There are weeks in carp fishing when everything seems to line up, and others where nothing goes to plan no matter how hard you try. This session fell somewhere in between—full of excitement, a few golden moments, and some lessons that will stay with me for the next time I return to Airfield Lake.
The Build-Up
The week before, I’d wrapped up a slow-going trip with not much to show for my efforts. My mate Ian, though, had managed a couple of nice carp after I’d left, and he’d also spotted a few milling about in my water. That gave me some confidence—I clearly hadn’t been far off.
Still, what really concerned me as I prepped for this session was the weather. The wind had swung round to the north, which usually spells trouble at this time of year. A cold northerly can kill sport dead, and with autumn knocking on the door, I wasn’t sure how the carp would react. On the flip side, the sun was shining, and with it came a surprising warmth, even with the chill of the breeze.
After a good chat with Ian, weighing up our options, I decided to give the same swim another go before trying the island again. We’d seen a very good fish show over there the previous morning, a big carp that looked to be every big, even from 300 yards away. I knew the fish were here—it was just a case of proving it by getting one on the bank.
I would like to give a brief snap shot of my life and introduce myself;
My name is Richard Handel and was born in 1965 in Suffolk. I have worked as a UK Operation & Intermodule Manager for a shipping company. I live in Hampshire now and am married with 2 young children, both girls so I am a bit outnumbered even the cat is a girl!
I have been fishing since I was about 7 years old. I started on small local rivers in Suffolk, then moved onto gravel pits and then carp fishing. My personal best is a 39.08 mirror, over recent years I have started river fishing again, on the Hampshire Avon, this is a nice break from the carp lakes.
My life has turned a big corner this year, the company I was working for relocated their Operation centre to Estonia. I was offered a job at the head office in London. This would have meant a 5 day commute and working in Stratford. As a family, we did not fancy this, as I would hardly spend any time with the children (and the Mrs). So after 22.5 years, I was given a nice redundancy package and with my wife is working full time. I became the house husband.
This has meant a complete turn around in my fishing, as I can pick and choose when I go. I have found a splendid new syndicate to fish this year, which includes 5 lakes and some 8 miles of river with only 150 members. It's an amazing change to the way I am able to fish.
I am now trying to start my own tackle business and make a bit of a name for myself in the world of fishing, as I have retired from real work.
Richard
UK Carp & Coarse Fishing 