No matches this week, so both Mick and I decided on a venue change for a Friday Fish in. We had been out and about before and regularly travel to venues that hold both match sized carp, larger specimens and even have days where the tip is the order of the day in the hope of some good bream.
Today, would see us grace the banks of Toft Lakes, two lakes on the outskirts of Dunchurch, Warwickshire. One is a carp water, the other a silvers venue. We planned to fish the carp lake. Also with us was another CCEP employee in Chris Bird, a dedicated specimen angler, who fancied a change before for a week long escapade to the French Specimen Lakes. Also a good friend who we met up with via CCEP in Bryan Johnson, a former lorry driver who has effortlessly slipped into retirement.
We all descended on the lake for 8am and as Chris had arrived first he was already tackling up in one of the near pegs. Mick fancied one in the corner, whilst both Bryan and I slotted in between them.
As there was no time limit to the day, I decided on a Pellet Waggler approach to the island, a 2+2 line in around 5ft of water, and a margin line to my right at top 2 plus three. Bait would be corn and 8mm pellet.
I spent the start of the session showing Mick how to set up his pole rollers to enable him to fish long. The whole point focusing on being comfortable in both shipping in and out and positioning the pole across the legs to take some of the strain out of the fishing. With this out of the way I was free to start fishing.
Pinging out a few 8mm pellets to within a foot of the island I was able to cast out and clip up. Out goes the Drake waggler set at 2ft deep followed by 3 8mms and the float goes under. a good 6lb fish in the net straight away. A few more chucks, and nothing, I could not believe it, Fishing either side of a protruding tree on the island was soon a recipe for disaster and before long I was trying to drag the island closer. This was only going to end one way and the line soon parted leaving my prized Drake hanging in the tree.
I put the rod down and picked up the margin rig. I had fed a pot of corn and pellet at the start and saw a couple of tails over it. Pushing the rig just past it I was soon attached to a zoo creature, unfortunately no sooner as I was connected it was soon off, out again and the same thing, slackening off the blue KND elastic, helped as the next fish was landed and around 12lb. The strange thing is that you hook them in the margin in 2ft of water, the fish then go down in the water( into 5ft of water) once you get them away from the catch zone. Then you need to get them up again. Very arm aching. I worked out the best way to feed was via a toss pot and not the cupping kit. A mix of corn and 8mms kept the fish interested without getting too many in the peg. The corn would get the silvers working in the peg and when you stopped getting indications from them a carp would show up.
Chris was getting a few fish on both the pellet waggler and 2 plus 2 line feeding and fishing 6mm pellets. He kept looking to his left hand edge to no avail. Bryan was struggling, pinning all his hopes on paste at 11m, a couple of carp had succumbed but his mix was getting ragged out by silvers. Mick was doing what Mick always does, catch fish 2 plus 2 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock one side pellet other side meat. In the early part of the session meat was working well, but this was slowing and it was soon time for 6mm pellets. I did observe Mick putting his coaching to good effect, Twenty minutes and a single fish on the long 12.5m pole may not seem a lot, but the trauma we have had getting there. Shipping in and out like someone who was used to it.
A couple of looks on to the 5m line saw a couple of bites including a couple of small mirror carp around the 6oz mark before the float buries properly and another 10lb fish was on the end of the line. I then had a spell of foul hooked fish. I was getting a few iffy bites, little dinks and not taking the float under. I would strike and foul hook a fish. Plenty of gudgeon and roach fell this way but if the float went under it was a carp. Sometimes hooked in the mouth, other times the tail.
At the close of play, I had 13 fish averaging 8lb each, a couple of low to mid doubles and the solitary 6lb PW fish first put in. Others had caught more, both Chris and Mick but their's was not as big on average, so it would be close if it was a match. Bryan had struggled but it was good to see him in good spirits and health.
I have learnt a bit about the elastic and gained a confidence boost of how to feed 8mm pellets to take into my next encounters.
As it was a pleasure day and no nets there was no MK Nugget at stake, this will be resumed next Saturday at Colemans Cottage.
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