Session Journal – Early July

With the heatwave finally taking a break and a couple of free nights in the diary, I found myself back on the bank in early July. Reports from the lake weren’t exactly encouraging—it had been fishing hard, and water levels were the lowest I’d seen in years. Still, it was all to play for.

Ian had arrived the day before and mentioned that the lake was very busy. I messaged another member to check if he was doing his usual one-nighter, hoping I might be able to slide into his swim once he’d packed up. Fortunately, he was, though the timing wasn’t ideal—I had to drop my youngest off at 4:00 a.m. for a school trip. The alternatives were trying to go back to sleep or sitting around at home, neither of which appealed in the slightest.

Ian had kindly offered to double up with him if needed. Given the swim he was in and the space on his side, it was a tempting backup. But with the carp still reluctant to feed, I had my reservations. Four lines in one swim could easily be too much pressure.

I arrived at the lake just after 5:30 am, taking my time loading the car and heading down. I had a quick catch-up with Ian, dropped my bucket in the intended swim (after checking it was OK), and wandered off for a chat with Carping Kev. Then it was back to the car to grab my chair and breakfast, which I enjoyed while catching up with Ian again. As we chatted, we spotted a few carp showing between his swim and the one I was aiming for—an encouraging sign.

The weather had shifted dramatically. A cool northwesterly wind was pushing across the lake, and low mist drifted over the surface. Night temperatures had dipped to around 10°C, and everyone was saying it had been the best night’s sleep they’d had in ages—though I had a sneaking suspicion that was code for “we blanked.”

The northwesterly was forecast to swing southwesterly for a time before returning, which only boosted my confidence. The night before, I’d been on the Fish Deeper app, scouting potential spots, measuring distances with the rule tool, converting them into wraps, and lining up horizon markers. With the marker rod and a couple of extra wraps to allow for pullback, the spots felt bang on.

I baited two areas—one with around a kilo of mixed Nutrabaits boilies, and the other with ten small dot Spombs of a lighter mix. Word on the bank was that Tench had been causing havoc this year, so I’d come prepared with some 24mm hardened hookbaits, which had been soaking in booster liquids all week.

By 10:30 am, everything was sorted. I spent some time in Ian’s swim, taking shelter from the sun, then returned to get the rods out properly and grab a few hours of much-needed sleep. I put on a Korda podcast and drifted off—not because it was boring, but because I’d been up since 2:30 am and needed to recharge before the night ahead, which I felt quietly confident about.

16:45 – The left-hand rod screamed off, resulting in a Tench. I probably should’ve taken a photo—how it managed to get a 24mm Cream Cajouser boilie in its mouth is beyond me. Not exactly a good omen. The rod was quickly rebaited and back out.

Sadly, the night proved uneventful. Around 11:30 pm, I topped up both spots lightly with the Spomb and spent a couple of hours chatting in Ian’s swim before heading back at 2:00 am to reset for the day ahead. The wind picked up nicely again, this time pushing from the southwest. I felt sure the conditions were lining up for a bite.

But much to my surprise, and despite everything in my favour, I ended up blanking.

It’s mad to think that on this very weekend last year, the lake produced seven or eight carp to 35lbs. What a difference a year makes—especially when I think back to my heart attack on the Sunday night of that same weekend. A strange anniversary, and I’ve got mixed feelings about it all. In truth, I’m not quite sure how to process it. Maybe best just to move forward.

The conditions on this trip were near-perfect: cool, overcast skies with a steady, moody southwesterly blowing in. It had all the makings of a classic session.

But soon enough, it was pack-up time. Another trip wrapped up, and I won’t be back out for a couple of weeks due to family commitments.

Until next time.

Richard

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