I’ve just spent the last four days in Ireland visiting family. Over that time, the weather has finally taken a turn for the better after months of tough conditions. A mild southwesterly wind, double-digit temperatures even overnight, and reasonably low pressure—things were shaping up nicely. The only downside? Heavy rain expected this afternoon and again on Sunday morning. Hopefully, the forecast shifts, but with strong winds in play, I’m optimistic the carp will be on the feed. Fingers crossed this session brings me my first Meadow carp of the winter.

I was up early and on the water by 08:30—perfect timing as the overnight anglers packed up and headed home, giving me the chance to set up before the rain arrived between 12:00 and 13:00.

I spent nearly an hour watching the water from different spots around the lake, hoping for any sign of movement. But the carp weren’t giving much away, so I opted for a swim I fished most of last winter while chasing the Scattered Lin. It felt like my best shot at a bite, offering both marginal spots and plenty of open water over gravel. With so many options, I could have easily doubled up and fished three rods per angler—but with only two at my disposal, choosing the perfect spots was tricky.

Eventually, I placed both rods along the margins, slightly further into open water than usual. I baited each spot with six small Dot Spomb, a mix of Co-De and The Big Fish Mix, with matching hook baits. If needed, I’d switch to Plum & N-Butyric Acid pop-ups tomorrow.

The rain persisted through the night, though lighter than expected. By morning, I was greeted by mist and light cloud, hopefully clearing to sunshine to get the carp moving. So far, I hadn’t seen or heard a thing, but I was hoping for a change—something to give me a clue, some inspiration.

After an entire day of scanning the water with no signs of fish, I wasn’t convinced that changing baits would help. Luckily, I had a tub of boilie crumb mix in the car. I decided to put four large Spombs over each rod, hoping the small food particles would draw fish in and get them searching for something more substantial.

The day turned into a stunning afternoon, plenty of sunshine—ideal conditions to spark some feeding activity. As evening fell, it felt perfect, but the carp didn’t seem to get the memo. A single bleep overnight gave me some hope, but nothing materialized. With about an hour left before packing up, I was clinging to the hope of a last-minute bite to avoid another Meadow Lake blank.

Fingers crossed…

But it wasn’t to be. As promised, I was home by 10:00, my family kindly letting me head straight to the bank after returning from Ireland. Now, my suitcase still needs unpacking.

Until next time.

Richard

 

 

 

 

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