Fishing Tv – PREDATORS CHANNEL
Location – Airfield Lake
Hours Fished – 152 Hours
It’s my last few nights on the Airfield Lake, Ian and I have been planning this trip all summer. We’ve been working out what we think is the best location to catch one of the big girls. For the first time ever this year, we have been allowed to fish this lake until the end of Oct when it closes for winter.
We picked on a part of the lake we have been alternating between (which are 2 swims on opposite sides of the lake). We have come to the conclusion that this gave us the best chances. We have been able to get the swims regularly, to learn and understand more about the carp’s behaviour.
We were going to start the week in the double gravel swim and then move on if we felt the need. We came to the conclusion that if we didn’t start here, there would be a good chance that the swim would get taken before we had done a few nights in the other area and leaving us stuck there or, without a go swim to move into.
I had found out from a fellow member that there were only 4 other’s on the complex and the gravel swim was free. As always the night before a session I couldn’t sleep and was up by 6 am, which as the clocks had changed was 5 am, I was down the lake by 7 am (first light). I dumped the kit in the swim as two carp crashed out, that will do.
I quickly got the bivvy up, as there was heavy rain showers forecast and boy, they were not wrong. The bivvy was up and I was stuck in the car, before I could even get the second trip done!
After seeing the fish, I opted for single hook baits until later on this afternoon when I would get my spomb mixture out there. I threw about 10 boilies of CC over each as a bit of attraction and finished off trying to set up in between more showers.
I very much hoping that the rain we’ve had over the past 24 hours have not put them off. There was certainly a lot of water going in the lake and will be (more) over this week, but that’s fishing and I will certainly be working hard to bag a few lumps.
Night 1
Past with no action, but I was slightly expecting that. This is something that often happens here, today’s weather with help settle things down, the air pressure is low and the wind is from the south west. We just need rain showers and not the constant down pours, overcast conditions will certainly help the prospects and will aid the chances of a few carp.
At 1300 hours (1400 old time) we spombed out some more bait and put fresh hook baits on. I had a walkabout to see who was about.
Night 2
Went by without any action. This is staying to look a bit like my last trip – extremely hard going and I only just about managed a carp. This is a bit frustrating, we’ve seen and heard plenty, the conditions are good, they are just not picking the baits up. I was hoping there would be less natural food and they would get on the my baits. The forecast is for an overcast day and light rain until the afternoon. The wind is picking up again from the south and move to the west. Perfect conditions for this swim. With 3 nights to go, I’m going to be getting my thinking cap on and switching around hook baits, I don’t believe there is a need to look at moving swims, well, not yet anyway.
After two nights of no action and clear signs the carp were about, it was time to adjust the position of one of my rods. With a quick flick about to my right, I soon found the spot I’d located on the Deeper lakebook page. I spombed out 6 small loads and put on a fresh CC wafter. All I did with the baited area rod was to add a PPS to make my CC wafter into a snowman style set up and put that back out over the baited area which was slowly building up. My confidence was boosted by seeing a few carp showing not far away, but still in the sanctuary area.
Just after 1930, the left rod burst into life. I rushed out of the bivvy and pulled into thin air! Great one of those takes, just what you need after 2 night’s blanking, but I suppose it’s an improvement on silent buzzers. I soon had the rod back on the mark.
Night 3
No further action was had overnight and I was up early to put fresh baits on. I will try something different for the day. I’m not planning of moving swim as I believe I’m in the best area. I’ve seen some good carp and moving would only take me further away from the fish.
Just after noon on Wednesday, I set about locating and fine tuning my spots. I topped up the area with a few more spombs, but less than the past few days. It was definitely time to slow that down until the area started to produce more takes, we shall see how tonight goes. I’m still very confident in the area we’ve chosen will produce the goods.
Night 4
Just after 1800 hours, Ian and I where sitting outside have a glass and his right hand rod gave a couple of bleeps. No, that wasn’t wind blowing giving the odd false beep. The next moment, the rod ripped off and he was in to what felt and looked like a good fish. He slowly pumped the fish in, I did the honours with the net and got the first look.
Oh, that looks like a 30+! I had had to step up out of the lake onto the bank and you just know when you lift that net it’s a good weight.
We were both overjoyed with his success and it had certainly been hard going this week.
Just after 2000 hours, my right rod was away and into a carp finally! The battle was pretty straight forward, apart from a boot full of water when I netted it.
11 pounder, but I was over the moon not to have blanked.
The rest of the night was bleep free, the rain arrived in the early hours and was due to stop, some time around mid morning.
Night 5
The day was mostly overcast and drizzly, absolutely awesome conditions, but there where no signs of carp anywhere. I baited up just after 1400 hours for the last night and got the rods out perfectly. I’m filled with much anticipation and some sadness that is my last night on here until next March. It’s time to move on to Meadow Lake, which gives me a bit of anxiety, due to Covid. There will be more anglers and through traffic to the river car park. I am just going to have to find my way around this and enjoy another winter on there.
As was the case with this trip, the night past bleep free. There was a huge storm blowing through with strong winds and rain, you would think this would wake the carp up, but nope. October has been a learning curve, certainly this trip and the one before, it has shown how you think it would go, differs to how it did actually go. I will be back next year doing the same thing in October and we will see, where that takes us.
I had a brilliant 5 nights; Ian and I have had a few laughs and worked hard not to blank. I’ll move on to Meadow Lake and day’s on the School Lake over the winter. Ian will be pike fishing and may well visit occasionally over the coming 5 months. We shall see how things work out. I’ve enjoyed my season on the Airfield Lake and had my best one for some years with a total of 54 carp. Unfortunately, for the first time no 30s but close with the 29lb 6oz Common and I’m convinced I has lost 2 that may have turn the scales over 30. It’s quite nice to end the season with a long session and it means that I will be able to fish 5 on Meadow and 7 on here each year. However, you never know what’s around the corner, especial in this day and age of these strange times.
Until next time
Richard
Stay safe
Is observation the paramount key to success in carp fishing? I believe it is as it encompasses so many key factors.
I even feel that with the best bait in the world, you can still fail to catch unless you are in the perfect spot. I have spent hours just watching carp and their behaviour, just to see how they move around the lake, in the hope that I can spot a pattern in their movement and feeding. My most memorable time was on Vinatrose Lake (near Chichester), when I had spent over 2 hours watching a carp move up and down a channel in the weed. I was trying to work out the exact spot the carp would feed on. Once I was happy, I managed to get the bait in the perfect spot, only to have the carp come down that very channel and stop about a foot or two away from my bait. It proceeded to stay there for over an hour. I was absolutely amazed the carp had clearly noticed a change to its environment and it wasn’t very happy. It never picked my bait up. It just turned around and wondered back up the channel.
This fish was taken by watching the lake for sometime. I spotted a head appear out of the water, but I only just noticed it.
Observation can come in many different forms from a quick walk around the lake (in your lunch hour), to teaming up with someone (this can help to pool your knowledge as to where the fish are showing and their feeding patterns), this can help aid you in the capture of your target fish. One very overlooked bit observation is watch other people! Don’t be despondent when other anglers catch and most anglers certainly get the green eyed monster from time to time. Use this information to your advantage, write it down in a log book. I wouldn’t advocate jumping in their swim as this isn’t will not help you catch the same fish. Just remember it for the following months or even next session. If it’s possible and not to dangerous, get yourself up a tree, watch the fish feeding and also watch before you put a bait in the water. I have sat and watched a very old mirror carp come up to a pile of bait, turn on its side, flick its tail over the bait, waft it up in water and only pick up the bait which moves off the area. It did this until all the bait was gone, other than the hook bait. I always carry binoculars for observing the far margins as you can’t spot bubbles with your own eyes! This has proven a very successful method of observation as well.
I spotted a few bubbles a bit further along the tree line and flicked a bait on the spot.
Corners of the lake and overhanging trees are perfect areas to spot feeding fish. Put a small handful of bait out and keep watching or walk round and comeback later to see if its gone – be mindful of bird life as they will be very happy with you doing this! If the water is coloured up and you cant see your bait it’s best to use something like sweetcorn as it stands out better. Don’t forget right in front of the swim is a perfect spot, so many anglers forget this. Just under your feet is a prefect feeding spot for carp, best lakes for this are park lakes as people feed the birds. Wait until they have all gone home and take a look for yourself, it will truly surprise you. It did me very well on an old boating lake near the seaside in Suffolk, when I was a lot younger.
They were right under my feet
Get up early and stay up late to see what is happening around the lake, this will help you find the best time of the day to spot showing fish. On one of the lakes I fish, the fish show mostly between 0930 and 1330. At first I found this very odd but also very helpful for my day trips out as I could come back in the evening and be quite certain that I was in the the right area. It also helped me to catch a few fish in the day time as well. I have even found that the most productive time for spotting fish can be the middle of the night. This can be hard work on mid week trip in between work. I found the best way around this was set up, get a few hours kip in and then get up at the appropriate time, have a brew, watch the fish and even move if you feel it necessary, or just use the information for your next trip down.
This article links nicely with my favourite method, which is margin fishing. I have spent hours observing the carp move up and down the tree lined bank. I realised that I was best staying put in one swim as the fish would move up and down this bank all day long. I could easily move into an area they had already been in and I not realise it!
Observation can be as simple as spotting a few bubbles, a carp sticking its head out or even down to noticing what sort of bait presentation other anglers are using. Please don’t ask them as we all dislike that but it’s easy to tell of they are using pop up or bottom baits. Balanced baits and Wafters are a bit harder but it’s all about watching and learning or just keeping an eye on your surroundings. I got out fished by a friend once simply by not spotting that he had switched to bottom baits. I had assumed he was still on pop ups – my error for not spotting this simple change.
I certainly learn from that and swapped over
We all clearly don’t have the time to be on the lake 24/7. Even if you are there only once a month, over time a pattern of events will start to become clear to you. Don’t get despondent when others are catching, they just may have had more time then you or just hit on the perfect combination quickly. Just observe and take note. A quick hello or ‘morning’ may just get you a snip-it of information, this may crack open the nut! Personally, I am happy to help, if I have spotted a fish feeding or even a sign of one. I may suggest that another angler goes in this spot and he then catches a fish. If he does catch a fish, I know I was right in my thinking and he has actually help me learn something. It is all about us against the fish and not each other.
Even this photograph was taken after observing small fry feeding under my rod tips. During the night I had dropped a hand full of micro pellets into the water and the kingfisher would sit in my rod tips every morning feeding on the small fry.
I have even noticed on a very peaceful lake (which didn’t get much angler pressure), that when the gate would clunk closed, the loud noise would echo across the lake. It was in a small valley and if I were observing the fish, they would tense up a bit, it was as if they had noticed the sound and were aware that someone was on the bank. It’s amazing how clever they are.
Hope this helps
Richard
