I had been waiting for the chance to fish Rouge for a couple of months, since around about the time it became clear that it wasn’t easy water. Watching anglers struggle to find the monsters that swim within the 4.5 acres really got my juices flowing. Whereas i had once regarded this water as a place to be avoided, lest i start catching thirties and forties too often, i could see that any lump from this lake would be thoroughly deserved. So, when the first empty week of our season finally rolled around i was more than a little excited to get on there!

If you added up the hours i’ve spent working, walking and talking on Rouge, and compared them to the hours i’ve spent fishing it, i’m sure you would find i owe the lake some serious rod hours. I’ve seen people try everything and anything to get a bite on there, with varying degrees of success and so when my turn came about i had to have a plan.

Reasoning that these fish see fresh boilies every week, and have good reason to be wary of them, i had prepared some ‘washed out’ baits that had been sat in a bucket of water for 4 days to try and instill some confidence in the fish. This was to be the angle of attack on one rod, whilst the other was going to be fished on a chod rig (my first experience with leadcore) into the heavily-lilied area. Experience has shown me that these small lilies do not present a snag risk, as they are easily cut or uprooted by a tight-line.

So, with battle plans drawn i set out at 4pm to ‘do the rounds’ with the anglers on our other lakes and then get cracking on my own fishing. I went, first, to drop my kit off in the swim, and was greeted by the sight of abour 25-30 different fish sat in the afternoon sunshine amongst the lillies! I catapulted out a few handfuls of mixers and quickly jetted off round the other lakes for a quick chat.

On my return, the sun had settled lower in the sky and battled the fluffy clouds for prominience in the early evening sky. The air remained hot and muggy, but the intensity of the sun’s heat was depleted a little. Some of the fish had either drifted away, or down in the water but there remained a good number of Carp in front of me, along with 5 or 6 real lumps. A few more pouchfuls of mixer were spread liberally over the lilies, and i could see one or two swirls - though the fish were far from feeding confidently.

Decision time: persevere with the floaters and abandon the battle plan, or stick to my guns and swing a ledger in amongst the lilies? So rare is it to catch these fish unpressured and in clear view, i decided it would be criminal to pass up the surface fishing opportunity. I quickly broke down my pre-prepared rig and attached a fine wire size 6 hook - no controller and no weight, i was relying on being able to make good use of the cover and bring the fish in close. A dog biscuit was attached using a bait band, and the rig was ready to go.

First order of the day though, was to get the fish feeding confidently and where i wanted them. I knew this was perhaps a greater challenge than actually hooking one, and was quite prepared to work and wait. It took two hours before I had fish actively looking for the mixers and feeding with any confidence. Amongst the 5 or 6 fish still present and within range there was one fish of some considerable width, and huge shoulders that came clear of the water everytime he mouthed a bait…that was the one i wanted.

Another 30 minutes or so later and i decided to make my first cast…short, by about 5 yards. A quick re-think, and i glued two biscuits to the shank, hoping that extra few grams would make all the difference. By now the fish had cleared up the patch i was hoping to cast into and drifted off again, damnit! By now I knew the fish weren’t going to suddenly switch on and gorge themselves, so i kept freebies to a minimum - just 10 or so mixers trailing from the lilies into open water.

It was with relief that i cast my bait perfectly in line with the others, and settled in for a wait, whilst hoping the fish would come back. Sure enough, the shoulders appeared before long, silhouetted against the failing light. Alongside the lump were one or two smaller fish that, given the time i had invested, i would have been happy to catch. Sure enough it was one of these small fish that first approached my bait, and with held breath i watched as it’s orange mass grew beneath the bait. I gripped the rod in anticipation of a strike and waited an eternity for those lips to break the suface and suck my bait down. Slowly, slowly i realised the fish was backing off the bait, before turning it’s head and moving further down the line of mixers.

My heart was now racing, as you would expect after such a long wait, and such a fantastically slow rejection - if it hadn’t been my bait it would have been a pleasure to watch! With closed eyes raised skywards, i couldn’t help but wonder if that would be my last chance of the evening, and i contemplated reeling in and getting the rest of my gear ready for the night. Just before I made that decision, a pair of shoulders appeared amongst the lilies, and froze me to the spot. Only feet from my bait, and pointed in the right direction, i re-gripped the rod…

You couldn’t write a better script for a surface fishing take;the water broke in front of the final freebie before my hook, and i watched it disappear quickly into the waiting mouth… then the fish was upon my bait! A swirl, i couldn’t see my bait, had it taken it? Do i strike? The line twitched, and bang! I lifted the rod into a heavy fish…it was on!

My nerves jangling, the fight was blissfully controlled and the fish succumbed to my net after a dogged scrap, not before i spotted two large scales on it’s flank - i knew this fish! It came out two weeks ago at 36lb! Despite the prospect of my first surface caught thirty, i kept my cool and slid her over the drawcord first time. Yes!

After a few quick snaps, i took a moment to appreciate just how gorgeous the colours on this fish were. Obviously, i’m biased, but this was a stunner - an old fish with bags of character and in prime condition. Weighing in at 34lb 14oz, i was more than delighted with my decision to persevere on the top. What a result.

After taking a moment’s silent celebration, i realised it was still plenty light enough to enact my battle plan. around half a kilo of the washed out baits were spread loosely around a marginal spot where i had seen fish in the past, and my hookbait (also a washed out boilie) landed within inches of the bank. I knew it was very shallow there, but bucking the trend was exactly what i was trying to do, in order to bank some of these wary old fish.

The chod rig was baited with three pieces of plastic corn, popped up on a short 3inch amnesia hooklength and swung out into a tiny clear patch in the huge lily bed. This was baited with a few boilies and very loosely scattered corn. Traps set.

As has been the pattern of late, the rain arrived at sundown and continued for most of the night, and I wasn’t troubled by my alarms until 6.30am when the lily rod signalled a good take. I lifted into the fish, which as expected, ploughed through the lilies and into open water. Here, there was a long scrap (it’s quite weird playing a fish on a chod rig isn’t it?) and eventually a lovely looking Mirror of 14lb 14oz slipped into the net.

Shortly after, i recast my other rod to a fish which kindly signalled its presence by lobbing itself clear of the water about 5 yards short of my baited spot. It looked like a nice sized Common, and it was, when that rod ripped off 10 minutes later

Another missed take, and before i knew it, it was time to pack up. Happily i trudged back to the car and reflected on a great, albeit brief session.

Stumble it!