UK Carp & Coarse Fishing

When the Plan Changes – A 42 lb 12 oz Meadow Common

I so nearly headed straight to Airfield Lake, but decided to drive around Meadow Lake first. Much to my surprise, only two anglers were fishing, so I thought I’d better take a closer look around before making my decision.

My choice of swim was largely based on which way the wind was blowing. I hadn’t seen a thing on the surface, and generally, I prefer not to know too much about how the other lakes on the syndicate are fishing. Otherwise, I’m far too easily tempted, especially when I know I need to focus on one lake rather than between two.

I do like to make at least one trip to Meadow Lake during September and October, though, just to get an understanding of how it is fishing before I spend the winter here. It’s about building a picture, watching the water, looking at how the fish are using the lake and, ultimately, getting a feel for what might be happening beneath the surface.

Having decided to stay, I would keep the bait approach exactly the same as my previous trips on Airfield Lake. I have complete confidence in that approach at the moment, so there was absolutely no reason to change it. The hookbaits would remain exactly the same too.

Nutrabait Mixed Size & Range of boilies, Jurassic Particles (Hemp & Buskwheat) alonf with a 24mm EnerGize Hardened hooker, in conjunction with Hobo Armour, with a small Castaway Pva mesh bag filled with Nutrabaits pellets.

I eventually settled on a small point, fishing out into a bay area that would receive the majority of the wind over the next 48 hours. It looked like the wind would steadily build and push into the area, and that was enough for me to give it a go.

By 9pm, I was tucked away in the sleeping bag. I was absolutely knackered after a hard week of gardening jobs. The day had been made even more interesting when I arrived home to find a plastic pipe had split behind the washing machine.

A quick trip to Screwfix, £2.45 later, and I was back home fitting the new connector. A quick test to make sure everything was watertight, and I was finally on my way down to the lake.

It had already been a long day, so getting into the bag by 9pm felt very welcome.

At 00:35, the right-hand rod gave a couple of tentative bleeps before pulling up against the buzzer and holding there.

I was straight out of the bag, picked up the rod and slowly started to pump the fish in. It was immediately obvious that this wasn’t a tench, but whether it was a carp or simply a fish buried in weed, I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t found any weed out there yet, but carp have a knack for finding whatever weed or snags they can.

After about ten minutes, it was still far from happy. It kept trying to head away to the left, so I eased the pressure on and slowly worked it closer towards the waiting net.

Eventually, I managed to get it within netting range and slipped a big old lump over the cord.

I thought I knew what I had caught, but at that point I just concentrated on getting everything ready. There was no point guessing until the fish was safely on the unhooking mat.

Once I had everything sorted, I lifted the net, and there it was.

42 lb 12 oz Common.

Happy days!

It was the big common.

I may have lost this fish a couple of years ago, and if it was the same fish, it certainly hadn’t got any smaller or any less mean. Seeing it safely in the net was a pretty special moment, especially given how close I had come to not making the trip at all.

At 05:07, the right-hand rod rattled off again.

This fish fought considerably harder than the first one, putting up a really intense battle and making me work for every inch of line. It was clearly a lot lighter than the common, but it certainly didn’t know that.

It took some time before I finally managed to get it over the cord and into the net.

21 lb 11 oz Mirror.

The second carp of the trip, and another very welcome one.

By now, though, I had hardly had any sleep, and I was beginning to feel it. Once the rain arrived, I tucked myself back into the sleeping bag and managed to grab a couple of hours rest.

A day with Ian

At around 10am, Ian popped in to say well done and ended up staying, fishing the other side of the point.

It was really nice to have a proper social. We haven’t had a decent one for a good few months, so it was great to sit down, drink a few brews, chat about fishing and generally put the world to rights.

That continued throughout the day and into the early evening.

We probably had a couple of glasses too many, but with both of us having a completely bleep-free night, it turned out to be the best night’s sleep I’d had for a good few weeks.

There really is something to be said for a full day on the bank, plenty of fresh air, good company and absolutely nothing going on.

Although I suspected all that fresh air would probably catch up with me eventually!

Checking the swim

With the wind due to pick up over the course of the morning, I decided to use the opportunity to drift the Deeper over the swim.

I didn’t want to disturb the area unnecessarily, so waiting for the wind to give me a hand seemed the sensible option.

I checked over the spots I had been fishing, and they were still looking perfect. The Maps+ work I had done before arriving had certainly paid off, and it was reassuring to see the spots were exactly where I wanted them to be.

I always enjoy drifting the sonar over a lake bed every so often. Things change, and carp have a habit of moving things around and changing the landscape beneath the surface. What might have been a perfect spot a few months ago can look very different later in the year.

It’s another small piece of the jigsaw.

Three nights well spent

I managed another very peaceful night’s sleep, and by now I was really glad I had decided to stay for the full three nights.

What had started with me almost heading to Airfield Lake had turned into a brilliant few days on Meadow Lake.

A 42lb 12oz common, a 21lb 11oz mirror, a proper social with Ian, plenty of laughs, a bit of fishing and, perhaps most importantly, some time away from everything else.

Ian had one more night to go, so hopefully he would get a nice reward for his efforts as well.

Sometimes the best sessions are the ones you almost don’t make it to.

Until next time.

Richard

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My Tackle Box

Is spread over three things.

These days, I’m always looking at ways to reduce the amount of kit I carry without compromising my fishing. This is basically my compact tackle box, containing all the key end-tackle items I need for a session, without carrying loads of unnecessary extras.

This is the other half of my tackle box, covering everything from hook-shaping equipment and baiting-up essentials to a mixture of useful extras.

I always try to carry at least two or three of the same items because, for some reason, I’m forever losing things! Put a pair of scissors down on the bank and they seem to disappear into thin air 😂. No problem though—I just reach for the spare pair.

It might sound excessive, but having duplicates of the little things makes life so much easier and, most importantly, a lot less stressful when you’re fishing.

I carry a small bag containing my compact tackle box, hooklink materials and a few other essentials I might need while fishing.

My rule is simple: if it doesn’t fit in the bag, it doesn’t come fishing!

It’s all about keeping things compact and carrying only what I actually need, without compromising my ability to deal with whatever the session throws at me.

hope this helps

Richard

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Making the Most of the Changing Conditions – Meadow Lake

After a week off the bank, spending some quality time with the family, it was good to get back out fishing. With a significant change in the weather forecast for Wednesday, I knew I needed to be down the lake and set up well before it arrived to make the most of what looked like some very promising conditions.

The forecast suggested the wind and rain would then ease away for around 24 hours, leaving me to sit it out on the bank until the third night, when the wind and rain were due to return. It was going to be a case of making the most of that initial weather front and hoping the carp would respond accordingly.

I’d done something similar a couple of weeks earlier when a drive around Meadow Lake ended with me staying for a session. On that occasion, the conditions favoured more of the swims on Meadow than those on Airfield Lake, and as luck would have it, there were only three anglers fishing again this time around. With so much water to choose from, that certainly made the decision a little easier.

I settled on the southern end of the lake, knowing the new wind would be pushing hard into this area. With the conditions looking favourable, I decided to get the bait in and give myself the best possible chance of making something happen. I baited heavily with a mixture of Nutrabaits boilies and Jurassic Particles, confident in the approach, and happy to stick with what I know.

Hookbait-wise, I stayed with my ever-faithful Nutrabaits EnerGize Harded Hooker, teamed up with Hobo Armour end tackle and my trusted Ronnie rig. On the second full day, I decided to add half a White Blank Saver to the mix, introducing a little extra colour to catch the carp’s attention and hopefully encourage a bit of curiosity.

One of the hardest decisions was whether to stay for three or four nights. That extra night would have an impact on my return the following week, and with another weather front on the horizon, I needed to think ahead. I always like to be on the water and fully set up before a weather front arrives, giving myself the best opportunity to make the most of those favourable conditions rather than turning up after the event.

Thankfully, the decision to head to Meadow Lake paid off, with four bites resulting in four carp: two thirties, a twenty and a low double.

The pick of the bunch was a lovely common weighing 31lb 7oz. A cracking result is a great way to get back into the swing of things after a week away from the bank.

It’s always satisfying when a plan comes together, especially when you’ve made your decisions around the weather, chosen your swim carefully, and put your faith in a baiting approach that you’ve got confidence in. Of course, there’s never any guarantee in carp fishing, but on this occasion, the conditions and a bit of good fortune certainly fell in my favour.

Until next time,

Richard

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