After browsing through twitter and facebook all day and speaking to the lads, it was confirmed, the release of GTA V had meant that everyone was going into hibernation and they planned on staying there for the foreseeable future. I however had absolutely no interest at all in queuing up in the freezing cold with all those gamers waiting for it to be released, I made the choice that I was going to sit in the freezing cold by myself, trying to get a bite from Mr. Carp.
After having a quick sort out through my gear I decided that my local runs water was going to be the venue of choice, it’s only a 30 minute walk from my house with all my kit on the barrow and to what I remember I haven’t failed to catch on a session their this summer, and I had done many hours there. The lake I’m talking about is Island Pool at Lower Broadheath fisheries, situated in the heart of the lovely Worcester countryside.
When I arrived at the lake I was greeted with what was starting to become a bit of a reoccurring trend as this cold weather started showing. The lake was empty, not a single angler was in sight and with no pressure from other lines in the water I thought my chances of getting a bite had just increased massively. I took a stroll round the lake to look for signs of fish showing. The lake isn’t massive and is of a rectangular shape and has the one long island running straight down the middle, with most anglers preferring to fish the long sides rather than one of the ends. After about 15 minutes of watching the water and coming to the conclusion that fish were everywhere due to the fact there was fish rising in almost every peg. I decided to go half way up the roadside where there is a tree hanging off the island, in hope of finding a lump around this area.
As I only planned on fishing for a few bites rather than a prolonged session, I opted to do my feeding via solid PVA bags full of 8mm pellets and a few freebies to match the hook bait to keep the carp guessing. On the business end of the rig I fished a 2 ½ oz pear shaped lead with a 4in 15lb stiff coated hook link to a size 6 hook. I’ve been chopping and changing my hook lengths all season to try and find out what works best and I’ve found this is what I’ve had the most success on at this venue. I decided I’d put an 18mm hi viz mainline pop-up clockwork orange on the one rod and then on the other one a snowman setup consisting of a Nash red scopex squid 18mm bottom bait and a white 10mm pop up to counterbalance the bait and hook, but also to make my hook bait stand out a bit.
Just as I was about to cast tight up against the island, which is where I’d normally opt to fish, I saw what seemed a big common roll about halfway between the island and where I was stood. Seeing this as a golden opportunity I cast about 6ft past the fish and let the rig settle whilst I put my other rod out. Without even having a chance to put my second rod on the pod, the rod which I had just cast out to the rolling fish screamed off at a very high speed. At first when I struck into it, it felt quite small as it just seemed to be darting off in every direction at the speed of a rocket. However after playing it under the rod tip for a good 15 minutes I slipped the net under the common which I had aimed for, it was an immaculate fish and weighed in at just over 14lb, result!
I’d like to be able to say after that the fishing was nonstop and I couldn’t stop catching, but it wasn’t to be. A few hours and even more cups of coffee later, nothing else had took an interest to my baits and just after 10pm I decided it was time to head home and call it a day. I was heading home with a smile on my face as to anyone’s standards a 14lb carp is a decent fish. I know it’s only a matter of time until I break the 20lb barrier and until then I’m happy with any size of fish. Actually, that’s a lie, I’m just happy being sat by the bank trying to figure out what I can do to fool these crafty creatures. They do say you’re always learning where carp fishing is concerned and although I’ve picked up so much this season there’s still so much more to learn and I’m more than eager to take it all on board.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this, it’s my first article but I’m sure it’s not going to be my last, hopefully next time I’ll have purchased my new digital camera to take a few snaps to brighten up the article, oh and I might even catch a few more fish.
Tight lines guys,
Gavin Senter
<t></t>
