Avoiding the blank 19 part 3

So after the success of my last trip out I had decided to go one better before the end of the season on a couple of my club lakes and catch an even bigger bream or a big tench.  Work was of course the first obstacle and I was on duty for the following weekend so that meant staying close to camp.  I decided to try on of the Wimborne waters, however, although I saw a few signs of fish on my visit it was mainly memorable for the swans being a right pain as the dominant pair were trying to scare last year’s young away.  I blanked and only managed a few small indications for my trouble, with the lake only being a few feet deep I was expecting more as I was sure that the fish should have started to wake up but who knows, perhaps I got it all wrong.

Club lake at dawn

The following weekend it was back to the big lake as I had managed to wangle an extra night and day just before the season was finishing, I was lucky as I managed to get my first choice swim, unlucky as the floating algae was back with a vengeance and after only 7 hours or so I had decided to move lakes to another one just down the A36.  I turned up at half 12 and was set up by 2am, I managed a bream just as I was settling down but it was of average stamp for the lakes at 3lb or so.  I decided to get a little sleep so I wound the rods in and set my alarm for before first light.  The day was slow, I did see a tench get caught from opposite me and I managed a few skimmers to about 1.5lb, but I wasn’t feeling it in my swim, next door looked better with some Lilly’s the other side of the floating island that I was fishing to.  I moved swim and managed a few small fish mostly on maggot during the day as dusk started to fall I switched to worm and wafter hookbaits hoping for some better fish.  I managed a few bream again and wound in at about 11pm with my alarm set for dark o’clock in the morning.  I switched in the morning from paternoster rigs to method feeders and this was a bad idea as I did not have another bite all morning, one to remember for that lake as I believe that the method was getting obscured by the silt, so I either need to find a firm spot of stick to the paternoster rigs. This was my last trip on this clubs lakes for this season but fingers crossed I will be back in June.

Method caught double

The following weekend it was time to get back out with the carp kit and I went on to a local runs water with Jase, from beginning to end it was a right laugh even though it was very, very damp for the first day.  We set up opposite an Island and this gave me access to the channel running behind it providing no one moved in to the disabled swims.  Jase didn’t have that problem as he was the only swim that could cover the water in his swim (excuses in early), we decided to have a friendly match. I had an inkling that there was quite a small average size of fish in this lake so I decided to break out the hybrid feeders again, it proved to be a good choice as I managed a few fish during the afternoon and as we went into the evening the score was 9-4 to me.  The first couple of hours of darkness were very slow so I decided to try something out of left field, I set up 2 zigs and started to spod over the top of them, I did get a quick pick up but the fish did the rig before I got to the rod, and then that was it for the night!!

Jase's first double take! ahhhh

Just after first light Jase started to catch again, he managed his first ever double take and had a PB Roach at 1-6, whilst all this was going on I had 2 small skimmers on the method feeders as I had switched back after the failed attempt on the zigs. As the morning progressed the bites slowed for Jase and 15 minutes before I was due to leave the score was 9-9, I had packed down most of my kit and my rods were laid on the floor when the line on the left hand rod across to the gap behind the island pulled tight and then out of the clip.  I have not been so happy to catch a 2lb carp in a long time and the look on Jase’s face was priceless, not that I rubbed his nose in it or anything. I am looking forward to the next one mate.

One of the Floater caught carp

The next few days were difficult as one of my Club lakes was suffering from a fish kill that was being caused by a spikey Diatom attacking their gills and killing the fish, I went down to help over a couple of days and it was devastating, as I am writing this we are still not sure if anything will have survived in the lakes.  We also had Toxic Blue-Green algae confirmed on another pair of lakes so we wait with baited breath as to what will happen there.  I did manage a couple of hours on another club lake though, I only took my floater rod and my float rod and managed 4 on floaters and 1 on peparami over 8mm pellet on the float in the edge.

My final trip out was off to Southwick Park, otherwise known as HMS Dryad, this was for an Army Carpers match, most had stayed overnight but as I only live an hour away I decided to drive down on the morning.  There had been 16 angler booked in for the match but unfortunately 5 had to drop out at the last moment due to a variety of reasons, this left 3 spare swims an I didn’t have a partner so it was going to be a fun 48 hours.  I managed a quick run up the bank with the organisers and my top 3 swims were 2 or 9 then peg 3, I was 3^rd out of the draw and all 3 of them were still in the bag!!  I decided on peg 9 though as it had loads of room and I had fished that area a few times in the past, I was lucky enough to get all my kit carried up on the tractor and I had loads of time to get ready as I knew the main areas of my swim were basically the large overhanging tree on the far bank at about 80 yards from my swim.

Southwick Park Lake

The match panned out as I though with only a few fish getting caught through the day and then more fish activity in the evenings and through the night, by the end of the first 24 hours I was in second with about 100lb but I was 100lb off the pace for first, this and the fact that I could only catch from one part of the swim did not bode well.

During the second day I tried a few things but apart from a few fish that some pleasure anglers had in front of them on the far bank and the fish under the tree I did not see a lot else, I had been given a few areas to try but some were just unreachable with the kit that I had taken so I had to make do.  Early on the second evening a few fish started to show in a different area, I managed a quick one but as I decided to feed some boilies on their heads the fish all spooked not to be seen there again!!

My biggest of the match, 17lb.

The last morning was fun, I had managed to put a rig into the far bank tree in the early hours and I decided to go to sleep as well as staying awake the whole of the first night had not helped too much, I caught steadily through the night but as it turned out it was not enough and I missed out on 3^rd by 20lb.  I think this could have been easily achieved if I had just worked my second rod more during the last night or if I had a partner!!

It was still a laugh even though the nearest anglers to me in the match were about 300m away, the bailiffs kept me entertained, anyway, well done to the winners and hopefully I will have a partner for the next one.

Lessons learned:

This month has all been about feeding too much, so I need to think about what I am trying to achieve.  If I want a quick bite or to mug a passing fish a single or small PVA bag or method is by far a better option.