The closing of Meadow Lake is getting ever closer, and on paper, I’ve potentially got six nights available to me. In reality, I’m not convinced it’ll work out like that. It tends to get busy this time of year, and I do shy away from that sort of fishing. I’d rather pick my moments and make them count than sit shoulder to shoulder.

I arrived at the lake just as the weekend anglers were packing up and heading home, while the next wave of us were arriving. Perfect timing really—chance to glean a bit of information, have a laugh, and catch up. There were four or five of us planning to be on that night, and I was the fourth to arrive, so I still had plenty of options.

The weather was doing its usual—changing wind directions just to keep things interesting. Not ideal, but we’d had a couple of days of southerlies, and there was talk of a pressure drop along with some sunshine to warm things up. That was enough to keep me optimistic.

The carp had clearly been on the move, with a decent number of captures over the weekend. That’s always a massive confidence boost—at least you know they’re feeding somewhere.

I wasn’t entirely sure where to go, if I’m honest. I’d formed a loose plan on the drive down, and after chatting with a few of the lads, I settled on the same swim I’d fished a couple of weeks back. The conditions were similar, and it gave me a bit of room away from others if the lake filled up over the next few nights.

I got some bait going straight away:

• Nutrabaits EnerGize 15mm Boilies
• Jurassic Particles Hemp and Buckwheat
• Nutrabaits pellets (various sizes)
• Co-De Active Stick Mix
• Co-De Sludge

All mixed together and left to soak nicely while I got organised. I set up the Frontier, sorted the marker rod, got the Spomb rod ready, and unpacked the essentials. Where possible, I like to get the bait out early and let the swim settle before casting—it just fits my way of fishing.

The evening was spot on—sat in the sunshine with a coffee, proper peaceful. Once the sun dipped behind the trees, the temperature dropped off sharply. It was a cold night, though I don’t think it quite hit a frost.

By 06:45, I was up and about. After a message from a fellow member who’d been watching carp crash since first light, I made the decision to move. It was a no-brainer really—I hadn’t seen anything in my bay, maybe the odd bosh in the night out in open water, but nothing convincing.

I moved into The Gap. No leading about, no baiting straight away—just wrapped the rods to previous distances, tied on a couple of small PVA bags, and got them out there quickly. The plan was to get the marker rod out around midday, have a proper look, and then get some bait in for the evening.

At 08:30, Ian turned up on his way to Airfield Lake. He stopped for a coffee and a chat, took one look at it, and decided to drop in next to me on the left-hand side of the swim.

About 20 minutes later, his left-hand rod gave a few bleeps… bobbins bouncing… and he was in. A lovely 25lb 2oz common—his first carp of 2026. He was absolutely buzzing, and rightly so.

We spent the next few hours chatting, drinking coffee, and even a cheeky Zero Guinness in the sunshine. During that time, I found two really nice spots—one to the right, one to the left—and got them baited up.

Ian had his bite on a white bait, and my last couple had come on White Blank Saver and an EnerGize 12mm pop-up. That was enough for me—those were going to be my go-to options.

That night felt much better—warmer, with a gentle southerly breeze. I had a few bleeps, which gave me confidence that something was in the area, but despite the anticipation, nothing materialised.

I was up from around 07:00 the next morning but still tucked up in the sleeping bag, feeling half asleep. At 09:29, just as I started to drift off again, the right-hand rod gave a single bleep. I sat up, watching… the bobbin lifted slowly… then it absolutely tore off.

The rod hooped over—proper take.

After a steady battle, I slipped a lovely 18lb 5oz common into the net.

It had taken a swim move and around 24 hours, but I’d finally got off the mark—and again, a daytime bite, which was very encouraging. Rod went straight back on the spot, and it was time for the first proper brew of the day.

By 11:30 I’d seen a few fish show to the right of my right-hand rod, slightly closer in. I wound in the left-hand rod and switched it up—an orange Blank Saver with a golf ball-sized PVA bag of Nutrabaits pellets soaked in hemp oil. One of my old favourites. I’ve been going back to methods that have given me bites over the years—it just makes sense.

At 14:00 the right-hand rod rattled off, but after a minute or two, the hook pulled. Checked it—still perfectly sharp. One of those things.

Fresh bag on, flicked it back out. With the wind gusting up to 40mph across me, I wasn’t sure whether to introduce more bait or just sit it out. The carp were clearly feeding on something out there—sometimes less is more.

At 16:52 the right-hand absolutely melted off. The carp kited hard to the right toward some nasty overhanging branches leading into a small bay. I had no choice but to give it everything I dared.

It kept going.

I dropped the tip, added more pressure… then it locked up solid.

I held it for a minute, then slackened right off and put the rod down, hoping it might move. Ten minutes of nothing. Picked it up again—just about felt something. Slowly increased pressure… a slight movement… then a big kick—and it was free.

What followed was a proper scrap under the rod tip. The fish still wanted those snags, but bit by bit, I gained control. After a couple of tense moments worrying about the hook hold, it finally slipped over the cord.

Relief doesn’t even cover it.

26lb 12oz common.

After losing one earlier, I was more than happy with that. Rod straight back out.

At 17:27 the left-hand rod was away. This one didn’t feel as big but was full of energy—very scrappy, kept me on my toes.

14lb 13oz mirror.

What a couple of hours that was—all daytime bites. You can’t ask for much more than that.

That night, the wind really picked up, gusting to 40mph and swinging from south-westerly to north-westerly. I swapped my pegs out for longer ones just to be safe and settled in.

At 23:10 the right-hand rod produced a big bream—fresh bag on and punched back out into the wind.

By 07:30 I was surprised not to have had a carp in the night. It felt so promising after the previous day, but maybe they’d just fed during daylight hours.

Decision time then—head home and come back Sunday, or make this my last session on Meadow?

By 10:30 I’d made my mind up. No action since early evening, no shows, and that cold wind cutting through—time to roll the dice and head home, with the plan to return in better conditions.

Until next time,

Richard

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