Anglers Profile

Land of the Unknown!



It was the 20th of April and I had 2 weeks to get fishing I was up in London staying at my mums. I went over to see my mate’s house and they were having a chat about fishing on the 23rd somewhere for 48 hours. We was stuck for places to go and wasn’t sure where to go. My mate suddenly realised there was new water he had joined that not many people have fished for the carp before, so we thought it would be a good idea to see what potential the lake had and what was really in it.

So for the next two days I prepared for the 48hrs on a new water covering many aspects, rigs, baits etc. so come the 23rd of April at eleven o’clock my mate picked me up and we ventured of to this wildly unknown territory, us not having a clue what was in there was fishing it completely blank, so we had a walk around and there was 2 match anglers on there we looked right at the top and the fish were up in the water, some of them a very good size. We carried on walking around and I decided to fish a peg with a jetty/catwalk on it. There was a nice overhanging tree and a very advertising opposite bank to fish to. So I got all the gear set up and put some bait beside the tree. I opted to use particle baits and chopped boilie for this water as there seemed a fair few little fish so hopefully would entice the bigger fish. So to start I put out four bait scoops full and left it, every 3 hours I was doing this and getting liners quiet frequently, and hopeful. I decided to fish single hook baits with different coloured corns on each rod, pink, yellow and blue hopefully 1 of these would get a bite.


My Swim!!

Witching hour!!

So come 9pm I was awake and ready sitting with the boys having a social, we sat there waiting with most of the rods getting liners, come ten o’clock it went in order of the bites, with my mates first fish, they must of gradually been moving down the lake and I was the very last one to get a bite come 4:30 am my alarm started slowly going so I got to the rod and picked it up and felt that the fish was solid, in a snag obviously, so I decided to make tension and tighten down on it eventually it pulled out of the snag and plodded around for fifteen minutes or more. Suddenly as soon as I netted the fish my mates two rods were going and I didn’t see I sign of movement from him so I went and landed both of his fish of about nine to twelve lb so once I done that I eventually woke him and asked him to take some photos. As I was getting everything ready, zeroing the scales and get everything wet, with a bucket of water ready for the fish, my mate said you have got one of the biggest fish in the lake, it tipped the scales around to 27lb 8oz at that time my heart was racing. So as soon as I gave him the camera and I got the fish into position my mate took some brilliant photos and I went and slipped the fish back, this had finally made my week almost a year of trying to break my personal best and I done it on my first session on the lake. So with another night to go I wasn’t that concerned about where I re-cast the rod so I just cast it towards the tree I was fishing and got back to sleep. With liners every now and then that I was ignoring until it rips off.




My New Personal Best, 27lb 8oz


Restart!

so once the morning arrived it was the same process again but today I wasn’t going to fish in the day because it was way to warm and we could see the fish were more interested in other things, so I put some more particle out on the spots, and went back to sleep. At twelve o’clock my mate called me to pop home quickly to stock up on food and go home for a shower, so we left our gear with the other lads. We got back at about half past three, and it was still way to warm and I couldn’t see the point in wasting energy on putting the rods out when they have other things on there mind (spawning). So every hour I scooped some particles over the spot and placed boilies over it and left it. Come seven o’clock it was slowly getting cooler so I decided to finally put the rods out and hopefully repeat the process that I had done the night before. So I had the rods out bait over them and I was happy, we sat up socialising till about eleven pm and already by then everyone had a fish except me I had a run and nothing was connected. So I got my head down and slept and suddenly come quarter to four I had another run, struck and something else pretty serious was on it, the fish was motoring up the lake and eventually I managed to stop it and turn it towards me, after ten minutes of I sitting down on the first shelf I had its head up and in the net. I looked at it with the head torch and I said to myself “That might just make 20lb”, so I woke my friend and got everything ready (repeating the process from the day before)  I put it up on the scales and he went 20lb 2oz, I was more than happy with this, photographed it and slipped her back. I was more than pleased two twenty’s in two sessions, I don’t get that often.

20lb 2oz !!!!

The Long Hall

It was the end of school and a week holidays to be used. So I decided to do a long hall on the fendrod for a week I got down their on a Thursday morning and set up on the open bank on peg 17 not fished this peg before so it was something I was hoping would pay off, so I got set up about 5:30pm and it was starting to get dark. I was fishing one rod to the left of the island one to the right of the island and one in the middle of it. This year I have been fishing with bait many anglers have lots of faith in and I have every bit of confidence fishing on it. So I set up using a short 5 inch stiff coated hook link and a 2 oz lead on all three rods, this year I have had the majority of my fish on the snowman rig so I have opted to fish all three this way. I had all 3 rods out and set up by about 6:30 and spread a bit of bait around the island and waited.

I was having bit of a social with the lads and a few liners here and there nothing to shows as yet. So around 2 in the morning I fell asleep and it was absolutely silent most of the night except a few liners. Peter two pegs up from me had a 17lb common. But that’s all was to shows out of 4 of us. So I had been there 24hrs and nothing I decided to stay hoping the second night would produce. Come dusk still nothing had shown. I was lacking in confidence so I just re-cast the rods and waited. With violent liners every now and then I had hope there was fish in the swim. But I got my head down and with the liners continuing with no proper takes I woke up at 7am to see what was happening with the anglers arising listening to the birds and the odd person using the throwing stick it was like heaven. I wound the rods in and took a walk around the lake for signs of more fish I took a walk around to peg 38 to see quit a lot of movement in what they call the “snags” so it pursued for 20 minutes watching and I knew it was time to move. So I get back to my peg and I borrowed my mate’s barrow and got the gear around. I was confidant because they say if nothing happening move and I was moving in to a well known populated area for the fish at all times of year. So I got over there set up and was comfortable I planned on doing 48hr’s on there because usually the second night is better than the first. So I put a bit of bait out and rods and then it was time to sit back.

Surprise, surprise!!!!

Come 2:30 I was lying on the bed chair listening to music and suddenly one of my rods burst into life, with the bobbin hitting the rod and the clutch screaming, after hooking into it the hook pulled. So I re-tied a new bag and a new bait and back on the spot. So I was back on the money and confident. My mate gave me a ring saying he would be down in twenty minutes so I sat back, fifteen minutes later and the same rod was off again, unexpected? Yes totally, then after a five minute fight it was in the net. It was a low double orange mirror. So my friends come around and I weighed it at 13lb 4oz took pictures and slipped it back. What a good start so I was happy.

So I reeled in the rods and gave my mate a hand with the gear. So he got set up, I had a cup of tea with him and I returned to my peg about half past 5 and re-cast. So it was time to chill out with the odd liner bringing me to life but after a while I chilled out and waited for a one toner. After 8 cups of tea and a visit from my friend I got settled for the night at 10:30. Half hour later I had 4 liners and I looked up got out and the rod tip was bent around but no proper indication. I was using the fox captive back lead that I am not sure about as I have had a few bad times with these. So I picked up the rod and it was solid in a snag so I guessed I had a run and not known because delkims are a reliable bite alarm so it wouldn’t of been them. So I had to do all anglers worst nightmare, set back up in the dark. So five minutes and I was done. Re-cast with new bait, relaxed and eventually fell asleep. Fishing in and around snags you get plenty of violent liners so they were expected. Come six o’clock I was awake and making tea. Had the tea and fell back asleep. Woke back up at eleven and didn’t fish all day to see if this would help.

So through a day of pre-baiting and resting the swim I was confidant. Reeling the rods in and just putting bait in every hour just to try and let them have some space and a free feed and hopefully it will pay off. So after being with my mates pretty much all day I got back to my swim at five thirty and re-cast the rods. Baits landed exactly where I would want them put and bit of bait on the top and time to relax. After four hours of not a single beep, I got my head down for some sleep, come twelve the bobbins were up and down all the time so obviously there were fish in the area. I sat on my hands and waited for a 1 toner. I fell back to sleep with the ringing noise of the alarm in my ear and come six ‘clock the rod just burst into life, I struck into it and I couldn’t do anything with it, it just kept going and going down the gully so I just had to hope for the best. After 10 minutes the hook pulled and I was pretty gutted to be honest, but hey never mind that’s fishing.

Time for a change!!!

Come one o’clock there was a bit of movement over on the point I was watching fish with binoculars for about half hour and they were consistently moving along the surface in front of the island (cage). So I thought I have 3 nights left and I was going to try and make the most of it. I gathered all my gear together and slowly moved it all around to the point. Once I got the bivvy up and going I got everything under it and got set up properly, and then finally set up the rods. I was rather curious with my rigs because in the past few days I was getting funny bites and I was coming back with the silicone tubing run all the way back the hook, so I thought id change my game play completely, go from long soft hook links to short stiff hook links, and from two ounce leads to three ounce leads. Eventually after an hour of fussing around with the bank sticks and the rigs I could get going, so bags on the rigs perfect and I was ready. So I planned on fishing one rod to the island and then one down each edge. I eventually got the rods onto the spots and I settled down, putting baits out ever hour four or five baits at a time. By six o’clock I was lying down and I could here a few lads behind me so I come out and they came for a chat, they we’re about thirteen/fourteen years old, people this age I don’t mind talking and teaching because they are the future and very willing to learn. So they were asking about the rigs and how I present them, after twenty minutes or so I had made a few rigs each for them and they went off happy, hopefully learnt a few knew tips. As I used to when I first come into the sport I was very inquisitive asking people one hundred questions, but it done me some good because this is why I am where I am today. So at about seven o’clock it was time to drink my tea and rest. Liners coming frequently from the left hand margin so I was hopeful. At eleven pm my left hand rod burst into life and I picked the rod up and nothing…….. I was puzzled but never mind, il try again, so rod back out more bait over it and back to sleep. I woke up at half past 2 in the morning to the rain and made a cup of tea and I just continued to lye on my bed chair listening to the rain pummelling the bivvy, this isn’t a good sign on the wet pegs because when the water level comes up it goes up the bank. After sitting there for two hours I had a one toner on the island rod, I got to the rod and there was instant resistance after five minutes of getting soaked I finally had him in the net, a small stocky common. So I weighed it and he tipped the scaled to 14lb 6oz pristine fish so I slipped him back got dry and waited for the rain to stop and re-cast the rod. So once the rain had stopped I fell back to sleep till ten o’clock, the plans for today were to move to the open bank to have a social with the boys for forty eight hours. So come mid day it was time to start moving the gear over to peg fifteen, after 3 trips back and forward I had all the gear over and set up in about an hour. My mates then arrived and got their gear set up and were fishing by three o’clock. So had a few cups of tea and a chat and come six o’clock it was time to sort the rods out for the night, I had 2 snowman rigs on with different colour pop-ups on two different rods, and 1 fox arma mesh crushed boilie tipped with half a pop up, the boilies I was using are ones that I have all my faith in and caught countless good fish throughout the country, they are made by a local company. So rods out and sorted, time to wait now, after an hour one of the boy’s rod is off and away and eventually lands it, 15lb ghostie was a pristine fish once we weighed it and slipped it back we continued to socialise. To cut an long story short I lasted 30 hours on the peg because we got flooded off I had 2 commons to 16lb.

So for the 3rd time now I decided to return to the same stretch of water that I have left for a few day and been putting a little bit of bait in every day to see if I can be rewarded once again!. So I returned four days later in pursue of a 10lb + barbel or what ever else shows up.

So I arrived on the 23rd at about half past twelve and set up in the same place I have fished recently to good effect. So I set up by about 3pm and I was ready marker out baits out, fed and settled down watching the dog walkers and the boats go past enjoying everything around me, and getting the odd single bleep on the alarm. As the evening draws in everything starts to settle down and sitting their waiting in suspense never knowing what is going to happen next.
As I dropped off to sleep at about 9pm I heard my alarm sound so I got up and it had stopped bobbin was all the way at the top of the rod so I just lifted into it. Straight away I knew it was a bream  belly up and come in like a wet bag. When you get on a shoal of these I can never seem to get away from them. So once I had one I knew I was in for a few so I waded through them I had about 8 by midnight but eventually I knew something else would come along. Just keep re-baiting and they eventually move off. I had one about 1:30am and it seemed a lot bigger….. Weighed it and it went 10lb 3oz so even though it was a bream I was rather happy. Put it back and put the rod back out and went back to sleep.

Patient’s pays off!!!!!!!

At 3:30am my mates popped down to see how I was getting on. After them being their for half an hour my rod burst into life and after a 15 minute battle it was finally in the net  I thought this time I have achieved me target first time around, so I zeroed the scales and got everything ready, so I put this fish on the scales and it tipped them around to 11lb 2oz, I just looked at my friends and thought “can my luck get any better”. So after a slipped I back I got the rod back out and re-baited and fell back to sleep.


It’s just Magical!!
half hour later my alarm was going again but this time only very slowly so I waited for the bobbin to lift a little bit more and struck…. I felt a sudden surge of power for the island so I immediately sunk the rod and hoped for the best. Eventually after twenty five minutes of give and take I had him around the margin, my heart was in my mouth and the pressure was on so after five minutes he finally surfaced and I slipped the net under him. All you could here was me shouting “get in there” I was absolutely over the moon. I got everything ready and calmed down. Got my mate to lift him onto the scales and weighed it. He said “you would never believe it but you just got yourself a huge specimen barbel of 14lb 2oz” my heart was in my mouth I had nothing to say in happiness. I got the pictures taken and slipped him back.


So with that I didn’t bother putting the rod back out I sat with my friends had a cup of tea and watched the sun come up with a smile on my face happy to go home knowing I’ve had what Is possible and will return there sometime next year to see if I can achieve something bigger but that will be a hard task….. River carp is next  Bring on next summer


Tight lines Lads 