June Update

The first week was absolutely perfect carp fishing weather. It wasn’t easy by any means, and the fishing was hard going, but I managed to put a couple of fish on the bank and felt I was doing enough to stay in touch with what was happening.

From that point onwards, though, the weather certainly played its part and threw me a real curveball. The carp also seemed to switch onto more natural food sources rather than showing much interest in the bait I was introducing, which made things even more challenging.

With Meadow Lake and the River reopening on June 16th, it helped ease the angling pressure on Airfield Lake. At 64 acres, Airfield can absorb plenty of anglers without feeling crowded, but I always prefer this time of year when the pressure naturally drops away. It has become one of my favourite periods to fish the venue.

As planned, I took a drive around Meadow Lake before heading to Airfield. My intention was simple: if I saw a swim I fancied, I’d stay and fish there. A couple of days after the reopening, that’s exactly what I did. The lake was fishing reasonably well, and it felt like the right decision at the time.

Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas.

We soon found ourselves stuck in yet another heatwave, with temperatures pushing close to the 40-degree mark. That’s well beyond anything I can comfortably deal with, whether I’m fishing or working. The extreme heat pretty much put an end to both my June fishing plans and much of my gardening work, which wasn’t ideal on either count.

In the end, my efforts throughout the month produced just two carp. While that’s hardly a memorable tally, I wasn’t entirely surprised. Looking back through my old records, June has always been a mixed bag for me. I’ve had the occasional productive spell, but the common theme running through most years is that it can be a difficult month, especially when high temperatures dominate the conditions.

So, June is done and dusted. The rods have spent more time in the garage than I would have liked, but that’s fishing. Sometimes you’re battling the fish, and sometimes you’re battling the conditions.