Carpy Chris Leads And Tackle ' Four Months On '

I've always had a natural tendency to shy away from the mainstream, I am like this with my music taste as well as my carp fishing. All that glitters ain't gold, if you want to find gold you've got to look in the most unlikely of places. I have never used real mainstream baits, I fished with Mistral and Poachers before fishing under Starmer. 

Rig bits and end tackle has always been a frustrating part of my carping because I felt so limited with what was on offer, I am not a tackle tart but I guess I definitely am a rig tart, its got to be right, not necessarily complicated but each element has to work correctly in conjunction with all the components. It has taken years of tweaking to eventually have a small arsenal of rigs I can use for all my fishing situations. Making everything as undetectable and as natural as possible is of the up most importance.

I have been fishing with Chris Knowlers leads for the past four months now and I have to say that I am so impressed with the quality of what he produces. Not only have we both developed a couple of new lead ideas, there is so much variety that you can't help but find something that will suit the waters that you fish, be it distance your looking for or a real camo presentation, there's something for everyone. In this blog post the majority of leads I use are inlines but there are a huge collection of swivel leads as well. 

The Leaf Coated Inline

I use the above lead for all the waters I fish, it's especially good when fishing over dark bottoms, it's great on the cast and when feathered down it enters the water with a tidy plop. It's great with a semi fixed set up, every take I've had the swivel is free running, meaning it slips out the lead on every run ensuring it's really carp safe and effective. The inline pear is one of my favourite lead shapes for sure, it makes the finished rig clean and compact looking. With a brown rig pen I will colour my braid the same colour as the lead, along with matching tubing you've got a real unassuming business end.

The Classic Flat Pear Inline

The above lead is your classic inline pear, it's pretty much my default lead that I use in a lot of my fishing, the shape is slightly different to the leaf inline. Because of the contours of the lead it is very dynamic in the air and I have found I can really hit the spot with minimal casting effort, it comes in a load of different finishes so it sits perfectly in with the lake make up.

The Inline Gripper

The above lead is the inline Gripper, Chris sent me some prototypes of these before they went on sale, when I got my hands on them I knew they were pretty special. I use these to fish over clay and off of islands and drop offs where you might be fishing on a slope. The small raised bits in the lead give it a great gripping quality, it casts very well, I get screamers when I am using this lead. The extra grip really enhances the bolt effect.

The Inline Ballast

In my opinion the above lead is a miniature work of art, it was made for gravel pits and waters where there are more small rocks and stones than usual. The finish is very coarse so it's great coating to rub a little bit of clay on just for some added camouflage. If I'm fishing on gravel spots this is the first lead I belt out.

The UFO

The lead above is one that Chris came up with for me, we call it The UFO, for obvious reasons. The finish was based on a pile of clay I grabbed from the lake bottom, took a picture and sent it over to Chris. The disc like quality makes it so smooth on the cast, it really does fly, looking like an unidentified flying object, I have caught a lot of fish on this. You can set it up running or make it semi fixed with a quick modification of a tail rubber that slips over the swivel. If feathered down it enters the water with a tiny clip making hardly any disturbance. This Lead Is Pure Quality, You Saw It Here First.

The Hexi Distance Inline

If you're looking for a distance lead then look no further, the Hexi Distance Inline has some serious pace on the cast. I fish over at Chase Lakes where the island is a fair throw, not only do I hit my spot easily, due to the shape it fairs up against cross winds, even if you're fishing into the wind. I personally think this is one of the best leads on the market, it comes in an array of finishes and keeps the business end nice and streamline. This is my new favourite lead for sure.

Rough Gravel Inline 

The Rough Gravel Inline is another lead that I favor fishing over light coloured bottoms or on gravel beds. It can also be fished over any lake bottom because of its finish, I like it because it seems to sit very well in any environment, even real riggy carp will find this hard to detect. Like all the leads of this shape, it casts very well and if feathered on the cast, enters the water like a beauty.

The Flat Inline Pear

As mentioned in previous blogs, the above lead is an idea I sent through to Chris, years ago I use to hammer my old school pear inlines down. I did this because they cast better and entered the water with a 'clipping' sound creating a lead that causes little to no real disturbance. It can be fished running or semi fixed like The UFO. So many tackle companies talk about pinning everything down as much as possible and then proceed to sell you clumpy looking leads, I've never understood this. I have put this lead through rigorous testing I believe its shape takes 'pinning down' to a whole new level. You've Also Seen This Here First.

The Riser Lead

I don't use a great deal of swivel leads, I am not a fan of the line clip system, I just don't get on with it, it's to do with the way it can end up sit on the bottom. I only use swivel leads when fishing really silty or weedy waters, combined with a helicopter rig. I will use the lightest lead I can get away with. The riser lead is the perfect tool for this angling situation. Due to the shape I can get great distance, it's quiet on the entry and quick on the retrieve. If you use the lead clip system then you'll get a real far chuck with the larger risers.

Black Inline Weed

The black weed inline is one of the newer leads, it hasn't been out very long. I fish a few waters where I need to be fishing in between small weed beds. I use my weed rake to reel in a clump of weed to see what colour it is. I like using this lead in combination with a fluro hook link. This new addition is great for disguising your end tackle. It's not as smooth on the cast but doesn't take long to get use to.

Green Weed Swivel

The Green Weed Swivel lead is another great tool for fishing weedy waters, it can be used in all fishing situations, I have the lightest version for all the reasons I stated in my 'Riser' review. I like to use this lead for stalking on a float ledger setup. Because it's a classic pear design it casts really well, I am a big fan of camo leads.

Green Inline Weed 

The Green Inline is another variation of the black weed lead, these were the first leads I ordered and I use them loads. I was looking for a green weed inline for ages and only found a few by Solar on the market, they had swivels on so I wasn't overly enthusiastic. I have caught loads of fish on these and will continue to use them. I especially like to rig them up if I am margin fishing close to scum lines, reeds or weed beds.

The New Brown Weed Inline 

The brown weed inline is fresh out the mould and the latest addition to Chris's camo lead selection. It's a real tidy lead that once again can be used in any fishing situation. When it comes in contact with water it goes darker, casts well and is great to dip into glugs, due to the nature of the the weed material it holds the flavour very well.

All in all the above lead selection is doing me well, these are only a small example of what's available. There are loads of lead designs and coating to choose from. If you're a fan of swivel leads then you won't be disappointed there's an absolutely huge selection.

If you're looking for leads that are personal, embedded with a fair amount of blood, sweat and a few tears then give 'Carpy Chris' a go, I can guarantee you will get on well with them. Along with the leads, there is also lots of rig bits and end tackle available. I am sure that the lead development will continue with lots of new interesting designs being made up. I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds.

CARPY CHRIS WEBSITE 

Carp Craze PVA 'The Future'

It's become pretty clear over the past months that I am bordering on becoming a bit of a PVA junkie, I use it in a lot of different ways. Not only is it great in masking the hook, it's brilliant for stopping tangles. With the use of PVA nuggets in a funnel web or solid bag, you can change your rig mechanics and presentation.

I have tried most PVA products on the market with varied results, I have encountered a fair few issues. The main few being residue left on the hook, nuggets either coming off on the cast or not dissolving and funnel web tearing when knotting down tight. The 'mainstream' PVA is really very expensive taking into account it doesn't exactly last that long if you're using it on every cast.

I came across Carp Craze on the Internet, their products looked great for really reasonable prices, I thought I'd order some treats and give them a go. When I received my order not only did it arrive super quick, the amount I got for the money was inspiring. At first inspection I noticed the PVA funnel web material was very soft, I tested it in my sink, tying in a few boilies and dropping them in the water, the melt down time was a few seconds, when I double bagged the break down time increased, a useful approach if fishing in slightly deeper water. The bags dissolve perfectly leaving no residue over the boilies or in the water. 

 PVA Trio Kit

There are various PVA micro mesh kits available that will cover almost any presentation you're looking for. I originally ordered one of the 'PVA MICRO MESH TRIO SYSTEMS' which consists of 7 meters of 22mm and 35mm funnel web and plunger, this system is perfect for boilies and stik mixes. The kit comes presented real tidy looking and fits well into any compartment of your tackle bag. It goes without saying since using it I have caught a lot of fish, I find I am not so sparing because it's real value for money. There are various different systems on sale, refills are sold separately which come in a smart little container that allows you to thread the PVA refill on to the loading tube with ease.

PVA Cord

PVA Solid Tape

I have always been a big fan of PVA cord and tape, it's great for stringers and also tying the tops of solid bags nice and tight. If I'm fishing with long hairs or rig rings I can either use the cord or the tape to tie the hair to the hook shank to prevent it tangling around the hook on the entry. This is a very simple and effective method that guarantees your bait will be sitting perfect on the lake bed. Again, both the tape and the cord melts clean and leaves no residue on the hook.

Bullet Bags

Solid Bags

For fans of solid bags you won't be disappointed, there's a wide selection to choose from including the new 'first of its kind' bullet bag that seals with a draw string. The aerodynamic shape makes it easy on a long chuck, I am yet to use these items but if they're as effective as the rest of the stuff, they're going to be great. The solid bags come in all different sizes.

PVA Nuggets

As I mentioned before, I am a massive fan of PVA nuggets, actually I don't know how I got on without them. I slip one on to the hook every cast, doing this gives me the confidence in knowing my hook point is clear of any debris once sitting on the deck. Also if you're fishing over silt, chod, leaves, broken down reed stems etc, the PVA nugget suspends the hook bait above the lake bed, it prevents the bait being pulled down into the debris. As the nugget breaks down the bait gently falls gently onto whatever you're fishing over. This is most effective when fishing pop ups over a troublesome bottom.

Translucent Weedy Tubing

 Rig Tubing 

Along with quality PVA products Carp Craze also do a lot of rig bits and end tackle. One item I am very impressed with is their tubing. I have been using Korda dark matter but have recently changed to Carp Craze translucent weed tubing. It goes very clear in the water, easy to thread the line through and responds very well to friction. Before using the tube if run your fingers along it creating a bit of friction, the heat straightens it out perfectly to ensure when you cast it out it isn't buckled in any way and sits nice and tight to the bottom.

Needles For Every Job And Shrink Tubing

Another product I am really impressed with are the baiting needles, there's a needle for every job. They're built well, slip through your hair loop perfectly without catching your hook link material. The little handles are hi viz so you won't be losing them in the grass and they're built very well so they're hard wearing. They come in packs of three or you can order them separately. There's so many to choose from, products in this range include, stik needles, needles with latches on, a mint looking stainless steel set and bait drill, the list goes on. 

The trio needle set includes a 'Maggot Ultra Fine Baiting Needle', 'Braid And Hard Bait Baiting Needle' and a 'Heavy Lip Close Bait Needle'. All quality products for such a great price. Their heat shrink tubing is also something I rate highly, I've had problems in the past with shrink tubing not shrinking down to the correct size or holding its shape. Carp Craze shrink tube is very understated, shrinks very well and holds its shape perfectly.

It goes without saying that I will be using Carp Craze PVA products from now on, I have given you a brief overview of some of the items they supply. If I was to write and review everything they do, it would be the longest blog post in history. Along with the few products I have mentioned they also supply ready made rigs, hooks, swivels, loads of different clips, Kryston braids and Klin-ic, lines, lead core, fishing tackle, bite alarms, imitation baits. The list really does go on, go and take a look for yourself you won't be disappointed, let me know how you get on. 

Carp Craze Quality

CARP CRAZE WEBSITE

Holyfields Fishery ' First And Last Session'

I'd been wanting to fish a new day ticket lake for a while now, after taking a look on the internet I found a water called Holyfields, based in Essex. It was reported to contain a fair amount of big carp, after delving a little deeper I found that there was suppose to be lot of big fish in both of the waters they have. 

There were mixed opinions about the place, one of the main points being that the mouths of the carp were suppose to be real bad. I wasn't really feeling it, like I've said before, I'd rather catch a clean looking 10IB fish than catch a battered 30IBer. Despite my gut feeling I thought I'd give it a go, it's always nice to fish a new water every now and then.

I arrived at the lake just gone 8:00am, there were a lot of anglers on the top end of the lake, the first peg was free, it had a quiet corner and a real nice looking margin to go at, I also had a fair amount of open water in front of me. To start off with I decided I was going to have one rod on the far bank opposite, one down to the left of me tucked tight in the corner and then one just off of an overhanging tree along the main margin about 25 yards out.

In regards to my baiting approach, I was fishing my new 'Savory' rig on one rod, Starmers Coconut fish on the other and my third rod had a popped up Honey Nectar on it, all three rods will be fished with a small stick mix and a light bed of free offerings spread in a couple of meters radius of the hook bait. It's always tricky fishing a new water because you're not really sure what works and what doesn't in regards to baits and spots.

 Mixing It Up

 

 The Finished Mix

I mixed my ground bait up the night before so it had time to really soak all the flavors up. My mix consisted of Starmers 'Hot Chilli Hemp' method mix, 'Green Lipped Mussel' pellets, Tuna, Sweetcorn, Luncheon Meat, Sardines and some chopped 'Chilli Peperami'. I really wanted something that had high attraction and high leakage qualities. I didn't add any water, I used all the juices from everything that I added, I keep water to a minimum when making a mix up because I feel it breaks down a lot better, I like the end result to be quite dry, this helps when putting it in any kind of pva bag.

View From My Swim

After a few hours of my rods being out I noticed that a fair few anglers set up at the other end of the lake were hitting into the fish. After talking to a few regulars it seems that the majority of the carp gather in the top end of the lake for most of the day and then head down to my end later on. I had a gut feeling that I was fishing some good spots, I also had a sense that the bigger carp may be lurking away from the main shoal, if I kept quiet and sat on my hands I knew I could stand a real good chance of picking one off.

The first part of the day ticked by without any action, I noticed a few carp cruising just under the surface of the water. They seemed to be making a beeline for the corner down to the left of me. They were gathering really tight under the overhanging tree where my bait was sitting. They weren't taking it though, this got me thinking that maybe I can intercept them on the way to the corner. 

Later on in the day an angler turned up to fish in the bottom corner just opposite me so this forced me to move my two baits and make a few changes. I decided I would flick one rod out about 3 meters in front of me and the second one down the margin to my right. My thought process for this was simple. If the carp are visiting the corner I wanted to get them on route. All my three rods were now pretty close to each other and I was sure I was approaching the swim in the right way.

Second Rod positions

Fish still seemed to be coming out up the top end of the lake so it was pretty clear where the majority of the carp were. I still felt that I was going to pick a few off, I was convinced that some fish will steer away from the pressure. 

Savory Rig

The day continued with no action, a few carp were starting to show in my swim, I knew it was just a matter of time. Mid afternoon came and out the blue my middle rod tore into life, my gut feeling was right, I lent back into the fish, it felt like a lump. I guided her my way, she really wasn't putting up much of a fight, after an unexpectedly short fight I slid a fat looking common over my net. Scales sunk to 22IB 5oz.

22IB 5oz Fell To My Savory Rig

She had pretty bad mouth damage so I added my two klinics to the wounds, I use an antiseptic liquid that sterilises and a second gel that creates a protected film round the treated area. I slipped her back and got my rod back out on the same spot. 

A few hours went by and the same rod went ripping off again, this fish had more of a fight in it. Eventually I slipped another common over the net, scales slipped to 16IB. Again the mouth was really battered, it's pretty upsetting to see really, I just don't get it. The hooks I use are none aggressive and leave little to no tears in the mouths of the fish I catch, I feel this is because I really don't bully the fish, I just let them do their thing keeping firm control of the situation.

16IB Common, Again Fell To The Savory Rig

By this point it was starting to get late, I was in two minds if to cast out or not, I was fishing with my mate Alex who said he had spotted a fair amount of bubbling on my earlier spot underneath the overhanging tree along the margin. 

Alex seems to have twenty twenty vision when it comes to spotting fizzing and bubbling from a mile off. I thought I'd try my luck whilst I was packing the rest of my gear down. I had put a fair amount of bait out so it only made sense that some carp may have moved in on it. I was packing my other two rods up and getting my kit together when all of a sudden my middle rod ripped off at speed, it had been out about 10 minutes. By this time it was getting dark and I still had loads to pack away, we were told we had until 8:45pm and it wasn't far off that so I was worried we weren't going to get packed up in time. 

Whilst I was playing the fish it struck me that I had a big girl on because I just couldn't do a great deal with it. I was giving it some real pressure but it just wasn't having none of it, thundering up and down the margin tight to the right of me. It was now dark so I couldn't even see the line anymore, I just kept the pressure on. A good 25 minutes had gone by and the fish still wasn't ready to give up the ghost.

After about 35 minutes the fish started to show signs of tiring, eventually I slipped her over the net, it was only when I shone a head-torch down into the net that I realised I'd got a real big girl. Me and Alex were flapping around in the pitch black trying to get my weighing station set back up. finding my scales, finding my sling, it was crazy and while this was going on I was thinking 'shit, we're going to get locked in, I didn't want the owner thinking I was taking the piss'.  

We eventually got everything sorted, as we hung the sling onto the scales I knew I had an upper twenty, the fish was wide and deep. Scales sunk to 29IB, I was over the moon but stressing that we had to get out of there, after a few pictures we got the rest of our gear together and made our way to the car park.

29IB Common, Another Beauty To Fall To My Savory Rig

When we got to the front gates, both of them were locked, there was an emergency number which I called, at first we couldn't get through. I tried a second time and the owner picked the phone up, he wasn't happy. He came out to let us out, saying we were taking the piss, 'if it took me that long to land a carp, then I obviously don't know what I'm doing etc' and said that 'we won't be fishing the place again'. 

I wouldn't usually bring things like this up on my blog but I have to say I felt pretty pissed, many who know me know that I take my fishing very seriously. Firstly it's pretty clear that I do know how to play carp, I have been doing it long enough and I take great care over everything I catch. To be told I'm a piss taker that doesn't know what he's doing was just wrong. It goes without saying that I won't be going back, even if I wasn't banned, I wouldn't go back, the state of the carp is a disgrace and the water should be closed down. In the future I am going to pick my day ticket venues carefully.

Burrows 'Five Hour Session'

I shot down to Burrows for a short five hour session, the weather was still very hot, I'd had my eye on a marginal area that never seems to get fished. I arrived at the water at about 2:30pm, there were a fair few anglers already fishing, luckily the spot I'd had my eye on was free. It was a marginal area that I was yet to fish, there were very few features on it, I had a gut feeling it could produce. To get the spots I wanted I didn't actually set up in a swim, I perched myself in between a couple of trees, I fished my rod tips high because the marginal growth was pretty heavy.

My Chosen Spots

I cast my baits as close to the far margin as I could get them, I baited up heavily all around my hook baits, Burrows carp respond very well to this method. I was fishing slack lines on both rods, there is so much junk on the bottom of the lake, using back leads can cause problems because the line has a tendency to get caught under rocks and bricks, I learnt this the hard way. Once my rods were in position I decided I wasn't going to do any recasting, I felt confident in my approach. I sat back and waited for some action.

I cast one bait out without any bag or stringer, the popped up bait was fished in combination with a very small PVA bag, the main ingredient being 'Green Lipped Mussel' pellets. After testing this in the margin it's a great presentation because the pop up sits nicely in the middle of the ground bait, when it breaks down it looks perfect.

A Mixture Of Sorts

A good three hours went by before my left hand rod shot into action,  it went powering off peeling line from the spool, racing down the lake to the right of me. It really took a fair amount of pressure to gain control of the fish, it wasn't having anything I was giving it. I had a feeling I'd hooked something pretty big by the way it was plodding about. 

As the fish started to tire, it surfaced for a few seconds, it was a big, a lovely dark looking mirror, a real lump. As I got her closer to the net I started to think I'd bagged a twenty, I slipped her over the net and a big fat mirror laid there staring at me. I left it in the net for a few minutes to recover because it had really given its all. This was the perfect fish to christen my new monster cradle with.

Carp Safety Is Of Up Most Importance

 

I placed the carp in my weighing sling, scales sunk to 24IB, I was absolutely over the moon, I really feel like I'm starting to break through down Burrows now.

A 24IB Stunner

A Carp To Remember

All the little refinements I have been making over the past months have really started to change my catch rate, from pinning the rig down tight with the use of my 'flat inline pear prototypes' along with my decision to use the blow-back rig with the ring, seems to be working, I have a few other ideas that I will put into practice, I still feel there are a few points I want to address in regards to rig mechanics.

Two Days Down The Farm 'Heatwave'

In this blog post I'm covering two day sessions down on the farm, both days were so hot, I knew I was going to have to really work at it to get the takes. The first day I arrived at the water at 7am and conditions seemed perfect, it was overcast with a light breeze. It didn't take long for the sun to break through and it was really starting to get hot by 9:30am, I was already sweating buckets. 

I decided I was going to fish the same swim as last time because it ended up being pretty productive. This time around I was going to fish pop ups on all three rods, there's a lot of mess in the margins where I was choosing to fish and from past experience I know that pop ups tackle this problem. 

Before I cast out I got my weed rake out, quietly lowered it into the lake on all three spots to clear any troublesome debris, it's amazing what I ended up collecting, I removed a fair amount of crap from each swim, going through this motion instantly made me feel more confident in my rig presentation.

My Weed Rake Is A Vital Bit Of Kit

I decided I was going to keep my baiting approach to a minimum, over my previous sessions on the farm I have noticed that so much bait gets put in the water, I had a gut feeling I'd stand more of a chance if I fished single pop ups with a small bag of pellet or crushed boilie. In the picture below you'll notice the compressed PVA nuggets in the top of the funnel web bag, this helps to keep the hook bait suspended above the silt as the rig lands in the water, also it helps mask the hook. Sometimes I will double bag to help slow the process down a little.

Chosen Rig

How The End Presentation Looks, Fished Over Ground Bait

Sometimes I add a few grains of corn into the PVA bag so the hook bait doesn't look so obvious. You'll notice in the picture above that the hook bait had already started to fade, this is because Starmer baits are very 'high leakage' and start to wash out very quickly, the beauty of Ian's baits is that they break down after 72 hours of being in the water. Not many other shelf life baits on the market do that. 

I find the advantage of putting compressed PVA nuggets in the funnel web bag is the fact that on the breakdown they float to the surface almost acting like beacons. They appear on the surface of the water showing exactly where your rig has landed. If you want to add some bait into the swim after the cast you aim for where the nuggets have surfaced. This is a great method when fishing at distance and keeping your bait application bang on the money.

My Swim

Third Rod Spot

The first part of the morning came and went without even a bleep, it was getting so hot, there wasn't even any fish showing in the upper layers of the water. I felt confident in all my spots so I didn't bother recasting, I thought I'd just sit on my hands and wait. Early afternoon came, then out of nowhere my left hand rod went screaming off, I lent into the fish and guided her my way, she was really giving me a good fight, as it surfaced I saw that it was a long lean common, I slipped her over my net, scales sunk to 12IB.

A Long Learn 12IB Common, Spotless

I was very pleased considering the conditions, I slipped her back and got my rod back out, the advantage with the swim I was fishing was the fact I could actually just walk around and lower my bait into the water so if carp where present they wouldn't get spooked by the cast. By this time of the day I was roasting so god knows how the fish must have been feeling.

As I have mentioned in the past, I have noticed that the fish do respond to 'a little' bit of ground bait, I never go over the top with spodding or filling a swim in. Two bits of kit that I really do like to use is my mini spomb and my pocket rocket, the thing I love about these two products is you can introduce little bits of feed with little to no real disturbance. When fishing tight against islands or marginal growth you can really benefit from putting a light bed of bait out, sometimes in spots that don't really see much loose feed.

Two Great Tools 

A few hours past before my left hand rod shot off again, I lent into the fish and it went careering around the bowl area thrusting its way into the marginal reeds, I managed to guide her out with a bit of side strain, she soon tired and I slipped another mint looking common over my net. Scales sunk to 13IB.

A 13IB Beauty

Everything went quiet after my second fish, the heat was still intense and was really contributing to slowing things down. After 5:30pm things started to cool off and a few fish started to move into my area of the lake. The hours ticked by and just as it was approaching 8:00pm my middle rod shot off, the fish tried flying down the channel that I was fishing and really started to strip line fast, I gained control and was having a wrestling match underneath my rod tip for a fair while. 

Just as I was guiding her over the net the hook pulled. It looked like another common floating around the 13IB to 16IB mark. It was very annoying but the positive side was the fact I got another take in the first place. Both fish landed fell to popped up Coconut & Halibut boilies topped of with buoyant corn. I'd made the decision that I would come back in a few days with a slightly different approach.

Session Two

On the second day I arrived at the lake with all my rigs and rods having been tied the evening before. I chose to fish a part of the water that I hadn't bothered with in my past sessions. It was a section with a couple of islands and some 'carpy' looking channels to go at. I decided I'd stick to my Coconut & Halibut pop ups topped with fake corn on two rods and try something different on my third. Before casting out I watched the water for a while and noticed signs of feeding within the narrow channels in front of me. This was a good sign because it's pretty rare to see this down on the farm.

Probes Out

My Swim

My savory rig is something that I've just come up with, the presentation is like the KD rig but with out the use of a shot. The bait is critically balanced, the hook lays totally flat on the lake bed. 

Savory Rig Setup

I also use this rig in conjunction with Starmers new 'hooker pellets', they're a similar shape to Peperami, cutting a quarter off has the same presentation effect as fishing Peperami. Before I cast out I mix original Peperami with the chilli flavor. It's a great bait that is so very often overlooked.

Starmers New Hooker Pellets

I ended up fishing my savory rig tight to a bed of reeds where a nice thick scum line was gathering, it was originally going to be my 'fourth rod spot' but I moved my third one there because I saw some carp in the area just under the scum. It really didn't take long for the rod to go off, I saw a carp top over my bait and then five minutes later the rod tore into life, I banked an amazing looking 9IB mirror.

 A Dam Fine Fish Fell To My Savory Rig

This gave me great confidence in the rig, taking in account it was the first time I had used it. I got the rod back out adding a few chops to the PVA bag mix. The sun was really beating down again, the water had a very light breeze passing over it, I knew it was going to be another hard day. 

I was in two minds if to fish a zig or not but I don't like fishing them in 5ft of water or less, I decided to make my pop ups longer. A few hours ticked by and everything had gone dead, I had the lake to myself so to cool down I decided to get in the water and have a feel around with my feet, I would never do this if anyone else was fishing.

From the short time I was in the lake I learnt a great deal. There were solid clay areas and loads of bits of debris littering the bottom. The biggest shock I had was the silt pockets I came across, it amazed me how deep they were and the way the silt gathers in certain places. On the edge of solid clay you'd suddenly sink half a foot into silt. This really got me thinking, I knew making my pop ups longer and topping them off with yellow was the right approach.

Having A Feel Around

I dried off in about five minutes after getting out the water, I was being baked, I decided to reel my rods in and go for a walk around, I couldn't see any evidence of fish feeding anywhere, I just watched the water, I wanted to get a fresh perspective on things. 

When I got back to my rods I decided I was going to put a fair amount of freebies around each spot, both my island baits were now going to be cast really tight to the overhanging grass and my scum-line rod was going to be moved really close into the marginal reeds. 

My baits had only been out about 30 minutes and my middle rod tore off, a big vortex swirled off of the shallow shelf I was fishing on. The fish was going totally crazy, weaving, darting and tearing line off my spool at an incredible rate. It took me up the channel, turned on itself and then shot towards the margin to the left of me. This frantic fight went on for about 15 minutes before banking a lovely looking common, as I lifted her out I noticed she was blind in one eye, this might of explained why the fight was so mental, she was turning all the time to see where she was heading. Scales sunk bang on 17IB.

A 17IB Nut Case Of A Common

I was over the moon with the result considering it was still so bloody hot, I slipped her back and got the bait out on the same spot. The hours started to dissolve with very little indication that I was going to get another run. Evening came, before packing up I decided I was going to move my 'savory bait' round the back of the island that was to the right of me, there was a little area that I really liked the look of. I quietly walked around and flicked my bait about 2cm off of the overhanging grass that was growing off the island, 10 minutes later the alarm was screaming, my punt paid off, I netted yet another common weighing in at 11IB.

11IB Common Scoffer Of The Savory Rig

As I packed my gear away I was feeling like I'd really earned every fish I'd hooked over the two days. Conditions were tough but it does show that with a little refinement you can get some good results, a big girl had once again eluded me but she will come.

If You Fish ....... They Will Come .....