OLD ’UN SHOWS THE CARP BOYS A THING OR TWO!
My tactics and tackle may not be cutting edge, but they work!
ILOVE this time of year! Christmas curry night with my carp syndicate mates, a couple of festive socials on the bank with old friends and, of course, time with the family around a warm fire and a few drinks.
But never fear, I’m still out there doing it come rain, snow or shine… here’s how my week went.
MONDAY & TUESDAY
A guide day first with Jamie Paice, who’d caught a few pike in the past and just wanted to further his knowledge of the species and enjoy a day’s fishing with me. It turned out a success on both accounts, and no doubt we’ll have days together in the future.
Jamie also gave me bottles of red wine. I really don’t know who he thinks is going to drink that lot!
The next day I went out with Leon Jones from North Wales, who had never caught a pike. He ended up with six, including a brace of sixteens. We talked rugby, fishing and travel and had a really top day. Two great days with good lads makes it a nice job for me.
THURSDAY
On the Monument Fishery nice and early with maggots for carp. The temperature had risen dramatically, and although was drizzling and dull I fancied a pull. It looked ‘right’ – anglers will know what I mean by that.
The morning passed without a take but it’s usually afternoons on this venue that come good.
I was on peg seven, always a decent one at this time of year, and it had produced a couple of fish a few days before. A heavy frost was forecast and I was sure the carp would be getting their nose bags on before it arrived. Changes in weather systems will very often get carp to feed.
At 1pm site managers Tom and Harry came to visit me along with well-known carper Tom Maker, who was up for the curry night a little later. As usual the young lads took the mickey out of my oldschool feeder rig, my not-in-line reel handles and, of course, no bivvy mat for wiping their feet on.
But they soon shut up when I had two takes in an hour right in front of their eyes. Unfortunately, one came off just as I was giving them hell, telling them that I was the best carper in the world. Boy did I get it in the neck after that!
Mind you, I did get my own back later when Harry decided to throw up his beer and curry. Great times and memories, that’s for sure.
The Monument holds around 15 40lb carp now. How things have changed! I remember when I was a kid there weren’t 15 carp over 40lb in the whole country, let alone in one lake. But nothing ever stays the same, even though some anglers fall out with the sport because it has changed. Me? I just put the gear in the car, go fishing and enjoy the moment.
SATURDAY
Piking on an estate lake, but the water was as dead as I had ever seen it. There’d been a heavy frost and a low-lying fog that lingered on till midday. I used deadbaits, both on the bottom and popped up, and I’d even caught a couple of livebaits and given them a go, but nothing was feeding. I stayed an hour into darkness because on this water the only take of the day can come right on dark, but not today.
I stopped in the Squirrel pub on the way home for a cider, where some lads from a pheasant shoot thought I was mad to be out fishing in this weather at this time of year. But only a true angler knows the joys of standing by the rods in the dark, with a tawny owl sounding and an unknown creature rustling in the leaves on the floor of the small copse. These are what make me a countryman and an angler as I wait for the sound of that buzzer in the dark.