2 Fifties and a Forty

[Banana Steve]

As the week progressed last week, it became very clear that Friday was going to be a wash out, so I contacted Mike and Claudia to see if they fancied some bream fishing at Shearwater near Warminster. By the Friday we had arranged to meet and fish Shearwater on the Saturday, We arrived at 6:30am to lovely cloudless sky and the air of a lovely sunny day {Umm how wrong was I in thinking that } any way to continue.

We mutually decided that we would fish the dam wall, at depths over 35ft I was confident that we would all catch. I set up my 13ft feeder rod using 0.15 – 3lb-5oz hooklength with a size 14 hook and I used a 50/50 mix of Sensas Magic and Brown Lake as my ground bait and I used worms and corn as my hook baits. Both Mike and Claudia set up was very similar. However they used two rods and used bollies for bait as well. I was the first to hook a fish at around 8:30. However, I lost it. Mike was the first to land a fish, a nice bream, for which for the next couple of hours Mike steadily started to bring in the bream. Then Claudia started to catch nice and steadily. By 1:30 we were all catching well with some very nice bream and both Mike and Claudia had had a few carp as well.



It was around 2:30 when the weather changed and the clouds and rain moved in. However the fishing seemed to get better and we all started to catch a lot more fish, the carp were averaging 4lb and the bream were all around 21/2 lb each. Mike by this point had caught over 30lb of fish and both Claudia and myself were on 25lb.


We had a few breaks in the weather where the rain stopped. However at 5ish the heavens opened again and by 6:30 I was washed out, my final bream took me over the 40lb bracket, Claudia had caught really well over the last two hours of the session landing the biggest fish of the day 71/2lb Mirror, with a total weight of 50lb.

Mike produced the biggest catch of the day with over 50lb of fish, he also lost the most, with what he lost he would have easily gone over the 60lb bracket and possible 70lb, Well done Mike and Claudia. And thanks for the company.

Here are some photos of the day.

Claudia playing a good fish

Mike playing in one of his many good fish

I will leave this one for you to make up your own minds

[mithrandir]

Thanks for a great day out Steve, I enjoyed it no end.

I found out why I broke so many off, the line on my left hand reel is totally knackered, I thought I had re-spooled it but I obviously didn't!

Although I think I was probably a bit bullish with some of them when they got close it and rubbing up against the rocks did not help the line, I will return there and try playing the carp on longer line and not bring them in so close when they are still feisty, that I think was the mistake.

here are a few photos I took

A sunny start



waiting for that bite you don't really want as it is peeing down.




where has all the sunshine gone?



one of the lovely commons I caught during the day, taken on a halibut boilie on a hair rigged 14 hook, using 8 lb mainline and a cage feeder with a red sensas lake mix, brown crumb and sweet corn ( and a wee bit of hemp)



One of the better bream taken on the same rig as above, there is a lot of good bream in this lake



Thanks again Steve for inviting me along

Mike

[Rob M]

Brilliant report and pics! You're braver than most to stick it out in those conditions, well done on the fish caught

[fishypaul]

great report and pics steve and mike,well done,
that looks a lovely lake ,any pike in there ?

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Cracking read and piccys looks like you ve got the carp fishing well and truly sussed

[Twiddler]

Not much to add for me besides, thanks to Steve for inviting us...great venue and great company.

Shearwater is a lovely 35acres lake, with a good stock of carp up to 26lb, bream, tench, roach and rudd.

The lake




we even had the honour of a bailiff checking our rod licence.......you should have seen his face when I shouted....yipee, I'm not a virgin anymore lol.....he thought I was of my trolly (guess he must have been warned about me by one of you guys lol).

Almost to the day, a year ago, Mike and I started fishing and this was the first time I ever had my licence checked lol.

The bailiff



Anyway, I had in mind to set up 2 carp rod but changed my mind, so I set only one carp rod up, 8lb mainline, 6lb hooklength with 12"hair rig....bait various between halibut pellets and bloodworm boilies, on which I both caught .

My feeder rod was set up with 5lb mainline, 3.5hooklength with a 14" hair rig and a feeder.
Groundbait was a mix of fishmeal, crushed hemp and sensas magic. For hookbait I used 2 artificial sweetcorn, dipped into honey, covered in some groundbait.....later I changed to covering them into dynamite halibut paste, which both turned out to be a success.

I tried to spread some smooth peanut butter over by bolies too but the fish obviously looking after their weight lol as I could not tempt them with it.



Steve enjoying the sun....while it lasts


Mike re-tackling after a break off




I had great fun fishing the lake, as for the first time I used lighter tackle to fish for carp, as up to now I wasn't confident enough.

I'm chuffed that I managed to catch and land the fish without hardly any casualties....I think I only lost 2 or 3.

My day ended with a curry, beer, hot shower and a longggggggg sleep.

[mithrandir]

the licence check is a timely reminder to have a rod licence, I did ask the EA bailiff what the rules were.

the offence is not producing a licence when asked for, although they rarely prosecute if they can check the number and find you have a licence.

So just having your licence number or a photo copy of your licence is NOT enough, you could still be prosecuted.

[Twiddler]

A thought shower ( not allowed to call them a brain storm anymore )




Mike fighting Mobby Dick

[pingu]

looks like a topo summers day out there

dave

[Norfolkboy]

Well done all