At last, time for a substantial post!

I’ve fished three nights since my last update, including a rather stormy Saturday, and to cut a long story short, no Carp have graced my net. It’s disappointing, but that’s not to say that I haven’t has some small successes along the way.

Friday was a warm and wet night, and I opted to fish another new swim, this time to the main visible feature of the lake - the island. Here’s the view:

Rather predictably I fished one rod to the overhanging willow, and the other to a dying reedbed in the margins to my right.

Aside from one small liner, it was a quiet night. In an effort to remedy this, and end my worrying blank, I spent a large part of Sunday working with my new marker setup to try and get a better idea of the bottom of the lake. I was fascinated to feel, for the first time, every bump and bobble on the lake bed. Interestingly I also found that the depth increased very gradually from the island - and consequently I had probably not been fishing at the bottom of the slope overnight. I guess this would explain the line bite.

With confidence renewed, I recast to the base of the island’s marginal slope, and re-baited the near margin rod. This confidence was soon rewarded with a small tench, followed by a similar size bream. Both were taken on 2 pieces of popped up fake corn. Sorry about the poor photo!

Saturday night was lost to the unbelieveable winds that swept the lake and nearly blew me and my trusty Big Z brolly away! I’ve honestly never been caught out in weather like that, I’m so glad that i was prepared for some stormy weather and had pegged the shelter down properly, otherwise I could have been in some serious trouble. Wind-beaten, I packed up early on Sunday and retired to think about just how I was going to winkle one more Carp out before I leave for France…

I returned on Tuesday night, again in unseasonably warm weather, and fished the same swim in an attempt to take advantage of the bait I put out at the end of the last session. Arriving after work, it was difficult to be confident I was hitting the exact spot I wanted to, at the base of the island’s marginal slope. Nevertheless I enjoyed my dinner quietly hoping that tonight might be the night.

I was woken by a one-toner on the margin rod at around 10:30pm, and was out with the rod in my hand before I knew exactly what I was doing (such is the extent of my well honed run-reaction!). It was with a sleepy sense of achievement I slipped the net under a very nice Tench of 4lb 14oz - my second largest form the lake so far…not bad for December.

After that, it was a good, warm sleep broken only by two bream of around 3lb on the fake corn. Nothing from the island rod.

All in all, I’m disappointed not be catching Carp, but at least my indicators are moving again, and to be honest at this time of year I’m happy catching anything!

Stumble it!