I’ve been as busy as a bee of late: I’ve ventured down to Essex for a social, then the week after that I went out filming for the website with Gaz. I had only done the one overnighter on Woldveiw (my syndicate water) in the last two weeks, and was very eager to get back down there.
It was my birthday on the Sunday and my two days a week I get off work fell on the Monday and Tuesday, and the missus gave me the nod to get to the bank straight after work on the Sunday. I did feel bad for leaving her and the kids with it being my birthday but what the hell – it was MY birthday, and I wanted to catch a birthday carp!
I woke up early Sunday morning, opened my cards, loaded the car then headed off to work– which seemed to go on forever! Even though I love my job, I had 48hours fishing awaiting me at the end of my shift, and watching the clock was pure torture!
I had an idea in mind of where I wanted to go, and as I arrived in this area, one poked it’s head right out of the water, followed by another, which helped me make up my mind. I’d written down the amount of wraps to the spot which I had fished on a previous session. The spot wasn’t that big, so I stuck two rods in that spot rather than my normal three and Spombed a bucket of bait straight over the top. I knew this may kill the swim by putting a lot of bait in the area but with two days in front of me, I hoped that when they did find it, it would hold them there for a longer period of time. The third rod went out on a spot a lot shorter and softer, not on a ‘known’ spot, but I thought it might produce an opportunist bite if the fish came in close during the night.
Eventually, night had set in and it was getting dark. I’d hit the pillow well before 21:00 as I was absolutely cream cracked. I woke up out of the blue, checking my phone for the time. It was only 23:30 – I had thought it was a lot later than that, maybe early morning, as it felt that I’d been asleep for ages. I laid there for a good ten minutes trying to nod back off, until I decided I couldn’t get sleep, so popped the kettle on, rolled a fag and sat with my eyes on the water . I’d just started to sip my brew when I had a single bleep on the left hand rod. I started to put my boots on but nothing immediately occurred, so I sat back and chilled, having a look what was going on on Facebook and noticing the time was 23:50, as the left hand rod gave a bleep again, followed by another, then turning into a run.
I burst out of the bivvy, lifted the rod and bent into the fish, and after a short battle in the dark I slipped the net under a carp. I was well pleased that it was still before midnight, and I had caught myself a birthday carp with just minutes to spare – happy days indeed!!
A birthday mirror of 15lb – happy days indeed!
The following morning I woke up a little later than first Iight light as I normally do, slipped the kettle on, then lay there in my Layers bag, on the lookout. It wasn’t long before one poked it’s head out over the spot, then another just behind. I had just removed the tea bag from my cup when I had a slow take on the left-hand rod – the same rod I had the fish on in the night.
Halfway through the battle it boiled on the surface, and I could make just make out it was a chestnut-coloured mirror, and the only two fish in the lake it could have been were the Football Fish or the big girl, Floppy.
As I pulled her over the net cord I knew which one it was straight away; the Football Fish. I can honestly say I didn’t expect this one to pick up my bait, as the Football wasn’t one for seeing the bank a lot. Properly buzzing, I rang my better half to tell her the good news, and then did the honours of recording her weight at 30lb 4oz. Only seconds after putting her back the middle rod was away, and this time a 25lb mirror with a stumpy tail graced my net.
The Football Fish at 30lb 4oz – one I really wanted in my photo album.
Stumpy Tail at 25lb+
Topping the swim up with more bait was the agenda after the mornings’ action.
The morning went into afternoon, and conditions were looking perfect too – overcast, low pressure and a good wind.
I re-baited the rods just on dark. That night I struggled getting to sleep for the driving wind and rain, so I sat up up most of the night brewing-up and watching the water the best I could. Just as I decided to get in the bag I had another take from the spot. The battle was crazy, with the wind and rain hammering in, I ended up soaked to the skin, but I didn’t really care as I slipped the net under a another stunner, this one being a 22lb zip linear. By the time I was all sorted and the rod was back on the spot dawn was rapidly approaching, and laying back in my bag I managed about a hours kip until the same rod that I had the bite on in the night was away once more! This one gave me a proper run-around, wiping all the other rods out with it –carnage!! Well worth it though, as this one went 23lb 4oz and was another stunning linear, one know as the Little Lin.
This stunning linear weighed in at over 22lb
‘The Little Lin’ – what a beautiful carp.
I didnt want to pack up, as I had a feeling there was more to be had, and maybe my chance of the big girl was on the cards, but I bit the bullet and packed up from another awesome session on ‘The View’, well-pleased with a lovely welcome back .
Most of my time fishing now will be focused on here, hoping my target fish will slip up soon, or it will be a case of rejoining again for next year. Its fingers crossed now .
Be lucky
Jimmy
** Update – Tuesday 13th October 2015 **
It was a steady Sunday at work, we wern’t that busy and the day just dragged on and on, as it always does when there’s an overnighter on the cards. With the gear loaded in the motor, I headed straight down to the lake after work with two nights ahead of me, before a return to work straight from the lake Tuesday.
I arrived just as the sun was setting and the fish were active in one particular area of the lake, so I simply I dropped in the swim closest to the fish.
The night passed and fish where showing in front of me all night. I woke in the morning shocked I’d not had a bite, so I sat it out until the sun came out, burning the morning mist away. It just didn’t seem right where I was, and my mind was telling me to move, but the question was where to? I’d seen nothing until around 11:00 when one came out of the water to the wrist of it’s tail at the opposite end of the lake. That was it, I was packed away and was round there in a flash. I knew the swim from previous sessions, and so I confidently fished all three rods one just one spot, and even though I’d just seen the one, I put ten Spomb-fulls of bait over the top.
Afternoon passed and still no action, so I re-did the rods at around 17:00 putting fresh Pacific Tuna cork balls on my Stiff Hinge Rigs, and also dropping another ten Spombs of bait over the spot. Within just half an hour the right-hand rod pulled tight and I lifted into what immediately felt like a heavy fish. An epic battle then took place, with whatever was on the end weeding me up once or twice, before I managed to get it close-enough to see that it was Floppy Tail, the one I had been chasing all year! Believe me, I breathed a massive sigh of relief when that one hit the spreader block!
Words cant describe the feeling I get from bagging a target fish – I’d been putting in the effort, and finally reaped the reward. What an immense buzz it is, and one of the reasons I go carp fishing.
My first UK 40, and my target fish for the year – Floppy Tail at 41lb 8oz. Buzzing ain’t the word!
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