Location – School Lake – 5 hours

With my gardening this week and the weather forecasting heavy rain on Thursday, I switched about all my jobs. When Thursday arrived, it was a pretty good day and with no work to do, I headed down the school lake to try my luck. I didn’t think it was going to be easy and felt being mobile would be the best way forward – as long as the lake was quiet.

I arrived just after 9.15 am and there were only 2 other anglers. With the lily pads up, it would help to split up the swims more and make more swims available – if the lake got crowded.

There’s still that cold northeast wind blowing, but a lot less strong than the previous few days and I don’t think there was a frost this morning. Hopefully, this means the weather may be on the turn and getting warmer.

I was only fishing with one rod and this rod was on the ground, as I didn’t want any bank disturbance. It was away just before 10 am, with a hard fighting carp that really didn’t know it had been hooked until mid-way through the fight. It then really woke up and gave an amazing scrap; out into the mild of the lake at one point and desperately trying to get into the snaggy margins. I eventually gained more control and guided the carp into the waiting net.

Lovely looking School Lake Common.

I moved along the bank about 5 swims and this time put one on the margin and the other on the drop off of the island. I catapulted some 8mm Catalyst pellets soaked in the Catalyst food dip and about 8 Smokey Jack boilies.

Not long after, probably around 11 am, the left rod was away and another School Lake crazy carp was giving me the run around (as they do!). It was desperately trying to get behind the old post’s which surround the island. They are remnants of the lake’s past.

A lovely Mirror this time.

After having a bit of a mooch about and finding a patch of fizzing on the dam wall out of the wind. I knew it was worth another move, the carp really didn’t like this wind, and neither do I!

I’m really hoping we don’t get any rain, but it’s not looking brilliant. I’m sure yet more cold water going into the lake, will not be ideal.

I decided that as the wind was blowing directly into my face and was pretty cold and I hadn’t seen a sign of a carp for a good hour, I would move back to my original swim I started from for the last hour.

I thought that I would put both rods on the floor, with small pva bags on, and drop them both into the margins. 15 minutes after I’d done this, the right-hand rod was away like a rocket under the overhanging tree to my right, I had to put the rod tip well under the water to avoid all the branches, coax the fish back under them, and then out into open water. This was so I could play the fish out and then be able to net it without to much bother. It didn’t give in to my demands to easily, but inevitably it gave up the fight and slipped into the net.

That will do me and with an hour to go, I thought it would be nice to relax in the sunshine and if I’m lucky another one my come my way. If not I’ve enjoyed my few hour’s on the lake today.

As it turned out, I spotted a very large black cloud heading my way and I made my escape just before 4pm. I’m looking forward to getting back on my syndicate lake after this success and I will have try and get back some evening’s over the coming months.

Until Next Time

Stay Safe

Richard