Micklem Mere 'Fishing For Mysteries' Part 5

Over the past couple of months with all my focus having been applied to one lake and one swim I decided to go 'off-piste' for a day. I literally felt like my thinking was coming to a stand still, I could feel my neural pathways short circuiting, I fancied a change. I decided to take a trip up to Micklem Mere because I hadn't fished the place for quite some time. To me, Micklem is/was a special water and a completely different prospect to all the other venues I have available to me. The 'Fishing For Mysteries' series is ongoing and will document all my sessions fishing on the mere, if you missed the first in the series it can be found by clicking this link Fishing For Mysteries Part 1. Writing about the water how it was way back in 2016 is something that still inspires me, hardly anyone fished it because nobody really knew what was in it. Fast forward to the current day in 2019, in my mind, the water is a shadow of its former self. Once word got out that there were some rather large carp getting caught, with the help of the digital disease called "social media", people started flocking down in numbers. Unfortunately its now started to become like every other water out there, far too busy, way too pressured and, to be expected, the once pristine beautiful fish are starting to suffer mouth damage. 

Utopia Banished

I've mentioned it before in so many other blogs but there's just no excuse for mouth damage, there's no excuse for any damage inflicted on any fish. I understand that we all get the odd dodgy hook hold but what I'm seeing goes far deeper than that. I'm genuinely running out of places to fish that contain clean carp, the amount of waters I've turned my back on due to this problem is mounting up. I put this down to a lack of education, tackle firms will piece together 5 hour DVD's designed to market new products. But won't take 10 minutes to explain the concept of the clutch, the test curve and the relation these two elements have in landing a fish safely. So ... going back to Micklem, here in the current day it has become a casualty of the carp fishing circus. Anyway, lets put all the above behind us and magically transport ourselves back to October 2016. The aim was to get up just before first light and zoom out of London and up into Essex at a 'questionable' speed to get to the water just as the world was waking up. This was successfully achieved and as I pulled up to the gate to punch in the combination that gives me access to 'the other world'. I was feeling pretty dam excited, it felt good to be fishing a different water.

There's always a slight apprehension as the car park comes into view, I was pleasantly surprised to find it empty. It was looking like I was going to have the whole place to myself. Looking down from where I parked my van, the mere rests sunken in the landscape surrounded by a thin covering of trees and bushes. It always looks perfect, loading the barrow and trundling down the field I could literally feel the world on the other side of the gate disappear. The closer I got to the water the more obsolete the 'real world' became, very few waters have this effect on me. The fact the place was totally deserted played a huge part. I can assure you, if spods were flying and bivy pegs were being hammered in the ground, I probably would of turned straight around and left. I wasn't in a huge rush to get setup so I decided to take a wander and see if any carp were going to give themselves away. Placed periodically around the bank side are wooden benches, they're positioned perfectly so you can take a stroll and then take a seat to watch the water. I made my way half way along the car park bank and took a seat. Below is a very rough map.

View From Above

The wind was pushing down into my face, it was warm and fresh, now with the sun peering over the distant trees, I knew it was going to end up being a nice bright day. I'm always reluctant to fish the swims on the car park bank during the warmer months, mainly because, no less than a rod length out, it drops down to 18/19ft. I usually like to focus my attention up the other end which has some of the shallowest parts. After minor observation I carried on walking round and up along the road bank, the sun was now rising fast, the morning was dawning and as the light of the new day started to spread across the mere, with it came a clear sense of new possibilities. I still hadn't spotted any fish so I continued up past the back bay and onward into the 'out of bounds' area. The out of bounds area is pretty much 'jungle warfare', there's no clear path so you just improvise. It's pretty much just marshland, the long grass cracks, crumples and squelches under foot. Perched within this part of the landscape is an old derelict shed, its wood is weathered, its hinges rusty and broken. I can only assume this is a leftover from when the mere was a trout fishery. Whatever it was it looks a little too 'Blair Witch' for my liking.  

View From The Last Swim On The Field Bank 'The Shallows'

Walking from the out of bounds area the lake suddenly comes back into view, the first swim you come to is what I call the shallows. This part of the water is quite interesting, to the left you have a lovely silt area that stretches out a fair distance in front of the treeline. The water directly in front is around knee height and you can literally walk out right up until the point of the trees on the right hand side, 'check the photo above'. From the point of the tree the back bay begins and the depth falls away to around 9/10ft. On those early mornings when the sun is warm and the wind is pushing up, the carp have a tendency to group together a short distance out. Carrying on down towards where I started, I was yet to see anything showing, with a few more minutes of deliberation I decided I'd fish on the front on the wind. It wasn't exactly blowing a gale but there was enough of a breeze to convince me that a few fish might just be milling around the area. 

The Perfect Morning 'No Breeze'

Now with the morning sun high in the sky any clouds that were hanging over head were burning away fast. The little breeze there was died, the swim I decided to fish is quarter of the way up the field bank. It has a lovely feature in the shape of a slope that, very gradually falls away to around 11/12ft. My plan was to fish half way down this slope with both rods positioned about a rods length apart. To start off with I wasn't going to bait particularly heavy, opting for 4 bait stringers with a small mesh bag of crushed boilie. Around this I'd scatter a handful of freebies, baiting heavy straight away didn't feel like the right way to go. Bait wise I was going to be sticking with the green lipped mussel, my rigs were going to be simple semi-fixed setups with short hook links. Those that have read my blogs for quite sometime now know that I like to keep my rigs as simple as possible. I see no sense in complicating things, the rigs I use today are pretty much the same ones I've been using for the past 29 years, give or take the odd tweak.

Bait Tools

In the image below you can see the shallow water that stretches out a few feet in front of my rod tips, it's easy to make out where the slope starts because the bottom literally disappears. When I first started fishing Micklem this was an area that I pretty much ignored, having done a lot more research between this specific session and the current day. I have a strong reason to believe that I'm fishing on the road that the trucks used to excavate the gravel. I remember finding the same sort of 'road' when I was fishing Chase back lake, I had a lot of fish off it. Old roads and pathways hidden under the water in gravel pits can end up being great features to target. When the carp are actively showing themselves then fishing to hidden features doesn't enter my head. I just want to make sure I'm putting my bait where the fish are, on those days when the visual side of things resemble a 'tumble weed' I find targeting underwater features can be the difference between a blank and a bite. 

Over time I've built a pretty solid picture in my mind of all the waters I fish, I go through the same process with every venue. As the years go by I try to build a complete map, this map stays in my head, this vision in my mind may not be 100% accurate but it's something to work with. During the winter I might take some time after a session to mark up specific areas of interest. Approaching the waters in this way gives me a chance to really think about the best places to put a bait. I know that many nowadays use deeper sonars to help them suss things out, for me though you still can't beat a marker rod, a bare lead or a lead and float. I get a far greater thrill feeling the lead banging and juddering when I'm over a hard spot rather than the idea of relying on a piece of technology that may or may not be accurate.

  

View From The Swim

Even though I wasn't fishing a great distance I still wanted to wrap both rods so I was hitting the exact same mark on each cast. It worked out 7 rod lengths to the spots I'd chosen, this put me in 7ft of water. The bottom was hard with lightly scattered weed, I opted for slow sinking and low lying pop ups, this was to ensure my hook baits didn't get obscured by any weed they might land in. There's patchy weed scattered all around Micklem, none of it's really a problem to present a rig in. So after a rather lazy start I finally got both my rods out, 7 rod lengths is a tricky distance to cast without getting a bit of 'bounce back', but I managed to cushion them perfectly with the help of my Bruce Ashby 'BALLISTAS'. The back leads were slipped on, the bobbins were set and a handful of bait was deployed over both rigs. It was now time to sit back, 'try to relax' and see what the day was going to produce. I was under no illusion, your typical Micklem session is normally packed with the small stuff. I like to refer to them as 'future kings', they come in the shape of perfect looking common carp and if you're lucky a mirror or two. If the heavens are smiling down on you, you might hook into one of the secret monsters that, very occasionally reveal themselves. It's this prospect that keeps me coming back.

The Faithful 'Stringer' - Underused Nowadays

It was literally a few minutes before the bobbin on my left rod whizzed to the top and smacked the blank. I knew instantly that it was one of the small fish, when one of the larger 'secrets' pick your bait up the clutch will whizz and the alarm will sing. I lifted the rod up gently, the tip was knocking and the scamp on the other end was whizzing around like a bottle rocket. I slowly reeled it in, carefully unhooked it and sent it straight back. I always try to be as careful as possible with the small carp, they're delicate and I don't want to be damaging them. We're wanting all these fish to grow up as pristine as possible. 

Future King One

As soon as I got the rod back the right one was away, just like the bite before, the bobbin shot up to the top and slapped the blank, however this fish managed to take a little bit of line. The additive 'whirl' of the clutch kicked in for about 5 seconds, I could feel that it was a slightly better fish, it was putting up a fair fight and as it came into view it was clear that this one was a pretty decent low double. I decided to unhook it in the net and send it straight home. 

Future King Two

I suddenly had a change of thought regarding my baiting approach, if I wanted to stand a chance of hooking one of the better ones I needed to attempt to draw as many carp into the swim as possible. In my mind, the more bait I put out the higher the chance I had of a potential monster coming along. I reeled both my rods in and ran up to the van to get hold of my pellets and method mix. I always keep a few 'auxiliary' bags in the fishing wagon. 

Multi-Mix Pellets With Beastie Ball Method Mix

I knocked up a quick recipe that consisted of multi-mix pellets and beastie ball ground bait, to this I added some salmon oil. This was all blended together to make a nice 'tacky' consistency that would sit well in a mini spomb. I was going to keep the swim topped up with the pellet and ground bait, sticking with the same minimal feeding approach with the boilies. The attraction within the recipe I'd just concocted was more than enough to keep a scent in the swim. The mini spomb was clipped up to 7.5 rod lengths, I introduced 10 little rockets of bait and then got both my rigs back out. I'd feed the swim as and when, the bulk of the bait would be reintroduced after each bite. 

A Subtle Missile Of Flavor

Now with my new baiting plan executed the bobbins were clipped on, the bite alarms were 'set to stun' and I was ready to go again. I started to get lots of little knocks and indications on both alarms straight away, within minutes my left rod fired off. The bobbin fumbled about and then tore up and smacked the blank, upon lifting the rod up I could barely feel anything on the other end. I wound in slowly and as the lead came into view I could see a small fish rolling around, just like all the previous bites, I unhooked it gently and sent it home.

Future King Three

This rod went back out I didn't even bother changing the hook bait, over the top of this I dispensed 5 mini spombs. I started thinking back to previous sessions and there seemed to be a pattern, the better fish had a habit of coming along towards late afternoon and early evening. Before I'd even managed to sit down my right rod was the next one to go, the bite was practically identical to the last. Carefully winding in, I was met with another perfect looking common, it was barely a couple of pound but it had lovely red fins, when/if this fish grows on to be a monster, it's going to end up looking pretty special. 

Future King Four

The fish was returned, the rig went back out followed by another 5 missiles of feed. Things started to slow down from this point, the sun was now beating down hard. The liners ceased and both alarms stayed silent. To be honest I wasn't too bothered, this was usual practice for Micklem, I decided that I'd introduce 5 mini spombs every 45 minutes or so throughout the day, I knew the carp would come back around, you just had to be patient. In the meantime it gave me a chance to put on 'the all important kettle' and soak up the sights and sounds. Because no one else had turned up I felt like I had my own private lake. Sitting there waiting for the kettle to boil, I was scanning the waters surface for any signs of fish. I started to think back to the first time I cast my lines into Micklems water, it appeared so vast and the prospect of catching any fish at all felt like an impossibility. But like every water I've fished, once you start to work it out it's as if the place shrinks.

Clarity

The hours slowly started to pass me by, I sat transfixed on the water and the distant horizon. I was drifting in and out of a daydream. I started to think about the confusion and conflict that was going on in the 'other world' beyond the gate and over the horizon line. I sat motionless with not one care in my mind at all, which is rather a rare occurrence. I started to think about the minor culture shock I feel when I've spent a day on my own in the middle of nowhere, and then I drive back to London to resume my existence. The pace quickens and before you know it the stress relief the day had provided is quickly undone as you find yourself fighting through the unforgiving streets of the city. For now though, I needn't concern myself with 'the normal' or 'mundane', I was craving the abnormal, I wanted a creature from the deep to pay me a visit. Both contemplation and questions about the possibility of extraterrestrials running the world saw the remaining hours of the afternoon fly by.

Come 5pm the feeling around the mere changed, even though I hadn't seen any indication of carp anywhere near me, I knew I was 'back in business', a bite wasn't far off. With the late September sun quickly cooling off it wasn't long before a few fish started showing themselves, some jumped up towards the back bay and another couple towards the middle out in front of me. I took this as a good sign, I was willing one of my alarms to go screaming off. I added 5 mini missiles to top my swim up and sat poised on the edge of my chair. My right rod sprung into life literally seconds after I'd put the extra feed in. The bobbin flew to the top and stayed there, I picked the rod up and gently wound in slowly, I could feel it was another little carp, as it came into view it was literally a couple of pound at most. 

Future King Number 5

I slipped it back during which my left rod went off, the bite was literally identical to the one I just had. Lifting into this fish, it at least put a small bend in the rod, it was darting around all over the show fighting like a fish at least double the weight it ended up being. I netted a lovely long common that had a unique tinge of orange to its appearance. I got it back straight away and worked on getting both rods out as quickly as I could. Once the bobbins were set I topped the swim up with a few more spombs hoping that one of the mere's secrets was going to pay me a visit before I had to leave. 

Future King Number 6

After the two quick bites the action stalled, I was convinced it was all going to 'kick off' like it had so many times in the past round about this same sort of time. Micklem can be so bloody unpredictable, I was happy with the carp I'd had but I was certain that something special had to come along at some point. I sat tight, the September sun was dropping towards the horizon line and with it, a chill moved in that very much indicated that summer was well and truly on the way out. Looking at the time it was 18:30pm, I was going to give it until 19:00pm, any later than that and I was going to be getting home pretty late, I had to be up early for work so I didn't fancy rushing around when I got home. I was looking at the clock on my phone as if it was a countdown to the end of existence. Time was ticking by way too fast, I literally had 10 minutes left and then .... "BANG", my right rod was away only this time it was a proper take. The tip of the rod hooped round sharp to the right and both the clutch and alarm sung, these two sounds in unison was what I'd been wanting to hear.

Rushing to the rod and lifting into the mystery, the blank arched round and I was into the first proper fight of the day. 'Last knockings' had paid off, the carp bolted straight out into the open water diving down deep. I savored the moment, I'd waited long enough for it to happen. I started to gain ground and as the fish edged closer it was bolting from left to right, it put up one hell of fight. Now literally under the rod tip it was using the depth close in, keeping well out the way of netting distance, I was dying to get a glimpse, the bigger fish from Micklem are always special. Soon enough it was ready, a perfect looking common carp resigned itself to the net mesh. It was a classic looking Micklem fish, it had a lovely high back, a large clean mouth, perfect proportions and it looked completely untouched, the setting sun reflected perfectly off of its spotless scales. I wasn't interested in the weight, weight is something that means very little to me nowadays, it's just about getting out there and trying to suss the equation out.

The Secret

With the sun setting and the light fading I sent the fish back home, I watched as it morphed into nothing as the mere swallowed it whole. I had no head-torch with me so it was a pretty undignified pack down. I scrambled along the bank and back up the hill to the car park, I literally threw everything in the back of the van in one quick motion. Upon locking the back door, I turned to give the mere one last look, I could just about make it out. I reluctantly drove back to the gate, I knew the minute I opened it I'd find myself back in the 'real' world, a place that, as the years go by, I find I'm withdrawing from more and more, it's uninspiring, a hamster wheel of repetition, a place where the ego is given way to much importance, where style overrides any form of substance. Nowadays it's more about survival for me than anything else, I wish I could look upon everyday life in a more positive way but I can't. On the upside though it was looking like I was going to only have to put up with it for a few days because I'd find myself back down Burrows fishing the bottle-neck once again.

Micklem Sleeping

  

Micklem Mere 'Fishing For Mysteries' Part 2

After the success of my last session my angling mind was preoccupied with the thoughts of getting back down the mere as soon as humanly possible. Now having found an approach that worked I really felt that I stood a good chance of unearthing some of the better fish. It had crossed my mind that if I stayed focused on Micklem for the foreseeable future then my 'big carp' catch rate would drop off, but that was a sacrifice that I was prepared to make, there was going to be plenty of time left to get back out on my other waters. If I didn't make a concerted effort on Micklem now, I feared that I never would.

Me And Eric On The Banks Of Micklem

I was going to be approaching this session in exactly the same way as last time, the only difference being the make up of both my solid bag and sloppy mixes. The rig was going to be identical and I was going to target the same spots, I'd made notes of the wraps on each rod and the horizon markers that I was aiming for. Recording all these little details would allow me to get the rods out in super fast time and keep disturbance to a minimum.

But.... on arriving at the water it became apparent very quickly that I was going to have to rethink my plan. Pulling up into the car park and looking down on the mere, I could see the trees contorting, the wind was crazy and I could easily make out waves as the whole contents of Micklem was being propelled towards the right hand bank. It was like witnessing the eye of a storm, it was very strange because there was barely a whimper of wind in the car park. This eerie atmosphere only heightened my anticipation so I set forth into the chaos to try my luck.

I decided to make my way up to the same swim I was in last time and fish into the wind. Despite the conditions it was warm and I had a sense that a few carp might be hauled up along the margin to the left of me. My right rod was going to be fished on a solid bag that I was going to lob out as far as I could, taking into account the strenght of the wind. I wouldn't be feeding slop over this bait, it was going to be left on its own, there was no way I would be able to apply the feed accurately. 

My left hand rod was going to also be fished on a solid bag, this would be placed on the silty area in front of the trees to the left of the swim, because I was fishing at short range I felt I could apply the slop without too much problem. Below is a panoramic view of my swim on a much quieter day, it will give you a clearer understanding of the way I've chosen to fish it.

View From The Swim

Prior to casting out I got my mix together, the make up was exactly the same as last time, the only difference being that I'd chosen to use the "Big Fishmeal" method mix. My reasons behind this were simple, I have a vast range of method mixes and I'm wanting to use them all and compare the results. Combining both the 'hot chilli hemp' & the 'salmon marine' blends worked a treat last time, I was curious to see if a 'fish meal' based attractor would make any difference. For those of you that want to know more about my sloppy spod mix and the ingredients used, you can review part 1 of this blog here PART ONE.

Big Fishmeal Method Mix

With both my wet and dry mixes ready I rigged my rods up, I took refuge behind the trees to seek some respite from natures onslaught, trying to tie a sold bag when its contents is swiftly being removed by the wind was an impossible task. Just like last time, I decided to stick with the floating corn and half a 10mil boilie combination. Both PVA bags were finally tied, the right rod was launched into the oblivion before me and the left rod was clipped up to 9.5 wraps and comfortably put on the silty spot to my left. How I managed to get the bags out accurately was an achievement within itself. 

Floating Corn Boilie Combo

The next step was to introduce my loose feed, I clipped my spod rod up to 11 wraps, the plan was to dump the slop a little further out and use the wind to my advantage. Because it was pushing so hard in my face, I knew the slop would drift nicely towards the area I was targeting. I pictured chaos under the water, I had no doubt that bits and pieces where flying around everywhere, and with my slop being introduced into the equation I felt it was just a matter of time before I got a bite.

Using the Wind To My Advantage 

I fed the spot for a good twenty minutes and then decided to give it a rest, I was going to top the swim up every hour. Despite the difficult conditions I was managing to hit the clip on every cast, the key was to really give it some power. I stood firmly by my rods, determined to stick it out, the mere felt like a wild ocean, my rod pod felt like a cruise liner, I was the captain and if my vessel was to sink, I'd sink with it.

It always amazes me how the weather can change the feel of a water, when I think back to what the conditions were like on my last visit, it felt like a totally different world. I started to think about all the waters that I fish as having personalities and each of them having a disorder, 'schizophrenia' sprang to mind. 

On those quiet warm days they welcome you with open arms, the outside world becomes a void that you have no intention of reentering. Then you have the days like today, when it's brutal, it's as if the water has made an unwritten agreement with mother earth to help banish you from its banks forever more. 

Just as I was about to retreat for shelter my right rod blurted out a few bleeps, the bobbin smacked the blank and then dropped back, the rod tip was fidgeting. Lifting into the fish it became clear I'd hooked into another one of Micklems smaller carp and I had no doubt it was going to be a picture of perfection. It felt funny sliding my 42' net under something so small but it's the right thing to do.

Give It A Few Years

Upon returning the fish to the water I got another solid bag tied and cast it out as hard as I could, it pretty much landed in the same area, I was happy. The previous bite indicated to me that I needn't be spodding every minute to draw the fish in, the attraction in the bag alone is enough to get me a bite - this was something to take into account for future sessions.

Within minutes the same rod was away again, I could tell by the nature of the bite that it was another cheeky scamp, gently reeling it in I started to imagine that maybe I had a secret monster on the end that was reluctant to put up a fight. Sadly not, but the quality of the little common that materialised from the waters skin was a fine reward, it was perfect.

Miniature Perfection

With all these small carp that I was starting to catch, Micklems sentences and paragraphs were slowly being written. This is what it's all about, as stated before, this mere isn't a "rent a carp" type water, it's an entity all of its own and I know that in the next ten years it's going to be such a special place. I feel honoured to get in on it early and as I grow older and weathered, so will the mere and all its inhabitants, hopefully they will choose to pay me a fleeting visit in years to come.

The right rod was back out and I felt it was about time I fed my left spot, twenty spods went out. I was going to continue this process until I got a bite. The afternoon ticked by and I continued to feed the swim, surly the effort was going to produce something? I persevered and stuck to my plan. As the day started to fade the onslaught of wind just kept on coming, I was starting to feel like I'd ran a half marathon, all my slop was now in the lake, and in my hair.

As evening came I started to resign myself to the fact that I might have got both the spot and bait application wrong regarding my left hand rod. I reeled my right rod in and started to pack it down, I always seem to draw this process out in the hope the remaining rod might spring into action. 

'No word of a lie', that's exactly what happened, it simply ripped off, the take was aggressive, the clutch was smoking and the rod was bent right round. This certainly wasn't a small resident, if it was, it was on steroids, I lept into action mode, grabbed the rod, instantly I could feel that this was a heavy fish and it was steaming along, I let it run, the initial run was long and I had to just let it go doing my best to keep it away from the tree line. The wind was battering me physically and this fish was battering me spiritually.. but what a feeling it was.

I was slowly gaining ground, there were some serious flat spots occurring where the fish was wallowing around just under the surface. A broad back surfaced, closely followed by a large fanned tail. My legs were shaking a little bit and I was praying that I was going to be able to get it in. It slowly started to tire, closer she came, with net in hand I stretched as far as I could and as the fish came to rest upon her side I raised the mesh around her. I was face to face with a big common, myth had come reality.

My First Micklem Monster

The condition of this fish encapsulated all the reasons why I fish the waters that I do. The longer I've been angling its become clear that I'm not motivated by the amount of carp I catch or the size, it's about the quality. I adore fishing for lovely clean fish, that's my buzz, and releasing them back in the same condition that I catch them is of the utmost importance. I say it so many times but the fish we catch deserve to be respected. 

Once she was returned home I slowly got my gear together, this capture had been the highlight of my season so far. When I think back to the previous season, I couldn't buy a bite, it goes to show that really thinking hard about what you're doing and subtly changing your approach when needed, can be such an important factor. I was going to give Micklem a break for a week or so and come back with a fresh perspective. Next stop was going to be Blunts Mere, I could feel a 'long dark carp' obsession coming on.

I Will Return

Micklem Mere 'Fishing For Mysteries' Part 1

When I first laid eyes on Micklem Mere I knew that I was in the presence of something special. Located deep in the countryside on the fringes of Chelmsford, it stays hidden, obscured from view. Very little is known about the place other than it use to be a trout fishery, there are rumours that some big carp are residing within it, stocked years ago they've just been left to grow and have long since been forgotten.

The trout have now been removed but the tales of trout fisherman being snapped up by big carp are still prevalent. The meres best days are yet to come and I feel that it's going to be a very special water once a good few years have passed it by. The landscape around it is bleak, there's very little tree cover and there are no real designated swims. For those anglers out there that find mystery a romance, there's no better place to spend your time.

Alone On The Mere

Last season I dipped my angling toes into Micklems waters but didn't manage to bank any carp at all. My focus was very much split between other venues, being my first season on the Chelmsford ticket, I became preoccupied with other venues. Now that my second season is underway I'd made the decision to really try and explore the mere in far greater detail. 

Reports were coming through of mid to upper doubles gracing peoples nets and a good few twenties were materialising, it seemed the myths were becoming a reality. Obviously this got my mind racing and I was eager to unearth what the mere was hiding, other venues such as Braxted and Wicks would have to wait. It was very clear to me that another one of my angling itches was coming on and I had to scratch it sooner rather than later.

The Unwritten

So, where was I going to start? 

When a water is 'unwritten' you have nothing solid to go on. The little experience I have with the place was going to be my starting point, I felt that I had to go back to move forwards. Firstly I was going to drop the boilie approach, I hadn't managed to get a single bite on them. 

My mind regressed back to my old John Wilson book, 'How To Catch Carp', I started to think that an old fashion approach might just be the key to success. It's a water that hasn't really seen high protein baits before and the carp have obviously been feeding on the abundance of naturals that have always been in the water. I sensed that old school baits like corn, meat, pellets etc could do the trick.

"Nowadays it's so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the only bait that catches carp are boilies, I for one will admit that I have fallen into this way of thinking so many times, I think it's safe to say that I'm well and truly a "boilie junkie". I love everything about them and as most of you will know who read my blogs on a regular basis, I don't stick to one type, I use lots of different flavours all made up from different base-mixes". 

Different waters respond to different flavours and I feel chopping and changing gives you a broader scope on what the carp are willing to take. But as we all know, you've got to fish correctly for the situation that sits before you and on Micklem I'd made the decision that I was going to be hanging up my throwing stick for the foreseeable future. 

Micklem Mere 'Time Freezes'

On previous trips I'd had a probe around with both my marker rods, the makeup of the lake is very interesting. It's like a bomb crater sloping up from its deepest point, the margins can be anything from 3ft a good few yards out and then drop right off to around 9/10ft. 

The bottom isn't particularly clear, there's weed that appears very heavy in some places, there's some hard spots, muddy silty sections, and areas that hold lighter patches of weed. If you're prepared to put the time in to find them, there are a lot of interesting little spots to target. I feel both preparation and thought on a water such as Micklem are the two major key factors to success.

After a great deal of heavy thinking I decided that I was going to use solid bags combined with slop fished over the top. The slop itself would contain the same elements as my solid bag mix. The water is fairly large so I wanted to try and draw the fish in, I felt comfortable with the idea of using a spod in the short term. Taking into account the carp probably hadn't come across them much before, in my mind they hadn't yet associated the sound of it hitting the water with danger. 

I had a deep feeling that the spod approach would die off pretty quickly so I wanted to try and cash in on it as much as I could prior to this being the case. I brainstormed a list of ingredients that I thought could aid me in my quest to land my first Micklem carp.

With my thoughts well and truly balanced I was raring to go come the morning of my first session. I went through the usual 'rig-marole' of getting up the A12 as fast a possible, this time around, avoiding the morning rush hour. I arrived at the lake early, the sun was peering over the tree line and the deserted mere sat in silence so very fittingly. 

There was the sound of a commotion going on in the distance as all the bird life that inhabited the mere were discussing their politics, a pair of swans swam in perfect symmetry like two appointed keepers of the water. "It's times like these where I feel that I've been so lucky in my life to have discover carp angling, there's nothing else like it."

Dawn Yawning

After the rather bumpy journey down the track with my barrow, I took a seat on one of the wooden benches and watched the water for a while. If you look hard the carp do tend to show themselves on the sly, the wind was gently pushing up to the far end. The back bank is 'no fishing', from past experience I've noticed that the carp do tend to hold up there, with some sharp observation I clocked a few flat spots in and around that area. I decided I'd head up there to see if I could tempt a bite or two.

It was in this swim that I'd spent most of my time last season, it conducts a lot of water and ables you to fish the mouth of the back bay. The depths directly out in front are fairly uniform, averaging 5ft/6ft. To the left of me sits a clump of trees, in front of them is a large area that's very silty. During previous sessions I'd witnessed carp ghosting around the trees root systems and seeking shelter under the overhanging branches, they were so close in you could almost pick them out the water by hand.

Swim Location

Once all primary tackle items were setup I got down to the very 'scientific' job of mixing up both my solid bag and sloppy spod mixes. The base of both the mixes was a combination of hot chilli hemp and salmon marine ground-bait, to this I added porridge oats, salmon marine "high oil pellets" and some nut oil. The mix for my bags was obviously kept dry with a touch of oil to bind it all together. For my slop I kept all the above ingredients but added some corn and coconut milk. 

The Base Ingredients 

My hook bait was a single grain of buoyant corn topped off with half a 10m pineapple cream boilie, in my mind I had the best of both worlds covered, you had the ever reliable sweet corn with the vague scent of pineapple. This was fished on my standard pop up rig with a 2.5oz gripper lead, I kept the hook link a few inches shorter than normal so it would sit in the bag nicely. When I fish solid bags I leave a very short length of tubing on the line, this is to give the PVA bag something to bind to once its been licked and stuck for the cast.

A Simple Semi-Fixed Set Up

Finally all this gets tidily put into a PVA bag, at the moment I'm using the 'Carp Craze bullet bags'. They have a very slim profile, a draw string to tie the bag off and are a great shape for medium to long range fishing. Another advantage is, they come with very small holes already in them so you don't have to worry about piecing the bag to get any air out prior to casting.

Carp Craze Bullet Bag

Ready For The Cast

I clipped both my rods to 10.5 wraps, this distance put me in roughly about 5ft of water, the weed was slightly lighter in this area and I knew my presentation would be perfect. The spod rod was clipped at 11 wraps, both hook baits were roughly a meter apart from each other. 

Before I started my onslaught of "SLOPPING", I sparked the kettle up and had a quick coffee. Being such an open water, Micklem seems to amplify the elements, there were looming clouds shifting in the sky above, the suns rays would hit you on the face for a second or two, soon to be obscured again. The wind was steadily pushing up towards me, I really felt like I stood a chance of a bite.

With my spod rod in hand, "the game began", I found my rhythm relatively quickly and soon enough I was hitting the clip and feathering the cast as if it was second nature. "There's something strangely therapeutic about the "PING" of the line as it hits the clip, it's a very rewarding feeling". After a few minutes I was starting to get the odd liner, this was already more than what I'd had all last season. I kept the feed steady, semi expecting a run at any moment.

View From The Swim

Twenty minutes in whilst the spod was in mid-flight, both my bobbins lifted to the top and stopped. As I looked at the rod tips I could see they were very gently pulling round, furiously reeling the spod back in, I gently lifted into my right hand rod, I could feel a very dull pulling. As I began to reel in I could feel something was on the end, soon enough I spotted a miniature common with my bait hanging from its mouth. I gently netted it and then lifted into my left rod, the same dull pulling could be felt which soon resulted in a perfect little mirror carp. 

Both these fish were perfection and even though they were small, they still deserved the up most respect, like any fish that graces your mesh, it's a visitor, you greet it the way you would expect to be greeted and then safely send it on its way. I feel some anglers look upon small carp as a nuisance, but we must all remember, the monsters that we're all hunting for now, use to be small once. I had no doubt in my mind that one day these carp would be future kings. I was so pleased to of landed my first few Micklem fish, the approach was working, surly it was now just a matter of time before a larger slice of magic came swimming my way. 

Pure Perfection

On a water such as Micklem it's not about the size of the fish you catch, it's about the journey, and with each small carp caught, a little snap shot of the waters future is presented to you. Micklem is a venue for the long term, it hasn't been stocked to cater for the ever demanding 'big fish' angler, I believe it takes you right back to the essence of what angling is really all about. When you cast your rods out, nothing comes close to that feeling of 'not knowing' what could be on the end of your line when the alarm sounds. 

Shortly after casting back out and continuously applying the feed, I had another three small carp, I was determined to keep introducing the slop in the hope that a few better fish might move in. After an hour or so I was starting to feel slightly fatigued from all the casting in and out, I was now on my second bucket. There was still a part of me that felt I had to keep it up, I'd made the decision that once the bucket was empty I'd take a seat, have another coffee, sit back and let the bait that was already in the water do the work for me. 

Future Kings

Finally all the slop was gone, both my rod and reel were caked in the stuff, my clothes, face and hair had a generous covering, I was starting to look like a horror show. Taking a seat and sparking the kettle up, I kept my eyes firmly focused on the water. A few fish were showing to the back of the swim, a couple of them looked like the mythical doubles I'd been hearing about. I was already happy with the result but I was secretly willing one of the bigger carp to come and pay me a fleeting visit.

The day ticked by and as late afternoon came and went the activity out in front of me escalated, there were a number of shows very close to my spots. I can only assume that more fish had moved in now that the spodding had ceased. I knew there was a load of bait out there fluttering and twirling through the layers, it was now in the lap of the gods. Was I going to get the reward I was hoping for?

From out of nowhere I received a few bleeps off my right hand rod, soon enough it was away. This take was different, it ripped off and the clutch whizzed round, with my heart in my mouth I grabbed it, eased it back and ..... to my surprise, the rod arched round and I was connected to something heavy. I let it go, applying steady pressure, my mind was racing, could it be a secret monster? maybe it wasn't even a carp? I wanted answers to all these questions but at the same time I didn't really care. All I knew was, I was connected to something that felt good from a water I was desperate to understand.

The fish was taking me far left and all the way back to the far right, I kept the pressure steady. As it came closer I briefly saw a bright looking tail, it was a common and it certainly wasn't happy about being caught. Closer and closer it came, eventually leaning up on its side. I eased the net underneath, phheeww!! what a result.

Bronze Beauty

The relief I felt when I laid my eyes upon this fish in my net was nothing short of catatonic, it had an incredible bronze colouration to it, and most probably hadn't been caught before. After a few quick photos I spiritually saluted her as she swam from my sling back into the uncharted depths of the mere. 

I was so pleased with the results of the session, the approach worked and I've finally got my first few sentences of Micklems untold story. Instantly my thoughts were moulding around my next trip back. 

Taking into account the popularity of carp angling nowadays, there's very few unwritten waters, I know a lot of you out there yearn for that 'named fish' but I also know there are just as many searching for the unknown and the untouched. As stated before, Micklem is a water for the future and spending time with it, watching it grow and mature is part of the buzz. 

It's a world that I will be dedicating a lot of time to over the coming months. I doubt I'll land any real monsters 'but' the beauty of a place such as this is .. "you never know", and it's the not knowing that can keep us tied to the banks for a lifetime.