Beep,beep,beep the alarm goes off, I have had a bit of a lay in on this day session because the venue is only down the road just two miles so no rush.
Its early July and the gate opens at 7am so I’m going to Mackie’s to get the usual rubber egg, round sausage and rocket fuel breakfast. The tackles in the motor in no time as I’m on my own today the young girl is at school. Breakfast is going the hatch on the way to the venue, Coppice lane pools in Lichfield is the place, I’m there about ten minutes early and the gates are open, so I have a look about for the bailiff Jamie, the specimen lake is by booking only and can’t find him tried his phone as I did last night and no answer so left a message with a pleasure angler on the match lake that I was going down to the lake, I figured it being a Monday there wouldn’t be anybody there and I was right.
Looking across the lake can’t see any movement from the gate so it time to take the all important walk around there are fish showing in 2 areas of the of the lake top and bottom margins were there’s no fishing. I fished this lake a year ago and had 12 fish no big ones but that’s not what I’m here for I’m here to see how the fish have come on in 12 months I have seen and heard a couple have made 20lb so it will be interesting to see how it goes. I don’t choose my swim in the normal manner of fishing were the fish are showing, I decided to put a bed of bait down in a area I fished off last session and stake it out rather than chase the fish around the lake again, looking back now
that was my error but wanted to try something out.
Why do we as carp anglers always try to go one better when the last result was more that good enough or am I only speaking for myself there? I put one rod 6ft off the margin on it is a Dave Mallin liquorice cream bait and the other rod on the outside left of a spodded area on fake corn . Looking around it looks like there is some rain to come and black clouds are on the horizon so brolly is the next job and a brew is on. No cheff’in to do today so I think I’ll start the video diary off. It’s very quiet no fish crashing or boshing, the wind has picked up and conditions are changing rapidly I feel this is going to be a tricky days fishing to say the least. I hear the gate go clank and two guys from Birmingham have popped down to have a chat and see how I’m doing, they haven’t fished the lake before and are looking for a few pointers I gave them my take on the place and they seem to be looking forward to getting down to the lake as soon as possible. The black clouds are getting closer so I walk the two guys to the car park and pick up my waterproofs, I’m back in my peg and I’ve just had a take resulting in a fish lost, the lines dropped back slack I’ve run over wound down and struck into the fish its jumped out, dived back down and slipped the hook just as the rain starts ‘gggrrreat’ I said to myself. The worst storm I have ever experienced in my life has just descended on my brolly and the lake has turned in the North Sea I’ve put the camera down and removed the two 12 ft carbon conductors that were resting on my brolly. An hour later the storm has passed and it left the place looking like a marshland the ground is sodden and my swingers are around my rods.
It’s now baking hot the and the plan is to put some mixers in were the fish were rolling to my right and draw them over my baited are with the wind, I’ve recast to the baited spots I’m leaving them there for a couple of hours then I will move one tighter into the left margin if there is no activity. I have seen a few fish taking the biscuits extremely close in but they are very cagey, I’m thinking that the fish have been pushed in tight with the foot high waves that were rolling to the left marginal sedges. A couple of hours have passed and nothing going on so I’m putting both rods extremely close to the left hand sedges were there are some tall bulrushes, first up is the rod on the left side of the buzzers with the liquorish creams on, I’m going to take this and drop it into a cut-back in the reed line then walk it back to the peg not easy with the height on the rushes. The second rod is on fake corn, I’m going to have to cast this because of the tree that stops me walking back around the edge with the rod from there, I’ve cast it on the bank where there is a clearing the ducks are using to get in and out of the lake walked around with the bucket clipped my rig on and dropped it tight to the edge of reeds in a large bay area, a few handfuls of bait over the top should do the trick, let’s get back to the rods and straighten out and tighten up no good fishing slack when the fish are going to run towards you. Just as I’ve got the second rod set the first rod has ripped off on the liquorish creams a bit of a tussle with it the leads dropped straight away, it’s given up the ghost and come in like a dog on a lead.
‘Get in the net’ I said to myself, a nice chunky common opens the bidding a bit late in the day but better late than never, I’m going to weigh him but it’s not going to be held up because it too hot and I reckon he is only 16lb at best, let’s get it back as quickly as possible, a graph on the mat for the Vlog and he slips back into the depths.
soon he’s away my second rod has dropped back I’ve run over wound down and hit into another fish, this one is coming in relatively easy as well, I think the heat of late must of reduced the oxygen in the lake somewhat and that storm spiked the levels and gave the fish a little boost in energy. This one’s a nice fish low to mid double mirror all welcome, but now I’ve got no rods in the water its good job the 3rd rod is in action, but it’s out on the non-productive baited area ‘stuff it’ i thought I’ve reeled it in and cast to the spot were the second rod was bang on the money first chuck. As I’m considering sorting the carnage out that has occurred after the two fish the rod I’ve just thrown out has pulled tight and the clutch started ticking, I didn’t have time to put the swingers or buzzers on, I’ve picked it up and yes this one’s already hooked and the leads dropped so another dog on a lead hitting the spreader block. Another mirror carp again low to mid double in weight well that’s 3 fish in around half an hour,
I’m done in, I’m going to get these rods back out make a vlog clip and have a well deserved drink. Well an hour and half has passed with no more action, my first video blog since the 90s with the old Sony view-cam is finished and my dinner is calling its late evening I’m going to give it an hour and then I’m calling it a day. “ITS A DAY ” nothing more on the fishing front and the good lady has my tea read, I can be there in ten minutes so I am off home, a good day and a better end to a slow start.