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Autumnal Carping - Michael Stewart
I had a four night blank in October with only one bite coming from the lake in that time, which actually fell to myself, on my birthday! But unfortunately half way back the fish came adrift to a hook pull - not a happy birthday present ! The next two night session was a repeat of the four nighter, another blank, without even a single bleep on the alarms.
October always sees me change from a fishmeal based bait to a sweet one, so it was out with the Dynamite Crave and in with their White Chocolate and Coconut, which has produced well for me in the past couple of winters. My actual baiting strategy wasn’t going to change, just the bait and the liquids, my mix to put out is now far “sweeter and lighter” than the fishy Crave one.
- ½kg 10mm Dynamite Baits White Chocolate & Coconut Boilies - 1kg matching boilie crumb - ½ kg mix of 4/6/8mm Dynamite Carp & Robin Red Pellets - 2kg of mixed particle, mainly hemp with a scattering of sweetcorn, maple & chick peas - A good dose of Dynamite Baits CSL, Monster Tigernut and White Chocolate & Coconut liquids
My next trip was going in the same direction as the previous two, but heading into the last couple of hours on the Sunday a couple of fish showed so I hung around a little longer and was rewarded with Mirrors of 20lb and 24lb both falling to 12mm pink pop-ups fishing over ‘the mix’.
The following week I once again waited all weekend for a bite and again it didn’t occur until the last few hours of the session, but unfortunately the hook pulled after five minutes, it happens, but still it’s hard to take.
The next week I ended up in a swim that hadn’t produced a carp for me in the odd night or two I’d fished there before, however I had a feeling that it could do, I’d seen fish there previously and it enabled me to cover a large area of water.
All three rods were fished around 40 yards out, with about 20 yards between each other, all were baited with pink or white 12mm pop-ups on short Chods as I wasn’t entirely sure the bottom was as clean as it felt. Each spot got a dozen large Spombs of the sweet and light mix.
3am Saturday and the left had rod was demanding some attention and whatever was on the end was shaking its head violently to try and shed the hook, after a bit of tooing-and-frowing and a couple of visits to some weed-beds a very non-typical mirror for the lake was in the net. Short and deep with clusters of scales on its flanks, it weighed in at 27lb 5oz. I secured it via the retainer sling for a couple of hours and once light enough got some great shots with autumnal leaf colours in the background . That was the action for that weekend.
The next week was due to be a wet one, the clocks had gone back a couple of weeks prior and the night’s were drawing in quickly. The productive area from last week was already covered by a couple of anglers. The rain was arriving and with no signs to go on I opted for a swim that covered a decent chunk of water and had produced a good few fish for me in the past. Once again three short Chods, with pink or white 12mm pop ups went out to marks around 70 yards, one in open water, one off the point of the island and one down the middle of the island on the shallow shelf - it was still mild for the start of November! A bucket of mix was them equally Spombed out between the three of them.
Saturday morning, after a quiet night, I saw a couple of fish show from a swim further down to my right, an hour later three more. It was still raining heavily but if I wanted to give myself the best chance of a fish I had to move. I was soon upping sticks (which wasn’t pleasant in the torrential rain) but I hatched a plan to keep the gear as dry as possible.
I’d been given one of the Advanta Discovery CCX Basha’s by the boss to use/photograph, it’s a versatile square waterproof covering with plenty of webbing loops, eyelets and press studs. It can be used to make a shelter, barrow cover and/or windbreak, you can even fold it in half, secure the poppers and make a impromptu sleeping arrangement! To be honest I’d just thrown it over the barrow to keep what I store on it dry for the session. A couple of pegs and two storm poles and I had a lean-to type shelter to keep all the gear under out of the rain whilst I moved the bivvy, Cheers Mr Downing!
Once all set up (again) I found a clear-ish channel between weed-beds about 30 yards out where the fish had shown, the same rigs with fresh baits were soon on the mark, with a good few Spombs of mixture over the top. It was then back in the bivvy to dry off!
Dusk and the fish started to show over one particular baited spot in the previous swim! I couldn’t reach the area now due to the trees so stuck with the spots in front and hoped the fish would return in the morning. The long and short of it… they didn’t! I lingered till mid afternoon but went away dry and carp-less with no reward for the soaking I’d received!
Up to date now and last weekend saw me back on the bank with more rain and high winds forecast. With such conditions I had a area in mind… I know, I know, you shouldn’t have any pre-conceived ideas on where you should pitch up, but as you “get into” a water you start to build a library of info to go on.
The swim where I started the previous week was where I chose to set out my stall.
Friday night was calm and dry, nothing showed early morning but with the weather due to turn I re-done the rods and baited up earlier than usual rather than wait and get another soaking! The wind increased and the rain came, I did see one fish show just behind the island point rod but that was all.
The rain stopped but the wind didn’t and most of the night was spent flicking the twigs and branches off the lines, I’d just removed a large branch from the water that was hitting the lines, when the open water rod signalled more than a few beeps and the spool started to grudgingly give line! I picked up the rod and clamped down on the clutch but this fish wasn’t stopping and was taking line at 70yards, in my head I thought catfish, but eventually I slowed it and turned it back towards me. After a couple of minutes I’d regained the line taken and the marker knot was now back on the spool! The carp (I’d now decided it was a carp and not a cat) was far from finished and continued to avoid coming any closer.I’d failed to notice was how warm it was even with the strong wind, I was out in the pitch black only sporting boots, undercrackers and a t-shirt and I wasn’t freezing my proverbials off in mid November!
After an epic scrap the fish eventually made its way into my waiting landing net, it looked a good’un too! 35lb 7oz of dark chunky Cambridgeshire mirror carp was my prize. As It was only an hour or so off dawn I slipped her in the retainer sling and got the kettle on, waiting for the sky to brighten so I could get the best shots possible before I let her go back to her watery home.
Until next time, like me… be lucky.
