Cracked it & Snapped Off

[peakoverload]

A while ago I posted a question on here regarding problems I was having fishing one of my club lakes. The problem I had wasn't in getting bites but simply in setting the hook.

Yesterday I made a return to this lake and, at long last, cracked it and had my best day there yet!

I admit to being guilty of pretty much trying the same thing each time I go but that's because I know it will get me bites. My 'technique' is incredibly simple, float fish 1 or 2 cubes of spicy luncheon meat on a hair rig over a bed of hemp.

So I arrive at the lake just before 9am and find that someone has already taken my preferred swim so I have to try a new swim I've never fished before but always thought looked like it could be good a couple of swims further down. Out comes my John Wilson Avon Quiver and I set it up in 'float mode' using the 13ft extension and thread a 5BB Insert Crystal Waggler onto my 6lb line.

Having fished this lake several times before I already know the depth, or so I think, and set the float at the same depth as on previous visits but, thankfully, decide to plummet the depth anyway as I've not fished that swim before. It turns out that that this swim is a good 3ft shallower than my usual swim so I quickly re-adjust and then set my shooting pattern.

Once I'm happy that everything is just how I want it I set about baiting the swim. Now I know that normally you would perhaps want to bait up before you set your rod up but I know that as soon as they hear the splash and the thick oil slick that comes from spicy luncheon meat and hemp always attracts the fish instantly and today is no exception.

4 catapults of hemp and a handful of loose cubes of luncheon meat produces bubbles from feeding fish before I've even had a chance to put a cube of luncheon meat on my hair rig.

1st cast lands perfectly, just beyond the baited area allowing me to reel it back and let my hookbait float gently to the bottom. Less than 10 seconds later the float sails away, I strike and I'm into my first Tench of the day. Although there are loads of Tench in this lake very few of them get to any 'real' size and this one is a bit smaller than average at 1.5lbs.

2nd cast is slightly too short but I decide to leave it. 20 seconds later the float bobs and then is still.

It bobs again

Then again

And then sails away. Strike. The second fish of the day is another Tench this time weighing 2lb.

This last fish caused quite a bit of disturbance to the swim so to keep them interested I provide a few more free offerings of hemp and luncheon meat.

3rd cast and before the hookbait has even had a chance to sink and the float properly cock a Carp has grabbed it and is heading to the middle of the lake. Fortunately this Carp has dillusions of grandeur and weighing only 3.5lb it's quickly turned and brought to the net.

There then followed a hour or so of frustration where I was getting loads of bites, in fact the swim was so packed full of fish that I was foul hooking them just by retrieving the line, but either just couldn't set the hook or I simply just lost them. In total I lost 4 more fish in this hour but then in quick succession 3 more Tench found their way to my net with the biggest weighing 2.5lb. It was after this last and biggest Tench that I quickly rebaited and cast back out. The float hit the water in the perfect area and cocked as usual and, again as usual there was about a 20 second wait before I got a bite. The float bobbed as usual and then sailed away, as usual. I struke and what was on the end of my line was certainly not usual because it shot off like a speed boat with my reel screaming in protest. I wasn't able to turn this fish of make any impression on it before it had reached the middle of the lake. It was at this point I turned to my wife and said "this might take a while!"

After about 10 minutes I had managed to get this fish back to the confines of my swim and it looked like I was going to win the battle. I hadn't even seen this fish buy knew that this was considerably larger than anything else I'd caught that day or even ever from this lake and that it was comfortably into double figures. Suddenly 6lb line and a relatively light Avon rod didn't really feel the right tool for the job! I think Carp must have picked up on my worries because it suddenly saw it's chance for freedom and dove towards the bank and some roots. I knew it was now or never, if I didn't turn this fish in the next few seconds it would all be over and with my rod bent at an alarming angle and my line at breaking point I tried as hard as I could to get it's head around. Unfortunately though the Carp had better ideas and made once last sudden dive that was too aggressive for my line and with a sickening crack the fight was over.

To say I was gutted was an understatement! It wasn't even so much the fact that I had lost it that gutted me but the fact that I hadn't even had a glimpse of it. I'm by no means a Carp fisherman and my biggest ever fish, of any species, was a Carp weighing 11.5lb so I'm not really into the whole 'Carp must be big' kinda thing, as long as I enjoy catching them I don't really care how big they are but this one felt bigger than that and I really would have liked to have seen it if nothing else.

For a few minutes after loosing the Carp I couldn't face casting out again but after a few minutes of swearing and dreaming I rebaited and cast back out and quickly landed another 3 Tench and a Perch weighing 1.5lb.

It was then time for the final cast of the day and so out went the float and this time I had to wait a couple of minutes for a bite as by now bites where starting to dry up a little. Finally the float bobbed and then quickly disappeared. After striking the rod goes into a satisfying bend and I know I'm into another Carp. Not as big as the one I lost but bigger than anything else I'd caught that day. After a few minutes a beautiful slim but long Common Carp rolls over my net and tips the scale at 7lb 2oz making a great end to a great day.

Next time though I want that Carp that snapped me off!

[fishypaul]

so pleased you had a good day mate, very enjoyable report,got any pics ?

cant6 get the link to your blog working

[peakoverload]

Here are a few snap shots of some of the fish I managed to land (not that great pics)

One of numerous Tench I managed to Land. Nothing that large but I just love Tench as they are probably my favorite species.


The smaller of the two Carp I landed that day.


Last fish of the day and the biggest. It's certainly not big by Carp standards but I'm really not a 'Carp Fisherman' and I was very happy with it anyway.

As for the link to my blog. Oops! Yeah I've recently rebuilt my site and forgot to update the link here. Fixed it now and will be adding a more detailed report of the day on my site soon.

[Twiddler]

sounds like you had a great session and some lovely fish were caught by the looks of it, well done

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Lovely fish mate and enjoyed the read

[NICK R]

nice read . glad you had a good session

[BaggieRich]

Cracking read mate and some lovely fish. Nice one.

[pingu]

great report

next time the biggy


dave