The session,
As with any session my preparation is always what I can squeeze into my busy schedule. This session was no different with work and my son’s birthday, preparation was minimum although I still managed to add some boiling water and C Food concentrate to a mixture of C Food shapes and sizes. Late into the night on Monday I was still adding bits to the car just in-case, 4am soon came around and I hit the road with my companion Louis the black lab riding shot gun. i met up with my good friend josh at his house for a mid-way break, brew and a good catch up. I'd particularly been looking forward to this session for the social aspect and as we met up with the other lads it was clear to see it was going to be a good laugh as banter and insults were soon flying.
We arrived at the beautiful waterside fishery bathed in glorious Spring sunshine and as Chris the owner walked us around the fish were easily found up in the layers and heavily stacked in one corner, we flipped coins and jostled for swims. I went for a middle swim which gave me options near two aerators where I’d been told the owner had seen them from the boat the previous two mornings and also across to the far margin, where I was sure the fish would pass through as they transitioned from one end to the other. With one fish banked at the end where the majority of the fish had been seen on the first evening, and a quiet night all around. I was starting to doubt my choices, however as I sat there on the edge of the bed chair clutching my umpteenth morning brew pondering my options, I received a finicky take on my left hander, as I lifted into it the fish powered down the middle of the lake towards an island to my left. I’m not normally a nervous person when It comes to playing fish but on this occasion my leg was shaking and toes tapping as the fish powered on down. After a lengthy battle my first fish from a new water was in the net which also looked a decent one at that. I quickly put a fresh hook and 12mm washed out pink C food pop up on and got the rod repositioned as quickly as possible.
At 32lb I was made up as this was a new UK mirror pb, this was quickly overshadowed as one of the other lads was shouting that they’d landed the big common although he wasn’t jumping for joy as you’d expect…………. in fact, once in his swim it became clear he’d actually hooked up on the trailing line. We all couldn’t believe our eyes as the owner weighed it at 56lb plus!!
I returned to my swim in complete awe of what I’d just seen, sat talking on the phone about the fact I thought my bite time was over I received yet another cagey take on the same rod. Another dogged battle produced a lovely 29+ mirror which was well behaved for some pictures in the late morning sunshine.
The rest of the day passed uneventful despite all of us trying everything possible, there was another two fish caught during the hours of darkness from the opposite end. As the sun yet again started to peer through the trees I stood talking with my morning coffee and choccy digestives anticipating more morning bites. I didn’t have to wait long and yet again the same rod was away again this time the fish was stripping line from me going on far more aggressive runs, this resulted in a lovely low 20 common.
Knowing that my bite time was obviously a small morning window the rod was quickly repositioned. A few more cups of coffee and the obligatory choccy digestive breakfast later and the right hander which had been wiped out by the first fish pulled up tight. This brought a sense of achievement as i'd changed this rod to the same tactic as the left hander….. washed out pinks were obviously the one. After a what can only be described as an epic battle, which saw me donning my chesty's and taking off down the margin in pursuit of whatever I was attached to …… I'd like to say I looked the part doing this, until I came to a rope that was attached to an aerator I had to literally jump with the rod, grab said rope and pass the rod over……. Easier said than done when your 5ft nothing and attached to an angry carp ! my 1st attempt was a complete failure but on my second go I managed to grab the rope and pass the rod over albeit with chesty's full of freezing cold water. Once over the rope I was able to regain control and soon slipped the net under a lovely upper double.
Again the day was spent watching the fish in the upper layers , yet despite various depths and coloured zigs being thrown at them nobody tempted one. As with every session the day passed quickly and as evening drew in we all gathered in the bbq area and had a final night social. As I returned to my swim, I made the decision to pack away all the kit that was not needed and left myself with the bare minimum so that I could fish right through the morning bite time, up until 10.30 when we needed to be off the lake. I re positioned the rods a lot later than I normally would have in the hope that things would be that bit fresher for morning. The night passed with the other lads catching a couple between them. I loaded the rest of the kit onto their barrow ( Louis was less than impressed his bed had also disappeared). Sat watching the rods I was almost expecting something to happen and clutching my final brew I was right to think this. The left hand rod again sounded with the a few bleeps the bobbin pulled up then returned, as I was thinking it was just a liner it again pulled up tight … game on !! I lifted into what felt a much better fish which immediately stripped line as it headed down the centre of the lake. Every time I gained line it would surge back off, eventually I got it close to netting where Ginge and I both saw the frame and colours of it. As it went into the net I immediately recognised it as a fish called the wood carving, a fish id seen on the fisheries facebook and one I thought that I'd love to catch. Josh came around to work his magic with the camera, at 35.14 this was a new uk PB for me, one that had stood for nearly 10 years.
As I slipped it back into the crystal clear waters in the morning sunshine my session had been well and truly topped off. As a group we ended up with 10 fish with a couple of PB’s thrown in for good measure. The journey home was a long one (being from the middle of Wales everything is miles away) and also a smelly one however when it’s the smell of a wet net and sling its always a good thing.
Adam
