A normal weekend, Not!

I had the Friday free, and decided I would do a 24hr session on an old local gravel pit. I was taking a gamble, as we still have a water temperature of just over 4°C here in North Germany. I set up camp in a swim where I could at least get two rods out into deeper water, as that’s where I hopped to entice a fish or two. I fished one rod in open water, on the back of a gravel bar at a depth of 33ft. Single hook bait, with just a hand full of boilies scattered around. The second I also fished in open water in a small silt pocket at a depth of 25ft, again a single hook bait but this time with a small Castaway pva net with crushed boilies and pellet. The last rod I put on the margin drop at 12ft, fished a plastic corn stack, with a small stick mix. All the traps where set, time to sit back and wait…..and wait…..and wait. After many coffees, the day came to an end. Sadly I had a good night’s sleep, not once was I pulled out of my slumber by the sound of the alarms, not a single beep.

By now my gut instinct was telling me that I was fishing the wrong pit, not far away is a second old gravel pit, this pit is quite shallow with an average depth of around 10ft, and the week before I had, had 4 small commons there. By now my brain was on overtime, trying to work out how to tell the wife that, A) I won’t be home as promised. B) Because I will be doing a second night on a different lake? The problems we carp anglers have!

I won’t go into detail of how I broke the news to the misses. All I can say is it was messy, but needless to say late in the afternoon I found myself setting up camp again on the other pit. As I have already mentioned this pit is quite shallow, but I knew where there are some deeper areas, and I had opted for a swim where I could put one rod into deeper water. A small silted area at 13ft deep. The pit is home to a number of big mirrors, the largest topping just over 40lbs. These old boys usually get active a week or two after the commons, and as I had caught commons the week before, I fancied my chances that one might wet my net.

I placed one rod short, on a gravel bank at 10ft, baited with a small stick and plastic corn stack. The next rod I fished in silt at the foot of a small gravel bar, again in 10ft of water. A single 16mm boilie with a hand full scattered around. The last rod I placed in the silty hole. This time with a 20mm boilie, dark in colour topped with a white maggot cluster. Attached was a small Castaway Pva net with crushed boilie and pellets. The traps where set. This time I was more confident, and really fancied the last rod. Around 20.00hr I hit the sack, not because I was tired, but to warm up. Shortly after my carp fishing mate came round for a brew and chat. By the time he left it was just gone 22.30hrs and my eyes where drooping…….its 02.00hrs a single beep and I have just sat bolt upright on the bed chair, two seconds go by, beeeeeep full run, a typical silt bite. I’m out of the bivvy direction rods, it’s the deep water rod, I hit into a powerful fish, who strips 15m of line from the reel, stops and strips 10m more. Six times I retrieved line and six times he took it back, but after an epic fight he was tiring, and I gained the upper hand. Slowly but surely I brought him to me, then at the last minute he made a full blown dash to my right stripping of line like no business. I clamped down as he was heading straight for a mass of overhanging bushes, the tip from my E-class Gold whipped round; the curve was from tip to butt. I had slowed him down, but hadn’t stopped him, and by a whisker he made the underwater branches. I had lost, he had won. I was more than gutted.

I had to sit down, Drink a coffee, the action playing over and over again in my mind, mind loop. You all know what I’m talking about. Eventually the numbness wears off, and I get the rod out on the spot again. The plan was to sleep until first light and redo the rod, but I ended sleeping longer and it was a few hours after first light that I redid the rod. My wife had phoned and asked when I was coming home, I said around dinner, as I wanted to fish the 11.00hrs feeding spell. Its 11.05hrs, I’m sat on the edge of my bed watching the water, beep…….two seconds beeeeeeeep, same rod off again.

I hit into another hard fighting fish, but he comes in easier than the one I lost. There was one hairy moment when he too made a break for the overhanging trees, but I stop and turn him and shortly after he slides into the net. A lovely mirror in full winter dress, going 27lbs on the scales, I was more than made up.

As I watched him glide back into the depths I decided it was time to pack up, and go home to the wife. What a weekend, went fishing for 24hrs on one pit, followed my instinct and ended moving to another pit for an extra 24hrs (she never divorced me), losing a big, big, lump. And making up for it with his little brother at 27lbs.

That’s carp fishing, I love it.

Keep Smiling Mark