So I’ve sussed how to catch Carp from the pit, all I need to
do is get myself quietly into position in the bay, get a couple of baits out
and wait for the Carp. Yeah right! Another early morning session with Hemp and
Maize proved this theory dead wrong! I
done my bit, stealthily into position, two baits on the spot… but the fish
didn’t show up. After two hours I upped
sticks and moved to another weedy corner but an hour spent here did nothing to
improve my chances. At least I learnt a
little more about the lake.
The following day I took a slow walk around the lake as the
evening light faded. My intention was to
try to find some Carp to fish for the following morning. The first place I looked was a shady, weedy
bay just like the one I’ve been fishing lately and sure enough there were Carp
present nudging the weed and shaking the pads.
This is a swim I’ve caught from in the past but can be quite a busy part
of the lake, it would do for me if I found nothing else.
I carried on with my slow circuit of the lake which was surprisingly
quiet for both anglers and fish. I
didn’t see anything noteworthy until I reached a swim on the entrance to “my” bay;
here a couple of fish were cruising around.
This was an area I hadn’t fished before but to my eye it looked good,
there were a couple of obvious places to put baits and I liked it more than the
first bay. I carried on to “my” bay and
stood for a while watching, there was a loud fishy crash from the corner but I
didn’t actually see any fish. Decision
made, if possible I’d fish the entrance in the morning.
The 0500 alarm sounded and I so nearly switched it off and
rolled over but no! I’m going
fishing! Half an hour later I was
walking round the lake heading for the “entrance” but as I passed my favourite
swim in the bay I couldn’t help stopping for a look. Before I knew it I was tackling up and
dropping baits into the familiar spots, then sitting back with a brew to watch
the water. What a fucking stupid idea
that turned out to be.
I sat for ninety minutes without seeing a sign then wound in
and moved along the bank to the entrance.
I chucked a PVA bag of particles along the margin to the right and
tackled up the spare rod to float fish a worm in a hole in the weed. I’d hardly got settled again when I noticed
loads of fizzing about twenty yards out between weedbeds. There was no sensible option other than ditch
the float rod and put another PVA bag out to the area. It proved too little too late. An hour later I was heading for the car
knowing that I’d made a bad decision first up.
When will I ever learn?
A week later and it’s now September. I had the luxury of a full day on the water
so headed out before first light. By the
time the light had begun to grow I was standing on the windward bank of the lake
looking for signs of Carp. Fifteen
minutes passed without any clues so I began tackling up whilst still scanning
the water. By the time both rods were
ready I still hadn’t seen anything fishy so as the North Westerly was blowing
into my face I decided to put the baits out either side of a large
weedbed. The spot I’d chosen gave me a
wide view of the water so with a cup of tea in my hands I watched and waited.
Two hours later I had another brew on the go and I still
hadn’t seen a thing. The early morning
period had been chilly, I was glad I’d hung the big coat on the back of the
chair. As the sun began to slowly warm
the day so it awoke some unpleasant insects, it soon became apparent that my
swim was also home to a wasp nest. I
hate these useless stripy little bastards but I wasn’t about to budge. As the day wore on they ignored me and I
ignored them. But still nothing Carpy
showed, not in front of me nor anywhere else within sight.
Once the temperature got to a comfortable level it was a
nice day to be out so I made the most of my opportunity and fished through to
the early afternoon. I moved into a
quiet, snaggy corner thinking that as the fish weren’t showing around the weed
maybe they were holed up somewhere. I
didn’t seen a carp anywhere, it was as if they had vanished.
By 1500 I was bored I’d had enough, not just for the day,
for the summer. My warm weather season
has not gone at all to plan this year but then again I’m not sure they ever
do? Test match cricket has finished for
the year, it’s nearly dark by eight o’clock, we’re having single figure
temperatures at night. It’s nearly Pike
time and despite the adversity of earlier this year I’m looking forward to the
challenge. Time to sort out the shed.
