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Seeing In the New Year In Style - Michael Stewart
With the Christmas festivities over I spent a couple of relaxing days with family before getting my angling head back on, I'd heard a couple of fish had been out and with the unseasonably mild weather I was keen to get back to the lake.
New Years Eve was my return with 3 nights ahead of me, and I was greeted with an empty car park on my arrival, and went off for a mooch around. With no one on I couldn't rule out any areas so was hoping to see some signs of activity. One lap down and I had seen nothing to go on. I set off on another lap when out the corner of my eye I spotted some movement in the lake, not sure if it was birdlife I headed off to the swim the disturbance was out in front of, and 20 minutes later and I saw a fish roll which would do for me. With the wind south westerly but due to change to south easterly on New Years Day the swim would mean I wouldn’t be sat in the teeth of it from either direction.
I got the bivvy set up and the gear inside with rain looking very likely, put the kelltle on for a brew as I was in no rush to get the rods out for a change with plenty of time before dusk.
I'd changed my lead core leaders from the usual camo brown to silt black, reasoning behind this was the clearer feeling areas of the lake bed had a mixture of dying silk weed and rotting leaves laying over the silt. First rod went 70 yards slightly left which was roughly the area I'd had the 35 from in the next swim down, middle one straight out at sixty yards and the right-hander at 40 yards all three on softer silty feeling bottom with short chods and a small pink or white 12mm chocolate and coconut pop up.
Leaving the lines to slacken off I prepared a 5kg mix of "sweet and light", a lot of small feed items; 10mm Dynamite baits white chocolate and coconut cream boilies, matching boilie crumb, small carp and Robin Red pellets, hemp and sweetcorn, which was all laced with tiger nut and CSL liquids, this would hopefully get the carp grubbing about the spots! This was spombed out equally over the three hook baits .
With everything sorted I sat back with another brew to watch the water. I saw nothing before dark.
Long winter nights are something you can or can't do, I've given up trying to stay awake and have no issues getting in the bag by 7pm reading for a while before getting my head down. I woke around 11 pm and was treated to an epic fireworks display on the horizon, just before nodding off again I heard a carp slosh over the right hand area.
I next awoke around 7:30 am greeted by a heavy frost, which was only the second of the winter so far and got the kettle on for that first brew of the day.
Just as it was getting light I saw a show, it was well past where I was fishing, another fish soon popped it's head out. I was thinking I may have to move when the left hand rod gave a few bleeps and the indicator pulled up tight, I picked up the rod and there was a fish attached, I don't think it realised it was hooked and was probably still feeding away!
It kited left and I kept it up in the water avoiding the still abundant weed beds and after a couple more minutes my first fish of the year was sulking in the bottom of my landing net whilst I sorted the weighing and camera equipment . A New Year mirror of 28lb 11oz was "selfied" and returned (including a new head gear arrangement courtesy of a Christmas present from sister and her clan ).
I sorted a fresh rig and little pink pop up back on the spot and put the kettle back on, before it had even boiled the same rod pulled up as before, only this time the fish wasn't so subdued and kited left far quicker and manged to find the weed steady pressure got it moving and another mirror was netted along with a large amount of weed ! A little smaller than the first fish at 26lb 1oz.
I re-baited all three rods and put another 5kg of the sweet and light mix out concentrating more of the mix on the left hand spot.
Nothing more happened during the day, a liner had me out the bag at 2am and I heard several bosh over the next hour before nodding off.
7:30am Saturday and the same rods indicator pulled up, the fish held out over the spot before as the other two had kiting left, I applied a little more pressure to keep it out the weed and it turned back towards me and went off on short powerful runs, it wasn't long before it was under the rod tip using the deep margins to bore down into , a large boil and I saw a deep looking mirror slide into the waiting net . With yesterday in mind I unhooked the fish which looked to be 30 plus, secured it and got a fresh rig and hook bait back on the spot. I was just sorting the self take kit out when another member, Sim arrived we weighed the chunky grey flanked carp in at 33lb on the nose.
Sim went off to set up and I decided to have some breakfast give it a couple more hours and then pack up early between the forecast rain, quit while I was ahead so to speak, very happy with the result!
Happy New Year, until next time, like me be lucky!
