stevetheangler

Blimey! I can’t remember the last time I did a 2 sessions within a seven day spell! And I’ve really enjoyed it.

This session was to a predominantly carp water although it does have bream, good roach (up to 2lb), perch to 3lb I’ve heard of, pike that go to over 20lb (and a few years back had a 30lb’er but sadly she was found dead 5 or 6 years ago probably having succumbed to the rigours of spawning) … and, according to the web site blurb, tench although in 11+ years of fishing the pool I’ve not had one and I’ve have never heard of anyone else having one either.

So, Thursday 17th July I set off at a little after 0600 towards AA-GH, a club pool – a pool I often fish for pike in the pike season but in recent years have only visited spasmodically as most of my attention is engaged upon one of the club’s other waters, a tench/bream predominant pool – arriving probably around 0640 – to find the gate still padlocked, a good sign that I’ll get my choice of swims :)

Parked up, I have a quick wander to check out the two pegs that I initially fancied. They were good BUT with the forecast of rain coming in from the west ie into the face on those swims I decided to set up on the more easterly tree lined bank to provide shelter.

[The trees are tall and the foliage overhead not really that thick/heavy but when it rains, and even with heavy rain with the pool’s water being absolutely lashed, you never seem to get even the slightly bit dampened and a brolly is not ever required – not that you can get a brolly in as the peg is hard cored and even a screwpoint brolly pole like mine cannot penetrate. So what happens to the rain that falls on the trees? Where does it go?? A mystery!!]

So swim decided upon, the gear transported to there from the car, and with seat, nets, mats, bait table, etc all positioned the first thing I do is set up my Deeper Sonar and start scanning the area around – I accidentally deleted all my previous scans so I’m having to rescan on my trips out again. Anyway, I spent about 15 minutes casting out in a fanlike fashion to get a mapping of the bottom – and it also indicated a tremendous amount of fish in the area although I’m dubious about that at times especially in snaggy areas where branches, etc can be interpreted as ‘fish’ at times, and also as it scans I’m of the opinion that fish can get ‘hit’ more than once if it enters and exits the beam cone more than once.. anyway, my main use is to map the depths with indications of fish a very secondary thing – and as they say ‘you can lead an horse to water but you can’t make it drink’ and if the fish aren’t feeding then … :)

Scanning complete its time to tackle up the rods:

• 2 x 11′ Avon+ (1.75lb TC)
• 8lb mainline with 6″ 8lb uncoated braid hooklengths terminated in size 6 barbless hooks (Kamasan B891) connected via quick change beads.
• Frame feeders on short links (large eye swivel on free running chod bead, anti-tangle tube, snap link on end to facilitate changing of feeder to lead, etc if required to do so. Baited with the usual cereal and particles and with added molasses.
• Fished on Dragon Carp rod pod with bite alarms (NGT GTS).

First casts made around 0800 with squid and luncheon meat baits…

0845, the first fish of the day … a 6lb 5oz common carp … comes to the net … taken on meat.

And throughout the day I land another 6 carp, no bream :( but I’m happy enough … :)

• 3lb 6oz common carp – meat
• 3lb 4oz mirror carp – meat
• 3lb 6oz common carp – sweetcorn
• 3lb 8oz common carp – squid and prawn cocktail

And then around 1330 it all went a bit Lemony Snickett!

I have a take, a carp (approx 5+lb) comes to the bank… and then…

• I lower the landing net to secure it, at which point it becomes apparent that I’d not locked the Korum Quick Net Adaptor or not fully pushed the net fully home after the last fish as, as soon as I tilted the pole, the net fell into the water…
• Trying to handle the rod whilst fish on and trying to retrieve net with its pole simultaneously I only succeeded in sinking the net into the 5′ deep water…
• Now how to land the fish without a net from a bank 18″ above the water surface was resolved without issue when the fish conveniently solved the problem by throwing the hook… bye bye, carpy!
• The fish release did however provide a potential solution to the lost net problem by being able to cast out with the bare hook and drag the bottom to snag the net … but after about 10 attempts that wasn’t working and on the 11th attempt a fair’ish pike seemingly took an interest in my feeder and got itself hooked … for 5 seconds or so until the braid succumbed to the pike’s dentures…
• Next step, in my bag I carry a small (9″) weed rake for my tench fishing attached to a good length of that  braided orange nylon (as used in camping and for crabbing lines) so I got that out and started throwing that rake out to do the dragging … a few throws and then I had the thought ‘I need be careful not to loose the end of the line’ … so I had the great idea to drop the loop at the end of the line around a piece of scaffolding that stood proud of the bank doing its job of shoring up the bank… unfortunately, the next throw of the hook had a higher than the post trajectory … and the loop went up and over the top of the pole and rake and line disappeared below the surface…
• Only one option left now … wind in second rod … debait and use that to try the snag the net…
• Out goes the line, feeder and hook for first try … and I snag something! However, not what I’d thought I’d snag! … it was the orange line of my lost rake! So with that safely restored to hand, I cast out the hook and feeder again … and snag the lost net … two wins in a row … give that man a teddy bear … and a £1 to buy a lottery ticket!

All restored back to the norm now – apart from some re-tackling and re-baiting…

So, I fished on, had further small, suck’n’spit style takes but all missed until 1500 when I decided to call it a day.

As I was packing up I spotted Henry Heron, a long time resident of the pool who I’d not seen in a good while on the end bank to my right … I’d seen him too first thing in the morning flying past … tried to get a photo, and indeed did but had to put mobile’s camera on full zoom – and I was unable to locate the anti-shake function (perhaps the phone doesn’t have one?) but quality was very poor and could only make out what the image was if you knew what you were looking for. Which reminds me of my graphics lecturer of my college days, who said that the saying that ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ is totally untrue .. eg if you had never seen or heard of coal before and I showed you a photo, what could you glean from that other that its a bit of a black and amorphous bit of material? Of if I took a photo of a circuit board and asked you what it did? No, in order to make sense of a picture one needs to have at least some knowledge of it in the first place unlike words which actually contain information which either tell you all or at least give a start on the path to full knowledge…

PLANS

Not sure but would like to get out next week … but I also need to waterproof, take down and then get a 7-man tent put on to eBay, A garden that has 18″ high grass, nettles and weeds … a driveway that needs weed killerising … as soon as it dries up enough to do such things. And there’s another 101 other things household to sort – mainly sorting and taking things to the local charity place PLUS need to sort some medical appointments out and then attend them….

OK then — take care everybody!

Tight lines, good health to ya!!