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I’m on the bank again on my syndicate water for a couple of nights. Unfortunately, my days have coincided with another cold snap in the weather. The pressure is on the up, frustratingly looking a lot better on Sunday/Monday again.
I arrived down just before 9 a.m, to find a single-day angler in one of the day only swims. I took a drive and a walk about and spotted zero signs of carp. As I didn’t fancy anywhere really, I was slightly undecided, until the sun came to out and then one area look particularly carpy. It was the swim I’d spent a couple of winters back when the lake was flooded. I’d been trying to keep away from that swim, but something was appealing about it this trip. So, I dropped a bucket in the swim and had a bit more of a walkabout, but that feeling of these fish are going to switch on soon and I need to be here when they do. This is definitely the swim to be in.
The Gap Swim
I got the rest of my kit out of the car and wheelbarrowed it to the swim. I then spent a good hour with the marker rod looking for the perfect clean spots, free from any silkweed. I then spombed out some 15 mm Catalyst boilies around the area – not too many. I think they are not overly interested in food at the moment. A high proportion of the stock is held up in the Sanctuary, just mooching about, but no one has been able to tempt them to pick up a bit in there for some time.
Flat Calm
As the day progressed, the wind picked up from the North West; however, it was due to a change in the early hours of Friday morning to a Southerly wind and slightly milder conditions.
Clear Sky
It’s going to be a fresh one tonight. Let’s hope the wind swings around by morning.
I slept all night long, I was surprised by how frosty it was in the morning. No wonder I didn’t get a single bleep. Ian is due down for another day trip today, hopefully, the temperatures will start to rise and there’s a good chance of a bite later on this morning or even this afternoon. I’m planning on leaving my rods as they are for the next 24 hours.
Toasty Not Pickup Frosty Glow
The pressure is up to 1034 and will drop on Sunday to 998. It is looking very much like the wrong days for the right weather, but you can only go when you can.
The day passed without a bleep for Ian or me. It was nice and warm in the sunshine, we actually spotted some carp, unfortunately not in our swim. We did have a good look about and started to formulate a plan for the coming half-term week. The wind had now swung around to the south and was all very calm by early evening; the sunset was as spectacular as always.
Spectacular sunset
Fingers crossed for a carp tonight.
That Red Glow!
I was up in the middle of the night as I always am listening out for carp and also before first light on the last morning of my session. Still, no carp crashing about. I’m really starting to think they are just not happy with this ever-changing weather and my half-term trip this year is really going to be hard going if I can’t locate these carp soon.
There’s a heavy band of rain due in again this Sunday (in the early hours of the morning) and unless that changes I will be off home on Saturday afternoon. It isn’t a bad thing as my next session is for five nights as the family is away for the first time in two years. It’s looking like we may be getting back to the regular routine – fingers crossed.
Robin
After a lot of thought this morning and checking the weather forecast, it would be really nice to spend a day with the family on Sunday, plus the pending few nights over the half-term week. The decision has been made to head home this afternoon.
Blackbird
I’m hopefully going to fit in a couple of day trips on the club water next week. The weather is looking likely to be wet and windy, but you can never tell these days.
Until next time
Richard
Richard
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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 am fishing on the resovoir tonight and catching up with one of my friends, for a bit of a social.
I have dropped in a couple of swims up from my friend, in a swim that I know very well. This helps, as I arrived at 7 pm. I needed to wait for the wife to get home and take over from me (looking after the kids).
I am fishing more or less both baits under my rod tips. I am also trying out solar carp CNC boilies tonight, on one rod.
Well, I had plenty of liners in the night and I was thinking it should go off soon. However, the alarm went off at 0600, letting me know it was time for home and get the kids ready for school.
I arrived down the lake early this week, as I wanted to have a good look round the far end. I had not been down there for sometime and it did look rather nice in deed. However, with the way the wind was pushing, I fancied a swim on the big part as the wind would be behind me. I could get a rod out to the island, where I had seen plenty of fish before and also there is a fantastic margin. It has a nice bush overhanging the lake, I have always liked the look of.
Nice margin bush
Small island where I have seen fish before
It’s a bit of a cast, but with the wind behind me I can make it.
At 0100 the bush rod was off and attached to a very unhappy carp.
It was only about 12 lb, but I love them all the same.
I was up at 0530 watching the lake as a strong wind and rain was pushing through, the conditions looked great, unfortunately I needed to get home.
This trip I am out for three nights, as this could be my last 3 night’s trip for some time. As I am becoming a house husband!
I have set up in an area which will give me plenty of options and there have been a good few fish cruising around the area.
Rod -1 is close to a big bed of pads on the far margin. There is plenty of weed growth around, however the six foot in front of the pads is very clear.
Rod – 2 is on a nice, but small sandy patch along the tree line, in only 3 ft of water.
Rod -3 is in the gap, which is a perfect interception root.
All rods have pop ups on and with a good helping of my ground bait mix.
With a few handfuls of boilies over the top.
One of the issues here, is that the water is so clear.
Just like a bath!
Day & night – 1
I had no joy in the night and was woken by a Mallard attached to my right hand rod and that was the only action of the first night. I re-baited at around 11 am, as there was rain forecast for the afternoon and hopefully a good time after.
Day & night – 2
The night passed by in a nice deep sleep, I was awoken at 0530 by the ducks this time! The wind had changed direction and was now blowing from the West. This made my margin flat calm, which was a complete change from when I got here. We shall have to see what the day brings!
Nicely hidden away.., just the way I like it.
Well after much thought, I dicided the best option would be to cut sort my trip and not stay for the third night.
I have managed to fit in a days fishing on my last week of work (before I am made redundant), everyone in the office are mostly good and we are spreading the tiny work load – 5 ish phone calls a day.
I have picked a nice quiet corner – as there is no one else here the whole place is quiet, except for the birds.
Rod 1 – is tucked under the bush to the right of me.
Rod 2 – is on the far margin in a small bay between the margin tree. I have spomb’d out the last of my groundbait from my last trip.
I have add a few more micro mixed pellets from Bait-Tech and top up the attraction level. We will see what happens this afternoon and tonight. The weather was supposed to be overcast. However, the sun keeps appearing and its warming up fast, we will see.
Well the day has passed and with the weather being completely wrong, I am not surprised. I need to get this day fishing sorted soon, as I will be spending a bit of time doing days when the kid’s are in school.
By 10 pm, I was thinking something is not right here, as I should of have had a take by now – anyway there was not much I could do about it now. So I got tucked up in the bag and at around 1 am I finally got a take. The hook link parted and to say I was peeved off was an understatement. I really hate with a passion leaving hooks in carp. Any way, I finally got back to sleep and at around 3 am I was in again and had a nice 15 lb common in the net. I recast and got back in the sack again and was woken up again around 5 am with another take and blow me, it happened again. This night is not going my way and as I was getting a bit paranoid at this point. I changed both my rod’s over to another type of hook link material and will investigate later. My luck was still tipping the scales in the wrong direction, I lost yet another fish. This time, due to a nice big tree branch that I have never found in this spot before. One good thing, the hook link and hook where still attached, which was nice after my previous problems.
The morning sun was starting to come over the trees and with only 2 hrs left fishing, I really hoped that things would start to come good before I had to be off to work.
Well, as you can see the last 2 hour’s have improved dramatically and I landed 2 fish, both Commons of 16-4 & 19-8.
I am over the moon about them, considering the nightmare that was the previous 8 hours!
(and all on Bait-Tech Polony Boilies, pellets and ground bait mix).
I am out on the reservoir tonight as I fancy my chances with one of those big commons in here. The conditions have been perfect over the past 24 hrs and I have picked one of my favourite swims, as after a good walk around the were no real signs of carp. This swim gives me plenty of options and a good view of the lake!
With plenty of lilly pads around for Mr Carp to hide up in.
I have baited a bit heavy, I need to attract these fish away from the natural food source in the pads e.g snails, caddies fly larve etc.
Well not quiet what I was expecting, but I had a bream at 0530 this morning, oh joy.
Wow, Summer has well and truly started today, 22 degrees here down in Hampshire this afternoon. Not 100% perfect carp fishing weather, did try the floaters for 10 minutes, before the seagulls spotted it (aarrrgh). Anyway, as I only arrived at 1830, I thought it best to get all sorted for the night, have a brew, soak up my surroundings and may be a few photos.
I have picked a nice swim within a small wood, which is quiet a nice area. The fish move through here to very to the bottom bay. I have been meaning to fish this area for some time, however, every time I feel it’s right, someone else has beaten me to it, not this time
For the time being, I have a rod out near the point of the island. This is the point at which they enter this part of the lake, the other rod will be in the margins to the right of me, with a good load of ground bait and Bait- tech Poloni boilles.
Looking out towards both islands.
Well, what a night that was. For all the wrong reasons, the mosquitoes came out to terrorise me and boy did they. I hardly slept at all and when I did I have a take, I managed to lose the fish. Not sure why but as I was so sleepy, I can’t remember what happened other than the hook pulled. It could be due to the rig I am playing with at the moment, I just have to see on the next take, hey.
I have to go home and do the school run, but as the weather is more favourable, I am coming back for a day trip. I am going to bait up before I leave, come back and fish the same spots as the wind is nicely pushing into this bank.
Does look good
Unfortunately, all I got was a hook pull from a carp trying to go round the corner of the island, oh joy,
Lucky me, back on the lake by 0930. The same swim and rods out.
My office for the day, plenty of work done on the OK laptop. No fish, dam shame, but a nice day out, well until 1400. Then I am off to collect the kids, house-husband duties
Tonight, I will be mostly fishing the bottom lake and for one reason or another I have not got around to doing so far this season. I have also picked an area, I have not fished before, as also for some reason – just fancied a change of view may be?
The right hand rod is just of the end of a bush along the margin.
And the left is in open water at the back of a gravel bar, in some nice smooth silt. There is a good kilo of boilies and groundbait mix up together with a good squeeze of bait-tech sizzling sausages for a bit of attraction.
Bit surprised to wake up to the alarm clock this morning, oh well it happens.
My 5 year old has been asking to come fishing for some time. As she loves camping, I thought I would bite the bullet and go as she is so keen to learn to fish. I have got her a 5 meter pole and a 8 ft quiver tip rod, as I believe that you should start from the bottom and learn all your fishing skills. I not a fan of the ready made carp angler.
We picked a nice bay area, away from anyone else. This gave me room to teacher her and as we were looking around this spot, a nice fished popped it’s head out. And I thought that would do me as well. The main aim was to teacher her fishing, but if there where some nice fish in the area, who was I to argue? I did promise that we would do the bivvy first, but after seeing that fish, I did need to explain that my rods needed to go out because there were fish in the area.
Fishing away
Putting a small Roach back
First fish, poor thing
She was holding the maggots and had decided that they where her pet’s!
We where using bait-tech poloni groundbait with maggots over the top. By early evening, she had managed a good 20 small Roach, but it was DVD time.
Back to my fishing lucky for me, I had fished this area a lot last year and had a few fish.
Rod-1 was fished close in, just where I had seen the fish showed itself, with a small bag of broken Poloni Boilies. After seeing the fish, I was not going to put any bait out until later.
Rod-2 was cast 30 yard’s out, to a small gully, also with a small bag on with more poloni.
About two hours, the right hand rod was off. It was attached to a very angry carp. It put up an amazing fight and I was not even aware of it’s size. That was until it beach itself in the margin, this was the point when I thought ‘oh, this could be a nice fish’ and also needed to get a wet foot to get the fish in the net. Once I opened the net I thought, ‘wow this could be the 30+ common’ I had been after one for year’s. I (we) placed the fish in the retaining sling and sorted out all the camera bits and pieces and the scales.
And the dial settled on 32 lb 12 oz – nice one at last. I was overjoyed and my daughter was amazed at the size.
The night past with not a single take. Around 7 am, I had a further 2 fish and lost one, all around the middle doubles.
My daughter was happily fishing away after Roach again on a small 8 ft quiver tip rod, all dressed in a monkey suit onesy which I forgot to take a photo of that.
I didn’t think I was going to get out today. However, I finely made it by 2000, not bad going and very happy to be out. Now, as this being my first trip on this syndicate, I got a bit lost finding the car parks and walked the wrong way!
Say this, I did manage to find this lovely deep bend with plenty of slack water. Unfortunately, the light was wrong and I can’t really tell how bad the weed is here. So I have picked a spot the other side of the river, in more or less still water and flicked I nice bag full of Bait-Tech pellets – from halibut to krill, and a nice Poloni boilies as a hook bait and catapulted about 20 free offerings.
I will sit back on my bucket and see what happens.
By 2230 and with out a knock, I was off home as the gates close at 2300.
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