The Old Hall pt 14

Time was on my side, i had planned for a late arrival on Wednesday night, but managed to actually arrive with a few hours daylight available for me to have a good look round. After an hours searching had resulting in me not seeing a single carp show i decided to try to fit into a really tight swim i had been itching to fish since i started on the venue but very much doubted i could fit into. The swim has nice deep margins within a yard of the bank giving me 6ft of water over a very clean stone and gravel shelf drop off. An area I'm positive the fish will visit and patrol. Needing to know if it was possible to squeeze in i got the bivvy up prior to the rods which only generally happens if its raining on arrival.
After some twisting and bending of the frame around fence posts i managed to get things settled and pegged down sufficiently to resist the westerly breeze pushing in towards me,
On my way to the lake i had been to collect my new "StageStix" off Banktech Innovations and these were soon screwed firmly into place on the platform that fronts the swim. It had been a long day and the journey down was quite hectic, with home built it was time for a coffee while i baited up the rods and prepared some bags of crumbed Bacteria B1s. A quick run through of the marker rod revealed what i already knew of the right hand margin, gravel and stones littered the area in front of the bank side alders and willows. A simple blow back rig, baited with an 18mm and 12mm boilie was dropped onto the area of the marker float at around 7 yards to my right and feeling the lead crack down onto the hard area i was contented to put out 1/2 kg of chopped 18mm baits tight to the hook bait and the marker float was retrieved.

The left hand rod would go out onto the same area of the dam end that i usually fish from the brambles swim on the opposite side of the lake. This was soon flicked the 60 yards with a large 3 oz bag of crumbed bait. Just the middle rod to sort out but first a few recce's with the marker rod. at around 30 yards i found the area i was looking for, i wanted to fish the slight slope at the far edge of the deep trough under my feet, with the hook bait positioned a foot off the marker rod it could then be clipped and measured off for further casts to be exactly on the spot i wanted to present my bait. With the marker still in place 2 kg of 18mm boilies were soon applied to a concentrated area and the 3 traps were set.
Evening drew on and the sunset was staggering as is often the case on this lake, with darkness looming the local bat population was becoming active and soon there were hundreds of them buzzing me and cleaning the lake off midges and mosquito's. I was soon getting liners on the rods and any chance of an early night was out the question, every time i lay back one of the alarms would be triggered causing me to jump up in bed to stare at the rods. After being startled by a fish crashing out on my right hand margin I gave up thoughts of sleep, slipped my boots on and cranked the stove up. Sitting up for the night is all well and good but i had had a long day and must have slid into sleep while sitting upright on the bedchair, i was blasted off it by a single piercing scream of the delkim and the swim was lit with blue light. The right hand marginal rod was in meltdown, fully arced round and line spewing off the spool. A short but frantic battle ensued but was soon over with a decent common in the net. A quick mat shot and onto the scales revealing a weight of 16lb 9oz.  Not a monster but a welcome fish, and the first off the lake in 5 weeks i believe. After releasing it a quick check of the camera would reveal the shots out of focus, i had left the lens in manual focus last time was using it. Even though every fish from this low stock water is special at least it wasnt one of the really special fish !

With the excitement over the rod was soon re positioned back onto the spot the fish had come from and after a brew and a smoke the dawn light was soon breaking through the darkness and Thursday had arrived. With it came the sun !

By lunchtime it was hot, undoubtedly the hottest days fishing i could remember since the previous summer, It felt like a late spring day yet the trees and bushes on the lake have barely started to uncurl their leaves, the willows and hawthorn are just starting to green up and the reed mace is just starting to push this years shoots above water level. Oh the joys of fishing elevated venues ! Short springs/summers against what seem like endless autumn/winters.

Sadly the daytime passed without sightings of a carp, a jaunt to the shallows in the heat of the day and with the easterly wind pushing down the lake, viewing conditions up this end were perfect but after spending an hour or so searching i would find no fish present, The afternoon passed in good company and with an hour of light left, the rods would be re baited up and recast to the same spots.
As darkness fell and with me feeling pretty exhausted i turned in for a few hours sleep, only to be woken by line bites starting at around 10.30pm. Hauling myself up as i was turning down the sensitivity of the alarms i came to realise that the liners were coming of bats, the lake was covered with them. Undoubtedly a massive colony was migrating to the lake for the summer months. They were constantly clipping the slackened lines and even the rods themselves at times. Another night passed with less than a few hours sleep.

I woke for my last day, so high was my confidence after the fish on the first night i was surprised to have gone through the night without a fish. By mid morning the hook baits had been refreshed and the spots topped up with another kg of B1 each in readiness for the coming night. The wind was still pushing down the lake to the dam and even though this day was overcast it was still quite warm. Another spell up in the shallows looking for signs would again reveal nothing. The fish just don't seem to be heading up there just yet, so i was in the right place i just needed them to feel hungry ! Mid afternoon and my left hand rod off the dam was bouncing in the rests, resulting in slimey bait thief of around 4lbs, the rod was barely back on the rests after the recast when it was off again, another bream of around 3lbs. Thankfully that was the last i saw of them.

As evening drew on the low cloud started to break and high pressure took its place, perfect conditions for the last night, High pressure seems to get these fish moving up here so i entered my last night confident for a 2nd fish. I was out in no time and woke after an undisturbed night, late and already beyond the time i should have been packing up by. A quick coffee while i packed away and soon the gear was on the barrow and i was leaving for home.