Chase Lakes 'Summer Days'

So much can change in a few days, this session was the first time I felt like summer had finally arrived. After my soaking last time it's as if everything accelerated, the bank side is buzzing, almost everything in the water is doing their business and I have received the first mosquito bites of the year. 

Arriving at the lake I could see some carp in the reeds thrashing and throwing themselves around so I knew this would be my last session for at least a few weeks so they can be left in peace to do their thing. I avoided all spawning fish and opted for the quieter spots.

I was on the water earlier than usual today, my rods were out by 9:30am and it felt good to know I had at least 12 hours ahead of me. That was plenty of time to make something happen, when looking at the lake for a while it struck me that it was quieter than other days, no fish were showing and nothing was jumping, apart from the few spawning it was pretty desolate. I decided I'd fish the swim that is on the point of the bottleneck, well it was a good place to start, I'd play it by ear throughout the day.

As I have stated in previous blogs, the spots in this swim are very clear so I made a few more minor changes to my rig to try and make it really sit on the bottom in the best way possible. Firstly I changed the lead, their are two that I feel really confident using in these situations. One is 'Carpy Chris's' inline weed lead and the other is his inline pear 'ballast' finish. Both look awesome on the bottom and I think they're very tricky for the carp to detect.

 Inline Weed Lead 

I know there's lots of speculation over how effective camo leads are compared to all the generic shapes and colours, I personally think they work better.  Anything that blends naturally into the environment is a winner in my book and I pay close attention to all the components I use, making sure that I have the rig looking the best it can for any fishing situation that I find myself in.

Inline Pear 'Ballast Finish'

In regards to my hook-link, I was using Krystons Supernova, I really rate it because of how supple it is. I took a small amount of mud and wiped it thoroughly into the braid until it had dulled the finish. When I checked this in the margin it really made a big difference, this only really works on uncoated braids because the mud/dirt has something to soak and grip to. 

As stated in earlier blog posts I have really taken a likening to Carp Crazes 'Translucent' green tubing, it's very easy to thread and with a little bit of friction and heat it straightens and molds itself to the contours of the bottom. I am an avid 'tubing user' I never use lead-core or any type of leader like that, I don't think they're safe. Through the years I have caught many fish trailing meters of the stuff.

Carp Craze Translucent Green Tubing

Get Your Hands Dirty

I was feeling quietly confident and I had three solid spots to go at. The only niggling feeling I had was with my right hand rod, directly opposite there were three anglers constantly casting in and out, with lots of casting going on I didn't think the swim was going to have the chance to start working for me. 

Both left and right rods were a simple underarm flick out, the middle rod, I decided to fish it directly in the middle of the channel, I was hoping to pick off a few as they made their way through. I was using Starmers Coconut Fish and Pineapple CSL, I have great confidence in both of these baits and have done well on them in the past.

Right Hand Rod Spot

The carp do seem to respond well to a fair bit of bait, for a change I decided to try three different approaches. My right hand rod had a generous scattering of bait around it, my middle rod was a PVA mesh bag containing crumbed boilies and my left hand rod was a single hook bait popped up and topped with yellow, two handfuls of free offerings were thrown directly on top of it. 

Because the bottom is very 'uniform' in this swim, I was fishing 2oz back leads on all three rods, fishing very tight to the lead. I feel this tactic used in conjunction with a tightened clutch, helps to aid hooking. All fish caught when using this method have been completely nailed.

Middle Rod Spot

My middle rod was positioned in slightly deeper water, it gradually shelves up into the margin directly underneath my rod tips. My bait was in the deeper part of the channel, because I had two rods covering the margins I thought it would make a nice change to target the open water and during past sessions I have seen a fair few fish show in the centre of the bottleneck. 

Since my last blog entry I have done some marker work and I am very surprised to find out that in most of the swims I have fished in, there really isn't much going on in regards to underwater features. Surprisingly it seems to shelve up really close in though. 

I personally love marker work, sometimes I will dedicate a good few hours to it on days when I am not actually fishing. In recent years the magazines and on the DVDs, marker work is almost being shunned with the overused term 'thrashing the water to a foam'. This to me is bollocks, you can learn so much finding out about what's going on below the surface. I actually have two marker rods so I can really pinpoint the more subtle features. 

Very rarely will I throw it around before casting out at the start of the day, more times than not I'll dedicate half an hour or so after reeling in at the end of a session to check out the movement on the bottom. Without making an effort to understand what's going on in front you, you're really just 'chucking for luck', and for me that isn't fishing.

Carpy Chris 'Donk Kit' 

Left Hand Rod Spot

With all three rods now in position I sat back from the waters edge with my eyes firmly set on my rod tips. I had made the decision that I was just going to sit on my hands and wait, I knew the spots produced, it was just a case of seeing if the carp were up for it.

The morning came and went without any positive signs of fish in my area, the buzzers remained static. Midday approached and the temperature was really starting to kick out some heat. Again, it was dead, a few fish were starting to show themselves in the middle of the channel. Come mid afternoon it was baking hot, my confidence level was dropping pretty fast. Then out of the blue my left hand rod arched round and the bite alarm gave out an almighty scream. I rushed up and lent into the fish, line spewed off the spool at a crazy rate and I could feel I was into something heavy.

I really started to give the fish a fair amount of pressure but it wasn't having none of it, it was a good fifteen minutes before I even got a glimpse of it, it was a big fat mirror that was easily pushing twenty pounds. It slowly started to tire and after a good thirty five minutes or so I teased her over the net, scales sunk to 27IB 6oz, I was over the moon to say the least.

27IB 6oz On Starmers Coconut Fish

She really was one hell of a fish, she was clean and her mouth was perfect. It still surprises me how close in you can catch and it seems that the better stamp of fish stick pretty close to the reed lines and margins, I personally think, specifically in this lake they tend to shy away from the main features. I got the rod back out on the same spot and topped it back up with a couple of handfuls of boilies.

The hours crawled by and before I knew it evening had arrived and it was time to reel in, nothing else happened, everything stayed quiet with not even a liner. I was more than happy with the result. I kind of made my mind up that I was going to knock the fishing on the head for a while so the fish could spawn, rest and have the chance to adjust back to normal. 

We have to respect our quarry and I feel this is very important for the future of the sport and our waters. Going down to the lake when fish are spawning can be as equally exciting as fishing for them. I always use this time of the season to consolidate my results and approach before getting back on the waters after the spawn.  

Chase Back Lake 'Heavy Weather'

This is a short entry because I was fishing for only a few hours

Work has been crazy lately so I've had no time to fish at all, usually I can sneak a few hours in between jobs but I have been flat out. I was itching to get back down the water, I've been starting to focus on one of my clubs lakes which I am feeling pretty inspired about, it's a real challenge working with the weed but that's for another day, I look forward to sharing it with you.

I finally had some time to wet the lines so I planned to get back down Chase, I opened the curtains to extreme wind and rain, it was muggy and damp feeling. I decided I was going to brave the conditions and see if I could tempt a few fish. Bad weather really doesn't bother me, actually some of my best sessions have been in grim conditions and more times than not the banks are pretty empty and fish are on the munch.

I decided to head out about midday so I got to the lake for 1:00pm, luckily there was a gap in the weather which allowed me to get to my chosen swim and set up before the heavens opened once more. Today I had chosen to use Starmers Pineapple CSL boilies, I find this bait different and interesting. It's obviously a fruity smelling boilie but the difference is the base mix, it's 60/40 sweet birdseed and it has a different element compared to the standard 50/50 milk protein fruit baits.

Anyway ...... 

Many of you who read my blogs know that I rotate my baits a lot, I am currently using 17 different flavors and I am catching on all of them, I love combining and messing around with different things. The thing I love about Ian and Gareth at Starmer is their willingness to experiment with different combinations and they really have come up with some interesting blends. 'Don't get me wrong', I am not here to do the 'hard sell' insisting that you 'get on' Starmer. Bait is a personal thing and we all have our own preference, I am happy I have found a selection of baits that I feel 100% confidence in and as we all know that's part of the battle. There are so many different companies out there now and I think my point is, don't be afraid to try something totally new it might just end up being your 'magic bait'.

Starmers Pineapple CSL

When I arrived at the water I had a good idea where I wanted to fish, there was a narrow channel leading into a back bay with pads and overhanging trees. It always seems to hold fish, I personally think because it's quiet and really tucked out the way of pressure. I had a few casts around with a lead, the bottom was clear with patches of gravel, perfect to present a bottom bait over.

When fishing over clear areas I pay close attention to keeping the rig tight to the bottom and as inconspicuous as possible. I chose to use a lead that 'Carpy' Chris Knowler knocked up for me, it's a flat long pear inline, I set it up semi-fixed by doctoring a tail rubber, cutting it down and reversing it over the swivel. My tubing is Carp Craze translucent green, this sits so well over pretty much any lake bed. Not only is the rig 100% safe but the flatness of the lead makes it really quiet on the cast due to it's streamline shape.

My Lead System 

On the end of my tubing I put a little lump of tungsten putty so when I slacken off it pins nicely down. To ensure the line is concealed I use a flying back-lead and a captive one. After the cast I will tighten up and the second I start to feel resistance on the line I then slacken off a little.

Kryston Tungsten Putty On The End Of My Tubing

Whilst I was getting my rods sorted out there were a few carp topping all over the swim and a couple of real lumps where jumping at the back of the bay. Directly opposite me I had a lovely overhanging willow and a set of reeds, on my left was a bay with a tree lined margin. I put my left rod along this margin and the other two directly opposite me about a rods length away from the bank.

View From The Swim

Left Rod Spot

Gluggled Pineapple CSL

Shortly after I got all my rods out the rain came and it was ruthless, it didn't look like it was going to stop. More fish were showing out in front of me, I tucked myself under my umbrella semi expecting my rods to shoot off at any second. Sure enough it wasn't too long before my middle rod was screaming. 

I raced out and hit into the fish, I was soaked within minutes and the fish was fighting like something I'd never experienced before, it was going nuts, stripping line left, right and center, it took me along time to get it in and with each minute that passed the more soaked I got. Eventually I slid my net over a lovely lump of a mirror, scales sunk to 19IB 5oz.

Chunky Mirror Caught On Pineapple CSL

I slipped her back, baited the spot up with another 60 baits and tucked myself back under the brolly, I was now soaked. Fish were still showing near my willow spot so I knew it wasn't going to be long before they got their heads back down. Twenty minutes passed and the same rod tore into life, once again the fish was taking line at a crazy pace, she soon tired and other chunky looking mirror fell in to the net, scales sunk to 17IB 5oz.

Trying To Self-take With Eric Around

 A Lovely Colored Mirror

I got her back and recast, again I put another 60 or so baits in. Because I was soaked I was starting to get really cold also Eric my dog was soaked and starting to whinge, I stayed for another hour and then decided to pack up, fish were still milling around my swim but I was pleased with the result and decided I'd be back in a few days to get stuck in. 

I had a sense the carp would be spawning soon and I wanted to get at least one session in before leaving them to it. On the way back to the car I stopped periodically to throw a few handfuls of bait along the margins. I like to keep all my baits going in the waters, the way I see it is it's fishing for me even though I am not on the bank. 

I arrived home totally soaked and cold with the daunting prospect of drying all my kit off. I was instantly looking forward to getting back down there. I had a feeling I was getting closer to one of the big girls. My next session would be a full day because I wanted to give myself the best chance possible of getting amongst them.

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!!