Braxted Front Lake 'Carved In Oak'

I woke up from the most incredible angling dream, I can still remember it as if it were real. This has been something that has always interested me, some dreams we remember forever with amazing clarity, others are instantly erased shortly after waking. I hate to think how many carp are left swimming around through my 'neural pathways'. I think many carp anglers may suffer from this, maybe thats why we whittle away our days trying to make these dreams into a reality. 

I read a book by Robert Bruce called 'Astral Dynamics', and he explains his theory on this subject, we all have something called a "Shadow Memory", this functions when we sleep, it has the capability, shortly before waking, of "downloading" all that we've experienced during sleep into the physical\conscious brain. Simply put, the dreams that we remember have been fully downloaded into our conscious mind, all the ones we forget, which is usually a vast majority of them, basically had their "spiritual USB cable" removed before they could be fully downloaded. It makes perfect sense when you think about it, it's just like saving information from your computer onto an external hard drive, pull the cable out before its complete and then it's corrupt. 

You do find that you'll remember parts of your dreams for a few minutes, maybe you'll get the odd flash back, but they soon evaporate, lost in the mind forever. Moving this into an angling situation it's all very reminiscent of that 'possible' catch of a lifetime that ditches the hook at the last minute. You've seen it, felt it and very much lived the experience, only for it to evaporate in front of your eyes, you stand helpless watching as your dream drifts back into the murky depths. You wanted to hold it and touch it, but it just wasn't in your reach. Will we ever experience that feeling again? Some of us make sure they do by pursuing their dream constantly until it's been fulfilled, this can be a draining experience that can very easily turn into obsession.   

The Human Computer

In my dream I was on the banks of Braxted front lake, there was no wind, I don't recall there being any sky either, the landscape ended at the tree line. The water was crystal clear, I was watching a big long common carp feeding very cautiously tight in the margin, practically inches from where I was standing. Very slowly it was working its way over a small patch of silt, I watched as it was gently sucking and blowing, picking away very carefully at what it wanted to eat and ejecting the rest. It was so engaged, like a fine tuned machine.

The precision and care it took was so focused, as I stood watching, I started to wonder how the hell we ever manage to catch any carp at all. They're masters of their own environment, maybe it's just luck, or maybe they allow us to catch them, just to give us the impression that we have a fighting chance of understanding their inner workings. Before I even got close to answering these questions and trying to catch the fish, I woke up. You can imagine how happy I was when I opened my eyes to the real world and had a trip up to Braxted planned.

So, with my dream at the forefront of my mind, I got up, threw breakfast down my neck, inhaled a couple of coffees and then set sail on my usual journey up the A12. It was cloudy, warm and drizzling heavily, perfect for a bite. Having taken a break from fishing the place for a while I had a new found enthusiasm, that's the advantage of fishing a number of lakes at the same time. With every water that I visit, my perspective is continually changing and my enthusiasm is always primed.  

The journey flew by in no time and before I knew it I was pulling into the car park, peering through the trees, front lake looked rather sombre in its mood. The complex was quiet with only a few anglers pitched up on back lake, the rain was relentless. I decided to take it on the chin and walk very slowly around the perimeter of the water. The wind was pushing down towards the car park end, after a short while procrastinating I opted to fish on the front of the wind just a few meters up from the car park. I've always done well from this section of water and to be fair, the far end up by the buoy looked completely dead. The only thing that was missing was a tumble weed.  

For those of you who may not of read my previous Braxted blogs, the conditions today were perfect. The lake tends to go into limbo when it's hot, it seems to pull the fish into the upper layers. I have tried both zigs and surface fishing on these occasions but I'm yet to get a result. I do find though, that if the day has been especially warm, it always looks pretty good for a bite from 4pm onwards. But I would rather fish when I know the conditions are right, rain, wind, snow, Tsunami, if the fish are feeding I will make sure I'm on the bank, none of it bothers me. Some of my fondest angling memories have been when I've been perched under my brolly holding on for dear life as nature, once again demonstrates, that she is fully in charge of our planet.

First Things First

I really wanted to "get it right" today, setting my brolly up and getting my brew kit out, I sat back for another caffeine fix and started to think. Coffee is like engine oil for me, it gets my neural transmitters firing on all cylinders, it's amazing what comes to mind when a 'caffeine high' kicks in. I hatched a plan a few weeks back on how I wanted to fish this session. I know I can get bites on single hook baits and mouthfuls, this time around I wanted to try something different. I was going to fish solid bags with bottom baits on short hook-links.

I didn't want anything blatant though, nothing that stood out like a sore thumb. I was going to compact the bags with really fine boilie crumb, I wanted the bait to blend in with the colour of the lake bed as much as possible. There are three baits that I use that would fit perfectly, Coconut Fish, Pineapple CSL and Halibut & Coconut, I opted for the Pineapple CSL. This is a bait that I've always felt confident in, but since the "Chase Lakes" era, it had fallen by the wayside for me. I'd never tried it on front lake before so I was looking forward to seeing if a few of the majestic commons that were hidden below the surface, maybe inches away from where I was standing, were going to be up for something new. 

Pineapple CSL

Sitting under the brolly looking out at the water, I went through my usual visualisation process. To my left I had a tree lined margin that slowly dropped down to 10ft, opposite I had a lovely deep run that leads to a quiet sheltered corner. There were enough 'fish holding' features in front of me, I knew that there was a high chance of a few carp visiting them at some stage during the day. The rain eased up so I used the opportunity to get set up, there's nothing worse than trying to work with solid bags when it's raining.

As explained before, I was planning to grind the boilies down into very small fragments and compact them into the solid bag as tight as possible. I opted to use small sized bags, in theory I was still fishing a 'mouthful' but there was a hell of a lot more attraction. The only solid item in the bag would be my hook-bait which I'd decided to cut right down. Taking the outer skin off made it blend into the crumb perfectly.

Grind Them Up

I was using a short 'trigga-link' combi fished as a 'blow-back' with a 1.5oz ball lead. In my eyes, this was a really tidy looking setup that would conceal itself perfectly within the bag. Because I was using a light lead I was going to fish my clutch tight on the take. This would help to pull the hook home as the carp bolts off, again, nothing was complicated, there's just a few minor touches that help to make it all work accordingly.

A Short Combi Rig & Cut Down Bait

I made a measured cast on both rods, I had a few chucks until I got the "drop" I wanted and then clipped up. On the left hand rod I was feeling for a fairly short drop. I wanted to be half way down the slope, on my right hand rod I wanted the drop to be slightly longer, the marginal shelf is really steep and I wanted to place my bait towards the bottom. Taking into consideration how many carp I've had from this area, I was convinced that it was a regular patrol route, if fish are about I find any bait put there tends to get picked up.

Ready For The Cast

It slowly started spitting with rain again so with two delicately feathered casts, both rods were out and I was confident. Settling in for 'the big wait' I felt quietly optimistic, it felt great being back on front lake again and I was pleased to be fishing it in a slightly different way. Many of you have probably gathered by now that I like to mix things up, I'd rather have a series of different options on all the waters that I fish, rather than be locked into one way of doing things. As mentioned in my last blog, if I settle for "one size fits all" I really don't feel like I'm fishing well. 

View From The Swim

As I sat looking out over the water, I started to think about life, it's a dangerous topic that I tend to find myself milling over an awful lot. Times are changing fast, technology is slowly embedding itself into everything around us. Is it possible to live a life offline anymore?. We now have a tool at the tips of our fingers that provides a platform to practically live and create an alternate reality. I can't help thinking that in years to come this is going to prove to be a real problem, it already is. 

The internet in its many forms can be a useful tool, especially if you use it for what it was originally designed for, which is 'information'. I feel the problems occur when you try to use it to compensate for all the aspects of your life that you don't have 'offline'. You can't live an existence that you're unable to touch or physically/spiritually feel, you can't feel love staring at a JPEG of someone you've never met. The worrying thing though, in the wrong hands the internet and social media can be a weapon, love might not translate from your online activity but hate does. The amount of hate I've witnessed online is not only disgraceful but a problem that continues to multiply, hence why I now limit my internet usage.

  
I might sound like a hypocrite with what I'm saying, the fact that I'm using technology right now, as you read these words. But the one thing I promised myself when I started this blog, was, it's going to be real, direct from the heart, and I hope through the masses of wires and microchips that able me to be on your computer screen this very second, it translates in a way that communicates with you. That's what it's all about for me, life is a series of connections, be it physical or emotional, we grow as humans by connecting and trying to understanding the world that's around us, the only reality is your own, in the here and the now.

Back To The Session

Having now tied myself in emotional knots, I was pulled back down to earth instantly. My right hand rod raced off, the bite alarm was screaming and the spool was rotating at a crazy speed. Grabbing the rod and leaning into the fish, the front drag clicked in and proceeded to sing. The fish was a dead weight and I had to let it blow its load on its initial run before even attempting to put the brakes on, its power was somewhat overwhelming on my light rods. The adrenalin gave me a serious head rush and my legs were shaking, any take I get from front lake seems to have this effect on me. I think it's because most of the carp that inhabit it are real lumps.

A few minutes in I started to gain some control of the situation, I kept the pressure on and adjusted the clutch accordingly, the tip action in my rod was cushioning the carps lunges. I could feel every movement, it was amazing, very slowly the fish started to tire and as it came close I witnessed the back of a very large common, it looked special. I kept the net out of sight and very patiently waited, 'whilst holding on for dear life', for the fish to drift on its side. She soon did and I gently eased the net under her ... result!

 Carved In Oak

When I witnessed this fish I was lost for words, sometimes silence says it all, its coloration was reminiscent of polished oak and its proportions were perfect. Even better still, because my rods are so forgiving there wasn't any evidence of the carp having been hooked. For me that's what proper angling is about, we seek to catch these amazing creatures, we witness them, hold them and it's our job to take care of them whilst they're in our presence. The closer to 'untouched' that they stay, shows we've done our job well.

On returning the fish to the water, I took a few moments to take it all in, slowly collecting my thoughts I dunked my rig and lead in a bag of ground-bait, I find this soaks up any water. It's a real pain when you're just finishing tying a solid bag and it starts to melt because the end tackle is still wet. Clipping the rod back up I cast the bag out hitting pretty much the same spot. The bite had come pretty quick so I was hopeful of another fish, I didn't want to get greedy though. The carp I just caught was more than enough, anything else was a bonus.

Settling back under my brolly, the rain started again, it was chucking it down. My swim was becoming severely water logged, I was on a sinking ship and everything was starting to get engulfed in clay. My feet weighed at least two pounds more than when I arrived because everything was sticking to them like glue. Undeterred, I put the kettle on and sat back to welcome the wait. 

Clay Feet

Hours started to pass and as morning bled into afternoon I started to pin my hope on a bite later on in the day. I was confident in my rig placement so I continued to sit and watch the water. Even though all remained quiet I was really confident, the wind had now dropped and the atmosphere around the lake had become so still, I felt like I was sitting in a watercolor painting. Time continued and before I knew it 4 o'clock had come and gone. It was around 6pm when I got a single bleep off my left hand rod, all my attention was now firmly on the rod tip. A few seconds later it gave off another bleep, I witnessed the tip nudge round slightly. 

Within moments the rod was away, it was a proper heavy take, both the clutch and alarm sung in unison, it was strangely poetic. As I lent into the fish it took a major u-turn and headed straight towards me. I was reeling like a madman trying to pick up the slack, eventually I did and the rod bowed over, I was "in the game", the carbon creaked, the clutch was ticking and once again my bloody legs were shaking. The fish came in close and circled continuously making use of the deep margins. I couldn't do a great deal with it so I just let it tire itself out, after a fine battle a perfect looking common revealed itself from the murk, in the net she went. Looking closely I'd had this fish before, I was more than pleased to meet her again.

An Old Friend

As expected, the fish was perfect and yet another example of why I make the journey up to fish these waters. After a few shots I slipped her home, maybe I'd meet her again at some point in the future, time will tell. I thought I'd get the rod back out for the last hour or so, it appeared luck was on my side. Clipping up and casting back out, I slowly started to pack away all none essentials, it had been a great session. I was pretty tired, wet and caked in clay but it was all worth it. The remaining hour passed with no action, reeling the rods in and packing my kit on to the barrow, I thanked front lake for, once again, being good to me, I can't wait to get back on its banks. 

  

Fox Stalker Pod Plus Review

Before I start this review I'd like to point out that I am in no way associated with Fox International, there seems to be a lack of reviews about certain tackle items and I hope this will help you out if you are considering a new rod pod. I had been on the look out for a new pod for quite sometime before I stumbled upon the 'Fox Stalker Plus'. Some of the lakes that I fish just don't have suitable banks or swims for my carbon sticks, my Matrix patriot pod is a majestic bit of kit but can be a pain in certain situations. There are days when I just want something that is simply setup, and away you go.

My love for 'the rod pod' goes way back to the early 90's, I have fond memories of my 'Fox Compact', it was the first pod I owned. Then came the 'Fox Euro', they lasted me for years, and for their time, both were pretty much cutting edge bits of kit. The downfall to both their designs was the locking mechanism, everything was solid when straight takes occurred but if you were fishing tight to either the right or the left, then the front support would collapse in whichever direction the fish bolted. Both have now been retired to the loft after providing me with years of trusted service, collapsing or not. 

The Stalker Pod In Action

There came a point in time when it appeared that the humble pod fell out of fashion, along came carbon and stainless steel sticks, crossbars, stage stands etc. Rod support took on a new image, it all became very 'BLING'. For me, it's about getting the right tackle for the job, be it in or out of vogue, every tackle item I own serves its purpose, I was never one to purchase something because "it was the latest or trendiest buzz item".

So this brings me on to the 'Fox Stalker Plus Pod', so far I'm really impressed with what Fox have pulled out the bag with this one. It retails for around £84.99 but I'm sure that if you shop about you'll be able to pick it up cheaper, either way, you get a hell of a lot for the money. It comes in a handy little carry bag that has tidy velcro and elastic straps, these house all the vital parts. Once the carry case is opened you are presented with a very organised storage system, it reminds me of the footage I've seen when a sniper rifle is being constructed, but instead of targeting people we are targeting the carp.

Handy Carry Case

The Main Shaft

The Other Components

The first thing that struck me was how robust everything looked, especially taking in to account how light it all felt. Assembly is very straight forward and it all fits together in super quick time. It has a nice jet black finish - gone are the days of Fox using a layer of paint on their pods that seemed to start to flake off straight away. One of the main selling points for me is the fact that it contains a set of both two and three buzz bar setups. After extensive research, there aren't a great deal of pods on the market that give you these two options.

All Four Legs Are On Heavy Duty Threads

Once the legs are up they screw down nice and tight, you have an option to change the height and the angle of each leg separately. The first setting is very low profile and streamline, the second setting is far more traditional allowing the legs to spread out to a wider angle, this helps with the overall stability and I believe this leg positioning would really come in to play when you are using three rods. Again, the locking system design floors of the Fox pods from years gone by have well and truly been rectified. 

Main Shaft

Leg Setting One

Leg Setting Two

The buzz bars themselves slot into two 'heavy duty' locking joints that are positioned on the front and the back of the main shaft, this mimics a 'goal post' setup. Because of this design, there's no chance of the pod tipping, when everything is locked down in place it's rock solid. Because of the plastic locking mechanism, it takes away the worry of over tightening small diameter threads. Some might argue that the plastic parts of the pod are a weak point and slightly cheap looking, but, I'd rather have this than lots of fiddly screws that could possibly get 'cross threaded' or lost. The plastic itself is very hard wearing and I don't see it posing any real problems over the long term.

Heavy Duty Plastic Locking Mechanism

Once the buzz bars are screwed on to their legs you simply slot them into the locks and you're done. Once again the buzzers can be set at different heights depending on your angling situation. Which ever way you choose to set them up, the overall adjustments you can make on the pod as a whole gives you a huge amount of versatility. This was another one of the main selling points for me, I wanted something that could adapt, be it a super steep bank, rock etc, I wanted rod support that I knew was 'good to go' where ever I took it.

Goal-Post Style Buzz Bar Legs

Lock The Legs In

Low-Profile Complete Setup 2x Rods

All four legs have sharp pointed tips, for extra stability, you can push them tightly in to the ground by simply extending the legs to your desired lenght. Once I'd done this I gave the pod a good shake and there was no real movement, it all felt pretty spot on too me. I'd like to add that back rests don't come supplied so it's your choice what you want to use. I've gone for a slightly 'retro' look using some old Fox back rests that I've had for years, the alarms in the picture are my old Micron SX's, the swingers are from the new black label series. 

Looking at it whilst waiting for a bite makes me feel rather nostalgic, thinking back to my early days of carp fishing. Don't get me wrong, I love my carbon and stainless setups a lot but I really like the ease that the 'stalker' provides and, as mentioned before, on swims that are awkward for standard sticks, it really does the job brilliantly.

Maximum Height 3x Rods

The above image gives you an idea of how high up the pod can go, this is with the legs fully extended. It passed the 'wobble test' with flying colours, the middle shaft is also extended to its maximum limit. There are many angles and variations that you can mess about with. The image below shows another example which would be perfect if you want your rods tips low in windy conditions, the main shaft is as short as it can go.

Tips Down

Tips To The Skies

There really isn't a great deal more that I can say, it's a great bit of kit and a fair price, taking into account everything that you get. The only minor negative point I have is the fact that it will scratch, it's just the nature of the finish and being black, marks will show, but we are talking about rod support here, not a Ferrari. There aren't any other negative points, it's simple, light, versatile and destine to be a fine work horse. If you're a self-confessed 'tackle tart', this might not be the choice for you. But if you're the kind of angler that wants good, practical gear without the "BLING" price tag, then the 'Fox Stalker Pod' might just be the bit of kit you're looking for.

Rating : 10/10

Braxted Reservoir 'Singing From The Fields'

As I sit typing this blog it's very clear that summer has well and truly left us. Out the window a miserable amount of cloud fills the sky and the rain is launching a brave assault on my windows. I know this is great fishing weather and as usual I will be braving the banks through both Autumn and Winter, it's my favourite time to be out there. Today though, I thought I'd escape for a while and recall a successful session I had on the Braxted reservoir a month or so ago.

There were two things that very much stuck in my mind about this session, not only did I bank a 28IB 5oz common but the weather was incredible. It was one of those days where there were very few clouds in the sky, it was almost as if they ceased to exist. There were a thousand shades of blue and the breeze was constant and warm. Sprawling behind me was an ocean of corn fields and with each gust of wind came a strange, ghostly serenade as the stems shifted back and forth with military timing, I was in the heart of nature and I was loving it. On days like this it's so easy to experience pure clarity and being on the bank is both an honor and a privilege. It goes to show that angling intertwines so much more than just going and catching fish, if you focus too much on the numbers you'll miss all that is around you.

The Corn Fields Sang Behind Me

Having targeted the dam wall on my previous sessions, I decided that I'd like to explore more of the water. When I arrived, there was a tempting swim available that gave me a few good looking spots on the other end of the dam to where I'd previously fished. I must admit that this was tempting but I abstained the urge to fish it and made my way up towards the centre of the water.

I started to think that if I was a big carp I might feel inclined to stray away from the crowds and lurk quietly under a tree or in an unassuming spot. With this in mind I decided to fish a swim half way up the left bank, free from any marginal features. I wasn't going to fish very far out, I wanted to see if I could pick a couple off as they made their way along the margin. After having a lead around it was shallow close in and then gently sloped down, I wanted to target the water at about 4ft.

View From The Moon

I was going to stick to the bait I'd used in previous sessions, the coconut fish combined with the halibut & coconut seemed to work very well. This time around I wanted to work with a black and white combination, I wanted a presentation that had the feel of what the old humbug sweets looked like. I am growing weary of tipping my baits with yellow, I think it's being done to death nowadays and I am sure some of the bigger, wiser carp are starting to suss this out. 

Coconut Fish And Halibut & Coconut Combined

I was fishing two bottom baits both on semi-fixed rigs, my lead was 2.75oz, I was using a combi rig which consisted of Kryston 'SYNX' and Nash 'Trigger-Link'. I feel the Trigga-Link is a painfully under used item, for those that don't know, once it comes in contact with water it turns elasticated with a spring like quality. I believe this makes it harder for the carp to use the lead to drop the hook, every lunge and head shake is cushioned due to the elasticity of the 'Trigga-Link', I have had great success with this rig.

Trigga-Link/SYNX Combi

On my left rod I had Coconut Fish, I didn't top this off with anything, on my right rod, the Coconut & Halibut was topped off with white corn, this gave a great black & white combination and I felt it was a mix of colors that the carp just wouldn't be able to resist. 

I decided I was going to bait up heavily in a triangular shape, fishing one bait in the centre of the free offerings and the other bait a good half rods length off from the main concentration of bait. I was interested to see which bait pulled the better fish, I still believe on pressured waters the big fish opt for the 'mouthful' approach and I don't believe they just hoover up everything they come across. I think it's far more complicated than that, I am wanting to create a presentation that has a very 'nonuniform' feel about it.

Triangular Baiting Pattern

I got both my rods out by mid morning, baited up nice and tidy and sat back in anticipation to see if my 'hunch' about the margins was going to pay off. Periodically I would add a few baits to the swim, I feel that the carp move around a lot and at some point should come across my zone. A few coffees later and a little doze, the rods remained static, instead of re-baiting and recasting I decided to sit it out. I know the bait works and I knew my presentation was spot on. 

It was about 2:30pm when I got my first pick up, the left hand rod was alive and that awesomely addictive sound of my bite alarm had me scrabbling for the rod. As I lent into the fish it was kiting like crazy and I held on for dear life trying to cushion the onslaught. Finally tiring I caught a glimpse of a long, lean common, I was buzzing, eager to look at my prize, she was a beauty, I weighted her fast, 15IB on the noise, a few quick pictures were in order and then I slipped her back.

15IB Common On The Coconut Fish

I was very pleased, the fish came off of the rod that was fished deep within the bed of bait. I put about 50 boilies into the zone, recast and sat back to soak up my little victory. It shows that the carp do patrol close in, I was hoping that when the sun starts to evaporate I might be able to pick another few off. The hours went by and as the sun started to set it felt like the magic hour was approaching. Fish started showing all over the place and I could hear distant bite alarms sounding from a few of the other anglers around the lake.

My next take came off my right rod, this was the bait fished off the main spot, instantly this felt like a better carp and it took me a fair few minutes to tame. I netted another stunning looking common, scales sunk to 20IB, she fell to the 'black & white combination'.

20IB Common Caught On The White On Black Combo

It might have been sheer chance that the better fish of the two came from the bait on the outside of the zone, but once again it started me thinking that the bigger fish could be ghosting around the perimeters of large baited areas. Fishing on the edge of the main spot could just be the key to tripping up the larger residents of the waters.

What happened next was crazy, I changed the hook-link over so I had a new sharp hook on and then I flicked the bait out in to the same area. Within seconds of it landing my rod was pretty much pulled out of my hands. It took me totally by surprise, I lent back into whatever had picked it up and a very unsuspecting fight resumed. The carp had taken the bait on the drop, I can only assume when I cast it out, it landed right next to it's mouth.

I could feel that this was a big fish, my rod was bent double and it was slow, steady and powerful, I maintained the best control that I could, as it surfaced I could see I was into something a little bit special, the minutes passed and I was shaking, I really wanted to get this fish in. As I lowered the net into the water, 'the end' couldn't come quick enough. Finally a big long common stared up at me from the mesh, scales sunk to 28IB 5oz, what a bloody result and once again it came off the bait that wasn't put with the main offerings.

28IB 5oz Common, Very Pleased

What a session it had turned out to be, it started off slowly but really came together, the baiting approach seemed to do the trick and it's got me thinking hard about a few things. I came to realize a long time ago that if you stop thinking about your angling, you soon stop learning. 

Even when I blank I can recall a series of aspects that I've learnt, there is no such thing as a wasted or pointless session, but I guess it's the way you want to look at it. Angling is not a sprint, it's a very long marathon and just when you think that you are 'match fit', something nearly always occurs that humbles you. 

I packed up feeling like another piece of the puzzle just might be moulding itself into place. The sun set in the cloudless sky, the breeze became still and as I took the long and painful walk back to my car I once again felt very lucky to have discovered such a magical pass time.

Carp Angling - 'Going Solo'

Many moons ago when I first started focusing my angling towards the elusive, majestic and continually perplexing "Cyprinus", I would either fish with a group of people or a mate, it seemed right back then, off we'd trot for a three day adventure. We'd stop off and stock up on cigarettes and junk food and head on down to our chosen water, it was like some kind of weird ritual. 

On arrival leaving the gear in the car, we'd walk around the lake with hawk eyes, in deep debate where we wanted to fish, what tactics we were going to adopt and at some point argue about how many 20's where probably swimming around in the lake. The number would always float between 3 or 5 with the very common "I swear I have seen bigger", thrown in for good measure. I must admit wholeheartedly that part of me really misses those days, life was simpler and less confused. But then 'life' happens and things slowly change, I am no longer in touch with any of the people I use to fish with, it seems sad considering we spent so much time together and in many ways experienced so much together, for now let us call it "Progress".

Priceless

These days, I fish alone, very occasionally I will go to a quiet commercial water with my friend Alex, but apart from that, being alone by the water really feels right to me. Not only can I collect my thoughts about my chosen venue but I can arrange my thoughts about my life, angling and life aren't too dissimilar. 

You have periods where you know completely where you're at and where you're heading, other times you find yourself floundering around from corner to corner without a clue, when nothing you do seems to go right. I find if you can carry the discipline you have towards your angling and mould it into your everyday existence, then it can up the odds in things working out. "don't quote me on that"  

I find when I use to go on sessions with others, gaps started to appear regarding how I wanted to approach a water. I found that more times than not, you would setup in a swim where it was possible for you all to hang out. So even if there were better swims available, they were usually outweighed by 'the social element' of fishing in a group. Also I would find that your thoughts about the water, tactics etc, could be easily influenced by the conflict of others opinion. I remember fishing swims that I generally wasn't that happy with but proceeded to fish them so I was next to my mate.

The few points above are some of the reasons why I fish alone, along with the fact that I am pretty anti-social, I find 'society' somewhat tiresome. And having spent my whole life in an industry where I have been paid by other peoples mistakes, it's a relief to get away from the continuous clashing of souls. Would I go as far to say that I am a recluse, yes I think I would. I feel along with my angling, writing and my music, the subconscious goal was to build and existence that was bearable.

One Man And His Dog

One of the key points when fishing on your own is preparation, you have to have everything ready and in position, thus making landing, unhooking, weighing and taking a picture of your prize as controlled as possible. One thing I am not blind to is the element of stress that the fish go through during the capture. My number one priority is to make this experience for them as quick and as painless as possible, it took me a while to perfect but these are the simple steps that I go through once I have a carp in my net. 

1. Before lifting fish out of the water, slacken off the line so no pressure is on the hook hold when moving the fish to the unhooking mat.

2. Place fish on the first mat to unhook before lifting into the cradle and sling.

3. Lift the fish into the sling, 'which is open and ready in the cradle'.

4. Before lifting the fish on to the tripod for weighing, pour a little water gently over it, 'not directly in to the gills'.

5. Once weighed carry the sling back to the cradle and get your prize shot.

6. Return the fish to the water and send her home.

Once mastered, the above process can take as little as three minutes and the more you do it the faster you will get, it's important to have everything at hand. Next to the sling I will have my carp care kit, a bucket of lake water and my forceps. Many times in the past once the fish is in net I would be scrabbling around trying to get all my bits and pieces together, more times than not the swim would be in a mess and I'd be scratching through my bags for the items I needed. Having all you need at hand really makes dealing with the fish a breeze. 

All Your Vital Bits Of Kit Ready To Use

If I am staying mobile for the day I will still have everything set up but it will be kept on barrow, this way I can move quick if I feel I need to. It really depends on the lake I am fishing, certain waters lend themselves to staying mobile, others, the static approach is sometimes best.

A Tidy Swim Makes For Tidy Fishing

It took me a while to sort my 'self take' system out, I have always liked photography, I use a Cannon DSLR camera, the model is the EOS 1000D. Paired with this I have a wireless camera remote, I set the cameras focus and give myself 10 seconds on the built in timer to lift and hold the fish in the right position.

Once again I set the camera prior to capture so you don't have to mess around when the fish is on the bank. I invested in a small lightweight tripod, when looking at tripods it's important to get one with telescopic legs. This is so you can always get the camera level if setting up on uneven ground. Once again, the more you go through this process, the better you will get at it.

Mastering The Art Of "Self-Taking"

One of the questions I get asked a lot is "Do I get bored fishing on my own". The answer to this is No, I don't fish for the 'social' experience, I go to catch and work towards understanding the waters that I choose to target. With the popularity of night fishing becoming ever more apparent, I see that some anglers like to take everything including the kitchen sink. I walk past guys pitched up with radios, TV aerials, DVD players, a real home from home. 

Fair play if that's the way you want to do it, for me angling is an escape from all that, a place free from technology and the mundane grind of life. I take very little when it comes to comfort and entertainment, my entertainment is watching the water, religiously keeping my eyes fixed on the lake at all times. I have mentioned in the past that the water will give you all the answers you need, you've just got to be listening, you're not listening if you're fixed to a TV screen in your bivvy with the door zipped up.

Tools Of The Trade

My most relevant items are my binoculars, note pad and polaroid glasses. I have one pad for notes and another for poetry and prose. I record the times of all my bites on all my waters, doing this allows you to see if there is a pattern emerging. After a good few sessions you can start to gauge bite time and make sure you are on the water and fishing before hand. Along with this I will note everything else of interest, swim numbers, depths, how many wraps it is to each spot from certain swims, anything that I feel will help me build up a working picture of the water in front of me.

Applying this level of detail can eliminate the need to do long sessions, as we know, an hour in the right place beats three days in the wrong place. Once you've sussed bite time out on a few waters, you can end up hitting more than one lake in a day, especially if one is productive in the morning and another wakes up in the afternoon or early evening.

Taking all the above points into consideration it becomes even clearer why I enjoy fishing alone, the sense of freedom is enormous, it's you against the wild and the unknown. If you haven't gone solo much on the bank before, I suggest you give it a go. It might just work out being the thing you need to do to really unlock the potential of your angling.