Blunts Mere 'Creaking Timber'

Waking up from a deep and sweaty sleep, I stumbled from the bedroom to the kitchen, still in a half comatose state, I opened the kitchen blinds. The wind was howling, the sky looked like it was about to fracture and the rain was beating on the glass. I hadn't planned to go fishing today but the weather was 'spot on' and I just couldn't pass the opportunity up. I've always said that I try to get out when I know the fish will be feeding, whatever the weather. Shaking the cobwebs from my head and inhaling breakfast at an alarming rate, the tackle was soon lined up in the hallway and I was ready to go. Having spent so much of my life either in a state of despair, or too hung over to motivate myself. I seem to now have an urge to start my day within minutes of being conscious, be it work or fishing, I don't want to waste a second of my life anymore.

However, I do find that the medication that I'm on, if you're not careful, can drag you right down to the point where staring at a wall can feel like a fulfilling alternative to doing anything productive. It's unfortunately a lesser of two evils, you have to find a way of dealing with it. For me, the prospect of a days fishing seems to obliterate the somewhat lethargic side effects I tend to experience, add catching a few carp into the equation and it really seems to sort me out. Just as I was about to close the front door behind me, I heard a faint voice coming from the bedroom. It was my wife reminding me, "don't forget you're taking Eric today", I'd obviously forgotten about this, my mind was in a fog, obsessing about big long commons. 

Some waters on the Chelmsford ticket don't allow dogs so my plan to fish Braxted 'was out the window', I decided my new destination would be Blunts Mere, I hadn't fished it for a very long time, I knew I wasn't going to break any records, but it's a great venue where you can pretty much guarantee a bite or two. The rain was hammering it down so hard and the wind was literally pushing the rain drops sideways, my gear was soaked by the time I'd even managed to load the van. It's these kind of days I love the most, I knew the fish would be feeding and the water would most probably be deserted. The idea of being battered and bruised by the elements for the day was a surprisingly inspiring prospect. 

The journey up was somewhat treacherous, the van was being blown all over the place, the windscreen wipers didn't move fast enough to clear the water away. I started to think that I'm either 'super dedicated' or just 'plain bloody stupid', either way, I was getting my rods out and that's really all that mattered. I've mentioned in many of my previous blogs how important it is for me to experience angling in its many guises. Some of the most exhilarating feelings I've ever experienced have been when I'm playing a fish in a heavy downpour. Or simply standing by the waters edge as the wind and rain howl through one ear and out the other. The landscape is harsh, you feel strangely isolated, you're alert, understanding that beneath the chaos on the surface, a carp could choose to take your bait at any moment.  

Cants Mere 'The Heavens Opened'

The further away from home that I got the lighter the rain became, it went from tsunami conditions to a sparse drizzle. Arriving at the gate, the wind was calm and the air was fresh, crawling up the gravel path, the stones grated together underneath the tyres of the van. I was met with an empty car park, it felt perfect, I decided I'd go for a wander, the lake felt lonely, dormant as if it had literally paused in time. I chose to target the back bay, this is an area that has loads of features, I sensed a few carp could be ghosting around under the over hanging branches that hung precariously over the margins. I wasted no time in getting the rods out, there was a gap in the rain, this would allow me to get everything sorted before the heavens opened once again.

View From The Swim

The approach was simple, I'd bait up really tight to all the snags and scatter a few baits around both rods in the open water. I was hoping that I could attract any carp that might be sitting snug in the sanctuary of the branches. I was going to 'bait heavy', it always works well for me around this time of the year. Regarding my bait, I'd chosen to use Banana Cream, come both Autumn and Winter I favour the Milk Protein and sweet birdseed blends. I got a good scattering out and within minutes I could see that fish were already scratching about.

On Blunts in the past, I'd experienced some really odd indications, the bobbin would react in a way that gave me the impression that some carp were getting away with it. I know it's classed as a fairly easy water but its residents are fished for an awful lot, I have no doubt that some of them know how to deal with rigs. Today I was going to try a slightly different setup, I was going to stick with bottom baits but they would be fished on a 'Fox Illusion/Silkworm Combi'. The illusion is practically invisible once in the water and it's lovely and rigid, with the Silkworm being so supple, the combination of them both creates a really effective 'hinge'.

Fox Illusion - Silkworm Combi Rig

With both rods rigged and the rain starting to fall, I got the rods out comfortably, fired a few more baits in and quickly ducked under the brolly. The rain fell like never before and the wind went from a breeze to an almighty gust within seconds. A proper chop had developed on the water, this however didn't obscure the very obvious signs of fish feeding on my bait. It all came together very quickly and I was anticipating that a bite was on the cards. Even though I was huddled tight underneath the brolly, gripping like crazy to both storm-poles, I managed to awkwardly position myself, ready to jump on the rods at the slightest indication.

The left rod was the first to go, it ripped off at speed, I gently lent back into it and as the rod arced over I could feel the carp darting around like crazy. It felt good to be into a fish so quick, the wind had blown the rain clouds clear and 'mid-fight' the rain stopped. As the fish came in close it broke the surface layers, I caught a glimpse of a perfect looking common. It was a really spirited fight and by the time I slipped it over my landing net mesh it had given a great account of itself. I unhooked her in the net and cast the same boilie out straight away.

An Early Visitor

Once returned I loaded the swim back up with bait, cast the rod slightly closer to the branches, set the bobbin and got my first coffee of the day on the go. Ominous clouds started to hang over head once more, the sky darkened and the rain came, this time more violent than before. Colours were falling all around me, squadrons of old oak leaves were drifting onto the skin of the water and instantly setting sail like miniature long ships. Others where getting caught in, what I can only describe as thermals, rising and falling gracefully as if they were desperately trying not to crash land into the water. It's on days like these where it's so easy to be inspired, if anything, catching a fish is secondary.

As I sat there with my nice hot mug of coffee cupped within my hands, scanning the water carefully, I could make out patches of bubbles coming up all over my baited area. This is always a familiar sight on Blunts, and the strange things is, on more than one occasion your rods will stay silent. I was hoping the little tweak to my rig might just catch them out. Time went by, the weather was deteriorating, the breeze was now gail force again, the trees were contorting and the 'timber was creaking'. All I could do was hang on to everything around me and wait for the carp to 'play ball'.

Eric Carp Spotting 

Come late afternoon the light started to go very quickly, there was what I can only describe as a "Blair Witch" feel to things. Before I knew it my only vision was that of the head-torch secured on my head. As I stared into it's very weak beam I couldn't see anything, the foreground had totally disappeared. The trees just behind me were now literally swaying from the root up, occasionally something would snap and fall to the ground. It did cross my mind that a bloody great branch could fall crippling both me and my brolly at any moment 

Suddenly, through the chaos, my righthand rod gave out a few bleeps and then it was away, staggering through the darkness I lunged, lifted into the abyss that stood before me and held on for dear life. The fish felt heavy, almost like an anchor that was stopping me from being blown away, it was nuts, I applied the pressure, the wind raced through the rods rings, creating a strange 'dischord whistle', mid-fight my lefthand rod also tore away. It was utter chaos, here I was alone in the darkness, caught in a void, and I had a double take. I managed to tighten up the clutch on the left rod and hoped that the rod left sat on the pod would do the work for me until I could pick it up. 

I battled with the first fish, it was really giving me trouble, I couldn't rush it, a slight panic kicked in. Closer and closer she came but she was having none of it, the net mesh was in the water waiting but it was as if the fish was a mile away. I briefly glanced at my other rod, the tip was pulled right round to the left, pulsating with every tug from the carp on the other end. The first fish was finally starting to tire, it came close in, I lunged forward with the net ... result! 

I lifted into the other rod preying that the carp hadn't found one of the many snags, side strain confirmed this wasn't the case. I applied heavy pressure, the rod arced right round to my left, the carp had managed to bully its way down the narrow channel to the left of me. I held on hard and tried to tease her back my way, it was 'touch & go' for a minute or two but I was making head way. Soon she was back under my rod tip, literally beneath my feet, grabbing the second landing net, I went for "the scoop" and won .... both fish landed, god knows how I'd managed it.

Double Take

Glancing down in both the nets, I was met with golden armour like scales, they were both good looking commons and fairly large by Blunts standards. It was totally pitch black around me, I tried to get, what I thought would be a good few shots before returning them home, I really couldn't see anything, the flash from the camera nearly burnt my retinas out. The sheer craziness of what had just happened was yet to sink in, who said catching fish was relaxing?

Bite Number 1

Bite Number 2

With both fish safely back the mission was simple, get packed up and get the hell out of there before a tree fell on me. I was scrambling around in the dark, packing down my pod, frantically rolling up my cradle and bagging it up. Everything was eventually thrown on the barrow, I legged it back to the van with Eric in tow. Once behind the wheel I started the engine up and turned the headlights on. I sat there for a minute or two, it felt surreal, the wind was whistling around the cabin of the van, the van itself gently rocked with every heavy gust. 

I was surrounded by darkness, I started to think that I could very easily be the only person alive right now, I hadn't seen a soul all day. It had been a crazy session and it reminded me why I love fishing in Autumn so much, and why it's so important for me to get out there and get stuck in whatever the weather might throw at me. The journey home was peaceful and the closer I got to London, the calmer the winds became, I was already planning my next trip, I was sensing a 'big hit', Braxted reservoir was going to be my next port of call.     

Braxted Front Lake 'Perfect Clarity'

I feel like I'm living a series of parallel lives at the moment, its summer 2016 and here I am about to recall a session from Autumn 2015. Lately I've been working like mad and trying to get out on the bank as much as possible. It's been a long time since I was able to sit down and get my writing head on, for me to write the best I can I need to do it when I get the urge. This blog is going to be accounting for a session that I did a good few weeks in to Autumn of last year. As I type these words I can literally feel the chill that was in the air and how cold and cleansing each deep breath felt as I inhaled the atmosphere that hung over Braxted front lake. 

I consider myself very fortunate, there are two aspects in my life that seem to etch themselves deeply into my memory banks. The first being music, I only need to hear something once for it to be lodged in my mind forever. My head, a vast majority of the time, is like a jukebox, obviously this is great in regards to playing drums, but it can be a real pain when you're wanting some peace. The second, my fishing sessions, I can literally remember each and every one of them, stretching as far back to when I was about 14. Sessions from years gone by pop in to my head at the most random of times. As I sit and write this now, I'm recalling a session from many moons back on a local club water where I caught one of my first carp on a Richworths Hawaiian pineapple boilie. It was a 3IB mirror and a fish that signalled a now life long obsession with the carp.

Usually when Autumn starts to arrive and the temperatures start to fall slightly, it can be a very productive time. This year was very different though, it stayed so mild for so long. I naturally thought that this would mean that the fish would be on the feed for a lot longer. It appeared though, that it actually had the reverse effect, I'd be nicking a few bites from everywhere I'd been going, things were looking promising. Then literally overnight I found all my waters practically shut down. It didn't matter where I went or how effectively I thought I was fishing, I just couldn't buy a bite. This strange spell lasted for a number of weeks, but being reckless in my attitude, I persevered none the less.

I was on my third week of the longest run of blanks I'd ever experienced, instead of questioning myself, I came to the very simple conclusion that the carp just weren't really up for it. From past experience I knew that the worst thing to do in these situations was to start to over analyse what you were doing. Instead I took the results on the chin and decided to ride the situation out. On the morning of my Braxted session I was up at dawn, I'll admit my confidence was waining but as I opened the door to load the van, things felt different. It suddenly felt like Autumn, the morning air was cold against my face and I experienced such a sense of clarity. Maybe today 'the worm was going to turn' and the carp would once again start gracing me with their presence.

One thing I've come to learn about myself is, when things get hard with fishing, it seems to fuel me even more to get out there and try and make something happen. It can feel like a real slog at times but when you do finally get a result, nothing beats that feeling. On the front page of my website I use the term "Bravery In Patience", what I mean by this is very simple, it's about having the confidence in your own ability to see things through, however long it might take, this goes for both on and off the bank. In a world where there's so many conflicting opinions and everybody everywhere is telling us how we should feel and what we should think. It gets very hard to connect with your own reality, my advice to you is, when you feel like life isn't working out, stick with it, do the right thing and be patient, do "the right thing" and you'll get the right result ... "that's my new angling mantra". 

Now Back To The Session

With the van now loaded the task ahead was very simple, floor it all the way to the lake, remove the immense amount of blanks from my mind and turn over a new leaf. I was convinced today was going to be the 'game changer', it's as if the previous weeks had been a dress rehearsal for Autumn, a false start. Now with that familiar Autumnal chill in the air, the rehearsals were now over, this session was the opening act. Pulling into the car park and glancing over the water, summers skin was clearly peeling away. The saturated colours of the warmer months were slowly turning in to dull pastel shades, some of the branches on the trees were looking brittle in places. Give it a few more weeks and it would be as if summer had never arrived.

Summers Skin Fading

I was eager to get the rods out but first opted for my usual lap of the lake, it looked pretty desolate, other than the fuss from the birdlife, there were no obvious signs of fish. Some dead leaves and debris had gathered down the car park end, it looked inviting so I decided to start down there. Today I was up for moving if the carp gave a sure sign that they were elsewhere. I was going to use my usual approach, minimal bait has always been the way to go on front lake. The only difference this time, I was going to fish one rod over very fine boilie crumb. Taking into account how slow it had been over the recent weeks, tweaking my approach just an inch, could be the key to success, I didn't want to overfeed the spots.

Trigga-link Combi Bottom Bait Rig

Before setting up I got the kettle out, starting off the session with my usual 'coffee ritual' always seems to bode well. My swim was now setup, the rods were rigged, now it was just a case of carefully picking my spots. My chosen bait was Caribbean, I have 100% confidence in it, especially this time of the year. My rigs were my usual 'semi-fixed inlines', the hook-links were combi rigs tied with 'trigga-link' and 'Atomic Bare-back'. To dull down the hook-link materials I used a few different coloured rig pens, as I've mentioned before, front lake has a very clean lake bed and I wanted my end tackle to morph into it. I didn't want anything that could spook the fish. It had been so long since my last bite, I was pulling out all the stops today.

Maximum Attraction, Minimal Food items

To the left of the swim there's a lovely hard slope that gradually shelves down to 10ft, I've had a lot of fish from this specific area in the past. I decided to place my rig half way down the slope, this put me in roughly 5ft of water. Before casting out I walked round with a bucket of boilie crumb and threw 5 modest handfuls in and around the area. A lovely graceful cast put my rig elegantly on the spot. Now onto my second rod, this was going to be fished directly opposite, there's a deep run that leads into the opposite lefthand corner. I was going to fish really tight to the margin line. Once again, I've had many good fish from this area and I always seem to visualise the carp making their way along this route when coming down into this end of the water. 

View From The Swim

With a swift 'whipping' motion the bait landed perfectly, I was taking this as a good omen, when my casts are both right first time, I can sit confidently knowing that everything is right. Now it was just up to the fish, would they take the bait? I kept my expectations realistic. The kettle was back on and I sat back with my eyes fixed firmly on both the water and my rod tips. A few hours passed, the wind started to push down towards me, everything looked perfect. As I sat and watched the world around the water exist in perfect balance, I started to think back to the past few weeks. As strange as it seems I couldn't remember what it felt like, in that very second, when the alarms are screaming and the reels are humming. When things are going well and you're managing to catch a few, it's all too easy to take it for granted.

A few more hours passed with nothing to show for my efforts, I decided I'd leave my right hand rod where it was and do a recast on the left. I reeled in, re-baited, chucked a few more handfuls of crumb on the spot and got the bait back out. This was when something very strange happened, as I put the rod on the rest and went to tighten up the bobbin, the line remained slack, as I was winding, the bobbin just kept dropping to the floor. I watched the tip, within seconds it suddenly arched round to the right and the clutch kicked in. Lifting into the rod, I could feel that I was connected to a hard fighting lump. The fish must've literally taken the bait on the drop. 

Slightly bewildered, I proceeded to battle with a carp that just wouldn't give in, it felt so dam good to finally be connected to 'nature' once again, it was a feeling I'd missed. The fish came closer and as it rolled a short distance out, the perfect image of a common carp burnt into my retinas. Not only was it a good fish, it already had it's lovely Autumn skin on, it looked perfect up against the washed out background of the lake. My heart was now racing and with a steady pressure I teased her closer and closer until she was engulfed by my net mesh. The run of blanks had finally come to an end, it was hard to explain just how good I felt. 

I let the fish rest before I sorted her out for a few quick pictures. As I stood looking down at her tucked comfortably in the net, I tried to understand what it was about this amazing creature that keeps all of us stitched to the banks, casting away our years. We're forever caught up in the chase, the hunt, I still can't quite work it out. For me, angling is an opportunity to try and understand what's below the surface, be it, the surface of the water, or the surface of yourself. We drag ourselves to the remotest of places and then we question, and try to connect with something that we actually have no direct connection with. I don't believe there's a definitive answer to this question. 

A long Time Coming

It's as if I had waited a lifetime for this bite and it felt like it was literally over in seconds. In carp angling more than any other thing, it really is amazing what a difference a day can make. A few photos were taken and I sent her on her way. I was more than happy with the result, I could feel that my obsession had been pacified, if only for a short time. Maybe the carp have finally started to wake up. If so, it was vital for me to get out over the next few weeks as much as I possibly could. On the drive home the sweet stench of carp slime filled the cabin of the van ... God! .. I've really missed that smell.

The Stock Pond 'Restricted Time'

A huge chunk of time had gone by since my last session, I had been working so much, the weeks seemed to mould into one and before I knew it summer was on its last legs. During these periods both the angling and the writing take a back seat, my brain needs to be fully engaged to do both correctly. Over the recent weeks I've become pretty skilled at keeping my angling desires in check when I'm having to work a lot. After a good few weeks away from the water my obsession seems to simmer, I've found the best way forward is to try and find a perfect balance. It's healthy to take a break, it gives the mind enough time to file everything away, which in turn shifts and freshens perspectives.

A Fresh Perspective 

It doesn't take a great deal for me to lose perspective on things, that's why over the years I've become more of a short session angler, and much prefer it that way. In the early 90's once I'd gone through my "coarse fishing" stage and started to focus solely on carp, I would be night-fishing all the time, days would morph into weeks and most of the time I'd be hauled up in one swim just waiting. I found after a few nights I wasn't really fishing anymore, all my energy went into trying to stay awake, I'd be too excited to ever sleep well. It's as if the actual fishing became secondary to 'camping'. Instead of concentrating on catching, my thoughts were preoccupied with, Have I got enough food, Do I have enough water and gas for the stove .... etc. 

I'd turn up to the water in a blase fashion, ferry a colossal amount of gear to my desired swim. Spend an age setting everything up and then cast the rods out to the first predictable place I could see. Then I'd sit there for however many days I had at my disposal and wait. I knew that if I was there long enough a few fish were bound to come my way. When I look back on it all now, I wasn't really fishing, I was just camping out. During this period I wasn't progressing or learning anything, I was very simply standing still. A saying my Dad told me rings so true to describe all this, he said "some people have 30 years experience, others have one years experience 30 times". Take a minute to think about that.

Caught On A Quick 3 Hour Session

Nowadays my longest sessions will be about 13 hours and that's in the height of the summer when days are at their longest. If I want to be there for first light, I'll get up early. If I can only manage a half day then I'll go to a water where I know the fish have a tendency to come on the feed later on. I've said it before, it's not the amount of time you have, it's how you use that time which is key. A lot of my enjoyment now comes in the intensity of trying to workout how my 'chosen water' works in the time that I have available too me. I'm now more inclined to really try and make something happen, because I'm always fishing in short, sharp bursts I find both my perspective and enthusiasm is always primed. 

I do understand that if you target big pits or larger waters with low stock, pitching up camp can be a huge advantage. But I personally feel with dedication and observation you'd still be able to get results fishing short sessions. It just means you've got to put more effort in. When I've had long periods of time without any work and I've chosen to focus on a single water, I'll drive back and forth each day for a week if I feel I have to. Again, if I'm travelling a long way to my chosen venue, it's amazing what thoughts you can have about how you want to approach things on both the journey to and from the water. Living in London, the 'drive' out of the city into the country is inspiring on its own.

This brings me on to my last session down on the stock pond, I had stuff to do in the morning so I headed down just after midday. I'd had a fair result on both my previous trips so,"third time lucky" sprang to mind. It was looking like it was going to be the last session on this water for the foreseeable future. When Autumn starts to arrive I want to focus my energy on my Chelmsford waters. As a whole, the fishing had been pretty patchy for me a lot this year. I really wanted to try and maximise on the big Autumn and Winter feed.

On The Stock Pond Winter 2014

Arriving at the water I was greeted with empty banks, apart from my old friends, the horses and the squadron coots, there was no one around. It was overcast and warm with a nice fresh breeze. As expected, the weed was still very heavy. I walked a few laps of the water, it was quiet, almost too quiet. For this session I was planning on fishing singles with a light scattering of pellet, I was going to keep it really simple. My chosen bait was the ever reliable Banana Cream, when fishing just single baits I always like to fish a nice bright bait.

Visual Attraction

The wind was pushing down towards the front corner of the water, I was going to target the reed line. Picking my spot here would allow me to walk around and drop a handful of pellets over each rod. Most of the weed I could see in this specific area was on the surface, underneath it I could see a clear hard bottom. I was going to launch my baits through the weed, both would be fished on the bottom. I picked bottom baits because when the lakebed is clear, a single pop up can stick out like a sore thumb. I knew that a bright single bottom bait with a scattering of pellet was the perfect presentation. 

View From The Swim  

The rigs were my usual 'semi-fixed' inlines, both leads had a lovely dark finish to them. When fishing over clean bottoms I really try to conceal everything as much as I can. Because I wasn't actively fishing in between heavy weed I wasn't going to use a leader. Instead I opted for a length of translucent green tubing, roughly 46cm long. This would do a perfect job of both concealing and protecting the line. As usual I gave myself one cast, if there were fish sitting in the reeds I didn't want to alert them to my presence. I didn't clip up, I made the cast as measured as possible, both fell pretty close to where I wanted them. As the rigs cut through the surface weed, a few seconds later I received a lovely "DONK" off both rods, I was in the clear.

Regarding the subject of 'concealment', there's this age old argument among some that it makes no difference. I personally think that it does, anything you can do to make sure your rig blends in is only going to help matters. I personally believe that some of the more wary carp can see your end tackle. This might explain why some fish go uncaught for months, sometimes years at a time. Over the years I've seen carp spook off and react very strangely around rigs, especially when using lead clips, I find that lead clips can make the lead sit funny, especially over hard bottoms. 

For most of my fishing I favour inlines because, "depending on the shape you choose", it keeps everything very low-profile. I will only opt for using lead clips if I'm fishing over soft silt where there's a danger that the lead might sink and drag everything down into the junk. Though my rigs might not be complicated I like them to be as covert and streamline as possible. I work on the basis of giving the carp a huge amount of credit, and anything you can do to up your chances of a pick up is a winner in my book. 

The Right Colours For The Job

Due to the surface weed I didn't use back leads, instead I opted for a semi slack line. With both baits now in position I wandered round and threw a handful of pellet in the rough vicinity of where both rigs landed. By this time the wind had really picked up, it was beating hard against the reeds, so much surface weed was making its way into the area. I knew that it was just a matter of time before the odd carp or two came to investigate. Now with the kettle on the verge of boiling, I took a seat, my eyes were fixed firmly on my rod tips. If a bite occurred I wanted to be on it as fast as possible.

In true "stock pond" fashion, time ticked by with not so much as a liner. I'm very familiar with the way it works, I rarely receive any indication that fish are in the swim. The takes seem to come out of nowhere and they're usually full blown 'screamers'. Time continued to pass and as I sat looking way out over into the distance I could see heavy clouds starting to gather. It felt like a new wind was passing through, a lovely cool temperature drop came fleeting over the distant fields, onto the water and through my body. I inhaled deeply, visualising all the 'spiritual cobwebs' within me being blown away. Clarity comes in many forms!

Come 5 o'clock I was still sitting on my hands, couples starting appearing along the public footpath that runs along the side of the water. They were out wandering and walking their dogs, I preyed that none of their four legged friends would venture into the lake. This has happened on so many occasions, they come bounding over, jump into the water and go for a swim. Thankfully they all quietly passed, mid thought, my attention was suddenly drawn to my left hand rod, I clocked the tip violently twitch. The alarm gave out a few 'bleeps' and then it was away, I was on it fast, the fish headed away from the reeds and shot through as much of the weed as it could, I kept the pressure on but it went solid.

My heart sunk slightly, I find the best way to deal with these situations is to just keep the pressure on, slowly pulling towards me. There was a jolt, the rod bent over and the clutch kicked back in, it was out but I still had one hell of a job getting it to my net. The fish was darting, swirling and taking me in all directions, weed was now strung up the line. As it came closer the fight ceased, I'd clocked a lump of weed over the fishes face. Now was my chance to gain some proper ground. I very gently guided her my way, my net engulfed a massive pile of weed, somewhere within it was my prize. 

Embrace The Weed  

Peeling away 'the green stuff', a long dark body revealed itself, I'd caught one of the older mirrors, I actually think I'd had this fish before a good few years back. It was good to see her again, she looked in good condition. There was minor mouth damage which I treated, after a few quick photos I let her recover in the sling for a few minutes before setting her free. I didn't bother recasting, the commotion would've spooked anything else that might've been in the area. 

An Old Friend

Once again, another short session had delivered the goods, on the short walk back to the car I was already thinking about where I was going to go next. Summer was on its way out, I could feel it, the year had passed so quickly and I still had this nagging feeling that I hadn't yet found my 'mojo'. I was hoping that things would change in the coming months leading into the colder weather. Either way, another positive session was underneath my belt and I felt pretty optimistic. Lets see what the rest of the year brings. 

Burrows 'A Time To Reflect The Truth'

"From The Second We Are Born, Two Sides Are Drawn" Paul Warren 2016

                                                   

Having been out on the bank a lot recently, 'taking into account it's now Spring 2016', a lot of anglers that seem to hibernate for the winter are once again venturing back out onto the banks. It's always a minor culture shock for me because on most of my waters through both late Autumn and Winter, rarely do you see another soul. It's usually at this time of the year when I start to reflect on things, it seems a natural thing to do. Everything is once again starting to bloom and grow around me and from time to time I wonder if I, myself, have grown a little to. For me the years seem to be racing by and most the time I feel like I'm living my life in a trance.  

With the warmer weather finally arriving and a new season imminent, I find the passive atmosphere that Winter fishing provides for me, disperses, and all of a sudden an undercurrent of competitiveness seems to rear its head. This is not in my imagination, it really just seems to be the way it is, I guess it happens in everything when a large amount of people are participating in the same thing. 
I've mentioned it a few times before, I'm not a competitive person, I don't go fishing to be 'the top rod' or try to catch all the 'biggest fish', too me that would be very dull. 

I understand that if you are taking part in a 'sport' then you have to ingest the hunger and perseverance to be the best you can be. For me though, angling isn't a sport, it's a hobby, competition just doesn't come into it. But with the way 'modern carp angling' appears to be going, a strange competitiveness seems to spill out onto the banks of most waters up and down the country. This to me is a real shame because it's all so very easy to be lumped in with this whole mentality.

I don't class myself as a 'modern carp angler', in the same way that I never classed myself as a 'modern drummer', actually I don't even class myself as a particularly good angler, I just get on with doing my own thing. Even in drumming there was a fairly large minority that tried to turn it into a sport. "Who can play the fastest roll", "who can play the fastest double bass drum". I use to sit back and ask myself, what has any of that got to do with music? the answer was simple, .. nothing. 

From my point of view it's the same with angling, we've all met the guys who are sponsored by endless companies, tell you that everything you are doing is wrong, has had loads of 30's & 40's, can cast further than anyone else, and has 'apparently' had a vast majority of all the big fish in the waters you're fishing. Fair play if that's what "said angler" wants out of his own angling, but why broadcast it? it's not a competition, but to a fair few people that I meet out there, it seems it is. It's fair to say that I have nothing in common with these kind of 'anglers', we might be participating in the same thing, but that's as far as the comparisons go. 

Simply Existing

I understand we all do things for different reasons and each of us are entitled to take from it what we feel we require. But the minute I personally feel like I'm in some sort of competition or part of the 'rat race/carp race'. I have to devise a way of removing myself from it. I remember when I went to a drum clinic a few years back held by a drummer called Jimmy Chamberlin, he was a player I had great respect for, he was classed as a 'drummer of a generation', I can vouch for that, his playing communicated to me like no other.

The first thing he said when he came out on stage was "if you've come to see me play really fast press rolls and lighting speed blast beats, you've come to the wrong place". In that one sentence, he hit the nail right on the head. For him, it was about the drums and their place within music, there were no over-inflated opinions of his own ability, he's a very humble human. I related to his statement so much, it shot me right through the heart, it wasn't about his ego and it wasn't about 'his' talent.

It was about the drums as an instrument and their relevance within music as a whole. I can relate to his statement so much regarding both my life as a drummer and an angler, it hasn't been easy. I started focusing on my angling and my writing after my mental illness got the better of me. After a god awful fight to get to the point where I could function again, I realised that if you get to a stage in your life when you don't feel like you have a reason to live anymore, you've got to give yourself a reason. 

You've got to fight and hold onto to something that will pull you up from the abyss, people that have never experienced what I'm talking about won't understand what I'm saying, you can try, but until you've been there yourself, you will never truly get it. In this situation you either let it beat you, or you get the hell up and fight. It was 'touch and go' for me, but I chose to fight. My lifeline came in the shape of a carp, angling has been the only constant in my life that I've always loved. I grabbed it when I needed it and held onto it tight, it eventually pulled me home.

Unfortunately though, I'm left with some very difficult symptoms as a result of what I went through, it doesn't get easier but you learn to cope, one of my main coping strategies is this very blog. When things get tough I fish and then I write, this whole blog was born from a point in my life I never want to revisit. It isn't a tool to try and get a career in the angling industry and it certainly isn't a platform to "big myself up" on, what it is, is my life line and the reason why I pull myself out of bed everyday and get on with what I've got to do. 

Taking into account everything I've said above, it might now make it pretty clear for people as to why I actually go fishing, and why I have very little patience with the back stabbing, bickering bollocks that seems to plague 'our' beloved pass time. I've been on the receiving end of some pretty nasty stuff, especially with the armchair anglers on social media that pass up being a twat as "banter". Like I've said before, think before you shoot your mouth off, you have no idea what people are going through.

To mirror the statement that Jimmy Chamberlin said, "if you've come here to see big carp after big carp, fancy tackle and rigs, and an example of me casting 200 yards onto a clear spot the size of an ashtray, you've come to the wrong place". For me, this blog is about having a voice in a world that likes to mute independent thinking, it's about the angling, the carp, the process and the journey, and maybe the odd monster along the way, it's really that simple. 

So With No Further Ado 

My alarm clock let wail at 5:30am and I was up and out the door within minutes, my destination was Burrows down in Snodland, Kent. I finally had the opportunity to get a long day session in and I just couldn't wait. It had been a while since I'd last taken a trip there and I was feeling inspired about getting back on its banks. Burrows is by far my favourite place to fish, mainly because of the stark, bleak landscape that surrounds me. It's situated deep within a valley, in the distance you can see scattered farm houses, fields and woods. I've whittled away endless hours on its banks for the past 10 years now and the prospect of fishing it still evokes a crazy amount of excitement.

Burrows In Bloom

A quick stop for fuel and supplies saw me 'high-tailing' it down the motorway at a barely legal speed. Rushing to the gates, unlocking the padlock, I was in overdrive, I felt like a junkie rushing to get my fix. Parking up and getting the barrow loaded, I calmed myself down and proceeded to take a very slow walk down to the water. Everything felt perfect, I instantly got 'flash-backs' of sessions gone by. I felt strangely sentimental as the branches were getting caught in my hair whilst I struggled along the uneven pathways, the quacking of the mallards was as loud as ever, and, above all, the smell, I smelt summer. It was one of those days when angling really felt like a gift.

There were a few anglers scattered about the lake so my options were limited, I decided I'd give the spot I targeted on my previous session another go. Taking into account that last time I'd had eight fish from it, I was hoping I could replicate the results. The other advantages of setting up in this swim was the fact I could get fishing quickly. I knew that 12.5 wraps put me perfectly on the spot. Before setting anything up I decided I was going to put a nice spread of bait out. I had the perfect bait for the job, Monster Squid, in the warm weather nothing beats the smell of fishmeal.

A Simple 'Blow-Back'

On a few of the waters I fish I know that at the right time of the year I can get away with putting a lot of bait out. Burrows is one of those waters, I know the fish tend to move around in groups and from experience I know that if you keep the bait going in. The carp tend to move in on it and if you play the cards right, you can pretty much keep them there. I want to get the carp competing, if you can make this happen then you can end up having a really productive day. After some serious throwing stick action I got both rods rigged up, wrapped and I was ready to go.

My rigs were both semi-fixed inlines, I was going to be fishing singles on the hair, no mesh bags or stringers. The hair was nice and long, I'm a big fan of long hairs, I think they produce very good hook holds. I always use a ring when I fish blow-back rigs, I personally think the rig performs better than if you are using a tiny piece of tubing in its place. Because the hair is long, before I cast out, I place a small piece of rig foam around the hook. This will ensure that the hair doesn't get tangled during flight.

View From The Swim

Both rods went out with ease and landed perfectly on the money, nothing beats a good cast. Back-leads were slide down both lines, the bobbins were set and I was now ready for the days proceeding to kick in. I felt super confident but I know all too well that you can't predict anything when it comes to Burrows. It has a great way of drawing you in and then kicking you in the nuts when you least expect it. Coffee was now on, I sat back and soaked everything up around me, it felt so good just being outdoors. To my surprise I was getting a few bleeps and liners from the off. It was clear that there were carp moving in front of me.

'Boom'... my right rod was away, line was tearing off the clutch, I pounced nearly falling headfirst into the water. First fish on, its initial run was momentous, steering her my way, she really woke up close in. After a short sharp moment of chaos, the landing net mesh engulfed the fight, first fish of the session was contained. Lifting the net out the water, I was greeted with a picture perfect example of a common carp, it was long and thin with a fair old paddle on it. I was very pleased, before unhooking the fish I left it in the net and got another three handfuls of bait straight out. If there were more carp there I wanted to keep them feeding.

A Classic Common On A Classic Bait

After a few quick photos I sent her home, I checked the sharpness of the hook, it wasn't doing it for me so a new hook-link was put on. The rod was wrapped and out it went, the second cast felt even more satisfying than the first. The bobbin was once again set and I was back in the wait, it's always a great feeling when you get a quick bite. Almost instantly I was getting indications of fish in the swim again, I sat back visualising the whole spot clouding up with silt and sediment as a shoal of carp were having a good root about on the bottom.

An hour or so passed, during this time I kept feeding the swim a few handfuls at a time. It really felt like the right thing to do, just like my previous 'Burrows' session, I was going for a 'big hit' and to maximize my chances, feeding 'little & often' was the right way to go. A little more bait had been applied, the left rod was the next one to go. Lifting into the fish I felt instantly that this was a little scamp, the take was erratic and I could feel it darting around and shaking its head like crazy. The fight was quick, fish number two was greeted with the net, it came in the shape of a lovely mirror.

Slate Grey

Once again, I checked the hook, it felt good for one more bite, the rod was wrapped and cast back out. I was on a roll, another few handfuls of bait were introduced, this time I spread it over a slightly larger area. I was thinking that if a good number of fish were out in front of me maybe I could draw more in. The more carp there were competing for the bait the better. The plan for the rest of the day was simple, if and when I get another fish I was going to stop introducing loose feed. I didn't want to fill them up, I wanted just enough food in the area to keep them poking about.

After a while of the rod being back out, the sun started to dish out some real heat, with the temperature rising all the liners slowly dried up. It was clear to me that the fish had temporarily vacated the spot. I had a feeling that it was going to do me a few more bites but I'd be looking towards mid to late afternoon. I decided I'd reel the rods in and go for a wander. If I saw evidence of carp now up in the layers I'd consider fishing zigs for a few hours. A good few of the anglers that had been fishing had now left so I pretty much had the place to myself. 

The Art Of Observation

I took a slow quiet wander around the lake periodically stopping and taking a seat, there weren't any clear signs of carp near the surface so I decided I'd ride the afternoon heat out and cast out just as it started to cool off. There are advantages to resting the swim, mainly it gets the lines out of the water, I was hoping that by the time my baits went out, a few fish would've moved back in. I whittled the hours away just 'hanging out', it was so peaceful and an ideal time to just let my mind wander. Soon enough the afternoon made its exit and I headed back to my swim to see if I could catch a few before I left. 

Rigged up and wrapped, both rods went back out, I didn't even have time to get my bobbin on the right-hand rod, it was practically away when the bait hit the water. The carp made a wild bid for freedom kiting tight to the right but I managed to pacify it just enough to start guiding it my way. Battle commenced and after a spirited fight, I teased another mirror carp over the landing net. There's nothing quite like a quick carp to get proceedings back underway. 

Taken On The Drop

The rod went back out, as explained before, no more bait was added, I knew there was enough attraction in the area to keep any fish grubbing about. The plan was to now maximise my chances before I called it a day, the days end was in sight so I was hoping that I could at least manage one last fish. There was a strange calm for about 40 minutes and then I started to receive liners off of both rods. Without a doubt, there was more than one fish now out in front of me. 

Sitting watching my rod tips I spotted a proper heavy jolt on the left tip and then it burst into life. The bobbin smacked the blank but the reel drag didn't kick in. The fish tore tight to the left, the rod was doing a great job of playing the fish before I'd even managed to pick it up. Lifting the rod, I was instantly connected to a crazy energy. The fish was tugging and darting all over the place. I loosened the drag, still staying in control, I let it tire itself out. Once it had 'blown its load' it really was the simple task of guiding it safely into the waiting net... Result!!

Fish Number 4 On The Monster Squid

Slipping the fish back I only had an hour or so left, I cast the same boilie back out, set the bobbin and started to pack away the non-essentials. I usually draw this process out for as long as I can, it was in the closing minutes that my right rod gave out a 'wail' and went rocketing off. Grabbing the rod, and having it arch around tight to the right, the fish had already made its way up the right side margin at a crazy speed. It never ceases to amaze me just how much ground a carp can cover in a matter of seconds. I held on, letting it tire itself out, before inching her closer and closer to the waiting net. She slid in with ease and I was lucky enough to close the session on a lovely looking common. 

A Closing Bite

It was the perfect way to bring the day to a close, it was a productive session. I think resting the swim for a few hours, without a doubt, had its benefits. Because I've fished Burrows so much you start to develop a sense and understanding of the way the fish behave and when they're most lightly to feed. I guess that's the advantage of focusing on one water. 

But to be honest I'm not the kind of person that would feel satisfied just sticking to one lake constantly. I do like to challenge myself and with each water you fish, your perspective is always changing. I find the more you can pull yourself away from your comfort zone, the more you learn and understand. I took a slow walk back to the car park, it was very quiet, once again, everything felt close to perfect. I had a heavy workload ahead of me, once done, I was sure that another water was going to come calling. Lets see where I end up. 

Until Next Time