Braxted Reservoir 'The Ether Switch'

What's the ether switch?

This is a term I use to describe any period of time, however long or short, where the fish are very clearly feeding, something in the universe switches on, and so do the carp. Over the years I've tied myself in knots trying to figure out the "whys" and the "why nots" of carp fishing, and to this day I'm still not really any closer to sussing them out. I work on the basis that there are so many variables that you just have to guide yourself using your past experiences and intuition. 'Intuition' to the majority of people is describe as your 'gut feeling'. 

In buddhism the stomach is looked upon as the second brain so the term 'gut feeling' makes perfect sense to me. I think some of us run into problems within our own angling when we think that there's a master key that can be used to make the whole process simple. But most will know that there isn't one, there is no magic rig or bait or 'secret' that will suddenly make it happen for you, it's a long and winding process of learning.

I've come to a very simple conclusion that I always try to keep in the forefront of my mind. "Every time I step onto the water I try and create a situation that will give me the best chance of catching". Sometimes I get it right, other times I really get it wrong, but that's what angling is. You can help to improve your chances by taking time out to study your water, feature find, suss the patrol routes, pre-bait etc. But there's still no guarantee that the carp will 'play the game', and for me, that's the beauty of it and that is, of course, why we keep going back to the waters again and again. 

I've always been of the understanding that all waters fish differently, but it's only recently that I've concluded that swims also fish differently, it took a while for the penny to drop. The 'epiphany' moment came when I decided to focus on a swim that I'd never really done very well from. The spot is situated within a bottleneck, it's very clearly a transit route from one section of the water to the other. 

It's a no-brainer that the carp move through it all day, but for the life of me, I could never get a bite. I was fishing singles with a handful of bait over each rod, I stuck with it, changed a few things, but it never produced. Then I started to think that it's a section of the water that they may not really be used to feeding in. I wanted to change this, so I baited the whole area heavily, I wanted to attract their attention, each session I started to spread about 3 kilo all over the spot. Since doing this I've landed 5 fish and they've all been lovely carp, I made the swim work for me. 

But, again, this baiting application isn't needed on a lot of the other swims, a mouthful is usually enough. I think this is because these specific spots are where the carp look to feed and patrol on a regular basis. I can relate this to your regular "pub lunch", if you've found a pub or a restaurant that you know does good food, you like where it's situated, and you feel comfortable in its environment. You will travel to eat and drink there on a fairly regular basis, it almost becomes part of your routine. The journey to your 'chosen establishment' will probably involve you passing other really good places to eat, but you pass on by to go to the one you really like. In my mind, this is how I look upon the carps 'feeding spots' and 'transit routes'.    

Taking all the points from the above paragraphs into account, it demonstrates how many variables there are, what works in one spot may not work in another, and what works effective on one day might be completely ineffective on another. It's very easy to see how carp angling can, and does, drive some people to obsessive insanity, I know I'm definitely half way there, and I know some people reading this right now are past the point of no return, it's a beautiful game ! 

On the day of my trip to Braxted the weather outside was bleak, there was a very fine drizzle that was starting to turn to sleet. Stepping out side and inhaling, you could literally feel the cold clawing up the lining of your lungs. When the conditions are like this I always know that I'm going to be in for a good day. I think the prolonged chill signals to the carp that winter is well on the way, which in turn makes them feed. My plan was to head up to Braxted reservoir, I sensed a 'big hit' was on the cards. How did I know this? I had a very strong gut feeling, and through time, I've learnt never to ignore it.

Already, summer felt like a life time away and now the clocks had changed, I was getting up in the dark and leaving the water in the pitch black. Recent days had resembled 'twilight' from the minute I opened my eyes in the morning until I shut them again to go to bed. This time of the year is by far my favourite time to be out on the bank. When you're lucky enough to catch one, they come cutting through the water, draped in their winter skin and it can bring an amazing fleck of colour to what, are usually very dull days. 

The Shallows In The Summer

Arriving in the car park and making my way up to the waters edge, I was met with a deserted, wind swept portrait. Something you'd expect in a Charlotte Bronte poem. It was a lonely sight with very little sign of life, but I knew that below the surface there were some scaly secrets just waiting to be caught. Scanning the lake, there were no obvious signs of fish so I decided to head up to the shallows. This was going to put me on the back of the wind, because the water is fairly shallow I thought that it might be slightly warmer than the deep sections nearer the dam wall.

What is big hit fishing? For me, it's how you set your swim up, it's to do with bait placement and bait application. When I fish for a bite at a time, I'm focusing on mouthfuls and minimal food items put in the right place. When I'm fishing for a 'big hit' I fish both rods close together and spread a generous volume of bait in a relatively large area. The approach doesn't work on all waters, if I'm fish a lake with a large stock and I know the carp move around in groups, then I know I stand a good chance of having multiple takes. I want a group of fish to move in and start competing for the bait, if it's done correctly you can end up having a crazy session. 

My chosen bait was the classic Honey Nectar, this is, without a doubt, my favourite boilie. My rigs were going to be slightly different this time around, instead of my usual semi-fixed setup. I was going to be fishing a 'shocker rig', this would give the carp an extra few seconds before they would feel any resistance. Using this arrangement, fished in combination with a 'combi' hook-link using the 'trigga-link'. I felt I was presenting something a little different. Below is an image of the the lead setup, for this to be safe, you have to set it up on tubing, "NOT DIRECTLY ONTO THE LINE". You have to make sure that every component will pull away under the minimum of pressure.

Shocker Rig Setup

After a couple of measured casts, I found the area I was going to target, it was in about 5ft of water, the lake bed consisted of soft silt and clay. I planned to bait heavy in between my visual markers on the far bank - "see image below". My plan was to put about 2 kilo out and then keep topping the swim up with a few handfuls every 20 minutes. Rigs were out, the 'throwing stick' had served its purpose well, now it was time to tuck myself underneath my brolly, put the kettle on and wait for my master plan to come to fruition .... hopefully.

View From The Swim

Liners, bleeps and nudges started to occur almost immediately, my heart was already starting to race, I'm not sure if this was from excitement or the dangerously potent coffee I had just inhaled. Below the surface, I started to visualise every carp in the lake barging each other out the way and brawling over my sweet Honey offerings. It was within minutes that my righthand rod tore away, I jumped up, slid down the muddy bank and I was in to my first carp of the trip. It bolted hard to the right and carried on going, my clutch was tight, it was peeling line of the spool, I let it run and held firm until I had my chance to gain some ground. After its initial thrust, I guided her my way, a few hard pulls, lunges, and a final bid for freedom, soon saw my landing net mesh engulf her. Lifting the net up, my eyes feasted on what I can only describe, as a perfect common carp.

First Fish Of An Anticipated Big Hit

What an incredible first bite, the carp was immaculate, both fin and scale perfect, releasing her back home. I fired a few more handfuls of bait in and got the rod straight back out. If that was to be the only carp I caught today, I'd be more than happy. Scrambling back up to the brolly, thin sleet started to fall, the wind picked up, it was one of those days where everything felt like it was in hibernation. It was such a stark contrast to only a few months ago, time really does fly by nowadays, so fast in-fact, that the last few years have been a blur.

The rig had only been out 20 minutes or so before I got clear indication through the alarms that fish were out in front of me. Sparking the kettle up again and starting the very meticulous process of spooning just the right amount of coffee into my cafetiere, I was rudely interrupted by the same rod firing off. I leapt on it like an 'apex predator' ready for the strike, lifting the rod up, the fish shot tight to the right. Just as I was starting to find my feet with the situation, my left rod was also away. It appeared the chaos I'd been anticipating was in full flow.

Leaning down, I flicked the bait runner off and hoped that the rod on the pod with a 'semi-tight' clutch, would be enough to pacify the fish whilst I landed the one that was already on. The fight resumed, I was determined not to let panic take over. My rod was now creaking, fully arced round to the right, side strain helped to gently tease the carp towards me. The fight now felt like it was lasting forever, with every minute passing, the fish on the other line could do a 'hoodini' on me and disappear into the, 'what could've been' chapters of my angling history. Eventually she was in 'scooping' distance, closer she came, inching towards my net, I lunged forward, she was in, and it looked like another good common.

First Of Double Take

Lifting the left rod up, I was ecstatic to feel that the carp was still on. I think she'd run herself out fighting against both the test curve and clutch of the rod. It's times like these I can thank both the snag ears and tight butt grips, the rod had held firm on the rest, which in turn aided me in landing the first fish. Minimal force saw her heading towards the net, and as I teased her over the mesh, a flame ignited inside of me. It was all coming together perfectly and it appeared my approach was working well. Before dealing with either fish, I got a good spread of bait back out, if the carp were there then I wanted to keep them feeding.

The Second Prize From The Double Take

Both fish were sent home safely, I changed my hook links, threaded fresh bait on the hair and then cast both rigs gracefully into the murk. Bobbins were set and I was ready and waiting again, just like before, liners were instantaneous and I was prepared for another quick bite. Just as I was about to make my way up to the sanctuary of my trusty brolly, the left rod tore into life and I was in once more. This fish powered off like a steam train, I just held on for the ride, I was going to let it "blow its load" before I attempted to tame her. The initial run was long, the wind picked right up to gale force, the world around the reservoir suddenly felt rather ominous. He I was taming a beast, 'smack bang' in the middle of nowhere on my own, and I was poised with rod in hand in what felt like the eye of a storm.

Fighting both the fish and the conditions, I was gaining ground, a vortex appeared as the fish hit the surface just a short way out. I caught a glimpse of another bright looking common. Its tail cut the surface like a scalpel before powering off back into the depths. My Bruce Ashby Skorpios were cushioning every lunge and pull so poetically, they're such a pleasure to use. Slowly increasing the pressure I guided the fish in close and finally netted my long awaited prize. It was another 'jewel' of a common carp, what a session this was turning out to be.

A Burst Of Colour On A Dull Day

With the fish returned I decided not to put anymore bait out, time was starting to accelerate and the light was starting to fade. If I wanted to maximise on my time left, I didn't want to be over baiting the swim, I knew there was still enough food out there to keep them interested. Everything fell quiet, the wind dropped, the drizzle subsided, a single bleep on my right hand rod caught my attention. On closer inspection I could see my rod tip quivering, a few more bleeps indicated that something was on the end. I lifted the rod, for a minute I thought I'd hooked into a bream, but when the rod buckled over, it was clear that something slightly larger was on the end. 

Just like all the fish before, it was kiting around like crazy, this one felt like the angriest carp of the session. It bolted straight towards me, I was reeling like crazy to pick up the slack. After some 'heart in the mouth' moments, the fish gave in and I was looking, at yet, another awesome common. That made it five in a row, I couldn't quite believe how the session was turning out. My whole 'big hit' approach was working exactly the way I'd hoped it would.

A Bite At Dusk

Darkness was now setting in, instead of packing up I thought I'd stay for another hour or so. The red-light setting on my trusty little head torch would only be switched on if I got anymore action. Perched on my seat in the pitch black, I could hear the distant sound of traffic, the masses where making their way home after another hard days work. I, if only for a short while, was out of the system, I had 'no wolf at my door', no boss breathing down my neck. I was on the hunt, one more carp landed under the moonlight would be the perfect end to an unforgettable day. 

Suddenly, from out the darkness, the blue LED from my alarm lit up like a beacon and the clutch started buzzing. Stumbling through the void, I clawed at my rod whilst frantically trying to switch on my head torch. The carbon creaked and I was connected, my senses were heightened due to the fact I couldn't see a great deal. The fight was brief and as the fish retired itself to the net. I welcomed my first mirror of the session and one of only a handful I'd caught out of the Reservoir.

A Rare Mirror To Close The Day

It was the perfect way to end a perfect day, starting the rather tedious process of packing up in the dark, I really felt like I'd got everything absolutely spot on. Not only was it a great days fishing, but being out on my own whilst the season was edging closer to winter was inspiring enough. Finally arriving back in the car park and loading the van, it was a relief to be back in the warm and on the move. I sensed that the journey home was going to be a breeze, recalling the session and all the amazing fish I'd had was more than enough to keep my mind occupied.

  

    

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.