Waldens Farm, 5 From 5 Challenge, 24/4/15

It was back down to Walden’s for another overnighter, this time I was going to try and do a 5 from 5 challenge so I started on Deacons the match lake, Stu the Bailiff was fishing there as well and he led the way with 4 carp to my 1 missed bite. 

We were both fishing floaters and they definitely preferred his bigger dog biscuit. I decided to move to the other side of the lake and it took about 10 minutes to put fish number 1 on the mat, at 3lb is was very welcome.

This saw me move straight onto Popes, and since it had taken me 2 hours to get one from the match lake I was not too confident of an early bite, I moved my kit to a spot between Popes and Monks and fed a few margin spots on Popes and fed some floaters into the rushes on Monks.  I failed miserably, I got the fish pac manning in the edge but they were very spooky and after I missed one they ghosted away and my chance was gone.

There were no signs of fish feeding on my edge spots so I decided to cut my losses and moved onto Bishops after a big ghostie.  No sooner as I was settled in with a bit of bait into the swim than it started raining so moving again was cancelled and the 5 From 5 would have to wait for another day.

I put a rig next to a lilly bed and another down the edge to my right, had some food and decided to get my head down nice and early. Due to the proximity to the snags I was fishing locked up, this is when you have your drag tightened up so that you CANNOT take line from it, using butt grips this isn’t usually a problem but as I was about to find out, the ones I use at the moment don’t work in the rain!

I got three beeps as the lie pulled tight and just as I swung my feet towards my trainers the rod lurched forward and jammed on the alarm…. Needless to say I was on the rod in an instant now just stood in my socks.  The fight was quite cheeky as the carp had made it into the lilies but steady pressure saw me win the day and it was soon in the net. At about 10-12lb I was happy with the result.

This was the successful rig.

It had managed to bend my rod ring on the alarm though.

That was it for the night, I had a few liners on the margin rod but nothing significant so come mid-morning I decided to move onto Monks for the last couple of hours.  This was a good idea and by casting tight to the reeds and Lilly's I had 5 bites, but due to my hooks being a little on the large side I only landed 2.

In all it was a nice session and I will be back next week to try and bag a better fish from Abbots.

What would I do different?

1.       Back to the flat method and I am back on Abbots trying for a better fish.

Waldens Overnighter 17/04/15

I am aiming to increase the size a few of my PB’s this year and the first job is to get happy with my kit and rigs, so it was off to Waldens Farm for an overnighter after work as I knew I should be able to get a few bites from there.  I managed to get to the lakes by 2pm and I was soon walking around the main carp lakes looking at loads of carp that were cruising around enjoying the sunshine, I was soon hot footing it back to the van to get my gear.

I dumped the majority of it in a swim that controlled a lot of open water and then proceeded to start doing laps again around the lakes, this time carrying a bucket of pellet and corn mix, after a lap feeding a few good looking spots it was time to try and catch one.  It was a 1 rod job with a method feeder on a foot of leadcore and a proper hook baited with pepperami and fake corn.

As you can see from the picture I was fishing a few tight swims, but I managed 1 in the afternoon session from close to the hut in the form of this small common.

I was glad for my rod and line choice as I hooked it close to an overhanging tree, and guess where it headed on the bite…….

The rod was a 1.5lb 11ft Drennan series 7 specialist and I was fishing it with 12lb reel line as it was what I had on the reel at the time, I am looking at lightening it up to 10lb as I think that will balance the outfit more.  Anyway, after the excitement of the first fish I was soon on the move with all my kit in tow to a swim in a back bay where I had seen numbers of fish cruising through a gap between two islands.  I put a zig amongst them to no avail and after about an hour of them mugging me off they all ghosted away. It coincided with the air temp dropping a few degrees so I decided to put the method back on both rods.  I put the first down the edge to my left where something was bubbling and the other went tight to a snag where I locked the rod into the buzz bars. I managed two carp from the snag and a pike and two skimmers from the inside line.

As you can see the Pike took a piece of pepparami and corn and I was not really happy in the swim as I was having to fish locked up to the snag which meant that I could not sleep and fish it, fortunately a few fish started crashing on the next lake along so just after dark I decided to move onto the next lake.

I fished the two methods, one towards an island and the other close in by an overhanging tree that was not touching the water.  I had 3 skimmers on the open water rod and then at half three in the morning I was awoken by this:

A low double common that looked and fought like it was half ghostie.  That was it for the night until the dawn chorus woke me up and a few carp started crashing on the pond directly behind me.  I had my breakfast with a rod laid on the floor and I gave it until mid-morning but nothing else happened.  I decided to try for tree carp from three lakes so with about an hour until I had to depart I moved again onto my third lake and put two rigs into likely spots, the fish had been bubbling and clouding up as I arrived but they soon stopped after my bait hit the water.

I gave it an hour but then had to pack up and go home,  still 4 carp to low double, 4 skimmers and a pike is not too shabby for my first go at the proper fish on the complex.

What would I do different?

1.       Next time I am going for 5 from 5, one carp from each lake.

2.       I saw one other angler on the carp lake and he was fishing the method, I am going to try something different next time, maybe a corn stack on a pop up rig?? Might be enough to trip up one of the biggies.

Waldens Farm Return

I had been hoping to get out on one of the two big fish waters on my new club book today but I hadn't counted on them being shut until June so a new venue was soon picked and this time it was Walden’s farm near Salisbury.  I did a quick drive through at Reid’s to get some new bits and bobs and I turned up at the lakes at around nine o’clock in the morning.  Imagine my surprise at being the only person on the complex, so a quick walk round and I found an area that I fancied for some skimmers on the pole and possibly a few carp on the rod.

I fished pellet on the pole at 13 m in open water to the left of the swim for a few skimmers and roach, I also started two lines in front of the trees to my left and right later in the day for a few better skimmers. I had fished a waggler among the reeds feeding and fishing meat for a couple of skimmers, but it was tricky to hit the bites as the skimmers were averaging 4oz and they were a bit small for hair rigged 6mm meat.

I went for a walk around the lakes for a bit of a rethink and found some lovely spots for bagging a few tench and carp from later this year.

Back at my peg I set up the method feeder and started off casting it to the gap in the reeds, a few guys had arrived late morning and were fishing around the island to my left and they seemed to be struggling and as they were packing up in the early afternoon I was picking up the odd decent skimmer on the tip from the reeds and as they departed I re clipped the rod up to the platform on the far bank.

I packed up all my kit as I was on the spot and I tried to take a shot of my skimmers in the keepnet (that you are allowed to use for silvers).

They refused to sit still but there was upper double figures of skimmers and roach in the net not many fish for it though as they were a good average stamp.  As I was packing up the last bits of my kit finally the tip went round and with a bit of nip and tuck I soon had a 3lb carp nestled in the net and honour was satisfied.

It was then time to go home, satisfied.

What would I do different

1.       Next time I would feed two skimmer swims at the same distance as they were backing off from time to time and this would have probably seen me have more fish.

2.       Two rods and alarms would be a lovely way to fish the lakes as you can disappear in the wildlife all around, until beeeeeeeep that is!

3.       Different lake next time and I don’t intend to fish the same lake twice on the bounce.