UK Carp & Coarse Fishing

Please note that this session was done before the current Corona lockdown.

Location – Airfield Lake

Hours Fished – 38 hours

With the schools shut now with the ramping up of defeating CV19, I’m the chief homeschooling man at the moment and my short day sessions have vanished for the moment.  All being well, I will continue to get out each weekend for some social distancing from the world (not the family I must add) or my editor will go on strike!

This place is just gorgeous and with so many options.  This year, I’m concentrating on the Bottom lake; regardless of angler pressure.  In the past, I’ve pulled up and there had been 3 cars in the car park and I would move on.  I feel that this may not have been the best move and could have cost me some good fish.  It’s hard as I don’t particularly like that style of fishing, I would much prefer to be on my own at the other end of the complex.  The cold east wind helped me this weekend as there is a large forest behind this lake which has reduced some of the strong winds to a little breeze – in all honesty, I very nearly stayed at home, but with the current crisis, you never know what’s around the corner and I need my nature fix.

I planned on baiting a few areas in an attempt to get the fish off naturals and onto boilies asap.  With the extra angler pressure, I’m sure that helps on this lake and could be the reason for the bigger carp being down here.

With no real need to mark the spot, I got the spomb rod out and dumped 3kg of dead maggots, Classic Corn boilies and particle blend mixture out.  I fished both rods on wafters in the same area, I didn’t fish the margins as there were a few anglers who were doubled up in swims.  This would create more disturbance and push the carp out into the middle more, as its only the second weekend of the season.

Once all that was done, I got a brew on, had a bite to eat and then time to get my head down.

Morning arrived with no action and no signs of carp.  The Friday night anglers drifted off home and 3 of us remained.  With the pressure finally heading down, there should be a good chance of a carp, there is still a very fresh east wind about.

In the afternoon, the wind was from the east so I took the opportunity to drift the Deeper over the parts of the swim that I had previously not mapped and over the area I was fishing.

This is just the perfect feature the carp will use to travel around the lake and the perfect interception point.

With both rods back out, it was time to relax in the warm sunshine and out of the wind.

At 0400, the right-hand rod ripped off into the distance and a long hard fight ensued with my first Airfield Lake carp.  It was doing its best to get into the overhanging tree to my right but didn’t succeed.  By then, it didn’t have the energy to cause me too many worries with the left-hand tree’s.  It did, however, manage to pick up that line at the last minute, but the carp was soon in the net with no more complications.

24lb 9oz Common

I was absolutely over the moon and a nice start to the season here.  Long may it continue.

With both rods back out and it was 0500, I nearly stayed up, but thought better of that and got back into the bed for a few hours.

0800 arrived and it was time to head home and do some homeschooling.  Unfortunately, no days sessions for me for some time, but all being well, I will be out again at the weekend.

Until next time

Stay safe

Richard

P.S  This turned out to be my last trip before the lockdown.

Search eBay

Please subscribe to my Video Diary

Follow me @richardhandel

Carp Fishing Tackle on Ebay

Please follow my Facebook Pages

Hampshire Avon Days

Hampshire Carp Fishing

Hampshire Pike Fishing

Richard Handel Fishing