UK Carp & Coarse Fishing

After last year’s washout of a camping trip, which was made even worse by my coming down with the flu and then suffering a tyre blowout on the journey home, I was hoping this year’s adventure would be a significant improvement.

As always, we are at Quarry Lodge Camping. This time, there were just three of us on the first night, gradually building up to the full five over the weekend, with a few friends and family members dropping by throughout the week. I had been looking forward to this trip for months.

In preparation, I completely reorganised my Wallop Tuff Boxx storage system. One box was dedicated to pots, pans, plates, and cutlery, while another was packed with all the overflow cooking equipment that somehow seems to multiply every year. Looking at the amount of gear I was taking, it became obvious that a camping kit reduction programme was long overdue.

The weather forecast was predicting temperatures well over 30°C. Normally, that would fill me with dread, but after the long, cold winter we’d endured, I was actually looking forward to some proper sunshine. I also knew my Fox Tarps would earn their keep. They are just as useful for camping as they are for fishing, providing much-needed shade during the hottest parts of the day.

As always, we travelled up early on Friday morning. Years of camping together have refined our routine, and by midday, the pitch was fully set up and looking like home for the week. We then headed out for lunch and picked up our Click & Collect order. I absolutely love doing this when we’re away; it saves so much time and hassle. The setup seemed to go exceptionally smoothly this year. Whether it was because there were only three of us initially or simply because everyone knew exactly what needed to be done, everything just clicked into place.

By Sunday, the heat had really arrived. I’m certainly not going to complain too much after the winter we’ve had, but anything above 25°C is pushing my limits. While everyone else was enjoying the blazing sunshine, I spent much of my time seeking out shade wherever I could find it.

One of the highlights of the week was the arrival of two long-term camping friends who rode in on their Harley-Davidson for a three-night stay. We hadn’t seen them for several years, so it was fantastic to catch up. The evenings were filled with laughter as we reminisced about old camping trips, shared stories, and remembered some of the adventures—and mishaps—we’d experienced over the years.

We made our usual visits to Llansteffan and Carmarthen, but this year we also explored Narberth for the first time. What a lovely little town that turned out to be. While there, we discovered the excellent Fire & Ice ice cream parlour, which quickly became a favourite stop. I also had to exercise considerable self-control to stop myself from buying yet another bottle of Penderyn whisky. My collection certainly doesn’t need any help growing larger.

That evening brought one of the most spectacular thunderstorms I have witnessed in years. The sky lit up continuously with flashes of lightning, accompanied by rolling thunder that seemed to shake the campsite. My wife eventually retreated to the safety of the car for a couple of hours, while the rest of us stood outside filming it and enjoying the incredible display. It was one of those moments that you’ll remember long after the holiday itself has ended.

Thankfully, the weather became much cooler afterwards, which suited me perfectly. My daughters and the eldest’s boyfriend took advantage of the conditions and enjoyed a swim in the River Towy before the temperatures dropped further. My wife was also visited by an old school friend and her children, which made for a lovely afternoon.

That evening, we gathered around the fire pit once again. With the temperatures finally manageable, I was able to get back to cooking over an open fire for the first time in a couple of days. During the extreme heat, I simply couldn’t face standing over the flames. Fortunately, I always bring along my Weber gas barbecue, which is an absolutely brilliant piece of kit and makes cooking much easier during the hottest weather.

On our final full day, we spent several hours exploring Llansteffan Castle and relaxing on the beach before heading back to the campsite. Later that evening, a friend of my eldest arrived to stay overnight. Being a student at Cardiff University, she wasn’t far away, so it was wonderful to have her join us before we packed up and headed home.

Looking back, we all had an amazing week. The weather may have been a little too hot at times, but we made the most of it with great company, plenty of laughs, beautiful scenery, and some wonderful memories. Even my wife may have enjoyed the camping experience this year, although she would probably prefer to forget the thunderstorms.

We’ll certainly be returning next year.

Until then,

Richard

With one of my gardening jobs cancelled, and it being a quieter Monday than usual, I switched my Wednesday work over and started early both days. By Tuesday afternoon, I was finally on the road down to the lake, although I honestly hadn’t got the slightest clue where I was going to set up. The weather had barely changed all week either — it’s been that cold I’ve even had the heating on for a few hours during a couple of evenings over the last seven days.

I was slightly put off by the bottom lake after last week’s effort. There wasn’t another soul down there, and, truthfully, it was very tempting to give it a go, but the conditions pushed me towards settling on my favourite island instead. Westerly winds were gusting close to 40mph, and there was absolutely no chance I was pitching up on the east bank. It just felt far too cold and exposed. The south bank swim on the first island, however, looked absolutely spot on.

I’d been thinking about giving the Co-De another proper go and had spent the last couple of months soaking a batch of boilies in the Co-De Activator. It finally felt like the right time to put them to use. While rummaging through the garage beforehand, I also discovered a 3kg tub of mixed Nutrabaits boilies and pellets I’d soaked over the winter. Combined with the last of my hemp and buckwheat, it felt like the perfect mix.

The plan was simple enough — fish one area heavily with bait while keeping the second rod much lighter, more as a trap on a transit route between areas. I potentially had the opportunity to stay for four nights if things went well, which wasn’t something I’d originally expected. In typical fashion, though, I’d only packed enough food for about three nights.

By 1530 hrs, the rods were out, and I genuinely felt there was every chance of an evening bite.

At around 2000 hrs, I had to recast the close-in rod after what was clearly a Tench bite. The conditions still felt absolutely perfect, though, and I went to sleep convinced a carp would slip up during the night.

At 0444 hrs, the same rod was away again — another Tench. Unlike the previous one, this fish actually stayed on.

After slipping the Tench back, I recast the rod, made myself a brew, tucked back into the sleeping bag and fell asleep before I’d even taken a sip of coffee. I slept heavily and only woke just before 0800 hrs, thanks to a Cuckoo calling loudly from a nearby tree. At some point during the night, the right-hand rod had produced a single bleep, but nothing more.

The rain had arrived sometime after 0530 hrs, which probably explains why I slept so long. Realistically, I could easily have stayed asleep for another couple of hours.

Today’s conditions are either going to work massively in my favour or completely against me. Westerly winds on this lake are impossible to escape from, and with temperatures still much colder than normal for the time of year, it could easily put the carp off feeding. All I can hope is that the fresh wind gets them moving.

Otherwise, this is going to be a very tough session.

The actual conditions looked perfect — it was just the bitter wind chill and the fact that the carp are clearly holding off, waiting to spawn. That, more than anything, feels like the reason they simply aren’t playing ball.

If by any chance something does pick up one of my hookbaits, I can only hope it’s a big old female looking for one final feed before spawning. It’s going to be tough going, though. From what I’d heard, I don’t believe a carp had been landed anywhere on the lake since Sunday morning.

All I could really do was sit it out and wait.

The right-hand rod stayed exactly where it was until the following morning, while the left-hand rod remained untouched after the Tench during the early hours. Fingers crossed for night number two.

Night two passed completely bleep-free. During the evening, I switched from solid bags to small mesh bags, simply to reduce the amount of bait going into the swim.

I gave things a lot of thought overnight — should I stay or should I go? The carp were clearly waiting to spawn, and the weather wasn’t going to improve anytime soon. In addition, this was my final session until June because of our annual camping trip to Wales.

In the end, I decided I had to stick it out.

There was no real reason to move. I’d seen and heard carp in the area and knew fish were present. All I needed was one big female to make a mistake.

By 1130 hrs, it was time to regroup and tweak things slightly for the final night. I switched over to a 12mm White Blank Saver pop-up and moved the right-hand rod closer in.

Friday — 0800 hrs.

Well… I completely got this session wrong, didn’t I?

There’s always hope during the final few hours, but looking back, I still feel I made all the right decisions based on the weather, the fish activity I’d seen, and past experience on the lake.

By 1030 hrs, I was slowly packing away, planning a 1130 hrs reel-in before popping round to see Ian.

Despite the complete lack of carp, it’s always a pleasure to sit beside the Airfield Lake, taking on its challenges, watching the wildlife, and simply being outdoors. The stars during the final night were absolutely incredible — it’s just a shame I don’t own the sort of camera equipment capable of capturing them properly.

Being outside in nature is something special, and something I think we all need far more of. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming camping trip to Wales — a full week of cooking over the fire pit, collecting wood, and enjoying the beautiful surroundings of Carmarthenshire.

Until next time,

Richard

P.S.
On the other hand, Ian had picked the perfect area for the conditions and managed two absolutely stunning 30lb-plus carp, along with another 20lber. Sometimes that’s fishing — you can do everything right and still end up watching someone else hit the jackpot.

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