It seems fate has in it's twisted way, provided me with some very memorable and interesting fishing that I might otherwise not have experienced....
Earlier this year the opportunity arose to fish a water containing some very worthy Carp. I had planned to fish this venue during the coming winter, but due to my problems, in short I decided to have a look during the warmer weather. Not only would the more static nature of the style of fishing provide me with a more relaxing and ailment healing form of fishing, but I could get in tune with the lake and it's inhabitants while they were more obligingly active, I could then follow on through the autumm and winter with much more confidence as to their whereabouts and feeding habits.
After a short stint on a local club water to brush up on my Carp angling skills, I began with a couple of day sessions on the target water around the beginning of August. Prior to this I spent about a week or so visiting the lake,observing the fish and introducing a bit of bait. What I saw excited me greatly, for the stock of this lake is certainly interesting, and along with mixed scaling and strains of fish, the condition of the inhabitants is superb. Save for a few spawning marks on the fish I have caught so far, they are remarkable to look at, and their mouths are pristine. This is admittedly largely due to the fact that they have been angled for very little in the last few years as the lake has been inaccessible to angling save a lucky few. But despite this they are not that easy to catch, the lake is incredibly rich in natural food, so they certainly do not need to take a bait, and they have had time to develop natural habits without angling pressure, which adds to the puzzle of tracking them down and catching them.
I was fortunate enough to catch one on my second day session on the lake, I had set up on a small point and one bait had been placed on a small clear patch amongst the weed on the very end of the point only a few yards out. Around midday the alarm on that rod sounded as a fish picked up the single hookbait and tore off into the surrounding weed,by the time I had picked up the rod the angry Carp had made it through several weed beds. Steady pressure was needed to keep the fish moving through the weed as it kicked and fought for freedom, eventually it was clear and after a short fight where it once again tried to bury itself in the surrounding thick walls of weed I had it steering towards the net. Before I had even encompassed it in the mesh of the net I was struck by the scaling of the fish, a heavily scaled Mirror Carp was my reward and first capture from the water. I whooped with delight as I secured it in the net and began preparing the mat and scales. Another angler happened to be on the lake that day and he offered to do the pictures for me. Although the fish was clearly well spawned out it was still a striking and beautiful creature to look at. She weighed in at 22lb 5oz, with a burnished fully scaled pattern, a brilliant way to start my campaign!
