The Old Hall pt 12

As October drew to a close the weather had been exceptionally mild and i really expected the fish to be getting on with their autumn munch. I had managed to gain a few hours and made an early dart to the lake.  I arrived at the lake after an horrific journey taking twice the usual time due to a road traffic accident, pushing the journey to over 3 hrs for an 86 mile trip. I finally arrived at 10 pm in driving rain and howling winds. I opted for the middle of the lake, giving me a lot of water i could cover if needed. Once the home was built and the 3 rods out on stringers of 8 freebies and loaded with 18 mm Bacteria B1's topped off with the 8 mm Scuds at 60 yards, 40 yards and  a margin rod were positioned, i could finally get out of the waterproofs and into the comfort of the bivvy. With the kettle boiling in no time i was soon sat with a cuppa in hand listening to the rain beating on the bivvy. The weather was so diabolical that i had little option but to bring down the side panels of the bivvy to give me protection from the driving rain. I'm not a fan of having to use them as i like to watch the water from my bed during the dark hours. It wasn't long before i settled into the bag for a much needed sleep.

I woke to the dawn chorus and was a little gutted not to have had an early fish. The rods were re-baited and settled onto areas that i could now bait up. 2 rods were fished around 8ft apart with a tight grouping of bait surrounding them, at round 45 yards, over the course of the day i would introduce a couple of kilo to the main spot. The 3rd rod was cast up towards the floating island, with just a trickle of 10 baits applied to the surrounding area. The day passed uneventfully and with no more than a single possible sighting of carp. Even the bream seemed dis-inclined to feed.
The night came and went and i was soon waking to my last full day on the bank. The weather had barely let up and i had seen little to nothing of the lakes residents. I considered a move to the shallows so i could fish the streams, these spots have rarely let me down over the season and my confidence of fish using them in these conditions was high. I spent a good while up the shallow end watching for some signs that fish were present but i saw nothing. After a cuppa i then proceeded to head to the deeper end of the lake and again i spent the best part of an hour watching for signs, again i saw nothing to make me move swims so in the end i chose to stay put where i was and sit on the previously applied bait patches. Id not had even a line bite on the indicators so managed to refrain from adding more baits, Instead i re-baited the rods, packed away the bits of kit i wasn't likely to use and got an early night ready for a morning departure.

It would be 3 weeks before i could get bank side again. The weather had stayed mild but wet and windy for October and into November. The conditions looked good for the session with a full moon on the Thursday evening. It was -2 with clear sky's when i arrived, this time without the stress of a slow journey. I set up in the corner down the far end to give me access to the deeper water. The rods were flicked out to either margin with just one in open water, all on 8 bait stringers for the night. Come morning the wind had turned and was hacking in at me, the cloud cover that was forecast had arrived and was threatening to dump its load. If the rain came it would be pushing directly at me, and with that in mind i shifted the kit 5 yards up the slope and under the protection of an ancient  yew tree. This meant i was side on to the driving wind and much comfier for the move. I left the rods out till lunchtime on the minimal bait that had gone in with the rigs. In that time i had been getting an area going with oily B1 baits at around 60 yards out in open water. The two marginal rods were re-positioned with a couple of handful of 18mm baits and a couple of pouches of pellets. By midday the rain had started i finally moved a rod onto the baited patch. I half expected a quick pick up but it never came.  It rained and rained, i was bivvy bound, It got worse and at one point was virtually horizontal! It just didn't stop until just before dark. As darkness was now closing in at 4.30 pm i just had time to re-bait the 3 rods before total blackness enveloped the lake, the full moon yet to rise above the horizon.

Sitting back with a brew the moon broke the cover of the trees at around 7.30 pm and lit the venue up. Ive always done well on this water on a full moon so my expectancy's were high. Sadly the night passed into morning  uneventfully. I hadn't seen a fish in over 24 hrs and again thoughts turned to the shallow water where the streams entered. The rain was back with a vengeance and being lazy i stayed put, sitting it out on the spots i had already baited up.

The second night was imminent and again my confidence was super high, many of my fish have come on the 2nd night over the big bed of bait so i opted to feed another kilo into the open water area and topped the margin areas up with a couple of handful of boilies and pellet. 8 pm and the right hand margin rod started to bleep, into the boots and i was crouching next to the rod when the bobbin lifted again, i lifted into a bream. Gutted wasn't the word, Unhooked in the water and the rod re-positioned, it would be 20 minutes before a 2nd bait stealer would nail itself on my hook. Thankfully that was the end of the bream for the night, but i was still waiting for a pick up off a carp. Night turned to day and it was time to depart.

At the moment i just cant seem to find the fish in the lake, the water clarity is amazing, yet the fish are nowhere to be seen, granted they are not the showiest of fish but the lack of sightings is making location difficult. Usually at night i can locate the fish easily, as this is when they seem to be most showy and at their most confident but the last couple of sessions I've not heard them doing this. One area i have neglected recently is the stream mouths and i am becoming convinced that the fish are sitting in and around the reed beds adjacent to the these two inlets. I've done well off these areas soon after heavy rain has ceased so i think im going to concentrate my efforts on those if the weather is to be wet next session out.

The Old Hall pt 11

Arriving under the cover of darkness has seen me nail a few fish early on in my sessions on the old hall lake, its an approach I've used in my fishing for nearly 2 decades now. This session was like the previous ones this year. I arrived and loaded the barrow of kit and started trundling along the path under red light from my headlamp, on arrival at the lakeside, i stowed the barrow and switched off the light, with my eyes closed for 30 seconds i reset the light receptors in my eyes and awakened my ears, listening for sounds of these ancient fish. Its amazing how much more you can see once doing this. During daylight hours its rare to set eyes on a showing carp in this lake, with an occasional sighting of a ghostly shadow drifting around confidence can rise quite quickly.
Within a minute or so of resetting myself i was soon hearing the occasional disturbance of the lake surface. I wandered the path along the lake and before i was halfway along i heard fish crash out up in the shallows where my gear was stowed. I continued my lap and heard little till i got near the shallows again when again the sounds of a fish breaking surface caught my attentions. I opted for the east corner and proceeded to flick 3 rods out on 18mm B1's all topped with a 10mm scud pop up, all with a 5 bait stringer attached. One rod out towards the island, which i still couldn't see due to the total blackness of the late night. One rod out at 45 yards onto the silty lake bed, the 3rd rod flicked to my right in front of the stream. With the forecast to turn wet and windy from the north west, this could potentially see the fish follow the new wind and push in towards the corner i was fishing.
Daylight broke through within no time and i could re bait the rods and get them exactly where i wanted to present my baits. Out came the spodding gear to deposit 15kg of sweet sticky hemp onto the 40 yard mark, keeping the bait tight to the marker float meant i was fishing into an area of about 10 square foot in diameter, with two rods positioned on it, one on the far edge and one to the left of the patch. On top of the hemp i limited myself to just 50 hook baits to try and encourage faster selection of my hook baits. If fish were showing or giving me indications of their presence then i would up the rolled bait going into the swim. Again the right hand rod was positioned accurately onto the mouth of the stream bed adjacent to the reeds but just on a single scud pop up and no free food offerings to distract them. This spot has produced a fair few fish for me in the 3 previous times i had fished this swim so my confidence on the spot was high. I have seen fish entering the reed beds at this point, where they then use the back of the reed beds to approach the furthest stream. It was finally time for a brew and a little shut eye before the dog walkers start to appear.
Midday had arrived and i had seen a few fish drifting around in the shallow water when suddenly a fish crashed right out on the near side of the island, its an area i've refrained from fishing due to the island being a floating structure chained down, it moves a fair bit drifting on wind changes and although i've fished towards it, i've never gone close, this fish proceeded to crash again, about 3 yards off it. I pulled a rod off the hemp patch and flicked it out to the spot the fish had shown twice on and set the rod.
I filled the kettle and rolled a smoke, before either was lit the locked up rod went round violently and i pounced, knowing i had no choice but to pull the fish away from the danger, i leaned into it, burying the rod underwater to my right to encourage the fish to break surface, and drew it away under steady pressure. Once in open water i could relax and let the fish steady itself into a more normal fight, it went for the marginal lilly pads to my left on more than one occasion but was soon nestled in the folds of the net. A lovely mirror carp  over 15lb was my reward. I re baited and recast the rod back to the spot the fish had come from.
The afternoon had passed quite quickly and i was sitting having a coffee with one of the syndicate lads when this same rod went off again, a fantastic scrap ensued and after a powerful marginal battle another mid double carp, a 16lb 9oz common this time was on the mat. Paul did the shots for me and the fish was soon slid back into her watery home. Buzzing now wasn't the word, Paul had sat with me on many occasions and he'd often said he'd love to be there when i banked one, id banked my 27th fish of the season on here and he was there to experience it with me. Every fish from this lake is special, its size is totally irrelevant to me, just catching one is enough of a thrill, to have had 2 in an afternoon was amazing.

immaculate 16+ common

Darkness was soon on me, 7 pm and it was black, the moon is only just coming over the horizon at the moment and although its a half moon its not up long enough to give much light to the venue. I had re done the rods, 2 back onto the hemp and one up the stream mouth, which i still hadn't applied freebies to, just the hook bait. By 10 pm there were fish crashing on the left hand side of the island, out of reach due to the overhanging trees on my margin, but they were still close, they had dropped away from the reed beds but not far and seemed content not to disappear off to the deeper water at the far end. I was knackered after little sleep so turned in to be woken with the right hand rod doing its best to leave the rod pod, even on tight spool the fish was managing to take line off the reel in inches, i leaned into the fish for it to start to kite across the lake towards the far corner, at least id managed to move it from the reed beds, with steady pressure it was turned from its route across the lake and swinging right to left on me, always gaining it was soon time to make a 2nd attempt to control it and turn it away form impending doom in the shape of the island, the fish turned when pressured and was shortly under my feet, crashing and rolling in 3 ft of water, unhappy and unwilling to come towards the waiting net. but in it came. A big framed near leather met my eyes, "single scale" a repeat but a welcome one, especially as she was looking immense since the last time i had seen her in march. Into a retainer she went for a few minutes while i set up the camera and got sorted with mats and scales etc. At 23lb 9oz she was still the biggest fish i've banked from the venue and again once on the mat the best behaved of them all. She was returned in a short time and went out of my hands with a drenching flick of her tail. Rod sorted, kettle on the smile on my face must have been immense.

I sat up till an hour or so before dawn when sleep was dragging me into the bag, in all that time i hadn't heard another fish show anywhere around the lake. Silence had descended, the fish had disappeared.
Waking late and having had no indications on the rods since the big mirror, i re baited and recast, adding another 50 baits to the hemp swim, i pulled the left hand rod off the area and flicked it back to the more successful area id had the two doubles off near the island and locked the rod up tight.
Breakfast and some coffee was much the order of the day. I was still knackered, id had maybe 4 hours sleep since i arrived. between the "gmornings" off the dog walkers i snoozed on and off for much of the morning, waking around lunchtime feeling worse than i had for the extra sleep, it was coffee time and a double strength one got me back to normality.
The afternoon passed quietly, the weather had turned and was pushing, as forecast, directly in at me, everything looked right for more fish but i couldn't dare hope after the success id had, often up here when it looks perfect for it, it doesn't happen.
I was contemplating a curry when a passerby started to chat to me, i was stood on the high ground when the stream rod roared off, getting down was precarious and i was soon laying on the floor with the rod in my hand, covered in mud, but with a fish on the line. It was soon in the net and i had landed my fourth of the session, this time a small 8lb common, one of the few that came through the successful spawning 6 or so years earlier.

This was photographed on the mat for stock records and slipped back, none the worse for its ordeal. Minutes later the hemp rod went off with a bream over 4lb. The rods were re baited and got back out with just one change, i left a single rod on the hemp patch and chose to fish one rod to the island.
I was soon settled into the bivvy as the night was cool and windy when again the island rod went off on a slow but steady run, lifting into the fish i realised it had kited away from the island and was passing me from left to right, it was soon under control and after a strong tussle under the rod tip was in the net, another pristine common of 12lb+.

Once on the mat i could see the fish was excreting partly digested hemp everywhere, it was pouring out of the fish. Yet over the 2 days i had received little attention at all on the hemp patch, no runs with the exception of the one bream, very few line bites, even though i was fishing the line through the swim to give me indications. Maybe the fish had become preoccupied with the tiny grains, or was there just not enough b1 out there to keep their interest. I'm not sure what went on but i will fish over another big load next session on, this time with a few kg of rolled bait among it
Looking back through my sessions, i have fished this peg 4 times now for a total of 15 fish, exactly half of what i have caught this season on there from the one swim, with 2 sessions in here producing me 5 fish each. Definitely a very productive peg. But with autumn now on us and much longer spells of darkness i'm confident the fish will spend more time in the deeper water and so that is where my attentions will turn for the next session i think

The Old Hall pt 10

Much of my time on the lake had been spent fishing at either end of the 4 acres, i had decided that i was going to fish the main body of water for a couple of sessions and it was with that in mind that i arrived and settled into the very first swim i had fished when i started the campaign last winter. Halfway down the footpath bank and tucked in between tall vegetation either side of the swim.

Once true daylight was upon me it was time to get the bulk of the bait out for the duration of the session. 2 kg of whole 18mm SAE B1 bacterias and 2 kg of the boilies crumbed up, the crumb was spodded out to around 40 yards to a tight area of approximately 2m square, the 18mm's were then scattered over the top and surrounding the area to create a 6m diameter patch. With 2 rods settled onto the zone, one in the crumb pile and the other offset on the outer left hand edge, it was time to sort the deeper margin swim out.

As daylight had come through i noticed the elderberry trees around the margin area i had chosen were in full fruit and i soon had around 4 kg of the little black berry's cleaned, mushed up and applied into a tight spot around a rod length out in front of the tree, followed by a few handful's of corn.
By mid morning the cloud had dropped and shrouded the lake in a very fine drizzle, it wasn't actually raining but everything was soaked and id forgotten to pack a coat leaving me a bit bivvy bound compared to normal! The low cloud stayed for the day , thickening and thinning depending on the strength of the northwesterly breeze. Autumn had definitely arrived.

The nature reserve was quiet with just a few dog walkers, the weather turning had definitely kept them at bay. The day passed without incident and with little signs of carp in the area. I spent some time during late afternoon scouring the lake for my quarry, but for all my efforts i didn't lay eyes on a fish. The left hand margin rod over the natural berry's had produced  a couple of slimey skimmer bream to around 3lb on corn baited rigs, but no other activity. As the evening drew into an early dark at around 7.45, and having had a long day i opted for an early night in the hope of being blasted out of my slumber with a fish. It was 4 am when the right hand rod over the crumb came to life with a few bleeps but no proper run, i hit it and what i initially thought was a bream, once under the rod tip, changed its behaviour and started to power off up and down the reed edges, it turned out to be a small, spawned on carp of 8lbs. A very scaley mirror carp and certainly a good looking fish for the future.

With the rod back on the spot with a 3 bait stringer to help keep the rig nice and straight during the cast i contemplated going back to bed but i was now wide awake and anxious to catch again. I didn't believe for one minute that the carp I'd had was the only one present in the baited area, and my confidence in catching a 2nd fish was high.
Daylight seeped through the blackness and another damp day arrived, in the couple of hours between the fish and dawn, i had seen and heard nothing. The swim, although only a little over 4 foot deep appeared devoid of activity, and i started to wonder if the take off the little carp had spooked any other fish away from the area.
With plenty of time for a hearty breakfast and few coffees before i would even consider re baiting up the rods the morning soon passed, again during this time the margin rod produced a couple of bream throughout the day but very little other activity from fish was seen. The misty rain passed by mid day but the breeze remained constant from the north east, the forecast was for a shift to north west mid afternoon which meant it would start to push directly in towards me. Perfect, as the fish in here seem to move onto a new wind pretty quickly but never stay on it for more than a few hours. I brought the rods in during the afternoon and put a couple of laps in around the lake, searching for these elusive fish. Nothing, 2 full laps without a sighting. had i seen anything to go at i was prepared to move, but as i had seen nothing i decided to stick it out over the bait and hope the wind pattern shifted. It did and with it the sun had burnt off the misty rain and the afternoon was soon heating up with the late summer sunshine, with the promise of a clear starry night ahead.

As the last of the evening light drew in, the mats and slings were dried off and stored away under the bed, trying to tempt fate into having to get them soaked again, all the rods were baited up and replaced onto the baited areas and it wouldn't be long before the left hand rod on the main area was off with a half decent bream around 5lbs . a quick re bait and recast, again with a 3 bait stringer, and the rod was set. I filled the kettle and lit the stove, but before it had boiled the bobbin on this same rod pulled up tight, but very slowly, god damn bream.

result

I lifted into it and immediately i realised this was no bream, although the indications on the bobbin was a typical  bite from them, The fish plodded and i knew it was decent, it was heading for the island and in the darkness i had no idea how close it was to it, i decided to lean against it to turn it back into the open water, it kited around and headed towards the reed lined margin to my right, came along it towards me, all the time thumping and shaking its head, trying to lose the hook, it passed over my other rods and suddenly the calm fight erupted and it decided to try for its freedom, out into the lake it steamed, the spool was a blur but it was starting to slow when it turned again to head to the island. I turned it again and this time the fish bolted towards me into the margins, it was tiring but it still powered up and down the deeper water in front of me, it just wouldn't come up over the margin shelf to the waiting net. In time it tired out and was soon gasping air and it slid across the net string and was captured.
A quick glimpse revealed a lovely common. quickly sacking it up in a retainer sling  while i prepared the camera kit and made a couple of calls. It wasn't long before he was weighed, photographed and slid back to his home. The rest of the evening passed and i was soon awakened to yet another bream of no great size. With a few more of these slimey bait stealers throughout the night i was soon waking to the dawn chorus and it was time to depart for home, i wasn't ready to leave, always wanting more than i can have but that's carp fishing for you !

20lb and ounces of ancient common carp

The Old Hall pt 9

As we entered into august i had to pull off the lake for a social session that i had arranged earlier in the year, a fun time was had but fish were thin on the ground. My thoughts at all times during this session were on the hall, i couldn't find any drive to my fishing that session, i just felt like i was wasting a weekend by not being on the right venue.
The following session came around quite quickly and i would find myself at the gate to the nature reserve. As i pushed the barrow up the pathway i instantly heard fish crash out, still under the cover of darkness. I left the kit and wandered the bank trying to locate the cause of the disturbance, 50 yards up the path and i heard the fish rock out again, far up in the shallows, i turned back to get the kit. As i arrived back at the other end i then proceeded to hear 3 distinct crashes out in open water at the end of the lake i was stood. Dilemma time, i opted for the brambles and proceeded to get 3 rods out into open water on 5 bait stringers.

This done home was built and i spent till daybreak listening to a few more rolls and crashes out in front of me. Soon after first light this stopped completely. In no time at all the lake started to become busy with passersby heading to work and walking there dogs the carp were decisive in their absence for the day, a stroll up to the shallows would reveal a few fish present but nothing of any major size so not worth the move, i much prefer to sit on the baited area and be patient letting the fish come to me as and when they feel like it. As late afternoon came on i decided  to get a good quantity of bait out, and soon had 2 rods clipped up and marked out to an area with a few kg of bait deposited loosely around the area, one cutting through the middle to the far edge of the area, to give me indications that fish are present in the swim, this helps me decide whether to re bait and to what extent the following day. The 2nd rod off to one side of the spot and again the 3rd rod was down to the right hand end of the lake that had produce me a fair few fish of late.
The night passed uneventfully till just as daylight was creeping in the rod to the side of the swim went off, line was pouring under sufferance off a tight spool and an angry fish greeted me as i lifted the rod, once in the margins the fight really woke up and the fish was launching out and tail walking, doing its damnedest to shed the hook, it held.

In the bottom of my net was a mirror carp, once on the mat, i soon started to believe that this fish was the infamous"twinscales", named after a pair of closely set scales the size of small fingernails on one flank. A small stunted male from one of the earliest stockings of carp into the lake, a fish approaching the 50yrs old mark. Stocked at the same time as Single scale and at a similar size, single scale being a female has grown much bigger during her lifetime in the lake. A small fish but a very special fish to have banked and ticked off the wish list !

The next 2 weeks dragged, it felt like i had missed a session but a check of the calender showed that i was wrong it had only been 11 days since i left the lake, the place is now fully under my skin, thoughts rarely stray far from it in my head, i often find myself up there mooching around then realise I'm sat in the living room or in the garden. So yep id say its under my skin in a big way now. The urge to bank these fish, many of which haven't seen the bank for 10 yrs or more is driving me insane in  a good way.

This session started like most of them do, i arrived with an bit of darkness to spare, i fancied giving the middle area of the lake a go, i seem to have spent all of my sessions at either end of the place, in fact it was my first time on in January that i last fished in the middle of the lake. I opted for what i thought was the double pads swim but come daylight i had set up in the adjacent swim in error. As i arrived on the lake i could hear the occasional crash and roll of fish but it was so dark i couldn't set eyes on any ripples or variance in the lake surface. I flicked the rods out with 10 bait stringers attached into open water at varying ranges, 30, 50 and 70yrds, this last one would be in the deeper channel on the opposite bank. An area Ive neglected if I'm honest and somewhere i plan to put some time into fishing very soon. After the long drive up i was tired and opted for a couple of hours in the bag and try to ignore the early rising dog walkers. It felt like my head had barely touched the pillow when the middle rod went ballistic, I fumbled my way to the rods and picked up a bucking rod, the fish was going away from me then started to kite left, gradually i let it swing around and turned it to me, at no time during the fight did it stop banging around frantically and once finally i the net i popped out a very distorted Gardner talon tip.
A 14lb common greeted me and although no big fish, this carp punched so far above its weight, once on the mat i realised the fish wasn't going to calm down so lowered it into a retainer and slid it out into the margins to calm down, daylight was very close and i could deal with it then. The rod went back out and i settled back with a coffee and a big smile. When i came to do the shots, the fish was still being angry and appeared right peed off with being banked.

Throughout the morning i would see the occasional swirl to my right margin so opted for a rod down the edge in 2 and a half foot of water adjacent to some reeds, although fish passed over this a few times nothing other than a couple of bream settled onto the bait. Late afternoon and i decided to fill the main area in, clipping the rods to a marker it didn't take long to get a large area peppered with clusters of bait leading to a heavily baited central zone. Again one rod in the main area and one off towards an edge of the bait. During the darkness that night i would pick up a couple of small skimmer bream. Using 18mm usually deters these pests picking up the baits but occasionally one will hook themselves. The night came and went and i was up at dawn watching and waiting and hoping for a take. It never came. Mid morning and it was time to top up again in readiness for the coming night time, and out went another kg of rolled bait, this time i made the fatal mistake of spodding out 2 1/2 kg of oily soaked pellets, the bobbins didn't stop all night, the 2 rods on the bait patch were permanently beeping, no sleep was had. Having had a dozen or more slimy bait thieves i was covered in filth and there was no way i was transferring that to my sleeping bag ! Daylight came and the session ended too quickly, i wanted more but that was all i could do.

The Ancient Mere

Many years ago, 30 at least, a friend and i used to fish an ancient heavily wooded pool, we used to have to get the first bus out of the depot and laden down with fishing gear make the exhausting journey from the nearest bus stop to the venue, then make our way to the farthest end through dense woodland where we used to squirrel ourselves away out of sight for the weekend. The lake was private and no fishing back then.

Recently i met a chap who re awakened my memories for the mere and i finally got around to making a visit around the pool, albeit in driving torrential rain.
A local club currently has the fishing rights to the place and its generally fished by day anglers who pursue the bream in the water. Much has changed on the venue, its in serious disrepair and nature has took a hold over most of the lake again, there are plenty of spots for a day angler to fish but to spend a night on there is tricky, the areas that are accommodating are very small and you would be pushed to get a brolly set up with a bed underneath, getting across to the far side, which is vaguely fish able entails a clamber over a very rickety bridge, that reminds me of something out of raiders of the lost ark !
Once over the bridge there are about 5 areas that could be fished, this area in the first shot is shallow and very silty in the margins, conditions for landing fish is awkward but while spending time watching the area i would see a fish roll a few times, size wise i would put it at around mid double, it had good length but appeared quite lean. Next shot is from the main body of water to the left of the bridge, very narrow bank sides, but fish able. As you travel further along this bank the swims get tighter and less fish able, but the potential for stalking fish is high. Along the banks the marginal cover is high, detritus and dead fall are under every tree, snags galore and deep liquid silt abounds everywhere, this shot is possibly one of the better areas for setting up in. The shots shown are from swims that may be comfy enough to night fish, albeit awkward and uncomfortable. I'm contemplating a ticket on here for the autumn/winter as a local venue i can drop onto for quick sessions.  The damn end of the lake is completely impossible to fish, you could sit on a chair here but again , not a feasible area to spend a night.

As for the stock of the place....who knows !

The Old Hall pt 8

Having had a fantastic session the previous session i was on a high, the lakes residents were responding very well to the Bacteria B1's, the more i put in the more i seemed to be getting out. I had been spending a fair amount of time up in the shallows but felt like i needed a change of scenery. I arrived under the last of darkness and headed to the deep water, setting up in a comfortable swim that gave me access to most of the bottom end of the lake. The rods went out on the usual blow back rigs fitted with 18mm bottom baits topped off with 8mm scuds as sighters. Forecast had been for an overcast session with a wind blowing from the north east, how could they have got it so wrong ? By mid morning it was roasting hot, i was seeing little of the fish until a 3rd visit to the shallows would see me sighting 18 carp milling around along the reed line and stream mouths. Back to the kit and it was dropped and stowed within minutes, I arrived at the shallows and made the decision to fish the opposite bank to give me some shade from the relentless sun.
With the rods positioned on areas Ive caught from it was time for some shut eye. The day passed over far too quickly and evening was soon on me. The fish were still present but appearing to not want to feed. I reassured myself that this would change during the darkness. To my surprise i woke the following morning after undisturbed sleep. The fish were still present in the shallower water so the rods were left stationary till lunchtime before re baiting was in order. I had applied the bulk of my bait to an area in the deeper water before the move so i was limited until my bait was dropped off. Once this happened i was able to put out a couple of kg and settle two rods onto the area. Again the evening came and went and it was time to vacate the lake and head home. I felt defeated and a little confused as to why the carp wouldn't feed. Realistically i knew the weather was at fault but it didn't stop me questioning my move, should i have stayed in the initial swim and sat it out for the chance of a night time result ? One good thing was that the fish could feed freely over the large bed of bait without the hindrance of lines in the water over the next few days.

The next session couldn't come quickly enough, the blank spell had knocked my confidence a little. Determined to stick to my plan of refusing to move to the shallows i set up in a swim id not fished since my second session. I was tucked away into a corner of the deep end, giving me acres of water to go at and a complete view of the lake to watch for signs of these elusive carp.
It would be minutes before my friendly goose came to live with me for the session.

I had a margin rod up the right hand side of the lake in the deeper channel and one along the other margin to my left in front of the reed beds, both in 7 ft of water. Both rods had received a kg of the SAE Bacteria B1s in 18mm to help avoid the annoying bream that are present in great numbers. The middle rod was positioned into 5ft of water at a range of 80 yards from the corner, in effect fishing down the middle of the lake. This rod was fished over 3kg initially with a light topping up before dark and then again at first light
The day had been hot again, with temps up in the 29C and a light northerly breeze pushing straight into my corner. Early afternoon would see me getting up for a stretch of the back to find a dozen fish 4 yards out in front of me. Quickly and quietly i retrieved the left hand rod and switched it over to a zig rig, overcasting it and drawing it back to the vicinity of the fish, it was soon settled and i sat back eagerly awaiting the take that never arrived. By mid afternoon the fish had disappeared, there was no sign of anything in the area until evening came. As darkness fell the lake came alive, fish rolling and popping their heads out all along the reed line. Fully expecting a take i sat it out till nearly dawn when the eyelids were drooping and i couldn't stay awake any longer. I turned in.
Another hot day greeted me when i rose to start the 2nd morning, i had had about 4 hours sleep and felt rough. Coffee, breakfast and a smoke soon had me feeling human again. With little signs of fish, and no activity on the rods, i was starting to have doubts again, was i getting it so very wrong after believing i was getting in tune with the water ? Should i stay put or go wandering to the shallows?  I knew there would be fish up there, sunning themselves and boating around, but getting them to pick up baits was tough up there.
Tiredness and laziness made me stay put, the day was already up into the high 28C and looking to rise more, the breeze from the previous day had picked up and was pushing directly at me again giving a pleasant cooling feel to the day. Hoping the fish would arrive in the corner again, i opted to set 2 zigs in position before they arrived. Both margin rods were soon in place. One on a trimmed down scud, the other on small pieces of yellow foam.
Throughout the day i would see one or two fish appearing in the heavy chop but identifying them was impossible, a few good lumps were about in the area, so it was time to sit on the hands and wait it out. Evening arrived far too quickly and after a good meal and departure imminent at 7am the following morning, much of the kit was packed and stowed away for a quick pack down. As darkness encroached the left hand rod went into meltdown, lifting into a small carp i still prayed it stayed on. Once in the net i saw a little 11lb common. Elated that i had banked it and saved the session, a quick mat shot was taken for the records and it was slipped back. Fish number 20 from the venue was mine albeit a little un. With the rod soon positioned back on the area, i decided it was time for bed. Sleep wouldn't come, amazing how sometimes such a small fish can mean so much.

14lb 11oz

I woke to a single beep and saw the middle alarm lit up. The bobbin on the line was still in the same position, i layed back down and as my head touched the pillow the rod went off, with fishing open water i had no need to have a tight spool and this fish took advantage of it and went off on a long run, shoes on and out into a pitch black night, with a fish bucking around on the end of the line, it was soon under control and heading to the waiting net. Again a small fish at 14lb 11oz, but i didn't care, it was yet another rarely caught beast from the old hall venue. My confidence in myself and my rigs was back.

The Old Hall pt 7

Time had flown bye, the session was upon me before i could prepare my thoughts, i had spent a couple of sessions up in the shallow water and planned to move back down to the deeper end of the lake, thoughts of the big two tone shadow i had seen a few sessions earlier had plagued my thoughts since i had set eyes on it. At no time had i seen this fish up at the shallow end and i have wondered if it is a fish of habit, staying in the deeper water for much of its time.
I arrived with some time to spare before true daylight, the nights were so short and light, without the dawn chorus it would be hard to tell when daybreak was starting. As i trundled my way from the car with a loaded barrow, i could hear laughing at the farthest end of the lake where i had planned to be, seconds later i heard what could only be described as the sound of something immense hitting the water. I parked the gear and sneaked down to the far end to find a handful of kids bombing into the water, swimming and laughing. I turned on my heal, got back to the barrow and headed to the shallows.
With a cool easterly and rain forecast i decided against the far bank and instead tucked myself back into the sandy bank swim on the back of the wind, this gave me a quarter of a lake that was near flat calm, great for spotting any cruisers. The rigs went out with 30mm hand rolled B1's, each with a 10 bait stringer of 18mm baits on to help avoid the bream, the bivvy was thrown up quickly to avoid the start of the rain and i was soon sat quietly with a brew in hand. Tired out i contemplated jumping into bed and getting some sleep, but after having so many early session captures i sat it out. Rolling a smoke and with the kettle chugging away the right hand rod on the stream mouth went into overdrive, I was giggling like a madman as i leaned into a powerful fish. Another fish on within an hour of arrival, I'm sure these carp are responding to the splashdown of the 3oz leads during darkness, it was happening too often, yet when Ive stayed up through the nights and recast every hour or so, i don't seem to catch. After a good tussle with the fish in open water it was time to slide the net under it in the margins, at the sighting of the net, the fish found some extra energy and was off across the lake again, kiting me out on an arc, keeping the clutch tight i leant and turned it from its current direction and back to the folds of the waiting net.

15lbs 12 oz of angry mirror carp greeted me as i unfolded the mesh on the mat, popping the talon tip hook out, a quick dab of treatment on the hook hold and a few pics for the records and back it went, still angry. I held it a while in the edge before finally letting it slide out of my hands.
Kettle went on for a fresh coffee and a new rig was readied to go back up to the stream mouth. Into the waders and out i went, tiptoeing across unfamiliar ground along the margins to my right in the darkness, occasionally snagging my feet on sunken reeds and lilly rhizomes. The rig was lowered into place and hand full of chopped B1 boilies applied tightly to the area of the rig, with a smattering of bait leading from the reed bed to the baited area.
Sitting back with a brew and the smoke i hadn't managed to finish, i reached for the ipod to play some mellow tunes when the same rod ripped off again. This time dragging the pod from the ground and over onto the floor, the rod kept on going and without the solar rod grips I'm sure i would have lost the lot, the swims here are like concrete and its nigh on impossible to get bank sticks in, some areas i can secure the pod in place by sinking the legs, but this swim is not accommodating!  I pounced on the rod and while trying to play the fish and sort out the other rods from the tangle of stainless and bobbins i had little choice but to let the fish run. Once some semblance of order was created, and the other rods securely back on the pod i finally had time to enjoy the fight off the 2nd carp of the session. Unbelievable, the bait hadn't been on the spot for more than 15 minutes. The fish powered off, determined to reach the sanctuary of the reed bed 90 yards away, it felt good and was travelling at some speed, the spool was a blur as line peeled off it. As the fish slowed i turned it on itself and everything went slack, it was off, i cranked on the reel and picked up 30 yards of slack line when the tip banged round to my left, it was still on and still travelling at speed, i had to stop it from reaching the island and had no choice but to bully it a little, it turned towards me and kited across the front of the swim heading back to where i had hooked it, it was tiring and after another lunge to try for the safety of the Lilly's to the left of the swim, it was in the net finally. What a scrap, one ill not forget I'm sure.
Looking into the net the reality dawned that this fish was a repeat, being the scaley mirror from the previous session.

A couple of snaps and it was soon returned to steam off down the margin to my left still angry but none the worse for his ordeal. Both of these fish are stock fish from 2 summers ago and are whacking the weight on nicely, this time this fish took the scales round to 16lb 2oz
I sorted the mess out and got the two live rods settled back on the pod, re baited the 3rd rod by which time the day had dawned. It was overcast and looking like it was going to be very wet, perfect for the coming session.
Throughout the morning i would have fish turn up over the heavily baited area that had the middle rod positioned on it. I had applied a kilo of 18mm baits slowly and quietly in ones and twos from first light and I had many sightings of fish swimming directly over the area, I had the feeling that they were not interested in feeding but they certainly knew where to find it if they wanted it.
The island rod had been quiet since its application on arrival, i decided to leave it alone on its 8 bait stringer. The right hand margin rod had to stay put after producing 2 early session fish. By early afternoon it was clear that there was a lot of the stock up at this end of the lake, very few signs of feeding, but plenty of shows in the shallow water. By shows i mean slight ripples, the odd small vortex of a tail fin, these fish rarely seem to show themselves during daylight hours, preferring to lump out during darkness.
Evening came and went and i was soon in the bag grabbing some much needed sleep, waking to the dawn chorus i tried my best to get motivated but somehow after brewing up found myself back in bed catching some more sleep. Mid morning passed me bye, i was surprised not to have had a fish through the night or early morning, my feelings that the fish had moved off to the deep end had me thinking of a move, i reeled in the rods and went off for a walk about.
I spent some time down the far end, watching the lake for signs, but to no avail. The lake was quiet, the rain hammered down, it looked perfect for a fish, so when a fish crashed out twice on the far stream mouth i had no choice but to fire a single popped up Scud hook bait out to it.
The rod had been on the rests no more than 20 minutes when the bobbin dropped back, on it fast, i leaned into a small fish, thinking this was the first bream of the session, when suddenly i saw a small mirror wallowing about on the end of the rig, later i would find out this was a spawned on fish and doing quite nicely indeed, certainly one for the future.

 The rain decided to come on with a vengeance for the day and soon the banks were dripping and the humidity levels were rising. The downpour had put a lot of oxygen into the water and the two streams had picked up the pace that they were emptying into this end of the lake. Everything looked perfect and as evening drew on the rain ceased and the fish became very active. Sightings over the bait were becoming more and more frequent, the occasional indication of feeding was starting to be seen, but i couldn't determine if it was carp, it may have just been bream. It had been odd not to have had them in the swim this session but i was pleased, the 30mm hook baits baits seemed to be doing the business with the carp and keeping the bream at bay.

I had lost faith in the island rod, it hadn't seen any activity at all, it had been on the spot for over 24 hours without even getting any interest off even a skimmer bream. I opted to fish the rod down the margin to my left, i went out in the thigh waders to find a nice clean area and after walking 15 yards along the margin out in front of a reed bed i took a step too far and found a deeper area, i could not walk around it, and neither could i go past near to the reeds, it was considerably deeper than the surrounding area, so that was the left hand rod sorted for an area of interest.
I was soon back out in the waders with a baited rod and a bucket with a kilo and a half of crumbed Bacteria B1's, confident this new found area would bag me a fish. Evening passed nicely with a good curry followed down by some toffee cake, a smoke and a brew, life was good , 3 fish out in the session. Happy days, if i didn't see another fish this week i wouldn't have cared.

Then within an hour all hell broke loose.

The middle rod screamed and a fish boiled in the shallow water, at the same time four other fish bolted out of the area, leaving bow waves as they all headed to the sanctuary of the island and on down to the deep end, i was left with a very angry, powerful fish running me ragged in the shallow water, it felt like it took me an eternity to coax the fish towards me, the fight was solid, the fish not kiting, not trying to go anywhere just trying its best to out bully me, permanently trying to go directly away from me. Steady pressure soon had it in the margins under my feet, once there the fight changed, the fish now decided it wanted its freedom and made a serious effort at locking me up in the small set of pads to my left, once out of that problem it then powered to my right, doing its damnedest to head past the stream to find safety in the reed beds, i wasn't prepared to let it get near them, a flick of the drag and the reel locked up, the rod went round and stayed. A battle between test curve and fish was on, even pressure saw the better of the fish and it was beaten, rolling over the net i saw a big common. During the unhooking and weighing i soon realised this was a fish i have banked before, but it looked immense in comparison to last time it had graced my mat. Weighing in at a needle width over 21lb it was up nearly 3 lb since late winter. I didn't fancy self takes with the fish as its one of the ancient originals and can be a bit of a handful at times when on the mat, so i popped it into a sack in the margin for the few minutes it took for a friend to come up and do some superb shots for me. I was elated the season was coming together nicely, and 4 fish had honoured me with their presence in a session.

My guest left me after a brew and a chat and as the evening wore on, tiredness was taking over, id not slept, there hadn't really been time. I was soon in the bag and willing sleep to come when the middle rod belted off again. A small mirror of 9lb was soon on the mat, another fish for the future and again another stunning looking creature.

For the second time that night i got myself back into bed, sleep wouldn't come easily, i was anticipating the next fish. I eventually dropped off and woke to the cacophony of the dawn chorus above my head in the willow trees, a glance at the time and i had around 5 hrs of session left before i would have to start the pack down. I got myself up, determined not to sleep away the last of the session, trickled in the last half kg of bait onto the middle rod and as time trickled away a pale fish came into view from the far margin, it meandered its way across the shallow water, the tip of its dorsal barely breaking the surface tension, it came closer and closer to the middle rod, it looked immense. I realised this was the two tone mirror and it was now yards from the rig, it disappeared from site, time ran away and i didn't see the fish again. I waited eagerly for the resulting take that never came.

I've now spent 24 nights on the old hall pool this year, I've had 20 positive takes, landing 19 of the fish, with just a couple of repeats, i seem to be over the bream issues but I'm sure they will soon be having me tearing my hair out ! I look back on the results so far and I'm really pleased at the consistency at which I'm fishing, I'm finding fish easily enough, getting them to feed seems hit and miss, they love the bait but they are very cautious. I've had a few liners from fish in the swim that have subsequently bowed out of the area and now i'm confident that once they find the line they leave and don't come back.
I'm now nearly halfway through my expected time on here this season as i had worked out i could do approximately 50 nights over the year. While i appreciate this is a lot of bank time for some people, i really miss the longer 3 and 4 night sessions, there's more time to kick back and relax into things, sleep can be gotten at any time without feeling a waste of an afternoon, but so be it, i will continue to work hard on the venue, i need to keep moving around to try and find the locations the elusive fish may frequent.
When i started on the lake i didn't want to view the albums of the fish in the venue, the surprises of not knowing is far more fun, i didn't want to see a fish in the book and want to get preoccupied with a specific fish.

But now i have seen my quarry twice, i  have my target.....

The Old Hall pt 6

I had been spending my sessions in the deeper water at the farthest end of the lake for a few sessions, i was having fish and the confidence was high. My only drawback was that much of the daylight hours would find the fish sitting up in the shallows, basking and cruising about, but rarely dropping down onto any bait patches i had been applying. The fish seemed much more catch-able in the deeper water under the cover of darkness, but with summer approaching this meant very few dark hours in which to get quality rod hours in. The sessions had been cut short to 48hrs due to an old rule getting dragged out the archives by someone who wasn't happy with me spending 3 nights up there every fortnight,  i just don't get some people ! Although this means i can do 48 hrs per week giving me more bank time in the long run, so they've done themselves no favours come the autumn, i will be doing my damnedest to fish weekly !

So 48 hrs it is, this session would be the first under the ruling, and again i arrived with time to spare before dawn, the rods went out cleanly to the same areas i had been fishing of late, and i settled down for a much needed cuppa, getting the kit to peg had been made much easier with the acquiring of a new barrow. I could now do the trek in one journey. Before id lit a smoke the right hand rod had belted off and after a good tousle down the right hand margin a 14lb stock common was soon nestled in the folds of the net. Another great start to a session. I was tired and opted for a quick mat shot before releasing her back to her home.

The daylight broke through with a fantastic cacophony of birds erupting from the lakeside, within minutes the daft goose had realised i was there and came to join me for my session. With the temperatures rising steadily it was going to be a hot session. This i wouldn't usually mind as it would give me opportunities for surface fishing but the rules don't allow anglers to fish in such a way, so the rods were put out on zigs at varying depths and over the course of the weekend i would get no attention to the suspended baits.
In no time the night arrived and with the plan to recast the rods every hour through the night to see if the splashdown of the rigs attracted the fish as i seem to think it did, it could only be the reason for so many fish i was getting on arrival, i stayed up for the 4 hours or so of darkness and in that time i didn't see a single rise or show over my main baited areas. By mid morning i was beat and retired to bed for some much needed sleep. Waking late in the evening it was time to re bait and settle back down for an early night ready for my departure the following morning.
The bream had other ideas, i landed over a dozen of them through out the dark hours, with the largest sitting at a touch over 7lb. Sometimes they re all over me other times they leave me alone, either way they re becoming a pain in the arse !

The plans had to change for the coming session, i have been getting battered by the bream on 18mm Bacteria B1's topped with a 10mm Scud pop up, the baits doing a great job with the carp but I'm having to put up with a lot of slimeys. The only thing i can try to do is up the bait size. A day before the session was due i thawed out a hand full of 18mm baits and air dried them off in the sun, then rolled them up in the B1 paste mix to a size of 30mm and boiled them up for 2 mins. Once cooled they looked the business, if a little on the large size. Ah well id give them a go and make some slightly smaller ones on the bank if i thought they were too large.

I had decided to have a change of plan and give the shallower water a try again. Its frustrating up there as the fish are all over the place but seem to be wary of picking up food items and Ive struggled to catch up there in the sessions i had done. The forecasts were for 2 days of high pressure and temperatures up into the 23s, there was no way i was facing that heat on the north bank so opted for the shady willow swim near one of the streams. I arrived and parked up, the night was bright with a full moon and clear Sky's, i was happy, this water seems to fish well under theses conditions. Arriving at my pre chosen spot, i stared out into a steaming lake and before id unpacked the rods i had heard but not seen 2 fish slap out, the sound appeared to come from straight in front but the mist on the water meant i couldn't determine range, i couldn't even see the island at 35 yards out.

Into the waders and i was soon hand placing a hook bait off the reed bed, just beyond the stream mouth, scattering a trail of 30 baits away from it as i headed back to the peg  following this with two rods out into open water on bags of crumb and the 30 mm baits, the left rod in the general direction of the island and the middle rod 30 yards out in front of me. A brew and bed was in order. Withing moments of the head touching the pillow the island rod was off with a bream shortly followed by a 2nd off the middle rod while recasting the first, had coming to the shallower water been a mistake. I couldn't believe the baits didn't keep the bream off, there's no way the bream can get these baits in there mouths, but they just seem to harass them until the suck the hook in and nail themselves.

The dawn chorus hit with volume and id not even made it into the bag since the first attempt, sod it, brekky on and start the day i guess. By mid morning there were carp all over the shallows, barely showing themselves, but they were there. Unless you stood and watched carefully you would easily miss seeing them.
I was getting the odd show over the heavily baited spots so decided to leave the rods be, the day soon passed with just a couple more bream over the spots but no activity from the carp. The evening passed and the temperatures dropped off nicely. From around 9pm there carp's behaviour changed considerably, they started to roll and shoulder out, it was like someone had tripped a switch and stirred them from there aimless drifting. Soon after dark the liners started and i prayed it wasn't bream. Watching this show of activity i knew it was going to go off, it had too, there were just too many fish in front of me, possibly nearly all of the 36 fish stock.

It wasn't long before the stream rod buckled round and an angry carp erupted from the water, hooking and pressurising the fish away from the reed beds went well and it was soon kiting across the other lines towards the waiting net, and on second time of trying was soon nestled in the bottom, again i had banked another of the stock commons at 14lb, these fish are doing really well and will be awesome in another few years, they are all immaculate bars of gold, big tails, long of frame and fight like putbulls.

The rod was soon re positioned and the kettle boiling away, time for a much needed and well earned coffee. Things had quietened after the fight with the common, but the odd fish still showed out in front, as the full moon rose from behind me it was like a light had been turned on, it was now nearly daylight again. A few bleeps got my attention to the rods when the middle rod exploded into life less than an hour after the first fish, this felt better and was giving me some stick, it was soon ploughing around under the rod tips, but even in such shallow water i couldn't get its head up, it did its best to plough through a set of Lilly pads to my left but steady constant pressure caused it to kite out in the slightly deeper water to finish off the hard fight. Looking into the net i was chuffed to see a mirror, in the moonlight i could make out a series of small scales on the rear of the flanks. A couple of shots later and the 16lber was being released in the stream mouth and was soon strong enough to swim off strongly. First night on and 2 fish captured !

16lb

I was tired and it was getting late, i had maybe and hour before daylight so decided on a hot chocolate and a smoke then bed. As soon as i lay down the dawn chorus blasted me to reality that the next day had arrived, it hadn't gone dark at all. I was knackered and decided to stay put in bed, until a 3rd carp decided he too could fit the 30mm bait into its mouth and so my alarm screamed off again. This fish was powerful and was doing its best to get under the island, i had little choice but to lean on it and pray it didn't hook pull, i have recently run out of the Fox hooks Ive been using for years and had to change to a different brand and pattern, opting for the Gardner talon tip in a size 6 and 8. so far so good, the hook hold held and the fish kited away from the obstacle and came passed me at a rate of knots, again i turned to to me and it wouldn't be long till it was safely mine. Another mirror carp met my eyes and fish number 3 for half a session, could it get any better than this !

17lb

Nope, the day passed me by quietly, and having not slept since Tuesday, and it now being Friday evening, i decided to get an early night, praying the bream would give me a break tonight.

I woke to my alarm at 7.30, surprised, unbelievably id not had a single bleep through the night, i don't even recall waking from the time i fell asleep, tired out obviously. It was time to leave, the gear was tidied away in no time and finally the rods were reeled in and i was on my long journey home.

The Old Hall pt 5

Thoughts had been bouncing around in my head since i had returned home from the previous session, id had fish all over me in the shallows but i couldn't get the fish to feed. I was positive that they were only up in the shallow water to sunbathe and to receive the higher levels of dissolved oxygen in the water around the areas of the two streams. Id watched fish come and go from the area at regular intervals, but not once had i seen one drop down onto baited patches. This session i had already decided to opt for the deeper water at the opposite end of the lake, the forecast was for a little sunshine but with prevailing low pressure i was positive i would have more fish in the vicinity at the deeper end. New rigs were tied and a handful of premade pva bags were constructed in readiness for a 1.30 am arrival. I'd had a call off another syndicate member the day previously to say he had managed two stock fish in a quick overnight session, looks like i was correct and the fish were in the deeper water.

The journey passed uneventfully and i made good time, lugging the gear in total darkness into a peg i had previously fished, was a chore but soon out the way with, rods out into open water and one flicked down to the bottom end around 15 yards out from the reeds to keep things safely away from the boulders that cover the area. As i cleared the edges of the peg of brambles, to put the bivvy up, the reality hit home that i had dropped into the wrong peg. They swims on the lake are a tight fit at the best of times but this one i could just about manage to get set up in. With the bivvy at a crazy angle, leaning downwards, i had a slippery slope to slide down to the rods. After getting unpacked the kettle went on, with the first brew in hand and sleep beckoning me, the right hand rod went off on a powerful run.

Fantastic start, again the early arrival had paid off with an early session take. A good spirited fight ensued and i was soon the captor of a stock common of a little over 14lbs, with daylight due in a couple of hours i sacked the fish up in the retainer, sorted the rig out and got it back out in the general area it had come from.
It seemed seconds later when the dawn chorus would blast me out of bed and i soon had the fish photographed and returned.

14 lb 3 oz stocky common

With daylight soon full, the wind had picked up and was pushing to my right, the bottom corner receiving the full ripple, as the sun broke through the thin cloud, temperatures started to rise and a lovely spring day arrived. By mid morning the sun had been popping in and out from behind cloud cover and the promise of a hot sunny day soon dwindled as the cloud cover built up. I had spent a lot of time watching the shallows for signs that the fish were turning up but there was only ever the odd fish visible. Certainly not in enough numbers to warrant a move with the rods. Over the day i would see the odd fish show out in front of me, but there is so many bream to consider as potential culprits and none of the shows were definitely carp.

Evening drew on and while having a couple of cuppas with a visitor, were were watching a few fish show out in front of me, not too far off the heavily baited area. Earlier in the day i had applied round 2kg of the 16mm SAE Bacteria B1's,  I had been fishing just the one rod over it through the day and considered adding an extra hook bait to the area when a fish shouldered out and slid back in, right above the rig. With signs of other fish in the area i decided to leave things alone and not risk disturbing the fish. With my visitor about to leave the rod over this baited zone went off, with using a tiny back lead under the rod tips to stop the wildfowl catching the lines, the rod was frantically nodding towards the water, i lifted into it and the fish powered off, in no time it was wallowing around in the margins, then it woke up. After a few 10 yard dashes it was soon subdued and in the net. A mirror carp of 16lbs was the reward, and a lovely, long, but lean fish, that would turn out to be known as "chestnut". With the pictures done it was returned and powered out strongly. Perfect timing to have a guest with me, many thanks for the pictures mate

"chestnut"

The evening soon turned to night and it was time for some much needed sleep, id refrained from using the B1 pellet this session in a bid to try and keep the bream away as much as possible, opting for 16mm boilies to feed the swim and 18mm hookers on the simple 6inch blow back rigs, with large mesh bags of crushed boilies used on each cast. I like to make the bags really tight and also incorporate a few pva nuggets in there, once in the water these help the bag to explode outwards scattering the crushed baits into an area around 8 inches in diameter, my thinking behind this is that it gives the outward appearance of other fish having been in the area chewing up bait and it may help to keep the bream off the larger hook bait. Just after darkness a bream picked up the rig and hooked itself. Putting the rod back out i dreaded what the night may bring.

I woke at the dawn chorus and got the brew kit on. Sitting watching the misty water come to life as the first light crept through, and the right hand rod was away. Dropping the cup i scampered to the rods and was greeted with a powerful angry carp kiting towards the outlet, having to apply loads of pressure, i saw it finally turn and head out into open water, then the hook pulled. I was so gutted to put it mildly, my first loss and it had felt like a good one too, reeling in to find i hadn't hook pulled but the 25lb Fox Cortex hook link had been cut in half. I have to presume it had either been clipped on a mussel bed at some point or i had clipped one of the boulders and i guess the potential for one of those to have been in contact during the fight is possible, the  hook link finally giving out after putting so much pressure on it to stop the fish reaching the sanctity of the reeds in the corner near the outlet. Dejected i lost faith in the batch of rigs i was cycling through and started to build a new batch, the hooks were in excellent condition and in fairness the rigs all looked fine, but the fact they had been used put doubts in my mind so i had to start afresh.

Within 30 minutes i had readied another 6 rigs, 2 per rod, i have been fishing 16mm scuds on a pop up presentation as an alternative to bottom baits in the swims, just trying out various things to try and pick up bites, but so far all the fish i have banked have been on balanced bottom baits with a 10mm scud and all my fish so far have been hooked a long way back in the bottom of the mouth, so i am often reluctant to change, but when i do its a daytime change. The pop ups being white I'm sure they are highly visible in the clear water. I had been left a bag of the B2 off Scott to have a look at and give a try out but with my confidence so high using the B1 i couldn't bring myself to come off it and try them.

The day passed uneventfully, it had been brighter and warmer than the previous day, and after many excursions up to the shallows, with a thought to move up with the rods and minimal gear, that being the brew kit, if and when the fish turned up, but i was never seeing enough to warrant it, they weren't coming up here, I seemed to have got it right this session, 2 days of patchy spring sunshine wasn't enough to motivate the whole stock to ruck up up there. The jigsaw was getting some new pieces dropping in nicely. Content to sit it out for the duration now, i settled into the swim and opted to get another couple of kg of rolled bait out onto the middle rod, again refraining from adding the pellet, i'd had only 3 bream in 2 days, the rolled baits certainly not having the pulling power of the pellet to the slimey bait theives. Great news !

The left hand margin rod had not received a single line bite or any activity in 2 days so i gave it up to the ducks and opted to fish 2 rods over the large bed of bait, fishing this one right on the edge. The night came and went and again the cacophony of noise from the wild birds on the lake meant no lazy lie in for me. At least there was no way of missing my departure time the following morning. The rods had been silent through the night, not one bleep had come from the sounder box in the bivvy, the lack of pellet in the swim had certainly made a difference to the bream count, and i was getting some decent sleep. The wind had shifted from the north easterly that i had been sat in for the 2 previous days and was now predominantly pushing from the south, carrying a slightly warmer wind, although the sun was only occasionally breaking through the cloud. By mid morning the rods were refreshed and got back out on the same spots and the day passed away quietly.

Throughout the day , id made quick journeys to the shallows to find them devoid of carp, plenty of bream in the upper water layers but no sign of the ancient monsters that reside in here. I had kept my eyes on the water all day and seen little, until evening came, after a fine meal and cuppa, the carp suddenly started to show, all down the deep end with a hand full of shows over the bait area, and a couple of shows along the end wall where i had a rig. I finally succumbed and decided to give the B2 a whirl on this rod, after all it felt a bit rude that i'd had it for 3 days and not used it as yet. I baited up with 2x 16mm onto a long hair, crumbed a 4oz bag up with a couple of pva nuggets and flicked it further along the end bank, away from the other area i had been baiting. Running round i managed to get the remainder of the bait in, creating a small area of around a metre around the hook bait. At around 9.45 that evening this rod went into meltdown on a tightened clutch. I had not long retired to the sleeping bag, and when this went off the way it did, there was no time for shoes, out in the socks and i leaned into a lump, it was so strong, it powered away along the end bank and eventually after extreme pressure i managed to turn it into open water, it kept up the pressure and was soon on its way passed me to my left, heading up the lake, it finally slowed and turned on an arc and soon passed me again, this time doing its damnedest to reach the reed beds. After a few more short bursts it was nearing the net, so close to going in, but off it powered again, stripping 30 yards at a time, this fish was punishing me. I had little control and was on tender hooks after the loss the previous morning. On the fifth time of asking, the fish slid over the net and it was all over. Looking into the net i saw a long fish, securing it to the floor at the edge of the peg, i got myself organised with red headlight, camera, self take kit and sorted the mat and sling out, ensuring the spot was flat and safe, with the swim being so tight i had been doing my shots on the higher ground above the swim.

"Pale One"

Once on the mat and weighed at 16lb 3oz the common became placid and was no trouble at all during the quick couple of pictures i took and it was soon sat in my hands in the waters edge, regaining strength before, with a flick of the tail, it was off back to its home.

The rest of the night was undisturbed, the fish that had been in the area and over the big bed of bait had disappeared, i sat and watched the water for some time, enjoying a brew and a smoke, but i saw nothing, maybe the frantic fight had panicked them and scared them out of the area. Eventually i retired to bed contented, it had been a fantastic session if nothing else happened. Waking to a dawn chorus it was time to wrap and make the 90 odd mile journey home. I would later find out this fish is a stocky known as the "pale one"  that is going forward at a rate of knots, having gained 6lb in a couple of years, all i know is its given me one of the most memorable battles ive ever experienced in over 30 years carp fishing.