own terms. I think it'd be fair to say that, you know, as a diehard weekend, I feel you've been been doing on your own terms for a long time, haven't you, mate? Yeah, since the start, really. I've been in the job I've currently got, I've been there since I was 17 years old. Wow. So, yeah, I've only known trying to balance big carp angling around a full-time job and yeah it's tough you're trying to fit in

i mean i work four and a half days it is full-time but i have a lunchtime finish on a friday which is

probably one of the reasons i've always stayed there you get the jump on those those weekenders

yeah um but yeah it's tough you're trying to fit it all in i mean when i was really young

i lived my parents you know bedroom a single man it's easier obviously you can kind of focus pretty much you can cut the two off and it's all work and then it's all fishing it's a lot harder now you know marriage mortgage um a career trying to fit it all in but i've only known it that way and um yeah i like it i like

the challenge of that you know don't get me wrong i think we'd all like the extra night every week

but if you don't know no different you you run what you got so what did a week let's say what did a

week look like for you um let's say pre-marriage and stuff, when you had a bit more time, like potentially?

So my working day would be 8 a.m. to 5. I get a lunch break. It's worth saying I don't, I've never worked close to any lake I've fished. So I've never had the option to nip out in my lunch break. So it would be four days of

eight to five. It's an eight to a one finish on a Friday. So the car would be loaded first

light Friday morning. One p.m. I'm the guy at the front of the queue. I'm clocking out and I'm

gunning up that motorway to try and get to the lake as quickly as I can. I mean, back when something like Yately, for instance, I would be up there every night as well. I would finish work at 5pm. I'd grab a burger when I got to Yatley in the little parade area. I'd shoot to the lake. I'd be there till 10, 11 o'clock, sponging cups of tea, trying to take it all in. You'd roll into bed at midnight. i'd be there till 10 11 o'clock sponging cups of tea trying to take it all in

yeah you'd roll into bed at midnight you'd be up at seven to go to work again and that was the

working week you know i was just so immersed in that particular place um so were you doing

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