With only 2 nights available to fish before the school holidays – we are off camping in Wales.  I was down the lake as early as possible on Sunday.  This was about avoiding the heavy rain showers that had been around for the past week.  There had been a good blow on the lake leading up to the weekend from the southwest and a day of calmness yesterday.  However, this afternoon it was due to pick up again for a few hours.  I was hoping that some fish may have moved out of this part of the lake and would be tempted to get back over here.  With still no signs of spawning, there is every possibility they are held up close by.

I decided that after last week’s success, I would go back in the same swim again.  Normally when Ian isn’t fishing with me, I generally go where he normally fishes.  This is simply to stop the likelihood of another angler going in there.  The particular swim I fish on the island, involves landing all fish with your waders on in the lake and out past the ‘tideline’!  Understandably, this is not everyone’s cup of tea at 3 am!

But this time, I felt I really needed to be here.  After quickly setting up the bivvy and getting the bait out (which was fun in the strong winds), I was happy with how it all went and I got the baits out pretty accurately as well.  I was still using the same combination of small CC wafter with a 12mm PPS pop-up.  This balances perfectly on a Ronnie rig set up without the need for putty.

I can only hope for similar results to my last trip on here.  And as long as no one goes in Ian’s spot, I’ve got the option of kicking a rod more to the left – if the carp start showing that direction.

Fingers crossed, once the rain had passed, the carp would come on the feed in the early hours of the morning.  Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out quite like that, not a single bleep all night.  There was a period where the wind died down, I did hear the odd fish crashing out and I was pretty hopeful at that point.  We will have to see how the morning goes, as that can produce the odd take.

With a sudden break in the weather at 11.30 am – not the best time of the day to bait up, but you have to sometimes take what you are given and just roll with it.

The baits are all perfect and an extra 10 medium spombs on the spot, I was all set for the next 24 hour’s and a bite would be nice.

The rain finally died away just after 6 pm and there may be a chance of a bite later on tonight.  Just after 7 pm, the right-hand rod was away with my first carp of the trip and it was heading away to the left of my swim.  I had to hold the rod as high up as possible, I could feel the carp trying to find a boulder or two.  It continued on its way and I found myself heading out into the open water with my waders on, around the front of the tree to my right, in order to stop the fish getting onto the snags to my right.  It was trying its hardest, I slowly gained ground and walked slowly back towards my swim to retrieve the net.  I played the carp out in the margins.

Happy with that and just over the 14 lb mark.  The rod was back on the spot, it was definitely time for tea and oh yes, yet more rain!  I think I may have picked the wrong two nights to fish this week.

Just after 05.30 am, my first take of the night happened.  This was later than expected.  This carp was a lot better behaved than the last one and allowed me to slow coax it back from the open water straight into the net without any dramas.

18lb 12oz Common

It was a lovely wake-up call this morning.  As I was in deep sleep at the time, it took me a few moments more than normal to react, I knew there’s a reason I fish open water more these days as I get older!

I got the Kettle on after getting the rod back out and sat watching the sunrise over the forest.

My next take was about 8 am and didn’t go so well.  After much effort trying to get the carp back from behind a boulder, it had gone round, but after 10 minutes, the inevitable hook pull occurred.  This was a shame, I’d been doing so well at not losing any last week and this trip.  It’s just a factor you have to consider fishing this particular water.

It was time for another brew after a fresh bait was put on.

Pack-up time soon rolled around and I had to get home and get started sorting out the camping gear for the family’s trip to Wales over the Half Term week.  There is the possibility of nice weather.

Until next time

Richard

Then I moved on to Weybread Middle Pit for a year or two.

Then back to Barham Pits for a year, until they, unfortunately, had a fish kill over the closed season and that was it.

It was then I ended up on Weybread again and stuck there until I moved down south in 1996.

I did fish the odd place in between for a short period of time but it never gave me the searching for the ‘unknown’ feeling, I’d become accustomed to.

                                                 Bexford Lake

                                   Thorpeness Mere

Brightlingsea

This was in the 90’s on Weybread Bottle Pit with a wave lock brolly and a nash overwrap.  It also had a full-on double burner and grill, wooden bivvy table (not a modern invention!), the bedchair was one of the first comfortable adjustable Fox ones and the small screen in the middle is my TV.  Even back then I would pass the time away by watching stuff and reading books

KJB rod pod and Shimano bait runners, optonics and Fox Swingers, which had made so they would light upon a take (again, not a modern invention).

Winter fishing was fun.  Wave lock brolly, Nash canvas bivvy, which was an awesome bit of kit.  If you are wondering where the rods are, they are down the bottom as per the photo above and you had to tun for your rods – well walk.  If you fished any swims along the high bank opposite (unless it was the two with a walkway out into the lake), you bivvy up at the top and needed 20m extension leads for your sounder box.

Way back in the beginning – 1984 Weybread Pits, before I couldn’t afford much, I would sleep on the floor in a sail bag and a sheet over, the plastic held down by whatever I could find I used.  Luckily no photographs of them.  I never used a brolly unless it rained and you had to put a bin bag over the end, to stop yourself getting wet.  You will note the non matching rods, which was the norm for the first few years.

Getting a bit more modern, matching rods, buzzer, and reels camped out for a week on Barham D pit – somethings never change.  I even did week seasons; once I had a carp and I was Tench fishing!  I’ve come to the conclusion that I love being outside as much as possible.

And my up to date set up Aqua M3 Compact, Fox flatline Bedcahire, and a 5 season sleeping bag, out in all weather over the Winter months.  I must say, I have noticed that there are less times where the lakes freeze up.  We have certainly moved on and for the better, I personally feel.

Nutsey

Embley

Peewit Lake

I fished this lake twice over the years – with a large gap in between.  I’ve no photos of the first time around, but the lake was absolutely stunning. It still was when I arrived back the second time – until the big cut back, which was quite dramatic and put a lot of anglers off.  But not me!  This was quite fortunate as the carp didn’t know any different, it was great fishing there.  You could walk around, place your bait on the perfect spot and walk back to your rods.

T

The vegetation started to grow back and the anglers returned.  I moved on to Kingham next door.  Unfortunately, it got a bit silly with one angler arrive early and stick their bucket and chairs in swim to reserve swims for his mate’s, who would arrive 3 or 4 hrs later. This was the time that I headed off to fish a lovely syndicate on the Hampshire Avon for 6 years, where I hardly ever came across another angler.

The Ressy

I first joined here about 1999 and stayed a member until last year.  I only ever fished it properly over a winter in between the interim syndicate starting and the full-on syndicate where I’m currently a member of.  I only ever fished there as a place to get away from the crowds.  It was situated up a 1/2 mile path through a wood, which could get very muddy, this put anglers off.  It was very easy in the beginning but unfortunately, it had a fish kill and the restocked carp behaved completely differently.

I

It was full of lilly pads and a large reed bed at one end with a dam wall and was just so peaceful and tranquil fishing there.

Petersfield Heath Lake

This lake is situated on the edge of the town and is also a boating lake.  It’s 4 ft deep most of the way out, in the middle on the depths of winter and as the levels drop, you have to stick your rod tips down and into the slit to completely avoid the boats and the swimmers, ducks, etc picking up your line as they go by.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a single photograph of any carp that I had, I’ve lost them.

As you can see, the water level could drop right down, and instead of bivvying up on the bank, you could set up in the margins.  There where plenty of deeper channels about and I had 5 20s from where the furthest duck was in the below photo.

When I  fished here, there was a good head of carp to the upper 30’s and plenty of bream to keep occupied.  You could sit on the park benches and watch the world go by, get yourself an ice cream from the shop.  Unfortunately, there was a fish kill some years ago, but I believe it’s getting back to its former glory.

Sinah Warren

It became very hard going each Summer, the water level drops and numerous bars start to pop out the water.  Range fishing becomes impossible.  The Winter’s where rock hard, so this only left you a small opportunity to bag yourself a lump.  It was open over the old closed season which drew anglers to the lake.  It became extremely busy in this period, but I enjoyed my time a lot.

Westhampnet Lake

It was a odd lake to fish, it’s situated next to the A27.  It has a long supporting wall, which had a few swims that were just about big enough for a brolly and your rods.

In the last few years I’ve been on a wonderful syndicate been Ringwood, with only 100 members and 3 carp lakes and 8 miles of the Hampshire Avon to fish.

I feel I’ve come full circle now and am a lot happier in my fishing.  There was a period of time where I only fished a section of the River Avon on a private syndicate for 7 years.  This was because anglers were just not thoughtful towards each other anymore, but I can safely say that I was very lucky in finding my current water and will be there for as long as possible.

Until Next Time

Richard