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After a fantastic week away, camping in Wales at Quarry Lodge Campsite, we had splendid weather all week long.

I’m all set for a few weekends on the bank until the school holidays start in late July. The good weather continued when we came back, and this isn’t ideal for carp fishing. However, it’s really nice to be back on the bank again after the monster that lives in this lake. It has been seen by most and lost by a few, I can’t wait for someone to actually land the fish, as we will finally know the true size.

Due to the heat, my swim selection will be based on shade, and there’s a limited amount of swims available like that.

I certainly wasn’t rushing to set up in the heat. I arrived about 2pm and turned right after going through the gate. There are 4 swims this way that fitted my shade requirements, after not really that much looking and a quick chat with a fellow syndicate member, I pitched up out of the sunshine. I soon found myself back in the same swim I was in on my last trip, hopefully losing less carp, but getting more on the bank.

The wind was pushing from the northeast, straight into this swim, which was very refreshing and hopefully something the carp like as well. It’s been blowing in this direction for about two weeks, which is great.

It was certainly nice to be cooler than being stuck out in the open. I was kind enough to wait until the day angler had fished fishing, he was actually some way away, but I don’t like to disturb their fishing unless it’s really necessary and a storm is coming. He was off at 4pm and it fitted in quite nicely with my arrival and setting up at a slow pace. Once he was gone, I got the bait out onto my spots, flicked the rods out, set up camp, sat back, and got the Weber on the go, with my favorite Yorkshire pudding filled with chicken, potatoes, and pigs in a blanket. Perfect food after a few hard hours gardening, loading the car, plus setting up in this heat, hopefully, I will be rewarded with a carp or two.

Phone off and time to chill and see what the night brings.

Just after 11 pm, the right-hand rod was away, it was feeling good until suddenly the hook pinged out. Oh well, you can definitely tell I’m on the Airfield Lake. The rod was soon cast back on the spot, and the wind had picked up nicely.

That was the only action over the dark hours, I’m still hoping something will come my way over this morning into early afternoon.

Hopefully, I will be nicely shaded today by the trees, as it’s warming up.

Today was very uneventful. I did lead around to my left a little more and found a slightly better area to lower my bait onto. My fingers are crossed that this starts to pay off soon. It will be my fourth night focusing on that area with no action. It is so strange as I know they are passing over the bait, perhaps they just don’t feed there – yet.

I topped up the other area in the hope of another bite this evening or early morning, and just in case I abandoned the left-hand spot. I don’t fancy risking going further along, as it may put the fish’s welfare at risk and I don’t like to fish at all costs, it’s a style that many angles adopt.

A kingfisher momentarily perched on my rods today. Unfortunately, the light was all wrong at the time.

It’s time to get the Weber on the go again on tonight’s menu – lasagne and salad, after a tuna roll and salad at lunchtime. You may have noticed I’ve gone all healthy after the food poisoning that I had a few weeks back after my last trip! I had a rather doggy packing up time and for the next week, I was so rough, I never want to feel that ill for a long time.

24 hours had passed since my first take when the right-hand rod finally burst into life again. From the get-go, it was behaving like a small carp, but once it was within a few rod lengths it was off down the right-hand margins and it was a struggle to turn. If the hook pulled at this point, I would’ve wondered what I had lost. I gained control and after a pretty wild battle under the rod tip, this very wild Airfield Lake carp was in the net.

I didn’t weigh it as the mozzies were driving me crazy at this point, and there was no real need to put the carp under any more stress. It was probably about 12lb, not a monster (I’m afraid), but a carp and a blank saver. I can’t really complain about that.

The rod was cast back out with a fresh Spotted Fin Big Fish 22mm Wafter on. I’m trying a different approach on one rod with the hook baits in an attempt to catch the unknown beast of the lake.

Over the night, there wasn’t any more action, and by 9am, I’d switch the left hand further out and closer to a hump that the carp absolutely love. Getting the carp in from there is very problematic.

Once 11am arrives, I’ll probably move the right-hand rod and also nearer that area, depending on the next few hours.

Ian’s due to pop down today to collect a few bits and bobs and hopefully will stay for a brew. If I’m lucky, get some action footage in!

The pressure has dropped from 1020 MBS to 1012 MBS, and I’m hoping will produce a bit more action. I’m going to switch over to both rods in open water tonight and possibly PVA bags, I need to put a bit of thought into catching a couple of carp over my last 24 hours.

I switched things around a bit today in an attempt to get a bite at some point, unfortunately, it’s nearly 6pm. I’m still hoping something happens before 9 pm when I going to move them both over to the open water spot, where I’ve managed to pick up the only two bites so far of the trip.

The conditions are awesome this afternoon – hot and sunny. The wind has really picked up and pushed onto this bank. Last night, the carp was all over the shallower areas in the late afternoon/early evening and stupidly I didn’t move one rod. I’m hoping for the same tonight. They appear to be later coming, I’ve even switched over to small bags and 15mm wafter. There’s no point in leaving them where they are as the carp will have me around a boulder before I get out of the bivvy! I’ve been sitting on my chair with my waders on all day, waiting and hoping.

Just before 10pm, the repositioned left-hand rod was away, and heading hard left along the margins. This resulted in my going through the brambles on a mission to retrieve it. There was a lot of crashing and snapping of branches, with me removing a fallen tree, which was a lot more rotten than my last expedition to remove it after losing a carp in there a few weeks back. This time I got the rig back, no carp attached.

Hopefully, I may have fixed the issue, but I probably need to investigate again and clear a bit more away. Otherwise, it’s pointless to fish this swim. Dead trees do fall down at some point and aren’t always easy to spot.

With the rod back out there, I’m hoping for another bite, and with my handy work, a carp in the net.

I’m always amazed at how carp are fully aware of their surroundings, this tree must have come down over this winter, and with every take, I get them heading left, whereas before it was 50/50 as there was no snag for them to unhook themselves on. Now they are straight towards it, hopefully, they will discover it’s gone and go back to how they were before.

The next take was at around 0230 on the left-hand rod again, and I wasn’t going to lose this one. Waders on and straight out of the bivvy, I picked the rod up and instantly started gaining ground. I kept an eye on which direction the line was heading away from the tip eye. Luckily, it was staying pretty much in the middle of my swim and only tried to go right, once under the rod tip, which at this point the carp was fully in my control.

18lb 12oz and full of joy again after being extremely grumpy after losing the one earlier. I soon had the fish back and the bait back out there. Time for a few more hours kip.

I was up by 7am and getting the kit sorted. The right-hand rod gave a couple of bleeps, and the tip was knocking. I slackened off the line, dropped the bobbin down and it pulled up straight away. I grabbed the rod and pulled into a carp, which was on for a few minutes before yet another hook pull happens.

Not great news, as it’s 3 lost carp and only two landed this trip. The kit was all sorted by 9am and I was off home before the day got way too hot for me!

Until next time

Richard

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