Sometimes our users tell us stories of their unusual fishing adventures, innovative tactics, stranded or battle-scarred sonars and we would love to share them with you!
This time, we have a domestic story from the the Foggy Albion. A marooned PRO+ that was reunited with his owner after over 4 months! It was found in a fishery by an angling coach, who was clearing swims before an upcoming competition. The ball-shaped body with an orange belt caught his trained eye in the reeds on the far bank. Once home, he was surprised to find the sonar sprung back to life after a charge – it spent the whole of British summer in the water! Being an honest man, the angling coach contacted our Deeper support team. We took it in, gave it a checkup, a good scrub, and the PRO+ got reunited with its rightful owner – needless to say, they were delighted!
If you lost your Deeper sonar – contact Deeper support!
If you found a Deeper sonar – contact Deeper support!
If you have your own story and want to share it – … you guessed it, contact Deeper support!
Tackling a new water is a real buzz for me. I’ve waited a long time for this one, but the timing didn’t quite go to plan. I was offered a ticket in the middle of a global pandemic, your wife is in the travel industry, times are hard and the future is unpredictable. But this opportunity would not come around again. So, we made the choice to join. I looked forward to my induction day on the first weekend of January 2021 and the plan was to fish 3 night’s straight after that day. Unfortunately, lockdown happened and I had to wait for a few months as I didn’t class it as local to me. Time passed by fishing on my local club lake, the time came when we could all get out again and travel further afield. As the induction was done and nights where on the card’s.
The real issue I had was my approach to new venues. I like to fish hard and as much as possible in every swim so I can get in to and build up a picture of the lake in my head. My concern now is that the lake is very hard and it could take some time to get the right combination of tactics to bag myself a carp. If there was another lockdown, would I be wasting my time or would it be best to forget about the first year on that water and head over to the Airfield lake? I would feel at home there and I would be full of confidence. Not that I wouldn’t on the Roach pit because that’s not how I work. There’s also the two weeks closure when the carp spawn to take into account. Also, when my wife goes back to work in the office, this will throw my fishing routine out as well. At the moment her work days change from week to week. Which has the knock on effect of which day’s I can fish. But this is a real must for us as a family, it will be a clear sign the things are changing in the world and getting back to normality, financial stability will not be far away.
I decided that getting on the lake straight away and fishing Sunday to Tuesdays or even Wednesday am was the best way forwards. Simply because once the rush of lockdown being eased was over, there would clearly be a lot less anglers on the lake on those days of the week. Giving me the opportunity to look around more, move swim more. I never like to make to much disturbance when the lake is full of anglers. New members who do that, generally don’t go down well. So, being by myself or with only a few people on will help me gain more knowledge of each swim faster and the prospects of being able to move swim more during the week day’s would be a great help. When the wife is back in the office sometime before 21st June, I will have to change my days around again, which could mean weekend fishing, I just don’t know yet.
My first few trips to a new lake always make me feel like you have to be on your best behaviour – the last thing you want to do is upset the members on your first day. I decided, that as the closer to the 29th March got, night fishing would be back on. So, I thought it would be nice to turn up for the 8 am draw and meet some of the members. There where only 9 anglers down to fish the first night and the draw went very well and my first two night’s on the water were soon over.
My second trip was supposed to be 3 nights, but I just wasn’t feeling the love. I’m getting old and my body doesn’t like walking up and down steps into swims, my knees just ain’t happy (or my hips for that matter) and getting in and out of a boat and onto a platform was hard work for me. Your brain asks your body to put you foot somewhere and there is a likelihood that it won’t happen quick enough and a big splash follows etc!
I made a school boy error and forgot that someone had told me about the main car park and the entrance into the lake, not to overload my barrow. I hurt my ankle on some tree roots and only managed one night.
Teething problems I feel, as I get to grips with the place and understand my limitations/opinions, it’s all going to start getting better. The lake is stunning and perfect, its all about me and my falling about body!
My third trip was a couple of weeks later, after I had spent a couple of nights on the Airfield Lake. This felt like fishing had reset itself and I returned back to the new water full of enthusiasm and determination. I had also reduced my kit down even more and understood where I went wrong. I set up in the hope of doing three nights.
I managed to catch the first of many tench to come, there is a fair few about and I even got to see my first carp showing during daylight hours and not too far away from where I was fishing. Alas, no such luck yet. The wind had been pushing from the North and did for the coming weeks.
My next outing was only one night as it was like fishing the Baltic sea and a bitter north wind that just wasn’t moving.
My next session, I couldn’t get in the car parks as it was so busy. Another school boy error, I should of learnt to arrive later in the afternoon on Sunday (about 4pm is best), but the forecast was heavy rain then and I was hoping my luck would be in my favour. It sort of was, I headed over to the Airfield Lake and got in the perfect swim. I really didn’t fancy getting soaking wet and blown away in the 40mph winds!
With family stuff planned, I could only fish weekends until mid June and I was hoping that Covid would be better and less furloughed people would mean less anglers on the bank. Hopefully summer holidays would be in full swing and I would stand a better chance of getting into a good swim.
June started with a lovely week away in Wales and I was all set for a couple of nights on the lake, the weather was pretty good and the carp had yet to spawn. It’s also looking like there may be less people about on the lake Sunday and Monday’s. We shall see how long this last and I’m hoping to get another trip in before they spawn and the lake is closed. This is a much better way of running things, rather than having a closed season. Just too many opportunities these days when the lakes are closed which was highlighted over the lockdown periods.
Unfortunately, I only managed one trip before they spawned and the lake is now closed until 3 weeks after they finish spawning, to give them a few weeks to recover without any pressure. We are able to walk around, which is something I’m hopefully going to get the chance to do. I’ve decided that with the lack of holidays last year, I will not fish in August and just have fun with the kids in between working and then set about hard fishing in September. August has never been the best month for me and catching carp.
I will be back with part 2 later on in the year and hopefully by then bagged myself a couple of beauty’s!
With my family holiday fun over for this year, which included a fabulous time camping in Wales for 10 days and spending 2 weeks on the Norfolk Broads (as you will have read in my last blog). I’m back out after the carp again. Autumn is fast approaching and I’m looking forward to the coming months. I have a big dilemma as a couple of 40s have passed away on my new syndicate, these things happen, unfortunately, and with only 2 others remaining, one of which is now tipping the scales at over 47lb. To be honest, I’m actually after the other one I’m after. This was caught, only this morning, so it’s no worth the effort this time around. We are very lucky that every carp’s capture is posted on the FB page a few hours later. You can adjust your plans accordingly. I’m not sure what effect the past few weeks will have on the other members, will the number of anglers on the bank reduce or the fact the big one has been out twice in 3 weeks ish, or make them a lot more keener than the past few months?
Traps Set
My choice was made; for these two days, it was time to get back on the Airfield Lake and have a go for that unknown monster that hides somewhere in here. When I arrived, I found John, the Estate Manager, heading back to his truck, he informed me that I had the pick of the lake, with only 3 other anglers fishing, not bad for a Bank Holiday Monday.
I’d found this spot in 2018 and never got around to fishing it.
I’d been looking at the forecast and my Fish Deeper Page, I found the perfect few spots in a few swims I fancied targeting. This was based on the wind direction, as none of them were taken. At first, I wasn’t really sure where to go, but after spotting some movement close to the island, which I had been wondering where the best spot would be for my second rod in my choices of swims. I had planned to look about on my arrival, after an hour my mind was made up. I’d been targeting the big lake this year and I simply needed to continue that train of thought. I’d only 2 options that I had picked out this morning and one was occupied and my spot for the next 48 hours was decided.
My home for 48 hour’s
I got the marker float out and chucked it out in the direction of the horizon marker, I’d marked down on my phone this morning before coming down and quickly found the spot I was looking for.
As I’d not been about for some time, I would change my approach this few days and be putting out less bait than normal. My right-hand rod would just be about 30 x 20mm Catalyst boilies with a double 10mm wafter as the hook bait.
My left-hand rod was at the bottom of the island margin shelf with a few spombs of 20mm Catalyst boilies and some pellets. No particles this week, trying a new approach for autumn.
The weather conditions look spot on unless you check the pressure and it’s sky-high 1027+. I’m hoping the carp don’t think it’s not good feeding weather along with the North East wind. Not heard or seen much since this morning, but hey, it’s lovely to be back on the hunt for those silty pigs and you just never know your luck!
My first take was at eight forty-five on the left hand rod and after a short fight, my first Airfield Lake Common was in the net. It’s been some time since I had one of these.
14lb 3oz Common
That will do me and with the rod back on the spot, it was time for a brew.
After spending a month away from the water and the south of the country, in some noise pollution-free parts of the country, the main road had me awake at just after 4 am and I struggled to sleep after then. I was feeling pretty rough, which I needed to sort out asap, so with my headphones on listening to a podcast, I finally drifted off just after 6 am and awake again just after 7 am. I still felt like my head was going to explode, time for another bit of shut-eye. To fish well, I need to have a bit more sleep these day’s and by 9 am I was finally feeling more normal. After a brew, my head was back in the game and looking at my game plan for the coming day and night.
I reeled in and baited up at just after noon, I then went for a walkabout and then flicked the rods back out at 1 pm. All set for the afternoon and night, fingers crossed I get another carp over the next 24 hours.
My next take was at two thirty in the afternoon, to the same rod as before and this one found a boulder. I needed to play this fish very carefully until it was finally out of danger and then I played it slowly towards the waiting Nsr50. I was worried about the hook hold, but there was no need and the carp was in the net.
16lb 2oz Common
Shame about the rod but I have a few other snaps that are perfectly ok, I just prefer the color on this particular photograph.
After quite a few attempts – the wind had picked up and a crosswind is never helping, the rod was back on the spot.
With the lack of sleep from the night, I got my head down at just after eight thirty pm, just in case I get any bites in the night. Being half asleep isn’t the best way to fish for me. I needn’t of worried, my next take was just after seven am and I was well and truly fast off in the middle of a dream. There was a split second where I had no idea what was going on, I soon got it together, picked the rod up, grabbed the spool, and walked back slowly to coax the fish away from the trees. I hadn’t had an issue with the overhanging tree, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. The fish was heading to the right, the same as the last two, but this one was hugging the tree line more than the others. It also felt a bit bigger than those torpedo rocket-type carp that this lake holds plenty of. You have to fight through to get the real bigger fish.
It was getting even closer to the margins on my right and the overhanging tree that’s on the water, 20 yards along this bank. They really love this tree, I discovered this seven years ago with my first take, thinking that’s ok it’s heading away from the tree’s to my left into open water. It soon kited hard right and towards the bank and got around the other side of the tree and was gone. Since then, I’ve been mindful of that tree and it also showed me these carp were fully aware of their surroundings and very sneaky.
The overhanging tree
With the carp successfully avoiding the tree, I was able to play the carp out under the rod tip. It actually did look that big, but was giving me the right run around, I had to take stock and slow things down, to avoid a hook pull in my attempt to get it in the net, as it was clearly not having it, but after another few minutes, it was finally in the Nsr50.
19lb 2oz Common
That’s better, and a good end to my trip. I’ve about two hours left of my session and you just never know with this place. They have a very varied feeding pattern which had changed an awful lot over the years. It keeps you thinking and on your toes, a take could happen at any time.
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A marooned PRO+ that was reunited with his owner after over 4 months! It was found in a fishery by an angling coach, who was clearing swims before an upcoming competition. The ball-shaped body with an orange belt caught his trained eye in the reeds on the far bank. Once home, he was surprised to find the sonar sprung back to life after a charge – it spent the whole of British summer in the water! 
Being an honest man, the angling coach contacted our Deeper support team. We took it in, gave it a checkup, a good scrub, and the PRO+ got reunited with its rightful owner – needless to say, they were delighted! 
UK Carp & Coarse Fishing 