Once I have found my spot (and settled down with a brew), I flick the Deeper out into my swim. When the wind is from behind me I let it drift about slowly across the lake over my area and also on to other areas of the lake.
It works into areas you without disrupting the carp who may be in the swim where you’re baiting up. It also maps out a larger area with less effort. You can sit back and watch the lake (and the screen at your own pace). This really helps on large lakes where it will clearly take you a long time to map the areas you have not and fill in any gaps.
With floating braid on you can also let the Deeper drift under the overhanging tree, where you would never get a marker float to go.
With a free day and the conditions as they are, there was no way I would be wasting this opportunity. I just had to get down the lake and in one of the day swims. It was clearly obvious that the carp were keeping away from the main part of the lake. When I arrived just after 9 am (after doing my school run bit), there was only one-day swim occupied. However, there were a lot of night anglers and apparently, there where only two night swims vacant last night – the fish will defiantly be feeling the pressure on them.
I kept away from the open water day swims and headed to the bay areas, with plenty of cover for the fish. The other day angler was also thinking on the same lines as me and had opted for one of the swims at the end of the sanctuary area. This left me with the other end of the bays, which I think personally is the better option for me today.
I could fish up against some overhanging trees or alongside a small island. I decided that both rods along the treeline would be more favorable as the wind was pushing hard into that part of the bank and I gained a bit of shelter from the island.
I set up both rods and clipped up the distance and as it was daytime (and fishing had been hard going), I decided I would use bright baits again just to get the carp’s curiosity going. I put on some Frank Warwick Miracle Berry Wafters and a Caramel Cream wafter. I flicked them out along the tree line, one nicely in a small cove and the other by a set of pads and sat back on my chair watching the lake.
Just before noon time, the rod (with the miracle berry wafters on) ripped off and I was into a very hard fight common carp. Who tried going out past the island and then along the left had margins but I gained control and it was safely in the Nsr50. The pics were done and the fish was returned home and I quickly flicked the rod onto the spot again.
23lb 4oz Common
I had a few more liners, close to packing up time but that was the only fish.
I arrived at the lake just after 11 am, took a long drive around and poked my head into a few swims. I wasn’t really sure where to go with the wind direction as it was, the better area was occupied. However, there was a bay area which we hadn’t fished before but Ian and I quite fancied and after spotting a couple of fish thought it was worth a go.
I had done some mapping with the Deeper before, so we knew the spots we fancied. I flicked the market rod out to see how the bottom felt and was very happy.
As I had to pop home and collect the kids, I just set up my bivvy rod etc, baited up where I was going to fish and then popped home. I started helping with the homework until the wife arrived and headed off back down the lake, as I had clipped up it was very easy to get the rods on the spots.
Fingers crossed for tonight.
The night and morning passed by with no action for either of us. The morning was a misty start and the prospects of sunshine during the morning, we would have to wait for a bite later on.
The bright sunshine was blocked out by the clouds just after lunchtime. We were feeling more positive that our luck would change this afternoon and a carp or two would grace our nets.
We had a nice glass of wine to celebrity Ian’s 65 Birthday, that his work had kindly got him.
Happy Birthday
It was certainly not the case and after a chat with a few other members on the lake, we were certainly not the only ones in the same boat. It was clear that the carp had, had a good paste-ing over the past week and I believe they had. They were just not on the bait this weekend and keeping well out of angler’s way and it may well be worth a visit in the week during the day for a few hours.
This is a great time of year to look out for those hidden features that you may not have found yet (as the water level drops on some lakes). The birds will start to roost or rest upon these areas, even if they are just under water.
I like to take photo’s from the swim and also log the skyline marks in a book. With modern phones, you can even edit the photo, which is a great help for the modern angler.
and if you get the chance, stick a lead out and mark the distance down.
Even if you are not fishing the lake, it’s always worth a few photos’s for the future.
I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to fish a midweek night and I was soon down the lake, armed with a few ideas from some Deeper mapping on my last trip. Unfortunately, the wind was pushing nicely into this area and sure enough, the only other anglers on the lake where in that spot. It did look good and I surely don’t mind that, it will be interesting if they have any joy.
With the way the wind was pushing, I looked in a couple of nice swims but somehow ended up where I fished at the weekend! It was once a bogey swim for me, which had changed over the past months this year and it defiantly worth another shot.
The wind direction swung round in the night, it could well pay off. I baited one of the spots where each of us had fished at the weekend, with a good load of catalyst and Smokey Jack boilies. I fished both rods on Miracle berry Wafters, Ronnie Rig style and we shall see how the night goes.
Much to my surprise, the swim next door produced 2 X 35+ common carp and I blanked! Just goes to show, if you’re not in the right spot, you can easily blank.
