Chase Lakes 'Higher Sights'

So it all starts here, I waited patiently for April to pass, my membership for Chase Lakes started on May 1st. Prior to joining I had done a few day sessions on the back lake with some success, landing fish up to 27IB. During April I fished my club waters and took a few trips to Chase on some sneaky reconnaissance missions. I learnt a lot just watching the water and looking at how other anglers approach the lakes. First impressions were that all the main features get extreme pressure, the islands have lines off them 24 hours a day. There are also a lot of overgrown swims that seem to be ignored.

I have no interest in fishing to the obvious spots, the margins and the quiet little bays are the places I am really interested in. I started by walking around clocking all the swims that were overgrown and awkward to fish, these are obviously places that don't see much pressure, I decided I was going to start to concentrate my efforts on these areas.

In regards to the lake bed, it's pretty clear with a mix of gravel and clay, the margins and spots near overhanging trees seem to be pretty silty with a fair amount of junk on the bottom. Any spots I choose in these specific parts will be fished using a simple pop up, everywhere else I am going to stick with basic bottom baits. I am not sure of the depths at the moment, I plan to dedicate a few short sessions just marking up the areas that I will be fishing, once I get an idea of how much movement there is on the bottom I'll be able to focus on some interesting features. My approach is going to be very straightforward, simple rigs, boilies, find the fish and feed them.  

Where To Start

For my first session I chose mid afternoon through to early evening, it amounted to about 4 hours fishing time. I arrived at the lake and before I made up my mind on swim choice I sat and watched the water for a short while to see if any fish gave themselves away. There were a lot of anglers around the islands and there was a choppy wind racing over the lake. Nothing showed itself so I opted to get on the front of the wind and fish a back margin that had a great set of reeds for me to go at. 

My chosen bait was Starmers Coconut Fish topped off with a small piece of fake corn, I was fishing combi-rigs on two rods and a 2ft Zig on the third. My combi rigs consisted of Rig Maroles skin-full and Nash Trigga-link. I was using a 'Carpy Chris' flat pear lead 2.5oz, I really favor these leads when fishing on hard bottoms, the rig was finished off with 2ft of 'Carp Craze' Translucent Green Tubing. 'Example Of Hook-link Below'

Bottom Bait Combi Rig

Carpy Chris Inline Pear 'Gravel Finish'

I like the above rig because every element comes into play when the fish picks the bait up. When using Trigga-link I don't go below 2.5oz with the lead size, the heavier the lead the better because it increases the spring effect that Trigg-link provides. Skin-full is coated, I strip just enough off so there is a tiny section above the hook eye that is nice and supple, this allows the bait to sit proud and move naturally.

Before casting out I had a lead about and I was getting some heavy donks on each cast, it was pretty clear, the bottom was hard with no weed or silt. I got a fair amount of bait in on both spots, spreading it in a good 5 meter radius around where I was planning to put my hook bait. I estimated that I was probably fishing in about 6/7 foot of water, the margins do seem to fall away pretty quickly and I think if approached correctly, the margins will be where I get most of my takes.

View From The Swim 

I got all my rods out with as little disturbance as possible and then sat back to relax. My eyes were firmly set on the water, from past experience the fish do tend to give themselves away and as it's such a big lake and if it's possible to move on them, then I will. Also because I'm only fishing for a short period of time it's important to stay mobile. I have decided to scale down on the tackle, keeping everything to a bare minimum. This way I can be on the move all day without the dread of carting loads of gear with me.

Forty five minutes past and I was starting to get restless, there were no signs of fish in my swim whatsoever. I reeled in and took a walk around, the point that leads into a back bay was showing signs of life, I noticed a few fish topping in the narrow channel and no one was fishing there, I legged it back got my gear and made the move.  I put both left and right rods along each margin and fished my zig out in the open water. My margin spots were barley a rods lenght out.

Second Swim 

Margin Position 1

Very Close In

Margin Position 2 

Within a few minutes of moving swims I saw evidence of carp holding in this part of the lake, once all my rods were sorted I sat quietly back from the waters edge and waited. Sure enough within twenty minutes my left hand rod tore into life at great speed. I lent into the fish, it felt heavy and was putting up a real scrap, she surfaced and I was met with the sight of a real old looking warrior. after an intense fight I slipped her over the net, scales sunk to 20IB on the button. 

I was very pleased, unfortunately the fish had real bad mouth damage, not from my hook hold but obviously from past captures. This is the part of the sport that I really hate, I am very forgiving when I play carp and nine times out of ten you can't see where my hook hold was. In these situations I make sure I treat the effected areas the best I can and focus on getting the fish back having been treated thoroughly with as little stress as possible.

20IB Old Brute

I got my rig straight back out on the same spot, threw a few handfuls of bait around the area and sat back. It was about 30 minutes and the same rod went off again, just like the last fish, it was powering around pretty dam reluctant to give up. After a frantic couple of minutes I slipped a long looking common over my net, scales sunk to 21IB 5oz, once again I was very pleased.

Big Old Chase Common 

Chase back lake is a very big water and it goes to show that you must never ignore the margins, like I stated before, I was barely fishing a rods length out. I have grown up carp fishing with a very ingrained sense of the margins and through the years that has been where most of my good fish have been caught from.

After getting the fish back I decided to pack up with the plan of coming back the next day to fish over the baited area from the first swim I set up in. I put a lot of bait out and I felt there was a strong possibility I could pick off a bonus fish, from past experience I've also learnt that I shouldn't have to wait that long if they're holding in the area.

The Next Day

I had work in the morning, once done I shot down to the lake, it must have been around 4:30pm when I arrived at the water. Luckily the swim I wanted was free, the wind was gently blowing onto the reeds and it looked perfect for a bite. I got both rods setup and out quickly, both were fished over the spots I had piled the bait in the previous day. The swim was pretty hard to fish with a steep drop down to where my rods were, the upside was I could walk my baits along and just drop them over the edge, I scrambled through the undergrowth to bait up both rods with accuracy.

Jungle Warfare

A Real Uncomfortable Swim

Because so much bait went in the day before I literally put a few handfuls over each rod. I was thinking if any fish were present it shouldn't take to long for them to get stuck in, especially if they've been holding in the swim from the previous day.

Left Rod

Right Rod

Realistically my rods had been out about 45/50 minutes, I got a few beeps on my left hand spot which soon developed into a ripping take. I skidded down to my rods and lent into the fish, instantly I knew I was into something of a fair size. It was propelling around like a submarine, surfacing briefly, it was a big mirror with a fair gut on it. I kept the pressure on and eventually teased her over my net. It was a quick result but part of me wasn't surprised, I had a gut feeling that carp may have moved onto yesterdays bait over the past twelve hours or so, scales sunk to 23IB 8oz.

A Quick Mirror From The Margin

After a few pictures I got her back, I didn't stick around I felt that I had pretty much concluded my first few sessions and I feel already that I have learnt an awful lot about the place. 

I must move when I see that I'm not on the fish, using big beds of bait to draw them in works well, I must not ignore the margins and the quiet little bays and if I'm fishing real close to trees and bushes I have to use a pop up and adjust my presentation slightly.

I am looking forward to what future sessions hold for me, there are some real nice fish dwelling in the water, I have heard whispers of a low forty. 

I also really want to get stuck into the front lake but the place is rammed 24/7, there are some beauties swimming around in there. I have been told many times that it's a hard lake and you're lucky to catch but that doesn't bother me, I am already hatching a few plans in regards to my approach and I am keeping my eye on the water each time I am down. I am in no rush to get on there, I will know when the time is right and when that time comes I'll follow it through.

Be Lucky !! 

ATTx v2 Modular System 'A Decade Of Bite Indication'

When I turn the pages way back through my fishing history I remember starting off without any bite alarm, I simply clipped an orange bobbin on my line, total cost was about 50p. There I was contently fishing for roach and rudd, eyes firmly fixed on my float until, WHACK!!!, the bobbin of my carp rod would smack up shortly followed by the rod tip firing round, I knew I was away. This was exhilarating to say the least and it was this feeling of excitement and sheer euphoria that got me hooked on carp fishing alone.

After a good few years of slumming it I eventually got around to buying my first Optonic, I loved it and thought it was the best bite alarm on the earth. Years passed and different indicators were slowly cropping up on the shelves in all my local tackle shops. Even back then Delkims were the cream of the crop but I found myself drawn towards the Fox micron, I loved the design and shape and still do.

After many weeks of saving my cash I bought a set of Fox ST's, they had volume and tone and were real fancy compared to my now old Optonic. A few years on I moved up to the SX series because of the sensitivity option. Finally I arrived at the DXR's, I absolutely adore these alarms and still use them to this very day. The wireless handset and vibration settings really added a new dimension and even compared to todays standard of alarm, they're up there with the best of them.

After years of solid use I found that the handset started to tire, in the end it barely worked a meter away from the alarms. This got me looking into possible replacements, I was to fond of the old school micron design to give them up. This is when the ATTx V2 system came into play and I'm so glad it did.

It allows me to use the old with the new which is perfect. I really rate the ATT technology and I was so impressed with their receiver, I went and purchased a pair of their silent alarms for my two rod setup. I picked these specific alarms because they are simple and built rock solid. The standard two mag roller wheels are great because they allow for a reasonable amount of line movement before going off. This is perfect when you are fishing slack lines with a fair amount of undertow, it erases any false indications but is still sensitive enough to register a subtle take. 

I know there are mixed views and opinions about alarms with roller wheels freezing, seizing up etc, I don't take a great deal of notice of this. I have used roller wheels for all my fishing, sometimes in the harshest of conditions and I have never had any problems. To keep the sensitivity when fishing slack lines I will use a slightly heavier bobbin. There's always little adjustments you can do to make your chosen alarm work the best for you. 

ATT Silent Alarms And Receiver

The handset itself is an exceptional design, it comes with 10 different tones, an increased 'LED Light Up', meaning they will remain on for 30 seconds after the last buzzer signal is received, 'Last LED Activation Recall', this gives you the option to be able to review the last LED/alarm that lit up, plus an awesome vibration mode. This enables you to have the receiver on silent and vibrating ferociously when you get a run. This is perfect for me, I have never been one to have my buzzers up loud.

Simple And Effective

The beauty of this bit of kit is the fact you can use it with most other bite alarms that are on the market, as long as they have a 2.5v jack input in them. The ATT dongles simply plug into the jack socket and it instantly turns your desired alarms to wireless allowing you to use all the features of the receiver.

Receiver And Dongles

My DXR's And ATT Dongles 

The receiver mimics exactly what is coming out of your alarm apart from the changes in tone, the reception from receiver to alarm is huge, way further than you'll ever need to be away from your rods. My favourite preference is having the receiver on silent and in my pocket, this way I am totally connected to whats going on at the end of my lines.

All in all it really is a great bit of kit and modernises most older alarms, if you have a set of bite indicators that are close to heart which you don't want to part with, give-em a great boost with The ATTx V2 Modular system, you won't be disappointed.

Below is a video containing a basic demonstration

 Modular System Demo

Side Note

I don't earn any commission for selling any of these items. This review is to help anyone out who is interested in the above products.

The Stock Pond 'Cold Water Carping'

As I sit here writing this blog there's one hell of a snow flurry outside my window, I was going to celebrate the fact that I'd battled the banks and made it through the winter but I think it maybe a little premature, I suffered some hard blanks but also managed to land a few. There's something quite liberating knowing you've braved the waters all year round, the other week we had a taste of spring and I for one can't wait for it to arrive, the banks give birth to beauty once more and the carp will be coming on the feed. All the approaches and tactics that have been refined during the colder months will be put into practice. The Stock Pond closes at the end of the month so I decided to focus my efforts on this water alone, it's the only lake on my club that has a closed season, to be honest I think the closed season should be brought back, mainly to allow the fish to adjust and get back into the swing of things. Also with a few months with the pressure off, it might generally keep the waters in better shape.

The Stillness Of Winter

The Stock Pond is pretty shallow touching about 5 1/2 feet in the deepest parts, I was working on the basis that due to it being one of the shallower waters, it would warm up quicker and the fish might just start having a nose around. In this blog I have compiled a few short day sessions, I knew it was going to be a challenge but yet again I had a gut feeling I could get a few bites if I approached it correctly. Firstly I knew location was paramount but with the fish rarely giving themselves away it can be tricky to find them. Secondly I was going to scale the bait right down opting for single pop ups with a few bits of ground up boilie literally ground down to dust. I wanted maximum attraction with minimal solid food items.The rigs I used were very straight forward, I was fishing a semi fixed 'Weed Inline' from 'Carpy Chris' and a simple pop up. These leads are great because you can glug them, the material used to make the imitation weed holds the flavor very well. I was using Rig Marole Hydro-link Micro as my hook-link and coloured to match the lake bed.

A Simple Setup

I had a good walk around a few times when I arrived for my first session. Through the summer the open water had been producing for me, I wanted to try a few different spots because it stopped producing when the weather got colder. First of all I setup along the back margin fishing one rod tight along the edge to the left of me with the other straight out in front where the lake starts to narrow. I moved from this swim after about a hour when I noticed a few carp banging through the small set of reeds situated down the bottom corner of the lake. 

A Quick Change Of Swim

 Before casting both rods out I thought I'd see if I could get a quick bite with a single bait, I gently flicked my rig a few inches off the reeds and laid my rod on the ground. Within about 30 seconds the tip swung round and I was into what felt like a pretty sizable fish. I was using my big river rods so the fight was crazy being a slightly lighter rod than my standard 3 1/4 test curves. The fish was powering around and I couldn't do a great deal with it, I kept the pressure on and steadily guided her towards me, this went on for a good 15 minutes. Just as I thought she was starting to give up the ghost she made a last chance dash for an underwater bush down to the left of me. 

I hate these situations because you have to put a fair amount of pressure on to prevent them from reaching the snag, I gave her side strain but she was steaming towards the bush at speed, I applied a little more pressure and as I did ... ping!!! the hook pulled. I was very frustrated to say the least because it felt like a real good fish, the angle was so tight and I gave her a fair amount of welly, I feel these two factors contributed to the hook pull. I got my head back together and got both my baits just off the reed bed, both on pop ups with a few 'mini spombs' of ground up boilie over each. I was fishing Starmers Honey Nectar, both hook-baits had been gluggled. The ground up boilies were a mix of Honey Nectar and Strawberry Mivvi bottom baits.

Bright And Fruity

Screaming Attraction

My rods had only been out for a short while before I got another ripper, this time I lifted into the fish and kept steady pressure to make sure she couldn't rush for the same snag. After a good scrap I slide a fat looking mirror over my net, she looked like she'd been through the wars, scales sunk to 17IB.

A Stock Pond 17IB

I slipped her back and got the rod out again, what followed was very frustrating. It was obvious that the carp were milling in and around the reeds because I could see them. I went on to loose two runs due to annoying circumstances. The first was real bad luck, I had coots diving on my baits so the bobbins were being pulled up and down like crazy. Dusk came and I was still getting major grief, there was one coot that was continually going down on my spot, the bobbin was going crazy, the coot surfaced and my bobbin stayed pulled up, it took me a good few seconds to realise a carp had taken whilst the coot was diving, these few seconds gave it just enough time to get into the reeds. 

By this time the light had gone, I went to reel in my other rod and there was actually a fish on it, it had picked the bait up and just sat on it. Due to me fishing so close to the reed line it had managed to snag me without any indication. I got my rig back on both occasions but it was so frustrating considering this time of the year takes are few and far between. Due to these shit circumstances I was itching to get back down so I decided I'd come back the following day to seal the deal. The plan was to put a little bait in and come back to fish the same spots the following morning.

The Wait

The following day when I arrived at the lake the whole water was deserted apart from two other anglers..... and, you've guessed it, they were setup in the swim I was planning to fish. And to top it all they'd had a 27IB shortly after casting out. I had a quick scout about looking in the marginal growth to see if I could see any signs of fish. It all looked pretty dead, I decided that I would fish the first swim really tight to the reeds to the left of me, fish do get right up in them so I thought it was worth a go.

 Second Swim Choice

The approach was very much the same but I decided just to fish single pop ups without any loose feed. I glugged both baits and got them out on my chosen spots. The water I was fishing couldn't have been much more than 2ft so I had a feeling that if I was going to get a fish it would be around dusk because due to the depth of the water and the fact it's cleared right up, I didn't think the carp would feel comfortable coming in that close in the daylight. Time ticked by, I arrived at the water about midday, the hours were passing pretty fast and before I knew it the temperature was dropping and the sun was fading. 

It really felt like bite time and I had a real sense that something was going to happen. Sure enough dusk hit and with it my left rod tore off. I hit into the fish and it felt like a good one, baring in mind I was using my barbel rods, mini bait-runners and 10IB line, all the fish I hook into feel powerful, it really is a joy to play carp on light tackle. The fight went on for about twenty minutes, the fish was kiting around, left to right and doing it's best to bury itself in the remaining weed, after what felt like a decade I teased a big grey mirror and a ton of weed over my landing net..... RESULT !!!. There are a few name fish in the stock pond and I'd gone and caught 'The Grey Lady' at 22IB 4oz. In the height of the season she can go up to just under 24IB, she really is one hell of a fish and doesn't half bloody fight.

The Grey Lady 

Spotless 

After a few photos I got her back and proceeded to pack my gear away. I was working the next day but I was thinking I'd be able to manage a few hours late afternoon for sure.

Rigs

Just to touch on a few points regarding my rigs, the stock pond can be a little tricky in regards to presentation, there is sporadic weed even this time of the year. When you get your bait out, there's a pretty high chance that you could find yourself on some kind of minor debris. To overcome this I fish my pop ups as low as possible, I don't like to have them to high because if you find yourself fishing on a clear bottom and baiting up with bottom baits, I think a pop up stands out like a sore thumb. I position my putty directly below the hook eye, this gives me confidence knowing the bait will settle proud on anything it lands on and it's low enough not to look suspicious.

Top View 

Side View 

 

The following day it was very cold, I arrived at the lake around 1:30pm. The wind was freezing, I knew I'd have to really be on the money to get a pick up. I walked around to the reeds and couldn't see any signs of fish, the wind was pushing down into the bottom corner. From the day before I remembered seeing a few bubbles coming up in the open water towards the corner so I thought I would position a bait near the area. They seemed to appear mid-afternoon so my timing was perfect, once again I flicked a single glugged pop up out, the other bait went smack bang by the reeds. The rods had been out about an hour before my open water one shot off at speed. I lifted into the fish and had a real good scrap, before long I was sliding a real clean looking mirror over my net. Scales sunk to 18IB, very pleased. I got her back and recast, the hours passed with no more action but nabbing one in the short window I had was great.

An 18IB Beauty

It was a good few days before I could make it down again, by this time we'd had solid rain for a while. I thought I'd venture out, arriving soaked at my swim I got my rods straight out, once again, one on the reeds and one just off. I was wet through and the ground was getting waterlogged underneath me. It was one of those days where it just didn't stop. I arrived at the water for midday and had a sense that if I was going to get a run it would be around 3:30-4:30. I sat tight sitting on my hands and just watching the water, time passed slowly but I decided I was going to just leave my baits without a recast. Sure enough at about 3:15pm my right hand rod rattled off, by this point the rain was crazy and I got so drenched getting the fish in. Another lovely looking mirror graced my net, scales sunk to 17IB, I was cold, wet, and stank real bad but it was worth it.

It Was Worth It

No more action came that day, I was happy to get home and have a nice warm shower. All in all I was happy with my sessions on the stock pond, it has been really cold but it does prove that if you can find the fish, even in extreme conditions they are catch-able. The stock pond closes at the end of March and I do plan to get some more time in. When it reopens a few months down the line it will be packed, it always is for the first few weeks before people lose interest. I really feel the single hook-bait approach played a big part in helping me bank the fish, as we know the carp don't munch that much in the winter months, it goes to show with the right location and a bait you have confidence in, they will slip themselves up once in awhile. Bring on the spring!!

Rugby 'Braving New Water'

In this blog I am going to keep record of my approach, hopefully the end result finishing in my first capture.

Rugby is one of Kingfishers waters, one of their four lakes based down in Snodland, Kent. It's always struck me as one of the slightly trickier waters on the complex and it's taken me two seasons to warm up to the idea of fishing it. It holds some lovely old carp up to around 32IB, possibly bigger, it's a long water, deep in places and has a load of weed, not to mention the fact that there are two trucks in it and a railway track. 

After the ice melted I decided to do a couple of days just to start to get a feel for the place, obviously the cold weather has slowed everything down but it was a good chance to start mapping the bottom out, finding features and negotiating the weed beds. Needless to say both session resulted in a blank but I feel I am starting to find my feet with the place and the more homework I can get out the way now certainly puts me in good stride for the coming spring. 

Rugby In The Height Of The Summer

Where To Start...? Well the first port of call was up a tree, the low temperatures have made the margins crystal clear and I was amazed at how far I could see down into the water. The first thing that struck me was how uneven the bottom was and the odd shelf I could see seemed to drop away quick into deeper water, there was a fair amount of silk-weed/algae covering a vast percentage of the bottom. There was a very big weed bed quarter of the way out that you could only see from up the tree, behind that was a nice patch of water and then the long set of reeds that stretch the length of the lake.

Birds Eye View

I made up my mind pretty much straight away that I was going to fish on the weed, even though there are a few clear spots there is no guaranteeing you'd hit them on the cast. There is so much natural food living in the weed and I had a gut feeling the carp would feel confident feeding in it. Presentation is a key factor in this situation so I started to think very carefully how I was going to approach it.

First off I took a couple of hours with a marker float and a weed rake just to get a feel for a few areas. I was having trouble finding any real clear spots, it seemed most of the bottom had weed to varying degrees. It was my job to find the spots that weren't as heavy, these would be places I'd be look to get my rig on.

My Weed Rake, A Handy Little Tool 

After removing some weed it didn't smell to bad I didn't think it would be that hard to tackle. I was feature finding from a swim called 'The Royal Box', there's a fair few visible features to go at but I was more interested in the features I couldn't see. I was very surprised to find that the depths went down to 15ft and really close into the opposite margin was around 12ft, this was useful because I knew I could get in real close to the reeds and overhanging trees.

Finding The Drop Off

My Carpy Chris 'Donk Kit' Makes My Marker Work A Treat

To make my feature finding as detailed as possible I have two marker rods, this really helps with finding shelves and drop offs, it can really paint the 'bigger picture' for you. By this point I had a good feel for both ends of the lake but to be honest I was more intrigued with the middle of the water. I was thinking I might stand a better chance of catching working on the basis that the fish will be making their way along the margins to get to the ends of the lake. After having a bit of a feel about I found a spot that really interested me, there was a small hole a little way off the reed line that dropped from 9FT to 10FT, it wasn't very big but I felt that it could be a great spot to work with.

Two Markers Really Paint A Clearer Picture

In regards to rigs I have a couple that I use when dealing with weed or silt, I don't really use the Chod, people were catching fish from tricky waters long before it evolved. I like the idea of the 'Naked Chod' but I favor helicopter rigs a lot more. I use a longer supple hook-link material and will fish a pop up at least 3 to 4 inches, I use PVA to manipulate the way the bait comes to rest on the weed. You can now buy rig kits in most tackle shops but I have always made my own from scratch, this way you start to understand all the components and you can modify accordingly.

Components For My Helicopter Rig 

My favoured lead for this setup is made by Carpy Chris, it's called a 'Riser', it weighs 0.75oz. I use the lightest lead possible so it doesn't embed itself to deep into the weed, the shape casts very well and I believe it's less susceptible to getting snagged up and caked in junk.

I use a short length of Carp Craze tubing which is slid onto the mainline along with a Carp Craze rubber bead which is used as a buffer. The helicopter sleeve slides over the swivel of the lead, for my back bead I use a 6mm Taska 'baseline tungsten' bead, this type of bead actually grips to your line and can slide freely if you get a break off, they're a great bit of kit.

The Finished Helicopter System 

The hook-link is tied to a ring swivel and then slid down the mainline onto the tubing, I have a little 'kicker' pushed over the first part of the hook-link swivel, this naturally kicks the hook-link away from the lead to stop any possible tangles.

Finished Rig With Hook-Link Attached

To stop the back bead from sliding to far up the main-line I tie a bit of PVA cord about a foot behind the rig. On the cast I will mask the hook in a PVA nugget, this will elevate the hook bait upwards on the landing. Once the nugget starts to melt it drops the bait very slowly onto the bottom of the lake bed theoretically presenting it perfectly on the debris.  This method has worked for me in the past and I'm convinced it will bag me a fish out of Rugby.

Hook Bait Presentation 

The picture above demonstrates the presentation, obviously it's only popped up slightly, as I mentioned before, for this fishing situation I pop the bait up to at least four inches. I use a micro swivel to attached the pop up to the hook, this gives the bait a lot of free movement and is super adjustable if you want to mess with the bait position on the shank of the hook.

Moving on to my baiting approach, the first couple of sessions I wanted to introduce a fair amount of bait into my chosen swim. Due to the ice having just melted I wasn't expecting any action, the priority was to start introducing feed. I started to think about colors and I came up with the idea of fishing bright bait, sweetcorn, tuna and Starmers 'carp red' method mix, it create a nice layer of color on the lake bed.

Nice Bright Colors

I also decided to start introducing the bait I was planning to fish with. Starmers Banana Cream and Honey Nectar along with low oil Green Lipped Mussel and Strawberry Mivvi pellets. I just wanted the carp to start rooting around on my chosen spots and because I put so much in, it would still be working the swim even when I wasn't there.

A Nice Mixture Of Bait And Color

The Mini Spomb, Gets The Job Done

For my first 'proper' session I got down to the lake for around midday, it was cold with a light breeze. I got all three rods out on my chosen spots and decided to pile the bait in, even though it was still cold I was working on the basis that a fair amount of the bait would probably get lost in the weed. I fished slack lines without using back-leads and then sat back to wait, keeping my eyes firmly fixed on the water.

Bait Positions 

The lake was very quiet, no signs of any feeding fish, I wasn't getting any liners, the hours were passing slowly. Come 3:30pm I was really getting a gut feeling that something could happen, 3:45pm my left hand rod tore off. There was a few seconds delay before it registered to me, I couldn't believe my bite alarm was actually going off. Convinced it was most probably a coot I lifted into it, there was a fair amount of resistance and I could feel the carp ploughing through the weed. When it got in close it kited towards a sunken tree, my heart was in my hands, luckly I managed to keep the pressure on and guide it my way and eventually into the net.

I stood for at least a minute just looking at the fish, I was surprised and so over the moon because I wasn't expecting such a quick result. It really felt like such a massive achievement, I got all my weighing kit together, eased her into my weighing sling, scales sunk to 20IB 4oz, I was shocked, not only did I catch a fish in what can be considered 'hard conditions' I also managed to bag myself my first twenty of 2013. The fish was so clean, perfect lips and lovely winter colors.

First Rugby Carp 20IB 4oz

Starting a new water can be a very drawn out affair and can also be very daunting. To me preparation is the key, it pays off to really dig deep and find something to use as a starting block. In modern carp fishing the marker rod is becoming more and more obsolete, especially if you read the angling press. I understand when waters are busy it's not fair to be chucking a marker around, but shooting down to your chosen venue for a few hours when it is empty can really pay off. It gives you a greater understanding of what you a dealing with and from this point you can adjust your approach accordingly. I know there is loads more to find down Rugby and ideally I want to get at least five solid spots going. I am off the starting block and I am looking forward to what my future sessions produce.