Starmer Baits Mexican Hemp Trials

Firstly I would like to say that in my next mini series of blogs I will be documenting my results using the new Starmer Baits boilie called 'Mexican Hemp', it's not actually on the market yet. One thing I will not be doing is over inflating the brand and continually telling you that "THIS IS THE NEXT WONDER BAIT", and "YOU SHOULD" be fishing with it. I am not here for that, just like rods and reels, bait is a personal choice and we all have confidence in different blends, flavors and brands. There's loads of quality bait on the market nowadays and they all catch carp to varying degrees. Obviously it walks hand in hand with watercraft, location and basically being on the fish, you ain't going to catch them if they're not there.

These bait trial blogs will be slotted in between other session blogs, having just joined a new club I am looking forward to sharing with you my journey on a number of new waters. My blog entries have been slow of late due to my workload but I will be doing my best to get out on the bank as much as possible, a "work/fishing/life" balance is very important, the angling flame will always burn. 

I am going to start the process by doing a few sessions down Burrows, I know this water like the back of my hand and it's the perfect place to kick off proceedings, I do plan to progress on to a few newer waters with it. My membership for Chelmsford Angling Association starts soon and I have already picked a few lakes that I want to have a go at and the Mexican Hemp will be one of my primary weapons of choice for these sessions.

I haven't been told exactly what is in it but I will say it's very potent and has a radical touch of spice. When out on the waters I have given passing anglers a good smell of it and it's pretty much like Marmite, you're either going to love it or hate it. I went down to the factory a few times whilst it was in development and Ian gave me a few elements to smell, they stayed in the back of my throat for hours, it's hard to explain but it was pretty heavy going.

Subtle Color

The texture is very coarse, they're oily and a lovely dull colour, perfect for unassumingly blending in with both light colour silt and clay. I feel this could be a nice little advantage because there are so many bright baits out there and I have started to wonder if some of the bigger, wiser carp are starting to suss out the ever faithful yellows and oranges. Having said that I am really interested to know if carp see the same colors as us humans.

Mexican Hemp

Because of the high oil content I wanted to wait for the waters to warm up before fishing with it. I did introduce a little bit here and there through the colder months hoping that the fish might pick up on it and get a taste going for the flavor. I believe with careful application you can turn on waters to any bait, I think the secret is consistent introduction, little and often.

My first session was pretty laid back, I arrived at the lake for around 10:30am. Before setting up I had a bit of a scout around for signs of fish, apart from a few showing behind the sunken fence the lake was pretty quiet. I had a favoured spot that normally produces so I thought I'd give it a crack. My approach was simplistic, both rods were on a bottom bait presentation with free offerings scattered a good few meters around each hook-bait. For this first session I decided to top both baits off with imitation corn.

View From The Swim

Regarding the finer points of my current bottom bait rig, over the past few months I have made some subtle changes. Firstly I have gone up a hook size, I am now using a Size 6, I use both the Nash Fang Twisters and the Fang X for my bottom bait rigs, I happen to think these are a couple of the best hook patterns on the market, for my pop ups I use the Uni pattern in a size 4. In conjunction with that I have upped my lead size to 3 1/2oz, as I've have mentioned in the past, I favour in-lines over lead clips especially on hard lake beds. 

A Nice Heavy Lead

You will notice in the image above that I have left a small 'tag end' on the hook-link knot to the swivel, this is a little touch for my 'piece of mind', just on the off chance the knot might slip a fraction under pressure. For along time I was using leads ranging from 1oz up to 2.75oz, there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with this but I find the fish are really nailed well with the heavier lead and the takes are very aggressive, I think it magnifies the shock effect. 

Finally 'if the make up of the bottom of the lake allows' I am using a stiff hook-link material, I find this is harder for the fish to deal with, there's a high chance that it will reset if messed with by bird life etc and the stiff element helps kick the bait away from the lead, I will strip it back a fraction before the silicone tubing kicker, this helps with the hinge effect giving free movement to both the hook and the bait.

Larger Hooks, Stiffer Hook Link

The current stiff coated braid I am using is the new Kryston 'Synx', having been an avid Kryston users for years I was pretty excited to get my hands on this. The stiff coating has been applied to the braid in a number of stages, this creates a super stiff material, when you strip it back it reveals a nice supple braid. It's well worth a look if you are thinking about a new stiff hook link.

Simplicity

Back To The Fishing....

I got both my rods out on their spots first cast, I was fishing very close to the opposite margin practically cm's off. I got my first take within twenty minutes, the right hand rod rocketed off, I was surprised, I didn't expect a take that fast. After a spirited fight I banked a pristine mirror of 16IB.

First Blood On The Mexican Hemp

I got her straight back and got the rig back out, bang on the spot first time, fired a little bait around the area and got straight back fishing. About an hour passed when the same rod tore into life, I lent in and connected to another hard fighting carp, I ended up sliding the net under a lovely clean common, scales sunk to 13IB.

13IB Common Second On The Mexican Hemp

I was very pleased with how this was going, it's always a strange experience trying out a new bait with 'No History', you don't exactly know how it's going to go. Just as I was sorting my rod out the left one gave off a few bleeps and then screamed off, I hectically ran to grab it, I was into my third fish of the session and I'd barely been here two hours. As usual it was an awesome fight, the commons in Burrows go nuts and you can tell when you've hooked into one. Scales sunk to 14IB, I was inspired, the bait seemed to be working well.

Another Bar Of Gold

I slipped her back and got both my rods back out, I topped the swim up with a little more bait, made a coffee and sat back to wait. The day ticked by and the rods seemed to fall silent I started to think that the swim was done. It happens to me a fair bit, it seems you get into any fish milling around the zone fast and then they obviously move on. Normally I would up sticks and move but because I was still sitting over a fairly modest bed of bait I thought it best to just sit it out.

The rest of the day passed and was uneventful, I was pleased though, three mid doubles on a new bait was pretty good going and it proves that it catches fish. I am looking forward to this whole process. I want to put this bait through it's paces over the next few months and I will keep you all updated. The more effort I make to prove it catches fish, the more confident you guys can be when it eventually comes out on the market and you fancy giving it a go.

The Remains Of The Day

Session Two

I gave it a few days before getting back down, I arrived at the water for 9:30am and decided to fish exactly the same spots and the same rigs. The only difference this time was that I removed the imitation corn from both baits and kept them bare, this way I could prove that the fish were actually going for the bait instead of the corn.

As usual both rods hit their spots on the first cast, I put a little bait out, set the bobbins and sat back, my expectations were high. It was a slow start but I sat on my hands feeling confident in my approach. About two hours in I got a few bleeps on my right hand rod, I could see the tip banging slightly so I hit into it, I connected to my first fish of the session and it was a real battle. I ended up sliding the net under yet another mid double common, scales sunk to 15IB.

Fish Four On The New Mexican Hemp

She was a real beauty and one of the best proportioned fish I had caught in a long while. I slipped her back, cast back out and sat back, semi expecting another quick fish. Time ticked by and it was very slow, the weather broke, it was still dull but a lovely breeze was pushing across the lake, it was proper carpy. Things still remained silent and I was starting to get itchy feet, I reeled both my rods in and went for a wander.

Nice And Tidy

After some careful observation I spotted a few fish feeding a few swims up to the right of me, that was enough evidence so I upped and moved, because I hadn't put a load of bait out I didn't feel committed to my original spots. The swim I was moving down to dropped off very quickly so I felt comfortable literally just flicking the rods out.

View From The Swim Two

Because I was in the open water I decided to really cake the bait in, I spread it far and wide and whilst I was applying it I had already started to get some liners. The sun slowly came out and things were starting to look up. A good 45 minutes after the move I was into my first fish, it was off of the right rod, during the fight I saw a nice mirror break the surface, the moved paid off and it resulted in a lovely 12IB fish.

Fish Number 5 On The Mexican Hemp

Without delay I got the rod back out, soon after my left one was away, this didn't feel like a particularly big one but I wasn't here to specimen hunt, I was here to get the bites, I didn't bother weighing this one, I estimated that it scrapped double figures.

Fish Number 6 Mexican Hemp Style

Wasting no time I got her straight back and recast, an hour or so passed and it fell silent once more. During this time some carp had started to show down the bowel end. I decided I'd move again, it was great because I was the only one on the water so I could pretty much do what I wanted.

View From The Swim Three

No time was wasted in getting the rods in, it was very clear fish were down here and I knew the spots to catch them from. Once again I put a large bed of bait out. After a very short time my right hand rod was away, it felt great having spotted fish and making the effort to move, it goes to show that staying mobile can put more carp on the bank, that's for sure. It wasn't long before I was staring at a perfectly formed mirror carp, scales fell to 12IB on the button, very pleased indeed, it was going well.

12IB Mirror Mexican Hemp Victim Number 7

I just let her go and to my surprise the other rod tore away, I leapt into action and lent into what felt like a better fish, it was kiting around and making good use of the open water, eventually I netted yet another perfect looking mirror, she weighed in at 16IB.

16IB Mirror Fish Number 8

At this point I had both rods out the water, it was frantic, I only had a short time left, I thought I'd get both the rods back in not bothering to introduce anymore bait. Time was really ticking by and I was relying on the beauty of 'last knockings' to provide me with a bonus fish. Sure enough as I was starting to pack up the left had rod gave out a battle cry and I was successfully playing my last fish of the day. It ended up being a stunning little mirror with some awesome scale patterns, I didn't weigh her I put her straight back and unpacked the rest of my kit.

A Closing Carp

Conclusion

All in all my first two sessions were successful and it looks like the bait could be a real winner but there is still loads more waters to go at, different weather conditions, water temperatures etc. I think the most important aspect was the fact I stayed mobile and moved with the fish, this is something that I find can be very productive. It's too easy just to sit behind static rods feeling as if the fish aren't feeding, find them, fish for them and catch them. I am looking forward to future sessions using this bait.

Rugby 'Last Days Of Winter'

Over the past few weeks I have managed to sneak a few sessions in on Rugby. I love the water so much and every fish I am lucky enough to catch from it is a gift. I know it's never going to be easy but I've got a hunger inside that burns, I am determined to unearth the gold that is hidden below the surface. It's on this water that I've really learnt to pay attention to the slightest movement, bubble or show. This time of the year the carp are very discreet but with careful observation you can track them down. 

After all the time I've spent on the water through the winter, I've clocked up the blanks, but at the same time learnt an awful lot. For instance, I have come to the conclusion that the carp can hold in a specific section of the lake for days, maybe even weeks at a time. I started to suss this out by fishing the same spots for a number of sessions and purposely over feeding the swim. 

It came as a surprise that when visiting the water a couple of times a week, with at least two days in between each visit, the coots would still be diving and picking up my washed out boilies. This was a real eye opener and made me realise that I have to spend a sensible amount of time trying to find them before casting out.

Another World

On this session I had my rods in the water by 8:30am, all rigs were ready to go so it was just a case of casting them out and getting some bait in. Before casting out I took a walk around the lake to see if I could clock any carp activity, it all seemed pretty quiet. I decided I would fish down in the beach because there was a fairly light wind pushing down that way, a lovely scum line was developing, where there's scum there's nearly always carp close by. 

Every time I fish Rugby I use a lot of bait, the lake is deep, weedy and has lots of nooks and crannies for the fish to hide. I want to get enough bait out and spread it over a very large area in the hope I can draw them in. One advantage to it being so weedy is the fact that it's very easy to tell if there are fish feeding on your spots, they really do kick the bottom up like crazy, many times in the past, when the fizzing starts it's not long before a screaming take comes.

My chosen baits for this session were Monster Squid, Halibut And Coconut, Bloodworm And Tuna and Bio Cp2 Amino. All these boilies had been sitting in a combination of fishy glugs and oils for months, the attraction they gave off was crazy. As they entered the water a huge oil slick developed, in the past I have fished with very bright baits opting for yellows and oranges. This time I wanted to try something a little more understated to see if I could tempt a bite.

Nice Understated Colors 

The beach swim commands a lot of water and the pressure points are very much the far margins near the snags and overhanging trees. In the past I've fished these spots and however fast I am on my rods the fish always seem to snag me. Over the months I have been concentrating on the open water and near side margins, that's been producing, results have been slow but that's just the nature of the lake. Today I was going to target the open water again, funnily enough as I was setting up a few fish showed at around twenty yards out. It was clear that some were down my end, getting them to pick my bait up was a different matter.

I had a few casts around and found three comfortable areas, marked my line up, cast out and then put a decent spread of bait over and around all three of the rods. All baits were in deep water, I'd say about 10FT give or take the odd inch. There was weed out there but nothing that really concerned me. When fishing in the deeper weed I usually set up a helicopter system, replacing the back bead with some PVA tape. This outing I decided to fish a slow sinking pop up with an inline lead. The lead was 3 1/2 oz's, my hook link was really long. Once again I was using the Vardis Autumn Camo material stripped back just below the silicone tubing, to slow the decent down I used two PVA nuggets squeezed together around the hook.

View From The Swim

All three casts were nice and clean, I got my swim tidy, put a coffee on and sat back intent on watching the water like a hawk. After about an hour or two I had another show and it was just a little way off of my middle rod. My heart started pounding, I was willing it to rip off, the carp was obviously churning up the bottom, I could see it very clearly from where I was sitting.

Simple Pop Up Rig

One little thing I like to use every so often on my pop up presentation is a small slither of zig foam to top my baits off with, especially if they're dark in colour. Not only does this create a nice visual touch it also adds a little bit more buoyancy to the pop up and aids in it's slow descent. Using this in conjunction with the right amount of tungsten putty, you can really find the perfect balance to ensure that the bait sinks slowly and settles perfectly on whatever it lands on.

I happen to think 'Zig Foam' is a very under used item of tackle, it comes in so many different colours and thicknesses. I like to combine it with snowman rigs, bottom baits, pretty much everything to one degree or another. In winter I have really got into the method of stitching imitation maggots to it to create a really effective presentation, hovering baits, slow sinking baits, it has all sorts of uses, soaking them in both glugs and oils can create an interesting combination of flavours and attractions.

Zig Foam In An Array Of Colours

I think it's very important to take that little extra time on your rigs when you are tackling weedy waters, it doesn't have to be complicated it just needs to be functional and effective. Tiny details can be the difference between catching that fish of a life time. 

Time was ticking by slowly, I'd started to get a few small liners, the wind started to pick up and it really looked spot on for a bite. The breeze increased even more and I was starting to feel a stirring inside, surly one of my rods had to go. Sure enough after another hour or so, it did, it was the middle one, I pounced on it, lent back and slotted into 'The Zone' as the clutch started to tick. It felt like a good fish, I let it do it's thing, powering around from left to right, I kept a steady pressure on and started to tease her in my direction.

I got her in nice and close and through the gin clear water I could see a lovely dark shadow kiting around, it looked like a nice lump, I was careful, patient, went to net her ... result!!

It was an understatement to say I was pleased, I was over the bloody moon, another Rugby lump, the journey is slow and without pain but I am slowly picking them off, I just have to keep my focus and be confident in my approach.

21IB Of Rugby Mirror

I didn't bother casting the rod back out, the day was coming to a close and I only had an hour or so left, I made another coffee and sat back just to really soak up my surroundings. This is something that I have mastered recently, once you've banked a beauty it's much easier to just switch off, if only for a minute or two. 

Sometimes it scares me just how minuscule we actually are in this universe, and being by the water really magnifies this feeling. We are so intertwined in our own tiny lives and ruts that we can so easily forget the simple things, the warm winds, the setting of the sun, the air, love and of course our never ending quest, god knows where we are going or if we'll even get there, where ever that might be, we've just got to keep moving forward in all that we do.

Angling to me is full of polar opposites, the calm, the lunacy, the joy and of course the despair. Each of these emotions are so important for us to be human and being by the lakes really allows you to connect with everything around you and within you. You can feel so connected but at the same time feel so alone. I never let the numbers game distract me from the true meaning of our sport. Next time you are out on the bank don't just observe things around you, take time to observe yourself, you might just be surprised at what you find.

The next series of blog entries are going to be about my session using Starmers new Mexican Hemp boilie. I am going to be doing a fair amount of time down on Burrows, I know that water like the back of my hand and it's the perfect place to give a new bait a go, I am looking forward to it.

   

Burrows 'First Trip 2014'

With 2013 evaporating into the corridors of my mind I felt it was time to start fresh and welcome 2014 with open arms. It just didn't feel right not checking in down Burrows to help get proceedings under way. 

The fishing had really slowed up towards the end of last year and I have been clocking up the blanks. None of which bother me, blanks have their place in the process and I know that I am not doing anything wrong, it's just the way it is. With each blank I pick the positives and understand that some days it really doesn't matter what you do, the carp just aren't having none of it. The way I see it, if my bait goes in the water each time, even just a few handfuls, it's still fishing for me even if I am not physically on the bank.

Back In The Summer

It's been a fair few months since my last visit, it's exciting times, Starmer have had a new bait in development and I've finally received the finished product. I don't know much about it, it's a nice dull color and smells like it has a hint of onion in it, it's called Mexican Hemp. My plan is to introduce it moderately and consistently in to a few of my waters, I feel that Burrows is the perfect place to start. I will not be fishing with it until we have slightly milder weather because it has a high oil content. I may well rig it up on a few future sessions but I want them to get a taste for it first.

Starmer Baits Mexican Hemp

With the colder weather kicking in the carp really aren't giving themselves away, I find I have to go on instinct rather than visual signs when it comes to trying to locate them. I have to be prepared to move every few hours, fishing for liners, anything that gives me a sign that fish are in front of me. As I have mentioned before, I believe the fish feed all through the winter but the spells are a lot more condensed, that is why it's important to be right on them. In the past I have seen evidence of carp cruising around under the ice as if it's summer so I believe they're still active, just not "actively" feeding.

Regarding my presentation, I have modified it slightly, through the recent blanks I have been trying to think how I can entice the fish to bite. There's something about the straightforward bottom bait approach that has been niggling away at me. For this session I have decided to use critically balanced pop ups with a slight difference. My chosen baits were Banana Cream and Caribbean, I have a huge amount of confidence in them both.

The rig I was fishing was a 'Fox Illusion' 'Super Nova' combi, the reason for this is due to how clear the bottom is and I wanted to make my rig as inconspicuous as possible. I seem to get great hook holds on this specific combination, there's something about the rigs mechanics that makes it hard for the carp to detect.

My Combi Rig

I treat the pop ups by washing them out in lake water and glug, this turns them into wafters and you can then doctor the presentation accordingly. To add a fraction more buoyancy I use a slither of zig foam underneath the bait. I want the bait to hover with the hook sitting up just underneath it.

Hover Presentation

I put half a PVA nugget on the hook when I cast it out, because the hook point is resting on the lake bed I tend to only fish this over soft clay and shallow silt to avoid any damage to the hook point. As I have mentioned in the past, the nugget on the hook slows the decent of the bait. I have had consistent success with this presentation.

View From Above

My thinking behind presenting a bait like this was to raise it just above ground level in hope a passing fish might just stop by to investigate it. This time of the year I want to make it easy for the fish to spot a bait and even easier for the hook to fly up and trap them.

Bait application for this session was stripped right back, I put about thirty baits around each spot spreading it a good five meters. Usually the water around this time of the year is very clear but because of all the rain we are having, it's still very murky. This is being created from all the surrounding farmers fields being so waterlogged and the excess water running into the lake. Because of this I decided I was going to fish the exact same spots as I do in the summer, usually I wouldn't be able to do this, the darker water works in my favor.

View From The Swim

Even though the winter so far has been pretty mild it has had a clear effect on the fishing. Baring this in mind I didn't have any fixed expectations for the session. I got both rigs out on my chosen spots and kept my eyes on the water, having fished Burrows so much, I know that if I don't get any action in the first forty five minutes or so, I either have to move or sit it out and wait. The day was full of scattered showers I decided to just sit on my hands, I know that carp visit both of my zones, I just had to have a little faith. 

It was a good three hours before I got my first take, it was on my left hand rod, a carp had fallen for the Banana Cream once again. The take was a ripper and the fish put up one hell of a fight, just as I netted her my other rod was away. I scrambled for it and lent back into another fish, it felt like a pretty decent size, after a modest scrap I very gently eased her into the net. From total silence I'd had fifteen minutes of utter mayhem that resulted in two lovely looking mirrors.

Double Take

16IB Mirror

The Second Beauty At 15IB

After slipping both fish back and getting the rods back out, I paused to take a breath. I was so pleased with the result specially for this time of the year. The day ticked away and both my rods remained silent, I packed up shortly after dark with the plan to come back down over the next week or so.

Session Two

I have been very busy with my work so it was a good few weeks before I could get back down again. When I arrived at the water it was still murky, windy but very mild, there were a few short moments when it felt like spring was on the horizon. I adopted a slightly different approach this time, firstly I upped the amount of bait that I introduced. Before casting out I dissolved some Strawberry Mivvi pellets in a little lake water, ground up some boilies and added some GLM method mix, this was mixed up sloppy and spread lightly over my chosen spots.

Strawberry Mivvi Pellets

Green Lipped Mussel Method Mix 

I baited up four zones with the plan to move my bait on to each one throughout the day. I felt confident that there would be carp holding down my section of the lake, I wanted to try and find them, getting four spots going made perfect sense to me. This is an approach I have used on and off in the past and it's worked very well.

View From The Swim

After both rods were out I made sure I had my binoculars at hand, this way I could keep a close eye on all my baited areas. The wind was heavy but it's pretty amazing what you can spot when you look hard enough. This time of the year I will literally move on a single bubble or the slightest of flat spots.

After two hours or so I moved both rods to "spot 3" and "spot 4" 'in the picture above'. I didn't bother introducing anymore bait, there was more than enough out there. Again, after another couple of hours I put the baits back to their original spots. It was shortly after doing this that I got my first take, it was off of spot 2. The fish came in with no fuss at all, it was a nice little mirror in the single figures. 

Little Scamp

It certainly wasn't a big fish by Burrows standards but was awesome none the less. I got her back and got the rod back out on the same spot, introducing around twenty baits. The hours started to pass and it was very clear that the fishing was slow. I decided to recast my left hand rod into slightly deeper water, just as the sun was going down the rod tore off. This felt like a better fish but really wasn't fighting at all. I eventually slipped my net over a perfect looking common, I didn't weigh her but I was guessing she was around 12IB.

Cold Water Common

This fish signaled the end of the session, the light was fading fast. It goes without saying I was pleased with both sessions, it certainly wasn't easy. It goes to show that you can still get away with a fair amount of bait even at this time of the year. Obviously it doesn't always work on all waters but I know Burrows enough to know pretty much what I should be doing. All in all it was a solid start to 2014.

Rugby Lake 'Picking The Lock'

In this blog I am going to be getting down to business quick, I explained my approaches in my earlier Rugby post, there is a link to it later if you haven't read it yet. It covers the finer details and my general thoughts on how I am going to tackle the lake. 

My first session was a rough one, I arrived for 9:00am, the wind was ripping along the water, there was a light rain and it was overcast. Theoretically the conditions were perfect, I fumbled around to get my brolly up, piled everything under it and perched underneath so I could watch the water for a while. I have found in the past that usually the rougher it is on the bank, the better it is for fishing, I always seem to do well on days like this. I had a sense that something was going to happen. 

50/50 Milk Protein Boilies

I love the baron feeling that harsh weather conjures, when you have a lake to yourself it's as if you are the only person alive and time becomes meaningless, evaporating. It's almost like you can sense the ghosts of the past. There's something exhilarating arriving home after a day of being battered on the bank by the elements.

Anyway.....

Eventually the rain paused, I quietly got my tackle setup and arranged my swim, keeping low to the water whilst I got my baits ready. Rigs were tidy, bait was fresh and I had my spots sorted. Because I was fishing so close in I could literally lower both rigs with no disturbance at all. I had to concentrate on being silent, if I wanted the fish to come in close I didn't want to be doing anything to spook them.

20IB Mirror From Last Session

I was fishing up in a swim called the trucks, the pressure in this part of the lake comes from the far margin and the reed line. I decided I was going to fish my near side margin and concentrate on this specific area through the coming months.

I was fishing both rods down to the left of me, when you climb up the tree next to the swim, especially in the summer, you can see the bottom. The reason I picked these spots is because a little way out from my near side margin is a tall thick weed bed. I was thinking I could pick a few off as they passed through the channel between the reed line and the weed.   

Birds Eye View From The Swim

For all those that might not of read my blog about the approach I 

am using on Rugby, you can read it here: FINDING THE KEY 

My chosen hook bait was Starmers Honey Nectar, both rods where fished with critically balanced baits, some GLM method mix, Banana Cream chops along with a few mixed boilie flavours. Visually it's nice and bright and the blend of baits give off a lovely sweet smell. I am a big fan of the 50/50 milk protein mixes especially this time of the year.

Honey Nectar - 100% Confidence 

Both rods were out, back leads were on, now it was just the waiting game. Periodically throughout the day I climbed the tree to see if there was any signs of fish in and around the swim. It all appeared pretty quiet and it stayed like this for the majority of the day. Every hour or so I would lightly sprinkle bait in and around the swim. I didn't want to over feed but at the same time I wanted to keep a certain amount of attraction in the water.

Mixed Shapes And Sizes 

Late afternoon came and I was starting to get a few twitchy liners which indicated that something was occurring down in the murky depths. My right hand rod was starting to come to life and I could see very gentle knocking on the tip, all of a sudden it was away, the tip bent right round and the buzzer was screaming. I rushed up and lent back into the fish, the rod arched round and away the drag went, ticking in that very addictive manor, something we all love to hear.

The fish was lunging for the weed bed, with a bit of side strain and a calm temperament I managed to steer her clear, it wasn't long before I had an awesome looking mirror staring up at me from the landing net. I was buzzing and shaking a little, this fish meant so much to me, like I have mentioned before, Rugby is far from easy. I have always managed to get the takes but have been very unlucky in actually banking the fish. This time it all came good, scales sunk to 22IB. The fish was in tip top condition and a beautiful chocolate brown color.

22IB Rugby Mirror

This fish really meant the world to me and was a great start to my journey on the water, getting any fish out of this lake makes me feel like I am heading in the right direction. I want to challenge myself, especially in regards to presentations. I know I can deal with clay, silt and gravel, I want to welcome weed and I want to know I have enough ideas in the armory to do so. 

The rest of the day came and left and as the sun went down the rods remained silent. I was really pleased with the outcome and was planning to come down in a day or two to get the rods back out on the same spots. My viewpoint is to keep working that section of the lake, keep the bait going in all through the winter and then hopefully the carp will start to associate the spot with food. 

I am going to be baiting up with lots of different flavors, pellets, ground boilie, method mixes, all sorts of shapes and sizes to keep the fish guessing. The secret will be in the application, I don't want to go piling it in like a madman, subtle and consistent amounts should do the trick, little and often.

Session Two

The conditions for this session were pretty much identical to the previous day, the only difference was that the wind had really picked up. The lake suddenly looked like a bleak lifeless landscape, I was determined to find some form of life, hopefully big, scaly and wearing its winter color. Below is recap of the rig I have chosen to use.

The Claw Effect

The approach was exactly the same as last time, same rigs, same bait and same spots. I attempted to climb the tree to see if I could spot anything milling around, I gave in half way up, if I had continued I would of ended up head first in the lake, it was way too breezy. 

I got the rigs straight out, back-leaded right under my rod tips, threw a light scattering of bait over the area and once again quietly sat back. I felt that I was really starting to master 'silence'. To my surprise I started to get a few liners pretty quickly, my confidence was sky high.  

Rugby The Beach 'Locked In Time'

The rods must have been out for about two hours before I got my first take, the right hand rod ripped off, I was in slight disbelief, I really didn't expect anything to happen so fast. I raced for the rod, gently lent back into the fish and held on for dear life, it was shifting gears. I gained control pretty quick, letting the rod cushion every lunge, it was very heavy, it was really wanting to get in the weed, I was doing my best to stop it, when I got it in close she surfaced and it was a big fish, over twenty easily with a very broad back. 

Minutes felt like hours and there was no let up, she shot down deep again and I was giving it as much as I could, suddenly she tore back out into the weed bed and it went solid ..... NO! I kept the pressure on but it was still solid, I could feel that she was still on. I decided after a while to slacken off to see if she would find her own way out, I wasn't getting anywhere.

I left it for a good 10 minutes and I could see my line twitching and very slightly coming off the spool, I picked it back up applied the pressure and was met with my rig flying back towards me .... gutted!! I just stood there looking at the rig, I couldn't believe that I had lost one and it looked pretty dam special. Before casting back out I made a coffee and tried to focus my mind, I was starting to think that was my chance for the day, blown.

Coffee And Contemplation

Once my thoughts were gathered I brushed it off and got the rod straight back out, topped the swim up with a little more bait and sat back to contemplate. The positive was the fact I got the take, she took the bait. I need to be very aware in the future that they can ditch me in the weed, even at this time of the year when it's partly died back.

The hours passed and my hopes of another take were fading, the light was starting to go. As the sun set the breeze dropped, it was 'the witching hour', I started to feel like I could be in with another chance. Sure enough I started to get the odd liner, this time on my left rod, something was going on below, it twitched and then to my surprise shot off at speed. 

This time I was on it quick and I refused to let the fish take control. I kept the pressure on, stuck with it, teasing the fish away from the weed bed, it was frantic, after a fine fight she eventually tired, I ended up slipping the net under a nice chunky looking mirror. Two takes in a session, my mind was blown, scales sunk dead on 24IB.

24IB Of Old Rugby

It goes without saying that I was over the moon with the result, I finally started to feel that I was making progress on a water that is by far one of the hardest puzzles I have had to crack. It shows applying your mind fully to something really does pay off. Maybe all my previous sessions that didn't work out were for a reason, maybe it was forcing me to sit up and really listen to the water. 

I have said it in the past, the water will tell you everything you need to know - you've just got to be listening. I am really looking forward to future sessions, I know it's not going to be easy but anything worth having never is.

Goodnight