UK Carp & Coarse Fishing

Quick overnighter.

Posted on April 14, 2024 by richardhandel

Been sometime since I tried the club lake, and I thought it was worth a go with the weather conditions.

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Trip 10 Carp Fishing – 2024

Posted on April 12, 2024 by richardhandel

17.03.23

2 Nights

Cliff Swim

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With a pending operation on my tooth this coming Friday, I’m making the most of the time I have available at the moment.

It’s now Sunday, 17th March, and I’m back out on the Airfield Lake. I arrived at about 1:30 pm, and after looking around for an hour and a bit, I visited Saturday before I went home in the same area. I’m hoping to spot something, there wasn’t a single sign anywhere. I ended up pitching in an area where I had seen the carp on Friday morning. It was a tricky one, as this area has three swims with access to slightly different areas, and from where I was pitched up Friday/Saturday, you can’t 100% tell where the carp are showing

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Ultimately, I opted for the Cliff Swim for two reasons; it has a good view of the lake and plenty more options to cast at showing carp. The downside is it’s a pain to get to, and waders were definitely required. It certainly felt like the spot to be. One rod was cast off towards Gate Island in a small bay area, with a lovely silty area. The other was a bag flicked out just into a light weed bed, leading to a lot thicker weed, with small clear spots. I also spombed out four large spombs of nutty particles, just to get those carp digging about.

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As the evening comes to a close, I’ve started to hear the odd crashing carp in the distance. Fingers crossed they get closer.

The night was dead, except for about an hour when the carp went crazy somewhere to my right. I’m not 100% sure where they were as it’s hard to tell at night on a big water. That was it until around 11:30 this morning when a couple walloped out just off the island way out in front of me, clearly larger carp. Just after noon, I headed out for a walk and spoke to a couple of other day anglers who hadn’t spotted anything either. The thought of a move didn’t appeal to me, but I did feel the open water rod should be closer to some would work, as they particularly love hiding away this time of year. You can see them in open water, but they rarely pick up hook baits. This place is such a conundrum sometimes, which makes it so appealing each year. It’s like starting over every year

I can only hope my adjustments make some difference, and my first Airfield Lake carp isn’t too far away this year, unlike last year when it took me until 30th April. Oops.

I settled in for my second night full of anticipation, but alas, despite hearing carp topping a lot closer, they were, unfortunately, not picking up my baits yet. My last morning was going to be a very wet pack-up, as it was a very wet and drizzly day. Hopefully, I could time my exit for a little dry spell, as I find with this rain, you get very wet without realizing it.

I gave it until about 10:00 AM, then started my slow pack up, in the misty, mucky surroundings.

There were no fish caught in the end. I managed to pack up reasonably okay, but still wet, though.

Until next time,

Richard

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“Navigating the Angling Rollercoaster: A Guide to Staying Resilient”

Posted on April 10, 2024 by richardhandel

“Navigating the Angling Rollercoaster: A Guide to Staying Resilient”

Introduction: Embarking on an angling journey, one might find themselves caught in the ebb and flow of successes and challenges. In Richard’s latest blog, he addresses a common struggle faced by anglers — the daunting run of blanks. With a mix of insightful observations and personal experiences, he provides a guide to weathering the storm and emerging victorious on the other side.

Chapter 1: The Blank Abyss Richard opens with a candid acknowledgment that every angler, regardless of experience, encounters periods of struggle. The key, he suggests, is to resist the urge to panic and avoid drastic changes that could further complicate the situation. Instead, anglers should take a step back, analyze the broader picture, and identify potential areas for improvement.

Chapter 2: Analyzing the Big Picture To discern whether the struggle is a personal challenge or a shared one, Richard outlines four crucial considerations. He prompts anglers to evaluate if others on the same water are blanking, to assess the timing of their sessions, to explore alternative swims, and to consider the possibility of a natural food hatch diverting carp attention. This comprehensive analysis serves as the foundation for informed decision-making.

Chapter 3: Avoiding Hasty Changes One of the pitfalls during a blank spell is the temptation to impulsively change rigs, bait, or strategies. Richard advises against this, emphasizing the importance of stability and gradual adjustments. Casting too frequently can spook the carp, hindering chances of a successful session. Patience becomes the guiding principle, allowing anglers to discern the effectiveness of their approach over time.

Chapter 4: Maintaining Confidence As anglers navigate the blank phase, Richard underscores the significance of maintaining confidence. Drawing parallels between successful sessions on familiar waters and the uncertainty of new challenges, he encourages anglers to stick to what has previously worked. Rig adjustments should be subtle, and bait choices should align with tried-and-tested strategies.

Chapter 5: Recognizing the Role of Luck In a sport as unpredictable as fishing, Richard introduces the element of luck. Highlighting that luck can be fleeting and capricious, he encourages anglers to remain optimistic, knowing that a fortunate change in circumstances can transform a season of blanks into a string of memorable catches.

Part Two: A Turnaround Tale In the second part of the blog, Richard shares a personal account of navigating through a challenging phase. Facing a prolonged struggle on his usual waters, he decides to switch to a familiar yet different lake. The change proves transformative, with Richard not only breaking the blank streak but also achieving remarkable success. His story serves as a testament to the unpredictable nature of angling and the importance of perseverance.

Conclusion: Richard wraps up the blog with a reaffirmation that every angler encounters rough patches. By maintaining resilience, analyzing situations, avoiding hasty changes, and embracing a bit of luck, anglers can turn the tide and emerge from the blank abyss with newfound success. As Richard aptly puts it, “It’s only fishing, and it can all change at the drop of a hat.” The journey continues, with each session offering the potential for a triumphant comeback.

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4 things to look for in a bivvy

Posted on April 8, 2024 by richardhandel

A carp bivvy is a type of shelter that carp anglers use to stay comfortable and protected from the weather during their fishing sessions. A carp bivvy can vary in size, shape, design, and features, depending on your preferences and needs. Here are some steps to help you purchase a carp bivvy:

1. Decide on the size and capacity of your carp bivvy. Do you need a one-man, two-man, or larger bivvy? How much space do you need for your bed, chair, luggage, and other gear? How often do you plan to use your bivvy and for how long?

2. Choose the type and style of your carp bivvy. There are different types of carp bivvies, such as pram-hood, dome, peak, or brolly systems. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, such as ease of setup, stability, ventilation, and protection. You can also choose between single-skin or twin-skin bivvies, which offer different levels of insulation and condensation control.

3. Compare the features and specifications of different carp bivvies. Some of the features you may want to look for are: the material and durability of the bivvy fabric, the strength and weight of the frame and poles, the quality and number of zips, windows, doors, and vents, the presence and size of a groundsheet, a front porch, or an overwrap, and the accessories and extras that come with the bivvy, such as pegs, carry bag, tension bars, etc.

4. Check the reviews and ratings of other carp anglers who have used the carp bivvies you are interested in.

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Until next time

Richard

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Trip 9 Carp Fishing – 2024

Posted on April 4, 2024 by richardhandel

Airfield Lake

1 Night Only

15.3.2024

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The Airfield Lake is back open, and I’m here on the first day for a quick overnighter. I arrived at about 8 am on Friday morning and was the second person there, another syndicate member was just finishing setting up. The weather is a bit all over the place over the next 24 weeks as well as the following week, which is when I’m planning on getting out here as much as possible, due to finally having my broken tooth removed next Friday. I’m not sure how I will be feeling the following week, then the week after this is the Easter holidays, and the kids are off for two weeks. The second week, the wife is off work and my dad is due to stay. Hopefully, the weather will have improved somewhat, and we can get out and visit a few places.

I’ve spent so long waiting for March to arrive, and now I’m writing about May nearly! The wife is away for work for a week in Corsica.

When I arrived, I had a good drive about the tracks, being very mindful of getting stuck. The water levels were extremely high, much the same all over the Avon Valley, with the river season ending last night. Those poor members hardly got to fish over the past few months.

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With the 30+ mph winds forecast, some swims were just not going to be possible to fish, along with the flooded ones, reducing my options. I popped by for a chat with James, the other member, who had looked all around the bottom lake, plus the middle, and had settled for the double gravel swim. After looking around a bit more, it became obvious that a couple of swims away were my best options and the chance of a carp. It certainly wasn’t a given and will probably be a blank, simply because they haven’t seen anything other than natural food since last October.

I pitched up in a swim with no name, other than ‘The One Below The Tower Swim’. One rod was fished on an area I’d caught from before, and the other was going to be a single hook bait roving about if I spotted anything close by.

But by 15:30, nothing close by had stuck its head out. However, Gate Island looked interesting for my next trip, as I’d seen a few near there.

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One of my approaches this season was to fish closer in more than in previous years, and there’s a lovely overhanging tree/bush to my right that has produced carp in the past for me, there may have been movement there this morning. I really wasn’t sure at the time, but it had been playing on my mind and drawing me in over the day, as generally, open water doesn’t work out very productively for the first few weeks.

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I decided that I would put a large PVA bag out with 75% pellet and a few halves of 20mm Classic Corn Boilies.

The other rod would stay where it was. That was a small bag, with 4 spombs put over the top. One rod was on a 12mm Catalyst pop-up, and the other a Masala dumbell, and hopefully, one of these would rattle off at some point.

The afternoon and evening were spent chatting to various people coming for a walkabout on opening day. The clouds vanished, and the stars came out. With no light pollution over the New Forest, they were fantastic last night. The chances of a bite faded; the lake was flat and calm. I woke to the birds in full spring song, a stunning misty, flat carp lake, with no signs of carp. By 8 am, the sun was on my bivvy, and it was lovely looking out across the lake again, watching for any carpy signs.

I want to be packed up by 10 am and go for a good warm-up, plus start scattering boilies about in no particular place, just get them spread around the lake so the carp find them and start feeding on them as soon as possible.

With only a couple of hours before I’m off, I can only hope that something comes my way.

Fingers crossed.

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