One last session in Berkshire Reading before a few weekends away from fishing for me. With autumn very much here winter is fast approaching and the carp will be less active and trickier to catch than they were in the warmer months we’ve had. Cutting down on the amount of bait we use and tweaking rig setups winter changes more than just the temperature for the hard-core year round carp angler. Personally I’ve always loved that time of year,,, although at times I’ve wished I was at home nice and warm watching MOTD.

I’m on a 48hr session back in the Mound swim. Some recent damp weather has made getting down to the water’s edge very tricky so after getting the bivvy sorted I set about with some bank improvements creating a few steps and there not bad either. The lake doesn’t seem to produce through the daytime, early hours and first light have been the times I’ve had runs. I’ve put two rods on spots that have produced for me before and peppered them with two kg of 16mm Red Ball boilies the third one is a 62 yard cast as tight as I dare to the island with snags and overhanging trees either side an accurate cast is a must, there’s a nice gravel spot there in about 4 foot of water a PVA bag with crushed hemp and boilie crumb with a glugged bottom bait is ideal.

I’ve seen fish cruise past this spot on recent trips they drop under the tree canopies then popup in the small bays until they eventually get around to the other side of the lake it’s a clear patrol route, I decide not to bait it too heavily and fire around 10-15 bottom baits into the overhanging trees so they fall through to the water, can’t get any tighter than that plus the flying rats can’t get them. As predicted the day is very quiet and by early evening I’m ready to reel in and reset the traps for the night. The island rig has clearly been visited by crays with not much hook bait left, so I decide to change over to a plastic Tiger nut which have been in my pot of Hobbit popups and smell just as good. Bingo ! By 6.30 the next morning a short sharp burst on the delkim and the rod tip is bent around, Fish on ! Soon as I lift the rod it starts moving kiting there’s a bay off my right margin and that’s where it wants to go, if It gets there it could be game over unless I get wet and follow it around. luckily I keep a tight line and manage to get it back in front of me, a great scrap and I’m surprised it’s only 20lb.8oz.

I get it in the retainer to recover whilst I get the rod back out, a few snaps and I slip it back. With no action over the next 3hrs I decide to reel in and try baiting a few margin spots for some stalking but after a few hours I haven’t seen a single fish so it’s back to camp for some food, it looks like it’s going to be the usual pattern of an early morning bite. By evening the rods are all clipped up and back on their spots then just after dark I get a few liners on the island rod not long after the alarm signals and what I thought was a carp at first soon turns out to be a Tench. The problem I’ve got now is although I know the clip distance to the island I can’t see the Bay in the dark so rather than chance casting into one of the trees I clip up a rod length short, not ideal but my plan is to get up as soon as it starts to get light too recast.

The rod stays out all night until I get it bang on the next morning and I don’t have to wait that long until in pulls around, This time the fish has locked me solid in weed and doesn’t look like moving, no amount of pressure is going to move it so i ease off until the clutch starts to slowly tick again, I eventually get it moving all the way across the lake with the weed, then close in it dives hard right and finds what can only be part of an overhanging tree, with the line grating I quickly drop my trakie bottoms and wade in waist height, standing over the fish I use the landing net handle to try feel for the snag and almost instantly the fish frees itself hits the surface and I scoop it up, A lovely 19lb Mirror.

A big relief because I never thought I was going to land it. Nothing big this session but staying consistent is good enough. I won’t be back until mid-late October hopefully the lake stays kind to me.