I’ve got a lot on this week, but after last week’s blank, I really needed to get myself back out there. My daughter’s car was in the garage on Wednesday (today), and I’d asked them if they could get it done by lunchtime. That would give me a solid window to get to the lake and spend two nights on the bank. Otherwise, I’d have had to come tomorrow and leave early Friday morning, which, with my schedule this week, would have been far from ideal.

I also wanted to avoid the rainstorm predicted around 1400 hours. I’d been checking the weather that morning, and realistically, I figured my best option was to fish the same swim I tried last week. I know it might seem a bit “stubborn” to some, but the carp were there, just not taking my bait. With the conditions being perfect for that swim, all my years on this water told me it was the right choice. The only other realistic option was a back swim, which I checked, but my instincts screamed: “Here is where it’s happening.”

The pressure is building nicely from 1014mbs today to 1029mbs by Friday, and there’s a decent blow forecasted across the water over the next few days.

My baiting approach mirrors last week’s, just more conservative at first—less bait until I get a bite or two. These carp absolutely adore large beds of bait, which has brought me some incredible captures over the years. But at this time of year, you have to be cautious. Strange to think of it when they’re crashing around like maniacs, but with spawning season typically in the first week of May, it’s clear they’re feeding hard to prepare for the upcoming marathon.

I based the approach around smaller food items: more Jurassic Particles hemp and buckwheat, alongside plenty of Nutrabaits Boilie Bites. To keep everything consistent, I also halved a few 15mm EnerGize boilies so everything matched that small, natural feeding approach.

1632 hrs – The left-hand rod screamed into life. The fish kited to the right and picked up my other rod before I could react. I had to slacken the other line and flick it aside so it wouldn’t keep bleeping. After that, the fight was relatively straightforward, and a beautiful carp slid over the cord:

24lb 12oz Common

What a relief after last week’s trials and tribulations—blanking, nearly losing my balance on the bridge, damaging my electric barrow, and carrying most of my kit back to the car. This was a fantastic start.

After sorting out the mess of lines and resetting both rods, I settled back in the bivvy to rest my knee, which I’d injured a couple of weeks ago on the club water.

0552 hrs – The right-hand rod finally went off. After a couple of Tench overnight on the left-hand rod, it was such a relief to feel a carp hit. It fought hard, trying to find the snags to my right, but I stayed firm under the rod tip, and soon another lovely Airfield Lake carp was safely in the net:

18lb 8oz Common

Rod back out, I repositioned the other one too, thinking it would give me my best shot for the day.

0815 hrs – The left-hand rod went again. I waited, thinking it might be another Tench, but no—another carp. The bite felt strikingly similar to the Tench bites, a subtle nudge that the carp are feeding cautiously:

15lb 15oz Common

Conditions couldn’t be better 👌

1130 hrs – I’d been considering moving the long rod last week after only one bite. Watching the carp move in and out of this swim, it finally made sense. There’s a bar running past the middle swim on the island, and I couldn’t cast near it from here. After careful lead flicking, I found a promising spot. Ideally, I would have used my Deeper Sonar, but the wind would have pushed it onto the bank. I cross-checked with Maps+ and pinpointed my aim, feeling confident enough to bait it with four large spombs each.

1215 hrs – While preparing some more Godman Angling 35mm mesh bags, the rod screamed again. Only 45 minutes after baiting the swim, I spotted a Ghosty early on. I thought this fish was gone, having discussed it with someone recently, but here it was in my net:

16lb 2oz Ghosty

1302 hrs – The same rod was away again, this time a feisty carp that stayed near the surface most of the fight, making me second-guess every move. Eventually, it calmed down in the margins, and after a tense battle, another stunning carp slipped over the cord:

26lb 12oz Common

What a beast, that classic huge Airfield Lake tail.

After that, just a single Tench twitch at 1900hrs, and the night was silent. I packed up early the next morning for a hospital appointment, wondering how the carp would have paired out if I’d had another night to fish.

Until next time,

Richard

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