28lb 5oz - First Carp 2013

With a slight change in the weather - temperatures not down to freezing every night and actually hitting highs of 8 degrees during the days, I decided to have a go on my local water for a bit of carp action. Pulling into the car park I think that everyone else had the same idea as was met by 6 cars. Having a look around I was quite glad to find that most people were only going to be doing the day and that everyone seemed to be fishing the shallower end of the lake. 

The lake is only 3-4 foot deep at best with a huge amount of silt, so I opted to fish right in the centre where the deeper water was and the least amount of lines.

Locating some harder patches of silt I positioned KD rigs with small white pop ups pinched with small shot to just hold the bottom. Both rigs were made with super natural straight through and a PVA golf ball of blitzed bread, salt and chilli flakes attached completed the traps.

 My fishing buddy Nigel joined me later in the afternoon and fishing alongside me as I was fishing a double swim and he also believed that fishing this deeper water was the right approach for this session.

I had two quick bream on the same rod and thought that this was going to continue as I had obviously hit a shoal but to my disbelief I had nothing for the rest of the night. Nigel had a few beeps but nothing else happened for the rest of the lake.

Waking up early I decided to recast and put a few balls of bread around my baited area to try and encourage some fish back in the swim. Straight away I got the bream feeding and was getting bite after bite.  5 bream had graced the net before Nigel greeted me with a cup of tea and the encouraging words of “you massive noddy, leave those slimers alone”!!!! 

I was quite happy with catching something rather than nothing and if the bream were feeding it might encourage competition between the carp and get them on the feed too.

I was on bream number 12 and it seemed as though I could carry on catching all day but we both had other commitments and so started to pack up. By 12 o’clock I was all packed up apart from the rods were still out and Nigel had convinced me that another cup of tea was due before we had to leave.

The tea was still brewing and my right hand rod bobbin pulled tight “bream on”, but as I walked over line started peeling away at a steady rate and I bent into my first carp, not only of the session but of 2013.

The fish hugged the bottom and plodded away, not really like the carp that I have previously caught from the lake that normally come to the surface quickly and bolt off every which way. 10 minutes in and I starting to think that it might be foul hooked but breaking the surface I could see that it was well hooked and one of the larger fish in the lake.

Nigel did the honour of netting the fish and slid the fish into the sling for weighing. Dropping the scales at 28lb 5oz it was a personal PB and the biggest fish out of the lake in a few years.

Completely over the moon and a great start of carp fishing in 2013. Just shows that catching the bream had encouraged some carp to start feeding alongside.

Tight lines and be lucky.

2nd PB Pike in 4 days

Saturday morning we all met early at the lake. After my success of fishing on the wall, my mates Justin and Wilks, decided that it was their turn to fish there and so I opted for a position just to the right in a shallow bay – still close to the wall.

Dam wall to the left

Setting up I noticed that both of my mates were casting out well away from the wall where I had caught the pike just days before. I flicked out the dead smelt out on running rigs just a few feet from the back where there were some dying reeds and lilies. Once all the rods were out I got the shelter up and kettle on. The temperature was down to 0 degrees and there was even some ice from the night before on the water. I didn’t expect anything quickly and was just warming my hands on the hot tea cup when my left hand rod let out a flurry of beeps. Jumping up I struck into thin air! A little gutted that I had not waited and missed a bite so quickly but got the rod back out on the spot to see if the fish was still there.

 

The morning passed and I had noticed a few pike striking at the other side of the lake. I was contemplating a move when Justin came over and said he was going to have a little move round my side and fish next to me. Brilliant, I will now be able to jump into his swim and fish the other side where I has seen the pike striking – he obviously had not been watching the water otherwise he would be staying put! Upping camp was hard going as the winds decided to pick up and the heavens opened as well! Typical..... but should be worth it!  

Nigel who had gone a little further down the lake shouts over that he has a monster in his net. Justin wonders over and reports that it was 24lb on the nose. Another monster pike and caught once again from a rod length out on the old faithful smelt.

Small bay where pike love to lie in wait

As the day wore on I was beginning to become a little disheartened and decided to have a little recast and check that the baits were all alright. Flicking back out the first bait I saw a large swell just off a jetty that juts out into the water. This had to be a pike moving that amount of water. Both the other rods were placed either side of the jetty and if that pike was to return then I should get a bite! AND nothing!!!

Another 2 hrs passed and I hadn’t had a beep.

Neither had my mates but that was beside the point. I was there to catch another big pike.

Talking to some walkers about the conditions of this terrible weather we were having I noticed that my line was moving in the water but not registering on the alarm. I ran down and hit this early and had a healthy bend in the rod. A short but powerful run ended as soon as it begun and the fight lasted no more than 2 minutes before another pike was in the net. And what a pike it was.

Wilks said it was the biggest one he had ever seen and I have to say I think it was a new PB too.  Striking early helped as the pike must have been sitting there swallowing the bait, the hooks were already quite far down the throat, but came out easily enough with long nose pliers.

24lb 12oz - Notice the Jetty behind

Dropping the scales at 24lb 12oz was a new PB and my second 20+ pike in 4 days of fishing!

Making sure that I was always watching the water and ready for a move even in the worst conditions paid off and was delighted with a new PB.

Tight lines and be lucky!

First 20lb Pike & on a work lunch time session

As the weather has been so bad, I decided to dust off the pike stuff out and see if I was able to catch something! Early December last year I made it a bit of a competition with a few friends to fish both lakes and the river for big pike! Well...... we were just after a bite really, with snow falling and freezing conditions, the normal carp hunting was put on a back burner until a break in the weather.

We decided on a lake that has quite a large head of bream and silver fish, and on paper has pike up to 25lb. I have regularly carp fished this lake and have seen over the summer months many pike striking at the shoals in the upper layers of water.

Now we decided on a Saturday morning to meet up and all have a go at the lake. I was a little sneaky, as I work 10 minutes from the lake, I took an extended lunch and got down there with the rods to have a scout about mid day on the Tuesday before. 

I set up on the dam end, the deepest part and where there are normally huge lily pads covering the whole area.  Plus it was close to the car park and I didn't have a very long time to walk about. From this position I was also able to see the whole lake and potentially where the bait fish were holding up.
 

Positioning the baits a rod length out, I thought that the pike may be patrolling along the deep channel at the bottom of the wall. Smelt was my chosen bait – I have always had loads of luck on these baits and you are able to chuck them about and they stay intact compared to a lot of other dead baits.
 

Rods set and armed with my binoculars scanning the water I noticed that there were about 10 cormorants diving and bringing up fish every dive. They have found the bait fish but I really don’t like these birds as they just decimate the amount of fish in a lake very quickly. I watched them for the next 20 minutes and they continued to keep catching fish after fish. An almighty clap of thunder sent them off the lake and I have to admit that it even made me jump. The rain followed and I had to bear in mind that I needed to go back to work in the next hour.

I sat under a tree and just as the rain eased my right hand bobbin pulled tight but no line was being taken. I always hit pike early to avoid deep hooking and so tightening the line I felt something slightly pull back so struck, setting the hooks.

Believing that I hooked the bottom or a snag the fish just stayed deep and didn't really do anything. Gaining a little line the fish woke up and gave me two very powerful runs before giving up. Once in the net I knew this was a big pike.

Asking a passer-by to give me a hand with weighing and pictures I had just smashed my PB by over 10lb’s with this lovely 23lb 4oz. My first pike over 20lb and a cracking fish in excellent condition.  

What a fantastic start – 55 minutes after casting out I had a new PB and really didn't want to leave but had to go back to work.

If this was the start of more to come then I would be more than happy to pike fish more!!!
 

Tight line and be lucky!