Twenty Carp from Airfield Lake – One Crazy Session!

With the weather finally looking like it was going to change, and the prospect of some proper rain arriving in Hampshire, I was hoping the Met Office had got it right this time.

We were supposedly in for a few days and nights of showers, and quite honestly, we need it. The ground is desperately dry, the lake levels are still low, and we could probably do with a month’s worth of rain. I’m sure we’ll get most of it this winter, as always!

If only we’d built more reservoirs in the 1980s and 1990s instead of worrying about shareholders… but that’s enough of that!

I hadn’t originally planned this session, as we would normally be away on holiday at this time of year. But with no holiday booked this year and my wife still having some time off work, she suggested I take the opportunity to get out on the bank. Well, I certainly wasn’t going to turn that down!

I arrived around 1530 hrs, after a couple of doctors’ appointments earlier in the day. Ian had arrived around 1000 hrs, and we’d already spoken about the options.

Meadow Lake was very busy, so that wasn’t really an option. With September arriving on Tuesday (this year has absolutely disappeared), we are also heading into the final couple of months before the winter closure, which is always an exciting time of year as our thoughts turn towards trying to catch something special.

Ian was fishing one of the islands, which gave me the option of fishing the next swim along. However, there was a shallow bar directly in front of it that I needed to investigate.

With the new no-wading rule now in place, it could have been a problem.

I’d seen carp using that area when I was here a couple of weeks ago, and looking back, I probably should have fished it then. There was less than a foot of water over the top of the bar, though, and I wasn’t prepared to take the risk. It was a shame because the carp were clearly happy using it, but sometimes you have to make the sensible decision.

So I carried on around the lake and headed back to the swim I’d fished a couple of weeks earlier.

Back to an area I’d already fished

I’d spent quite a bit of time that morning studying the area on Deeper Maps+ before leaving home, and it had given me a much better understanding of what was actually in front of the swim. The area was considerably larger than I’d originally thought.

With the water levels so low, even more of the lake’s features were becoming visible. The bars and boulders really stood out, and it was becoming increasingly obvious how important they’d be when playing fish. I’d already got a pretty good idea of where I wanted to fish. Now it was simply a case of putting the plan into action.

The forecast was the main reason I was interested in the session. The pressure was dropping, the wind was picking up, and rain was supposedly on the way.

I wanted to get some bait in and let the weather do the work. I decided on a bait-and-wait approach, putting around two kilos of mixed Nutrabaits boilies onto the area, along with Jurassic Particles hemp and buckwheat. I also catapulted a few 24mm boilies around the swim. I didn’t want to keep disturbing the area, so the plan was to put enough bait out initially to get the carp feeding and then top up with the 24mm boilies only if I felt it was necessary.

With the water levels so low, the carp had far fewer areas to disappear into, so my thinking was that if they moved into the area, there was a good chance they would stay around and feed.

The rods went out, the wind continued to pick up, the pressure was dropping, and I was waiting for the rain.

The first night

At 0138 hrs I had a couple of bleeps, and the bobbin was almost on the floor. It felt like a Tench, and unfortunately that’s exactly what it turned out to be as the hook pulled free around one of the boulders. Not the start I’d wanted, but at least something had been over the bait. I recast and went back to bed.

At 0740 hrs, I was fast asleep when the right-hand rod suddenly screamed off. I picked it up and immediately headed back up the slope to higher ground, trying to keep the line away from the boulders.

The carp kited to the right, but must have realised it was running out of water because it eventually turned and headed back towards me. From there, it was a much more controlled fight. I slowly gained line and eventually coaxed it towards the waiting net and over the cord.

27lb 3oz Common.

What a start!

I was absolutely delighted with that one. A 27-pounder first thing in the morning is always a good way to start a session.

At around 0810 hrs, I’d seen a couple of carp crashing to my left during the night and, as I needed to change the hookbait anyway, I decided to give that area a go for a couple of hours.

At 1111 hrs, the same rod was away again. This felt like another good fish, and it gave me the complete runaround, going from one side of the swim to the other several times before I finally got it within netting range.

26lb 6oz Common.

Wow! Another lovely carp and another fish over 25lb+

I wasn’t thinking about how many fish I might catch at this stage. After more than 40 years of carp fishing, I’m simply fishing for the buzz these days. I’m not trying to beat other anglers or chase somebody else’s weight. Any carp is worth something; it’s the whole experience that keeps me coming back.

At 1307 hrs, the right-hand rod was away again.

This one wasn’t huge, but I was more than happy with it.

16lb 6oz Common.

Ian popped over for his coffee fix around 1400 hrs before heading back to his swim.

I had something to eat and then lay back on the bedchair listening to a Korda podcast. Unfortunately, it sent me straight to sleep! I’ll have to listen to that one again at some point.

Then things got interesting

At 1701 hrs, I was fast asleep when the right-hand rod rattled off.

After a brief scrap, another carp was safely in the net.

12lb Common.

Five minutes later, before I’d even taken the photos of the previous fish, the left-hand rod was away. I grabbed the carp from the sling, hooked it over the landed-net supports in the water, picked up the other rod and pulled into another lovely, hard-fighting Airfield Lake common. It took me what seemed like an age to get this one into the net.

25lb 2oz Common.

Another twenty-five!

At 1744 hrs, before I could even get the second rod back out, the first rod I’d recast was away again! Another hard-fighting Airfield Lake carp was doing its best to cause problems, but after a nerve-racking battle it was eventually over the cord. A 20lb 5oz Common.

It was turning into a pretty special session.

At 2057 hrs, the left-hand rod was away again. This carp headed right very quickly, and I had to react fast to stop it picking up the other rod along the way.

Once it reached the shallower water, it seemed to slow down, but as soon as I got it close to the net, it decided to give me another merry dance.

The light was fading fast, and I still hadn’t got my head torch around my neck. It was great fun trying to get it into the net, but eventually I got the job done.

23lb 7oz Common.

Another nice result.

I’d had a crazy afternoon and evening, and when I finally got everything sorted, there was no spectacular sunset to finish the day. It was just strange seeing the sun disappearing around 2000 hrs. Winter is coming, boys and girls!

A full-moon bite

At 0234 hrs I’d just got back into bed after getting up for a wee when the right-hand rod gave a single bleep. I put my wellies on, and it ripped off into the night. The carp headed straight out into open water, and I could see it moving in the moonlight. I picked up the rod, the fish slowed down, and I managed to reel it straight towards the net.

It then became an absolute pain on the mat!

24lb 3oz Common.

A full-moon bite.

I don’t get many of those myself.

Day two

At 0730 hrs I was up having my first brew, watching the water with a gentle breeze blowing across the lake. The weather forecast was still playing on my mind. I could probably stay until Saturday evening or even Sunday morning, but doing that would restrict when I could return because of the rules, which wasn’t ideal.

The conditions were certainly tempting me to stay; for now, I was still catching.

At 0930 hrs I reeled in and replaced the hookbait, as I’d been testing something out. I put a fresh one on and, unbelievably, within ten minutes the left-hand rod burst into life. This one felt like a lump. I’d been tying up some new hooklinks using Hobo Armour Chod Filament and, for some reason, one thought immediately entered my head: ‘Don’t let the hook pull out.’

I had to get that out of my mind and concentrate on the fight. The carp headed towards a shallow area where things could have gone badly wrong, so I slowly walked backwards and guided it away from the danger. Once I had it back into deeper water, the fight became much easier. It wallowed towards me and eventually went straight over the cord.

27lb 2oz Common.

Superb!

I switched the hooklinks around and redid the other rod, as both had been cast out in the dark. Ian popped over for his morning coffee and had a chat about how things were going.

At 1111 hrs, the left-hand rod was away again.

21lb 5oz Common.

The carp were clearly still feeding confidently over the bait.

At 1150 hrs, the same rod was away again!

This one surfaced only a few feet from the exposed gravel. I could feel the lead bouncing around and then…

Bump.

The hook pulled free. That was the first carp I’d lost during the session, which, considering how many I’d caught, wasn’t too bad going. I got the rod straight back out.

At 1230 hrs, unbelievably, it was away again.

The carp tried exactly the same thing, heading towards the shallow area, so I slowly walked backwards and guided it away. After a short fight, another lovely common was safely in the net.

17lb 13oz Common.

The session was getting a little ridiculous.

More carp

At 1330 hrs I took the opportunity to put the last of my bait into the swim. The wind had eased slightly, making it the perfect opportunity. After all the activity, I thought the carp might move away for a while and hopefully drift back over the bait around tea time.

At 1546 hrs, completely out of the blue, the right-hand rod was away. After a slow and gentle battle, another Airfield Lake carp was in the net.

21lb 4oz Common.

I’m certainly happy with that one.

At 1718 hrs I was watching Ian land his first carp of the trip. It was strange how I was catching so consistently while he wasn’t, especially as we were both fishing into the deeper zone. He’d just netted his carp when my rod was away. After another short battle, it was in the net.

17lb 10oz Common.

At 1727 hrs, I was sorting out the weighing equipment and camera when the other rod was away.

Another double take. Almost exactly the same time as the previous day.

23lb 15oz Common.

I couldn’t quite believe it.

At 2008 hrs I was in the sack watching television when the left-hand rod was away again. Another entertaining battle. Another common.

20lb 14oz Common.

At 2019 hrs, I’d just finished weighing the carp when the other rod burst into life. This one was smaller and came fairly easily to the net.

10lb Common.

At 2103 hrs, the first rod I’d recast was away yet again. What a crazy session this was turning into, and I was loving every minute of it. This one was harder to get in and, at one point, I could feel the line rubbing against a boulder. That horrible feeling. I eventually got the carp in, stripped quite a lot of line off and then recast.

By 2200 hrs, I was exhausted.

It was time to get some much-needed sleep.

Nineteen

At 2316 hrs, I’d fallen asleep when the rod absolutely blazed off. This fish clearly wasn’t happy from the start, giving me the runaround and taking me from one side of the swim to the other. Both nets were already in the water before I finally got it under control. Eventually, it was over the cord.

27lb Common.

Bang on the nose. The scales can’t lie! I went back to bed.

At 0428 hrs I’d just woken up and rolled over, thinking I needed a wee, although it could wait.

Then the rod went – AGAIN!

Thankfully, this was a nice straightforward fight.

Although, when you’re desperate for the toilet, even a straightforward fight feels like hard work!

20lb 4oz Common.

That was carp number 19.

I lay there for a moment thinking about it…

Nineteen carp.

This was already by far the best session I’d ever had on Airfield Lake. I couldn’t quite believe it. Sometimes everything just comes together. There was no pressure, no expectation. I’d simply found a spot I liked, put some bait in and trusted the plan. But now there was one question.

Could I make it twenty?

Carp number 20

Around 0730 hrs, the rain finally arrived. I had tucked myself back into the sleeping bag and tried to catch up on some much-needed sleep. Most of the kit was already packed away, and I was hoping to be on my way home around 1300 hrs. There was still time for one more fish.

At 0902 hrs, the left-hand rod was away like a rocket. I tried not to think about the number. I didn’t want to think about twenty; I just wanted to land the carp. It nearly wrapped itself around my other line at one point as it did its best to get into the bay to my left. I followed it, keeping the pressure steady and guiding it away from trouble. The lake was now flat calm, and it was drizzling after a brief lull in the rain. Perfect bite time. The carp came back towards me, the net went out, one final turn and over the cord.

24lb 13oz Common.

Carp number 20.

I’d actually done my maths correctly this time – Probably!

I’m not sure what I was expecting to feel, but there was certainly a huge sense of satisfaction. Twenty carp from one session (sometimes it’s hard to catch 20 in a month!), and not twenty small carp either.

There were several twenties, multiple fish over 25lb and some absolutely stunning Airfield Lake commons. More importantly, I’d enjoyed every single one.

Time to go home

By 1115 hrs, I was still sitting there waiting for the drizzle to stop.

Most of the kit was packed away and ready to go onto the barrow. If it wasn’t looking any better by 1145 hrs, I’d reel in and start ferrying everything back to the car. I’d hoped to manage it with a couple of trips with the barrow fully loaded. Instead, I was probably going to get a little damp. But after the session I’d just had, I really didn’t care.

I’d come to the lake with a plan.

I’d spent time studying the area on Deeper Maps+ before I even arrived. I’d looked at the water levels, the bars and the boulders and worked out where I thought the carp would be comfortable.

I’d then put a decent amount of bait into the area and left it alone. The changing conditions did the rest. The result was something I could never have predicted. Twenty carp, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

One lost during the session, but twenty landed, with a best of 27lb 3oz. There were some fantastic fish amongst them, but for me it wasn’t really about the weights. It was about the buzz.

After more than forty years of carp fishing, that feeling hasn’t changed. The anticipation when the rods go out. Watching the water. Trying to understand what the carp are doing. Making a decision and getting it right. Then hearing those first few bleeps before the bobbin drops and the rod springs into life. That’s what keeps me coming back.

On this occasion, Airfield Lake gave me that feeling twenty times.

What a session.

1145 it was time to pack up and head home

Until next Time

Richard

P.S – I’ve tried to match up the correct carp photo with their weight, because there were a couple of moments when I had multiple captures; it may well be wrong, but hopefully there are 20 carp all different.

Get 10% off Deeper with Code – RICHARD10