Location – Meadow Lake

Hours Fished – 50 Hours

Tuesday arrived all too quickly this week and I was not as prepared as I would have liked.  But after finishing my only job of the day just after 1030, I was home and repacking the car with my fishing kit.

I arrived at the lake at about 1145 and spent the next hour or so walking and driving around, trying to spot any signs of carp.  This was done with not much success, so after studying the weather and chatting to a couple of members I finally picked my pitch for the next few nights.

The wind was pushing hard from the south, it was a great opportunity to get the Deeper out and draft it across the area (without much disturbance) and I located a couple of nice areas.

These just have to produce carp over the next 48 hours.

I baited both spots with a couple of kilos of Catalyst and Classic Corn boilies.  I fished a pop up on the first spot and a wafter on the second, we shall see how the first night goes.

With no success in the night!  Which was a shock – after hearing fish to my right and the strong winds from the south blowing (with a fair bit of rain in the mix) all night long.  I was sure one of the rods would burst into life at some point.  It was still raining at 9am, the wind was fading away and would swing around to the north, much colder nights are on their way.

I really don’t like this constant weather conditions changes.  I’d much prefer a constant whatever, regardless of what it is, as long as it stays the same for a few weeks.  The carp will settle into a rhythm.

After watching carp top to the right of my swim and being unable to get a bait that near to them, I decided that there was no other option but to put one on the safest spot possible without the possibility of losing the carp.

There’s a lovely overhanging tree to my right, it stops you from casting into that bay.  So, without going too far past it, I popped a pop-up on and flicked it out there, and much to my surprise, just after 1 pm it rattled off!  I was drifting my Deeper about at the time – looking for the best area to move that rod to this evening (in the hope of getting a carp tomorrow more).

23lb 5oz Common

It was an entertaining fight, simply caused by me having the Deeper out and not wanting to lose it around the corner as it drifted that way in the wind!  I would have had to stop playing the carp and wind in the Deeper.  Unfortunately, I caught a bird’s nest with the braid and got into a right mess.  The carp made it into the Nsr50 and after returning it, spent the next 15 minutes sorting out the braid.  It all turned out fine in the end.

Just after 3pm it was time to sort out the rods for the night.  I’d gotten the Deeper out again and finished off my mapping of this area and I was a bit shocked at what I found.

Lots of weed and fish!  Despite the depth, I just had to have a go.  After locating the best clear spot, I spombed out 10 loads and flicked a natural pop up out there.  I put the other rod on the same spot that had produced a carp earlier on today.  It’s going to be a cold night, but the surface temperature on the Deeper was surprisingly warmer, so this gave me the confidence to fish on the plateau at this time of the year – fingers crossed.

With no joy over the second night, it was that time to make a choice, stay another night or pack up.  The carp were extremely inactive last night, with only a couple crashing about.  I have to be off early Friday morning, so I’m not sure at the moment what to do.  The weather conditions look similar to last night at present, I will have to wait for the morning weather update.

I’ve decided I will head home today, it’s quite hard going at the moment and tonight is due to be a frosty one.  I feel I should save my third night for when the lake is fishing better.  I don’t see the point of putting yourself through all the blank nights when I know it will switch back on soon.

As I had a fair bit of the day to fish, I moved into the day swim to the right of my swim for the last few hours.  I’d been watching the carp show there the day before.  You can’t quite get a bait on that spot, there is every likelihood you will lose it in the margins snags.

With only a liner on the right hand rod, I packed up at just before 1430, hopefully, I can pick my daughter up on the way home from school as a nice surprise.  I hadn’t seen any signs of carp for over an hour and I wasn’t sure where to start looking for next week, normally I have an inkling of where to start.

Until next time

Richard