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Carp Fishing Back In Cambs... Michael Stewart
After the capture of the 34lber from Norfolk it was time to move back to the Cambridgeshire water. On my first trip back, just three weeks ago, I managed to land a gnarly old looking 16lb common and lost another, both to Zigs. The next week saw me drop into the same swim but nothing… before I left I baited a couple of likely looking areas, where’d I seen fish show, with a mixture of White Choc Coconut boilies and a few kilos’ of Sweet corn, hoping they’d be on the bait and in the area, the next time I returned.
The following Friday, just gone, I arrived back down the lake at around 1pm, with temperatures soaring to a balmy 17 degrees and a fair amount of sunshine it was forecast to be the warmest weekend of the year so far, surely there’d be some fish on the feed!
With only one other angler present I went off for a good mooch around, looking eagerly for any sign of Carp, it didn’t take me long before I spotted a few fish sunning themselves in the closest swim to the gate. It was here where I decided to set my stall.
The far margin looked good for a fish or two, so I decided to fish one rod on this spot, a 60 yard chuck saw me within a couple of feet of some overhanging branches.
I dropped the rod on the spot and wandered round to bait up, a mixture of Dynamite Baits White Chocolate Coconut crumbled and whole boilies, along with half a kilo of corn completed my trap. The rig I’d chosen was my ever faithful ‘low down pop-up rig’ which consisted of 12’’ of 15lb Atomic Jelly Wire and a size 8 ox SSC hook, baited with a washed out pink 12mm pop-up.
With the middle rod out and fishing it was time to prepare the other two, the left hand rod featured a standard stiff hinge rig, with a White 16mm corkball pop-up, this was fished over half a kilo of matching boiles. The right hand rod, was fished with a Stiff fluorocarbon boom, and 25lb braid, again mounted with a White corkball pop-up.
Nothing happened that night, but around 7am in the morning the middle rod beeped twice and the rod tip nodded, I’d set the clutch tight due to the snaggy area I was fishing and I’d said to myself I’d hit any indication like this, which I duly did… Fish on!
It kited strongly to the left hand side of the swim on a tight line, before I finally turned it back towards me, it felt like a good’un! Numerous slow plodding runs later and after a ponderous ten minute battle I finally started to get the upper hand.
I could easily see through the clear water and it was probably five feet down that I first caught a glimpse of the fish, I could see it was a big Mirror! It was another five minutes before I finally got the big girl in the net, she certainly looked close to 30!
On the scales she weighed in at 29lb 1oz, not a bad wake up call at all! After a few photos, I cast the rod back to the same spot and re-baited the area.
It was time for a celebratory brew and the first of the day, but before I’d even had a chance to take a sip, the right hand rod signalled a take. After another spirited fight a 17lb mirror was in the folds of my landing net.
As the sun rose higher in the sky and temperatures soared it looked good for a fish or two on the Zig, or the Spice Girl Rigs as I call them, so I changed my left hand rod, which had yet to have a bite, over to a 1.1oz running Flat Pear Lead and set the depth to 15ft, about 2ft below the surface. The hook length was crafted from Drennan Double Strength and tied to a size 12 Korda Kurv Shank Hook. The hookbait or ‘carp-lure’ was a little chunk of black foam tipped with a slice of a 12mm white chocolate and coconut pop up, I still don’t get why fish take it, but it works!
I re-cast the Zig every hour, dropping the depth as I went; this was until 2pm when at 12ft, the rod rattled off and all hell broke loose.
With such a long, light, pre-stretched hook length and a small hook it’s always a bit tense playing fish on Zigs and I’m always very cautious, choosing to play the fish on a fairly loose clutch.
I let the fish do what it wanted and it stayed deep, only gradually could I make line back, but slowly and surely I did, easing the big girl up through the water column, it wasn’t long before my lead broke the surface, however with the fish still 12ft down it was a few more minutes before she was ready for the net!
As I glimpsed down into the crystal clear water I saw a flash of gold and instantly knew it was the Ghostie Mirror, the fish I’d spent several hours chasing round the lake, last summer! I said a little prayer to the carp gods and everything held true, she soon tired out and rolled into the net! Phew!
On the scales she went 24lb15oz, but the size was almost irrelevant as she was such a beauty, the yellow-gold Carpy colours were breath taking. After a few snaps for the album I returned her back and watched in awe as she slowly glided back down to the depths. What a sight and happy days!
It wasn’t long before the next fish of the session was on the bank, this time the right had rod produced a repeat capture of a carp I call stumpy , a little up in weight at just under 19lb. How this fish produces so much power with its stubby tail, and clearly broken wrist, is amazing!
All rods were re-done for the night but Stumpy was to be my last action of the session. I packed up around 11 am and introduced a few more baits to the area, before heading home.
