This is a demo store. No orders will be fulfilled.
Toggle Nav
Carp Fishing Catch Up - Michael Stewart
The following week saw the weather change, and with some snow and plenty of ice around in Norfolk I chose not to take the 2 hour drive to Cambridgeshire. Determined not to let the bad weather get in the way of my fishing, I ended up trotting maggots down the river on the Sunday accompanied by Angling Direct Marketing Manager Oliver Harper. We caught a collection of dace, perch, roach, and chub – although Oliver well and truly trounced me, catching 60 fish to my 12!
Last week saw the temperatures rise back up to unseasonably high double figures and I was back on the bank in Cambridgeshire. After a lap of the lake, I decided to set up in the same area as I had the previous couple of trips. I put the LH rod out to the 70 yard mark, where I’d had three takes from at the start of the year, and two rods 40 or so yards to the middle and the right. I had a quick feel about with a lead on the right hand spot and it felt ‘cleaner’ than before, so I opted for a balanced bait instead of the short chod. This balanced bait comprised of a 10mm Dynamite White Chocolate and Coconut Cream boilie tipped with a piece of plastic corn – all tied to a size 8 Korda Kurv hook with 7” 15lb Korda Dark Matter Braid Hooklink. I finished it KD style – a small sinker and some putty moulded around it an inch back from the hook. This helps the hook point to ‘drop down’ and catch hold when a carp sucks in the bait. A small PVA bag of boilie crumb, 10mm baits, and a few Dynamite Baits’ Robin Red and Carp Pellets were attached to avoid any tangles, and each spot got 10 large Spombs of the particle/crumb/pellet mix, too.
Midnight came around, and three beeps from the right hand rod had me scrambling down the bank. I flicked on the head torch and the indictor had pulled up a little. Initially I thought it was a liner till it pulled up a little more and out of the line clip -fish on! As soon as I picked up the rod I knew whatever was on the other end was a decent fish. As it powered off I had the idea that it might have been a winter catfish, but when I managed to slow and turn the fish I realised it was most certainly a carp. It stayed down in the water refusing to come to the surface for a good few minutes before rising out of the depths in to the beam of from my head torch, it was a rather sizable mirror! A couple more minutes and she (I knew it was one of the lakes big girls now) was in the net.
With the fish secured in the landing net I roused the two ‘Nicks’ to lend a hand with the weighing and photographing. On the mat she looked very large indeed, in fact the lads insisted we weighed her on another set of scales just to check but the result was the same: 40lb12oz. She was identified as ‘Martha’. Although she was repeat capture for me, a January 40lber isn’t to be sniffed at! She looked even bigger as she swam away after I released her.
I re-set all the traps the next day, splitting another mix of bait between the three rods, but Martha was to be the only bite from that session.
This week saw me back in the same swim – well, it would be daft not to! All three rods fished the same spots as last week, with one rod on a short chod and the other two with the dark matter braid KD rig and another mix of bait between the three spots. With high winds and driving rains due, I’d sunk the lines as best I could with the undertow and attached small back leads to try and keep them in place for the night.
Just as I was settling in I was taken by surprise as the right hand rod pulled up tight – it was only 7pm! A valiant scrap ensued, which I won, and soon I was scooping a nice looking mid-20 common into the waiting landing net! Another syndicate member, ‘Joycey’, was on hand and we soon had it weighed at 25lb11oz, photographed, and returned.
I recast the rod with a fresh hookbait, rig, and a larger than usual PVA mesh bag. I was confident that there still had to be a bit of bait on the spot, but if there wasn’t this would still be enough for another bite.
Midnight, and the high winds and rain came as forecast. The rain was smashing into the bivvy, and I was sure it must have been more like 60mph winds, rather than the 40mph I’d expected! The times when you really don’t want a bite as an angler are very rare, but this was one of them! Almost as soon as this thought crossed my mind I heard three beeps from the recast rod. I was starting to think that a flying branch or weed was the cause when, all of a sudden, the receiver started to scream. Coat and head torch on, I went out into the savage conditions. I could hardly see the lake with the driving rain and the carp I was attached to didn’t want to be subdued easily. After some toing and froing, and trying to get the landing net into the water without it taking off like a kite, I unceremoniously bundled another common in. I secured the net and dove back into the bivvy to wait for the weather to subside.
The storm passed, and unbelievably Joycey had also had one in the same conditions from the other lake. With a break in the weather we helped each other with the weighing and photos.
A common of 28lb15oz was my prize and it meant that I’d landed a further two fish this January. I was confident that my rig change was working, especially with this fish again nailed dead centre of the bottom lip. Another fresh rig and PVA bag went out to the spot just in time to beat another wave of heavy rain.
No more action came my way that night or Saturday morning. At Midday I recast all three rods with fresh hook baits and another 10 Spombs of mix over each one. The weather was on the turn, with the wind turning more northerly than westerly and picking up in strength again. By 5pm I’d seen nothing and was struggling to keep the lines in place. With more wet weather on the way I decided that I would quit whilst I was ahead and opt for a dry pack up and drive home.
Until next time – be lucky, Michael
