With the Easter holidays starting on Friday, I’m out for a few nights before I spend the next two weeks with the family. My dad is due down on Sunday, which will be nice all around for everyone, and hopefully, we will get a chance to go out for a few days as long as the weather holds out.
The weather is pretty spot on today. A big weather front arrived yesterday and the pressure dropped way down to 993 Mb, it will slowly increase over the next 48 hours to around 1019 Mb. The winds have been gusting up to 45 mph, the only downside was the volume of rainwater that fell. However, that has passed and didn’t affect the angler further down the bank catching 2 last night. He was on a quick mid-week overnighter and there had also been a few carp coming out this week.
My swim selection was based partly on trying to avoid that strong westerly wind pushing right into my face. This gravelly ground is not the best to get your pegs in securely. Once today has done, I pretty much missed the real strong winds, they’ve gone more up north.
The wind is due to swing around a bit in the coming 48 hours, which will be interesting to see if the carp appear on the back of the wind. I’ve set up in the lee of a small spinny to give me some shelter from that wind.
I’ve fished this swim before, April has always the perfect time – warm days and fresh nights. This resulted in three carp one night – 2 x 30s, and a 25lber. I am hopeful I will get something similar tonight.
I’m fishing the same spot where I generally do in this swim. Just in front of a point that never really gets fished. Oddly, it’s pretty impossible to get a bite when you’re fishing in it, however fishing across to the same spot you do very well. It must be something to do with the way the line lays. This is my personal opinion as to why we blank in that swim, if you go long range it’s a different story altogether.
I personally favor walking around to the point, baiting up from there, and then fishing single across to it. I find it easier to underarm cast my large spomb filled with a lovely mixture of Flaked Maize soaked in Classic Corn Method Ready Bait Soak. With a Masala wafter on each rod, I’m planning on using bags once the wind has died down later on tonight or tomorrow.
My Fish Deeper Page comes in handy a lot. There’s not always a need to cast your Deeper out every time – once you have mapped the lake.
The day is turning out to be another mixed bag of weather, sunshine (warmth), rain, hail, and it’s a lot colder now.
As the evening drew in, a carp topped twice – about 10 yards away from my spot and the confidence flooded back after the various weather this afternoon. It had been looking bleak. This gave me a new focus and just before 9 pm the left rod ripped off, with a hard fight carp desperate to get into the corner snags. I slowly walked backward guiding the carp out, it ran towards me at one point. I thought it had dropped off, but it was now going for the snags to my left along the margins, I caught up with the carp, quickly applied pressure, it rolled on the surface about 2 feet away from the snag, I slowly took control and played the fish out under the rod tip.
Happy with that result after the last few weeks and one on the first night! It is always a bonus and takes the pressure off, the rod was soon back out, and just before the wind started to pick up again.
The rest of the night was bleep-free and clear skies. Just around dawn time the rain arrived and drowned out the noise from the world slowly waking up. I drifted back off to sleep listening to the pitta patter of raindrops. I woke up just after 8 am which was a surprise.
I was surprised about the rain, it was only forecast for a few hours when I last looked.
It looks like it’s set in for the day, the Weber will be in the doorway for lunch but hopefully not for tea. The sunshine is due back tomorrow, to keep the water temperature rising.
I rebaited quite early today (due to needing the toilet sooner than expected!), I topped up the swim quite a bit as I was concerned about all the liners I was having. Somewhere due to the wind but I’m sure others were feeding fish of some sort. It will be interesting to see what happens this afternoon, the conditions are slightly different from yesterday and could potentially produce me a carp or two!
Lunch was had nearly in the sunshine, it’s got a lot warmer than this morning and it’s nice to be sitting outside, as I thought I was stuck inside for the day.
Just before 9 pm, the left had was away. I knew instantly something was wrong due to the flapping of wings on the surface and a lot of quacking going on. The Mallard who had been diving near my hook baits had finally picked it up. This is not what you need in the dark and not their normal behavior. It was all going well until it was close to the bank, took flight across the front of my swim and into the overhanging hanging trees to my right. It proceeded to get tangled in the branches and get caught up in them.
Luckily I had my waders, but in the car, with a little assistance from my fishing neighbours who looked after the rod when I popped up in the car to get them. It turned out the only way to get to the duck was through the undergrowth. Luckily for me, it was shallow as the tree stuck out some 20ft into the lake, I made it to the bird, unhooked it, and released it, to no doubt return later tomorrow and pick up my baits again!
It was a very misty spring morning and after a night of no bleeps, I needed to get my thinking cap on again. The coots had also found my baits. The thing is, there’s clearly carp about in this lake. I just need to work out whether to move swim or stick with it. I will wait for the morning weather update and consider my options.
My decision was made up, I decided that I needed to move my left rod more into open water and away from the prying eyes of my over-friendly mallard! I was still fishing in the zone where I’d caught carp, however hopefully away from Mr. Duck. It would still give me a chance of catching a few more tonight. I’d switched both rods over to bags and short hook-links, this is something I’m experimenting with this season.
Fingers crossed that tonight brings be better luck
.
That was a frosty bleep-free night for me. Strange as everyone else caught. But they were near the tree line and I had moved my rods out into open water more.
Until next time
Richard
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It’s that time of the year when I’m finally back on Airfield lake. It feels like a lifetime since we were last here. It’s been a long, hard old winter this year.
I never grow tired of this place with its incredible views.
I arrived before Ian this week, we discussed some options in the week after looking at the forecast and had decided that we really need to be behind that cold northerly wind. Thursday was going to be the windy one and it would drop off over the next 24 hours. The pressure was rising, however, there was more sunshine forecast than earlier in the week. We need the sunshine out to keep the water temperature up and fingers crossed, the carp may feed.
I was considering not bothering this week, however with the school Easter Holidays ever closer and my dad is visiting for two weeks. We are looking forward to seeing him as we last saw him last August when we holiday on the Norfolk Broads. It only gave me two weekends to fish.
I called Ian just after 9 and discussed what was available, as well as the fact that Meadow Lake would also be closing tonight and the weekend anglers would be heading our way. We felt that the bottom part of the lake complex would get the most attention and probably put the carp off feeding as well. This left the North Bank of the complex and the island swims.
This swim was the perfect spot out of the wind unless there was a bit of an easterly kick to it. In the sunshine it’s baking hot, unfortunately, the sleety snow showers were something I hadn’t planned for and it certainly made me think about where to place my baits and the amount of baited I planned on using.
The right rod was off the island in front of me, just off the gravel and in a lovely smooth silty spot, with a few boilies and maize. The left rod was in the margins to my left, off the front of the big overhanging bush, which could potentially cause me an issue. I’m hoping that the carp run away from the snag into open water. First I need to get a bite to discover how they react, as they are very astute fish in here.
I had a couple of bleeps around 10 pm and was feeling confident, but they didn’t materialize into anything at all. The same happened again this morning, which must mean something is on the move, but not picking the baits up. It happened on the long rod, so there’s every chance of something giving me a line bite as well, but it’s a positive note.
It’s a lovely misty Spring morning and still no signs of carp yet (which is a shame), but we are trying to get them back on unnatural food. They have been eating natural food since 1st November when it closed and over the hard winter that we had, so who can blame them really?
We will put a bit of thought into how to approach tonight and next week’s session over the next 24 hours.
In all honesty, I generally struggle until April (which we have only just got into) and with the Easter holidays this year, I’m going to miss two weeks at probably the perfect time, but that’s how it is.
The carp have been very shy about showing themselves this weekend, with the exception of the big sanctuary bay area. They will happily stick their heads out knowing they are safely away from any hook-baits. It can be a bit frustrating for newcomers to the lake, but it’s something the older syndicate members have gotten used to over the years. I tend to check in there and if they are active there’s a good chance they will be about in other areas, but hiding away.
Had a friend around yesterday afternoon, quite happy dozing in the afternoon sunshine, close to where I was due to cook my tea on the Weber.
I don’t think there’s a lot more that I can be doing, it’s about whether the carp fancy a feed on something different.
I sorted out the margin rod and was planning on leaving the range rod out until the friendly swan swam to me and took me out. Once both rods were back out and I was happy it was time to get tea on the go.
My timing may have coincided with a rain or snow shower.
Hopefully, that black cloud will pass by with no issues, so I can cook and eat my tea in the peaceful soundings that are Airfield lake.
It was a blank night for me, with the exception of a few bleeps from the swan this morning. I woke up in a frozen bivvy, but the sunshine is doing its job – slowly.
It’s been a funny few nights with the weather, warm as toast in the day and minus temperatures at night typical April weather.
Unfortunately, no Airfield Lake carp this trip, but a very enjoyable few days’s on the bank.
Until next time
Richard
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There’s something about sunset & sunrises I absolutely love, here are
a few of my favorites.
Why I don’t use a DSLR anymore and how I’ve become to love my camera phone. I’m not sure when I started using SLR cameras for my fishing and other types of photography. I do love taking photographs and have done it for many years. Once I saved up enough money, I switched over to a Canon 350D for my first one and then started to collect different sorts of lenses over the years which meant I got an even bigger bag. At one point in time, about 14 years back, when I was disillusioned with fishing, I considered selling all of my fishing kit, going full-on photography crazy, getting a monster telephoto lens and going on a few courses. But, fishing grabbed me back again and I spent 7 years fishing on the Hampshire Avon away from the crowds instead.
One of the things that started me carrying less kit was river fishing, especially when night fishing you really need less kit. This was the time I swapped over to a Canon G5 or G6, I had two – one for each bag. If I was going for a short evening trip I would still bring my camera bag, I liked taking photos of scenic aspects of the river and the wildlife. I’d spend many hours taking photos of the Barn owls flying over the misty meadows instead of actually fishing. The bailiff would ask if I’d seen anything and I’d give him a list of the wildlife I’d seen when he really wanted to know about the fish.
Then slowly put surely Android phones came along. I was using my phone more for writing and taking the odd photo, it was easier than sitting down a few days later and trying to piece together something. At this point in time, I was still working in shipping doing 12/13 hour days week in week out, ships never stop coming and the more I could simplify this process the better
I started this website back in 2012, nearly 10 year’s ago. I think that also played a part in me switching over to my phone for all my needs. When I was fishing Petersfield Heath Lake and Westhampnet Lake, where the walk was metres and not miles, the DSLR would come along, but over time it, unfortunately, ended up in the loft in its bag. It wasn’t long after that when I switched over to a bridge camera – the Panasonic Tz 70 (I believe). This was an amazing bit of kit, it rekindled my love for wildlife and scenic shots once again.
But as time progressed and the advice of technology, camera phones were catching up and the simplicity of use was really catching on with the younger generation and the social media side of things. This certainly fuelled the advancement evermore. Instead of upgrading my kit, it was all sold off and I had become part of the photography on the phone brigade. It was hard to explain to the purists of the fishing photography world that it was (and is) very much part of the modern-day angler kit. The advancement over the past 8 to 10 years is truly amazing.
I have just recently upgraded to a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra from my old S8 Plus. It had really outlived itself a number of years ago and with my fishing being closer to a car park over the past few years, occasionally I’d thought of a new DSLR, but the cost and the memory of an extra bag, it never came about.
This new phones camera feature is something to behold and unless I win the lottery, I very much doubt a new or even second-hand DSLR will come my way again. I’m completely sold on the abilities, that a camera phone can play a part in the fishing industry, photos on social media are now just one small part of a larger ‘experience’. Most people actually watch and browse fishing photos, videos, websites on their phones these days and the capability of each person’s phone will affect the quality of their experience, this also applies to my S21 Ultra.
As I’ve recently written about me (yet again) downsizing my kit, to have only one trip from the car and more mobility. I think it’s an age thing and once I get myself an electric barrow which I think is inevitable for me. You can laugh when you see it overloaded and stacked high with a kit, but until that time, less is more.
I can write, video, take photos, piece together my blogs, edit my videos into bite-size parts that I can number and simply upload once I’m home. I just add the finishing touches at home.
I’m completely sold on the camera phone now as to purchase an equivalent DSLR would cost me a fortune and isn’t something I would consider anymore, as the capabilities are amazing.
Firstly – night shots, the below photo was taken at 9 pm at night with it set on night shot mode.
You can see that my bivvy light is on and the shadow line on the grass.
The zoom is pretty amazing and when the camera is on a tripod, it’s just outstanding.
View across the lake and zoomed-in x30 towards the tree it’s possible to zoom in an x100.
I’ve never been able to achieve this on a camera phone before.
Unfortunately, I’ve not had many sunsets or rises recently, but the vibrant colours you get this time of the year, are definitely being picked up more than my previous phone.
I understand that I’m likely to get a bit of stick over these. But for the modern-day angler, with a family that no doubt already has a camera phone, why would they feel the need to purchase a DSLR when their phone can clearly do the job. I understand that fishing companies when taking stock photos and filming videos promoting their brand should use the real top-end kit. There’s definitely a place in the business for the self-employed photographer, they are clearly a cut above the rest. I’m forever taking notes and trying to replicate people’s style, but I don’t want the everyday angler to feel the need/pressure to be at the same level as this part of the industry. Just concentrate on your fishing and take note of how the professionals use the background and settings to their advantage and you will be able to replicate something similar without the need for a rucksack full of kit.
I hope this helps
Until next time
Richard
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Looking Back Over 2015 Part 8 of 10
With the success of the previse session of looking back over the year’s, I’ve decided to go back even more. This series off podcast will feature 2015 grouping multiple trips in one long podcast, from pike to carp fishing and easy lakes, to the big water I love to fish so much.
I have been looking at this area for sometime and felt this was my opportunity I had been waiting for.
It’s a small bay area with plenty of overhanging trees.
The right hand rod was cast under the overhanging tree, just to the left of the bush.
My left rod was in the corner, flicked in the gap between the two overhanging trees.
As another day session draws to a close and the third blank in a row (with the day trips). I had better get my thinking hat on, before my weekend night trip out on Sunday.
Till the next time
Richard
And the corner looked just perfect.
Despite the angler pressure, the incredible numbers of Roach and Rudd in here. I felt that the bay rod would have a good amount of Poloni boilies scattered around with my ground bait mix. I spombed out 8 loads and fished a 14mm poloni pop up over the spot.
The right hand rod was cast over to the same margin but along near a gap which leads to the sanctuary area of the lake.
This rod was a single 18mm poloni pop up with a Godman Angling verseacat filled with Bait-tech Hemp oil. This added a tiny bit of attraction to the area because of the possibility that there may be too much bait out there or the fish had been hammered. I thought this would be the best approach. I didn’t feel that I had over done the bait as my mixture is pretty much all ground up.
And is mostly for attraction and a small amount of feed, for the Carp.
It was a pretty grey day and looking very wintry however, I was certainly not dressed like it was winter!
Much to my amazement, other than a couple of beeps that was it. With the sun coming up, it was time to pack up and head home.
Just an amazing time of the morning to be out there.
Till next time
Richard
All very close quarters fishing and an amazing adrenaline rush when you get a take, let’s hope so.
After about 1 hour, the rod bust into life with a very unhappy carp attached. It was doing it’s best to gain some ground and get back under the trees and there was no way was I letting that happened. After a few bids for freedom from the fish, which included a pretty big attempt that nearly had the fish out in the main lake. This would have been a disaster, as the trees stick out about 30 ft or so and I’m not sure if the fish would have got itself round the tip of the trees. Once under a bit more control, the fish just plodded under my rod tip in the deep margins until it finally slipped over the cord.
27 lb 6oz of stunning Mirror Carp.
Once all the photos and videos had been done and with 3 hour’s still to go, I moved onto my next swim which was some 40 yards down the bank.
This swim has had a well needed haircut.
I used the same tactics as before, a few handfuls of chopped up Bait-tech Poloni Boilies with a 14 mm pop up and a small Godman Angling mesh bag filled with micro – my new stick mix, that I have made up using Bait-tech products and some of their micro pellet range.
Unfortunately, that was the only fish of the day, but who cares? It was a beauty.
Until next time
Richard
I am feeling quite confident that there will start to be more action along this bank, as the fish move out of open water and head for the safety of the tree’s and warmer margin bank.
I have adapted my stick mix for the winter, which I will get round to posting a blog on that soon.
According to the weather man it’s going to be sunny today.
Not quite there yet, as it’s pouring with rain and my coat is in the car – oh well I will dry out when the sun does arrive.
Well I am truly gutted and more, as I have had my first hook pull for sometime and the power of the fish tells me it was certainly a good one, aargh.
I have moved swim to where I had the 27 lb from the other day and still not happy. The sun has come out, so at least I will dry out.
Unfortunately, even with a change of swims my luck was not on my side today.
Till next time
Richard
I have gone back in the same swim as I am feeling very confident with this area of the lake.
The sun finally arrived, unfortunately, because of the angle of the swim, I don’t get the sunshine, however the margins do.
Perfect spot for a bait. By 12.45, I was thinking oops the revenge maybe on me. I had until 14.00 before I needed to reel in, so I had my fingers crossed.
Well, unfortunately no joy today.
Until next time
Richard
Anyway here we are on a nice calm Monday morning down the lake again, after those carp. Can’t believe it’s so mild and we are still in November. If this carries on, not sure if I will get Pike fishing.
I am in the same swim as before and using the same approach as normal.
I was getting a bit worried I had selected the wrong swim again, when a small common of around 12 lb saved the day.
Till next time
Richard
This swim is just a perfect spot. It has a nice overhanging branch with a u shape that you can drop your bait under.
Quite like this photo, directly taken into the sun and with no effects used.
For my first take of the day, I was rewarded with a fish stuck in the snag, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, and sitting and waiting and after 30 minutes, I had a nice fat branch to show for my efforts. So time to move and by just after 11 am, I was back in the same swim as my last trip – hopefully with a better results. I never even had a chance to feel the fish because as the rod hooped round and I pulled into it, it was already locked solid.
Coffee time and some reflection.
Not my day at the moment, just had a tench of about 6 lb. I was going to move, however decided to stay put for the last hour & a half and see what happens.
Well as time draws ever closer to my packing up time, I was typing this blog up and the rod hops over in the rest. I have the clutch done up tight, there is a single bleep as I grab the rod and sink the tip under the water. I pull the fish gently out from under the overhanging trees (no tench this time), it was a nice fat 21 lb 4 oz common.
It just proves that anything can happen in the last few minutes.
Till next time
Richard
I am in the same swim as normal to start off with and we will see how it goes. I am still using 14 mm poloni pop ups over a bed of chopped up Bait-tech Poloni Boilies and a Godman angling mesh bag filled with a new mix of Bait-tech products, that I have made up as a winter bag mix. I will get round to doing a blog soon about them but I just keep forgetting and as I make the mix up at home, I need to do it there and as I do all my writing on the bank it keep slipping my mind.
Weird sky’s as the wind changes to a NW and the cold front arrives.
Luckily for me today I have an extra two hours as the kid’s both have an after school activities today, otherwise it would be a blank trip out. Let’s hope the next couple of hours changes this.
Unfortunately, no luck today.
Until next time
Richard
We all met up between 0830/0900 and were all treated to a breakfast courtesy of Bait-Tech’s very own Hayley Goldsmith and that was a great start to the day.
We all drew swims and I was out 5th and picked peg 9. This would put me on the other side of the spit and sheltered from the cold NW wind. On my drive up here, there had been sleet showers and one of the guys was stuck for a couple of hours due to snow. It was the first weekend of really Wintry weather. However, the fish where still showing and it was not long before the first fish was on the bank (but not my bank).
The swim I had picked gave me access to the golf bank. This is out of bounds and had a nice reed lined bank, which is where I put the first rod. The second rod was off this margin shelf in 8 ft of water.
Both had 14mm poloni pop up on with 4 spombs of chops over the top.
With no action over night and a nice sunny day approaching I was hoping for a mid morning take.
Unfortunately, that was not meant to be.
I had a fabulous time with all the Bait-Tech crew and a great laugh to.
Until next time
Richard
As the leaves are dying back, you can now clearly see where I am placing my bait in this swim – just under the arch of the tree. All baited up with a couple of handfuls of chopped up Bait-tech Poloni Boilies and a godman angling mesh bag filled with micro pellets soaked in Krill and Tuna oil, it has a 14 mm poloni pop up over the top.
It’s now 1 pm and with no action and an hour to go, I am thinking I may have picked the wrong spot, which is a bit of a surprise but that’s fishing for you.
Unfortunately, today was not to be
Until next time
Richard
Part 9 of 10 will follow in a couple of weeks
Until then Richard
Mental Health & Fishing
I thought I would share how I believe fishing has helped me get through all the years of suffering and into many more.
My depression started, way back when I had no idea what was going on. It is only in the past twenty years when the illness has been brought out into the open and less of a stigma attached to it.
Unfortunately, there is still a vast gap between people who suffer and people who don’t. There is just no real way to explain that one second I can be perfectly ok and the next unbelievably sad and wishing I could burst out crying. Which in a nutshell, is how I have lived my life for decades, there is no trigger that I can spot.
I was prescribed medication a good number of years ago and took them for about a year when things were really bad. But after reading lots about the long time side effect, I discided this was not the way forward for me and I just have to deal with this down moments in time my own way.
What I (and my wife) noticed it never happened when I was fishing. In some ways, I thought was odd, as I generally fish alone and have done for many years. I think we fish better like this; don’t get me wrong, you can see from my blogs over the years I have started to fish more, with other people. I often wondered whether it was due to having fewer things going on. Which can’t really be the case, when you consider how much time I have spent by myself before I took redundancy. Work was so full-on, over 12 hrs a day and my mind was occupied with work 24/7, it still would kick in but a lot less. However, over the past 4 winters, since finishing my shipping days and doing gardening now, the Winter months have become less active for both work and fishing. There is a clear difference between the weeks where I can fish and the weeks I can’t. I have come to realize that fishing is definitely my happy place or it could be just getting out into the countryside and the freedom of it all. For me it’s the best therapy there is and I’m not sure where I would be without fishing. There has been the odd time where I just could not get out of bed, but I found that I just had to go and tell myself, just go for a walk around the lake. Inevitably, I would stay and fish, probably not to the best of my ability, however, I was out there. It also goes without saying that my wife & family have been so understanding and letting me out in the bank all these years.
I have also found that it’s a great satisfaction for seeing my friends catch carp – it must be the emotion of the moment which rubs off on me. I get a great sense of well being.
I do hope this helps people and maybe, it’s worth taking up fishing of some sort. It may just turn out to be the best therapy you can ever get.
Richard
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