The Last Syndicate Session

Earlier in the year South West Lakes Trust informed us that our syndicate water ‘Lower Tamar’ was going to be turned into a day ticket water. Although this was a bit gutting for all the present members it was a decision that was made to hopefully increase revenue for the charity based body. Unfortunately due to other commitments I had not spent as much time as I would have liked to on the water and with some target fish still to be caught a session was duly arranged for the end of August, just before it went to day ticket on the 1^st of September.

I checked the long range weather forecast two weeks before the planned session and worked out that the wind was mostly going to be blowing North/ North West for the foreseeable future. With this information in hand I popped down to Lower and with a bit of work with the marker float I devised a plan to bait one area that I could roughly fish from three different swims just in case any were taken when I arrived. I started baiting this area heavily with Velocity Baits Contrast and their new test bait Re-Akt along with a bit of partiblend for the next week or so to try a pull some fish into the area ready for when I turned up to fish.

I arrived at the lake on the Sunday afternoon for the start of the session and was pleased to find the whole 33 acres devoid of anglers. With the wind still coming from a north westerly direction I opted to go in a swim called Rhodies which meant the wind was pushing right into me and with the swim chosen I went about setting up camp and getting my rods ready. I opted for a 16mm Re-Akt pop up on one rod and the other two had 18mm Contrast rig neutrals tipped with 10mm Contrast pop ups, one white and the other yellow to see what colour the fish were preferring. Well the pre baiting had obviously paid off as generally you have to wait for the dust to settle after disturbing the water before you get any chance of a pick-up but within 40 mins I had my first take on the white rig neutral tipped with the yellow 10mm pop up. The fish certainly know how to fight in Lower and after a hard fought 10 mins or so this cracking mid double common was in the net.
I couldn’t off asked for a better start and with the photos done I repositioned the rod and topped the spot up with some more boilies. As Kelvin and I sat talking and enjoying the evening sun he asked me what target fish were top of my list and I replied that although there is 30lb commons and mirrors in Lower the two I most dearly wanted is Moonscale (which Kelvin has been lucky enough to have) and the Fully. They are both twenties but to me they are absolute belting mirrors and I would love to have them in my album. Not long after that we retired to our beds with me now dreaming of said fish. Later that night I managed another two takes one I lost and the other this low double common.
Once again with the rods repositioned and the spots baited up I climbed back into bed and fell asleep praying for one of the special ones. Morning came and went without another touch and with the weather worsening I had to make the decision to leave my rods where they were or to freshen everything up for the coming night. All I can say is thank the carp gods I decided to leave everything alone as only an hour later my middle rod was away and battle commenced. You could not write it if you tried and you’ve probably guessed by now, the three year quest of catching the ‘Fully’ was over.

The Fully

Absolutely buzzing and with the photos done I sat with a celebratory cup of coffee and tried to take in what had just happened. I then went about putting the rod back out and topping up the spots for the night ahead. This session was already turning out to be a red letter one in terms of the amount of pick-ups I was having and the quality of fish but little did I know more was to come.

During the night I managed another 5 takes with two off them being double hook-ups which is unheard off on Lower but for some strange reason I managed to drop 3 and land 2 of them. The fish were really getting on the bait and I was going through it at an alarming rate.

The weather had now got so bad that after the last two runs I couldn’t get the rods back on the spots so I just leant them against the bivvy and went to bed. I was awoken in the morning to the sound of water running through my bivvy from the fields behind and on quick inspection found everything in my bivvy was now soaked, oh happy days. I looked out of the door to find that my rod was nearly totally submerged and the 33 acre lake had risen two foot in the last 4 hours (that’s some rainfall), so I jumped out of bed and pulled the pod back to dry land and went about trying to clear the mess in the bivvy up. Whilst all this was going I had totally forgot about my other rod and the fact that I had turned my receiver off whilst moving my pod. I was suddenly aware of this whirring sound and it took me a few seconds to realise it was the sound of my reel melting off. The sight of me trying to get my waders on and get to my rod at the same time must have been hilarious to anyone watching but I eventually managed both and even landed the fish.

The end of the session had come around and apart from the horrendous weather I couldn’t believe how well it had gone. I ended up with 8 fish landed and 4 lost with one of the A team being crossed off the list. Even though it has gone day ticket I will definitely be returning at some point in the future as I have unfinished business with a couple of fish I would like a photo with. Here are a few photos of other fish that swim in Lower’s depths and a bit of information about the place as well.

Lower Tamar is a 33 acre stunning reservoir with 15 swims which is part of the South West Lakes Trust portfolio. The approximate stocking levels are 300 carp which average between 15 and 20lbs, roughly 80 over 20lb and a handful of thirties with an average annual growth rate of 2-3lbs. There are toilets, shower and a secure car park onsite for anglers to use. There is a stoned path to nearly all of the swims and day tickets are available from the 1^st of September 2015. Permits can be bought from the ticket room at Upper Tamar and prices are as follows:

Full Day £10                                                                                                                                                     

Concession £8

24 Hour £20

Well I hope you have enjoyed reading an insight into one of my sessions and get a chance to visit this unique venue, so until next time good luck and remember to have fun along the way.

Regards

Arron Fisher