As darkness slowly crept across the lake, I settled back in my chair, a warm brew in hand, listening to the gentle rustle of the trees and the occasional splash somewhere out in front of me.
The rods were positioned exactly where I wanted them, the traps set, and now there was nothing more to do but wait.
The first night of any session is always special. It’s a mixture of excitement, optimism, and endless possibilities. Every bleep from the alarms makes your heart skip a beat, and every roll of a carp out in the darkness fuels the belief that this could be the night when everything comes together.
I’d spent time choosing the swim carefully, watching the water and looking for those little clues that so often make the difference.
Confidence was high, but carp fishing has a habit of keeping you grounded. No matter how much preparation you put in, there are never any guarantees.
Still, that’s part of the attraction. The unknown. The thought that at any moment, the silence could be shattered by a screaming run and the battle with a special fish would begin. Until then, all I could do was sit back, enjoy the peace and quiet, and soak up the atmosphere.
Heading into the first night, full of anticipation, hope was running high. The stage was set—now it was up to the carp to play their part.
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 