Chris Boyda Nice One Sonning
“Some of ou th e th in g s y n in g a re hear on Son ‘O ld B e rt ie ’ s a h c u s , d ma a rp la u n c h c lb 0 5 a g s e e in w a te r ju s t e th f o t u o it s e lf 6 ft ay t. T h e o n ly w a o fl is h t s a p a t’ s e x a c tl y w h t u o d n fi to have a to is r e ff o n o ro u n d fo r a k o lo d o go y o u rs e lf ”
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O N E
Chris Boyda
SONNING
Nice One Sonning
N I C E
Chris Boyda
There can’t be many 20-year-olds who want to pit their wits against the mighty Sonning Eye. Chris Boyda fancied the challenge and silenced the critics who said he wasn’t ready.
I
was about to undertake my biggest challenge in carp fishing so far. That’s the great thing about angling – there are many ways to get what you personally want out of it. You might be happy bagging a few singles and doubles each time you go, or you may prefer to go a few seasons with only a handful of bites to show for your efforts. My fishing is about the latter. That moment when your hardearned prize comes over the net cord is what fires my carp fishing passion. I’d really set myself a challenge when I decided to take on the 500 acres of Sonning Eye. I knew that although lakes like Sonning Eye could be very frustrating, when the rewards did eventually come they would give me that incredible feeling of satisfaction, no matter what size the fish were. All I wanted to do was cradle one of the lake’s jewels, and so the challenge began. Sonning contains around 100 rarely-caught carp, and the population changes each time the nearby Thames floods. Some residents leave and others enter. You can never be certain what the lake holds. There are always many rumours about what Sonning contains and that mystery is very exciting. The carp that do reside weave their way in and around the many bays and islands as well as the masses of bars, humps
This way for bravery, or is it madness?
and gullies, not to mention some of the lake’s (fierce) snags, as they search around for the juicy naturals that are on offer all over the pit. If the venue itself wasn’t enough of a challenge, I was soon to find out that the pit held masses of tench and bream. These can be very frustrating because they give your perfectly laid traps a hammering at stupid o’clock in the morning. There’s also a rowing club, a sailing club, and a seriously fast speedboat thrashing around the pit, as well as a number of out of bounds areas. Worst of all, though, was the great digger that pulled itself along using its arm, attached to a huge bucket. This thing had been changing the pit massively, and since Sonning had been in the spotlight around 2000/2003, you would now think you were on a different lake. The number of times I’ve had to wind in as this
Chris often needed to keep a low profile – not just from the carp!
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500 acres of water and about 100 carp.
thing carelessly charged through my swim was unbelievable, but over the last year its activities have eased up a bit – thankfully. Sonning’s size and proximity to the Thames help maintain the mystery of the place, as I mentioned earlier. I do know it’s home to some incredible-looking scaly, torpedo-shaped carp that seem to be coming something of a rarity around lakes today. Some of the things you hear on Sonning are mad, such as ‘Old Bertie’ seeing a 50lb carp launch itself 6ft out of the water just past his float. The only way to find out exactly what’s on offer is to have a good look around for yourself on a warm sunny afternoon and search the quiet little nooks and crannies for sunbathing carp, hiding from the digger and the speedboat. One thing is for sure though, once you get started it’s usually you versus the carp with hardly any other anglers to get in your way. Sonning seemed my sort of place from the moment I walked round it. To pull a carp out of hundreds of acres of water was just my thing. Was it brave or just plain mad? I’ll let you decide. So where do you start on a lake like this? The obvious thing is location and unless you find the areas the carp are using you are going to struggle; you could literally be miles away from them. One lovely warm and sunny day in May, my mate Steve (who was also well up for Sonning) and I jumped into his van and headed for the lake. Now Steve had already been up there for a look one very windy day, so on our travels he filled me in on how the wind had tried its best to drag him off. The waves had been crashing into the bank, sending up huge sprays of water as the white horses galloped
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across the lake towards him, and his eyes had The carp would often feed under watered as he stared across the windswept pit. your feet if you were quiet enough. Thankfully today was totally different. Eventually we arrived and as we drove up the track we came to a lovely-looking overgrown bay with a couple of islands out in front. I had to get out and have a good look. I made my way through a bushy tunnel and came out onto The Point Swim, which gave a good view of the big reedy bay. I say bay – it must have been around 20 acres. Steve told me it was only a small part of the lake. ‘Gulp!’ We made our way round to a swim known as The Mattress and as I looked out, over two miles away I could just about see the opposite bank. It looked simply awesome in the morning sun as a gentle northerly wind rippled its way up to an island and a couple of bays to our left. I was like a squirrel on heat that day, climbing up and down trees trying to catch sight of my first old warrior swimming about in its mahoosive home. consistently turning up in the same areas. Our Eventually I got up the right tree, which tickets were due very soon so we had to make overlooked a big reed-lined bay on the end a decision as to what areas to target. They of the breeze. As I looked out at a couple of seemed to like the ends of the winds and the clumps of weed I noticed, about 100 yards pressure-free margins, so with this in mind, down the margin, a particular clump of weed and southwesterly winds due, we had an ideal seemed to have a different colour to it. I area in mind. An extremely long causeway climbed a bit higher but still couldn’t make it ends just short of the area running nearly the out, so I marked the spot next to where I was full length of the pit, and just short of that is looking with a big bush and a tuft of reeds a carpy-looking, bushy island. Carp moving before scrambling back down. from one part of the lake to the other would “Steve, I think there’s some carp over there!” have to cut through the channel between the I shouted. bank and the island, or the island “Where?” he replied. and the causeway. The predicted “Over here, quick,” and I left southwesterly wind would blow “ E v e ry th in g him chasing behind as I raced e m ri p bang on target, making it a d e down the margin. My heart k lo o m o fr s good starting point. e v was beating quicker with a w a s th e Finally, after a number rm a every step. w a k k th e p u y of sleepless nights, Steve a “Err, I think they’re d th e ir w w in d ri p p le and I arrived at the lake about here,” I said, g c re a ti n like two scatty loonies. to w a rd s u s, looking at the tuft of n d fo o d We unloaded our gear into reeds. As quiet as a mouse a fl a t sp o t a e o f th e our freshly cut pegs that had I parted the reeds that tr a p o u r si d just enough room for a small blocked my view and there is la n d ” bivvy and the rods. Everything they were, just slowly swimming looked prime as the waves from the around in circles. There were five pukka warm wind rippled their way towards fish, four commons and a mirror. I could see us, creating a flat spot and food trap our side every scale on them. The biggest was a lovely of the island. The rods were put out to the dark common around the mid-30 mark. What sheltered part of the island before we sat back a sight, and one I will never forget. and took it all in. Nothing happened that The next couple of weeks were spent day but as night-time came we proceeded to looking around and getting a feel for the place. reel in tench after bream. Steve had put out a We saw the odd small group here and there lot of hemp and I had to chuckle, all three of but they seemed to be very mobile fish, not One of Sonning’s lean, mean, fighting machines.
Chris’s brother Ryan can’t hide his smile as he watches a big common feed in front of him.
his rods had a bream on them whereas I was catching fewer of them due to going with a boilie-only approach. It is worth mentioning here that you need every confidence in your bait on a water like this. The pair of us decided on Mainline’s awesome Grange. Next morning we both had dark shadows below the eyes, and as we sat there cursing the slabs over a cup of tea, Steve’s bite alarm went into meltdown. “That ain’t no snotty,” I said, and after a good tussle an 18lb mirror lay on its side in Steve’s net. Neither of us were expecting a carp on our first session but when Steve’s same rod let out the same tone an hour later and he was holding up a stunning 27lb mirror for the camera, it truly took our breath away. I was so excited even though I hadn’t even caught them, but what a moment to see such a rarely-caught carp on the bank. To be honest, for the rest of the season I struggled. I’d just started work, which limited my time even more, and although I was getting to know areas and was able to find them quite regularly, I never caught one during that first spring and summer. A few people were telling me I was too young to fish a pit of this standard
Ryan managed to get among the Sonning residents.
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and that I didn’t have enough experience, but this only fired me up even more. That winter I thought to myself, ‘I know I’ve got it in me to do it – don’t give up – make all those hours of searching pay off.’ Come on the spring! Spring eventually arrived and I was once again on Sonning, looking high and low at every opportunity, until I suddenly came across what I was looking for. After several fruitless hours searching I happened to be up a tree that overlooked the island we had spent a fair bit of time fishing to last year when I caught sight of two groups of carp patrolling its margins. I nearly collapsed and fell out of the tree as I watched about 16 of them, and some were real corkers. It looked as if these were the big girls grouping up ready to spawn in the coming weeks. I felt rewarded for my efforts as another piece of the giant jigsaw fell into place. I was soon ordering up plenty of Grange once again with some money I’d managed to save up. Every day after work we would all get into the van and start applying our baits. I was depositing a couple of kilos every single night just short of the island in a good 5ft of water. My brother Ryan was also hammering into my bait supply in an attempt to get his chosen area going and Steve once again went in with a lot of hemp. As I catapulted the last of my boillies from the bag, on the last bait up before our next fishing trip, everything felt perfect. I’d found them and applied my bait on the chosen mark for 10 days. The weather had been spot on for this area and I would be arriving with my rods the very next day. Before heading off that night You’d just have to be pleased with the capture of a stunner like this!
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I turned back and looked out from my peg with to sneak out another 50 or so baits before a big grin on my face. Surely it had to happen? burying myself in the sleeping bag. After a long and busy day at work I finally I was absolutely sparko when the silence arrived for the session. It didn’t take long to of half three in the morning was shattered as get the rods out with another kilo or so of a scream from hell scared the crap out of me. boilies spread over the hookbaits. I wanted to I immediately tried to dive out for my rods stay awake and watch for any signs but my eyes but crashed into the side of the bivvy; in my would not let me and I drifted off to haste I’d forgotten I’d set up the door sleep. Nothing much happened on the other side! I clambered that night, just two big tench back across the bedchair and rolling over my baits. grabbed hold of my rod. To Around 10 o’clock the next start with everything seemed morning Steve landed a to be pretty sluggish and my mid-double common. first thought was that I had Although it was a small another tench attached to a one, it was still a great ball of weed. It came in pretty achievement in my eyes. quickly but with an explosion stiff That day I sat in my bivvy Chris has had a lot of success using of water a rod length out, I rigs and choddies, however, because he flicked on the headtorch and wondering what more I hook, 6 Size uses a larger-than-normal could do to catch one for he inserts a cork plug into his pop-ups there staring back at me was myself. I was getting pretty to make them extra-buoyant. a set of large bronze scales. frustrated that so much As the common made a dash hard work had not yet paid off, but it did look towards a snag to my right I felt physically sick good out there and I was sure the group we’d and prayed for her to stay on. Thankfully she seen would return. turned back towards me and I saw the chance The ‘tincas and brendas’ turned up that to net her. In she went first time – my moment night in a truly mickey-taking style, making a was here. Securing her in the net I legged it good job of blunting my hooks. I was so fed straight to Steve’s bivvy with shivers running up of tying up new rigs that I switched over down my spine. to the Multi Rig, which allows you to change “Steve! Steve!” I shouted as I shook his bivvy, the hook over in seconds. About 2.00 a.m. I nearly tearing it out of the ground. “Got one, noticed how everything seemed to have come mate! Got one.” to a grinding halt. The liners had stopped and “Well done mate,” he replied, as I turned and the tench and bream appeared to have finished pegged it for Ryan’s swim. He’d already heard hanging themselves, so I took the opportunity the commotion and was charging towards me in the dark, and we both ran straight into each other. “What’s going on?” he said. “Got one – big common!” I blurted out in reply. He grabbed hold of me and we started jumping about like complete nutters. After calming down I got a few mates around to help me with the photos and weighing. I really did not care about the weight but the boys hooked her up and at 31lb 10oz it was a PB common by a single ounce. I admired her gorgeous colours while the photos were taken; she looked awesome and it felt unbelievable that all that effort had paid off. I watched her swim off until she was out of sight. The rest of the day was spent in a complete daze. It was a massive confidence boost and I was sure some of her mates would come back looking for some more grub next weekend – hopefully. For the next week I
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continued to put a steady stream of baits over the spots but fairly spread out so it gave the carp a chance to find some. It took a lot of determination to get back from work and have a quick bite to eat before going up to the pit, baiting up, returning home late, and then have to get up early ready for work. The thing that kept me going was knowing that the more effort I put in, the more I’d get out of it – eventually. Although I had bags under my eyes, I pushed myself all the way. One night was all I could do that following weekend, but one night was better than none. I arrived on the Saturday, well up for it because I knew I had every chance of another carp. Again I was lucky with the weather. There was a fair chop on the water, blowing straight for the island, creating that lovely flat spot where the hookbaits were, accompanied by a good spray of boilies. I was sure that in the quiet hours of darkness one of us would be doing battle. I was still up around 3.00 a.m., listening out and drinking tea with Ryan. We heard two crashes close by, which made us too exited to go to bed, so sure were we that some action would follow. Suddenly my receiver went into overdrive; running back into my peg I picked up the bent rod and started an almighty battle with some savage beast. It was stripping line from the spool at speed and I was scared to clamp down too much, but I had no choice. I knew the beast was getting closer to a snag and it had already gone over Steve’s three rods. The harder I cupped the spool, the harder it pulled, then suddenly I felt that nasty grating feeling on the line. It had no intention of easing up and after a few more kicks the line fell slack. I wound down as hard as I could, hoping to regain contact, as you do, but all I reeled in was a chafed and frayed 15lb main line. I dropped the rod, and placed my hands on my head and thought about hanging myself. With my hands shaking and my heart thumping, Ryan left me to chill in the bivvy, wondering what the hell it was that had just done me.
“
Ryan displays one of Sonning’s original big mirrors.
After 10 minutes of beating myself up I metaphorically kicked myself in the arse, got out the tackle box and made my rigs back up. I was now on a mission. There was no way they were going to total this lot I thought, with an evil look on my face. What’s done is done. They were obviously in the area, so out went the rod again, with some more boilies fired high into the darkness so they’d hit the overhanging branches on the island and fall bang on the money. I was now starting to feel the effects of the lack of sleep, so I got into the sack at around 4.30 a.m. with my teeth firmly gripped together, trying to tell myself ‘that’s carp fishing, and it just adds to the mystery of the lake.’ BLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP! is all I can remember from there. As I ran to the rods it was obvious from the off that another carp was responsible. I had to really concentrate because the bugger had taken me around a post in the
After 10 minutes of beating myself up I metaphorically kicked myself in the arse, got out the tackle box and made my rigs back up. I was now on a mission
Chris carefully waits for the feeding carp to move… 126
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”
…then places his rig into position, slackens off the line…
…before hiding the rods from view and sitting back and waiting.
water. I kept a fairly tight line and luckily it came back around, continuing a slow, heavy fight in open water. The carp stayed down very deep and after another 10 minutes of heavy lunges and slow but powerful runs I caught sight of a big pale mirror. I tried my best to stay calm and it was soon ready for the net. I gently reached out with out the net and in she went, sweet as a nut. Once again, excitement took over and I woke my brother and Steve, who probably thought their numbers were up, being shaken by some headcase shouting a load of jibber-jabber. We carefully placed her in the sack for a short while until everything was sorted. I could not believe the size of her great big, hoover-type mouth and rubbery lips. She had some lovely big-plated scales along her flank and displayed those pukka pink, yellow and cream colours. The scales were pulled round to 37lb dead. I felt rather pleased with myself after getting something so very special to pick up my little boilie in hundreds of acres of water. The timing of those captures could not have been any better because getting a lift to the lake was becoming a real pain and Steve wasn’t going as much. Coupled with that, my work life was very busy. I was still getting up there doing the odd night here and there and I nearly stalked out another of Sonning’s finest, but I had to wait for the last day in October for my next result. It was very windy and hard to spot anything show but I just happened to be looking in the right place to catch sight of a tail about 100 yards out. I had to wade out as far as I could and give the cast all I had due to the wind blowing towards me. It landed pretty close and went down with a nice thump, indicating the presentation should be spot on. Later that night the single hookbait was picked up and the line sang its tune. After a good scrap I landed a clean-looking carp just shy of 20lb. I was over the moon once again and felt very pleased with the capture at that time of year. By now Sonning had drawn me in big-time. Although it was very hard going at times, I still wanted to give it a good go, especially in the
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spring. This time I had the advantage of passing my driving test and could get up to the lake whenever I wanted. I was really enjoying it up there, so the first signs of warm weather saw me back having a look. It was a serious walk from the car park to the far end, well over a mile. The series of bays and islands along this bank all needed investigating. I’d seen carp up here before, cautiously patrolling about, but I wasn’t ready for the sight that awaited me. I’d crept down a small point that gave a view of a small finger bay. When I looked up over a bush I was greeted by the sight of 25 carp absolutely hammering into the naturals, sending up masses of bubbles and tearing away at marginal reeds. Being the middle of April it looked as if they had just come out of their winter slumber and were having their first big feed of the year. I looked on with my mouth wide open, in total disbelief. I was on my own and spent the whole day watching and following them about as more seemed to turn up and join the party. It was a good chance to see exactly what I was fishing for. I was so close to them I could have touched them as they swam by. A few days were immediately booked off work and Ryan and I were soon sorting through our fishing bags, getting rid of any items which we thought we would not need. That long walk through brambles, hills, ditches, and all manner of other undergrowth obstacles meant no more luxuries. One small Argos brolly and two cheap Argos campbeds that folded up into a small tube were now our luxuries, and it all needed to be camoed up. It was great fun spray-painting everything in greens and browns, going well over the top, but we couldn’t help ourselves. The car was loaded and we were soon heading back to the lake, planning to do a few short hours and leave the gear up there while we came home that night to see a few people. The barrow was loaded and we took it in turns to push it the long distance, strapping loads of branches and straw to it along the way, with which we would make our hiding base. We were soon there and very keen to get the camp set up but I just had to show Ryan where I’d first seen the fish. I took him out onto that point and they were still there. The water was chocolate colour by now and it was all very exciting. The swims we chose were just around the corner from this long point, as we didn’t want to hook one in amongst them and send the
Nice One Sonning
Chris hides away as he prepares a new rig.
“Did you hear that?” he asked. “Yeah, and it sounded heavy.” “A big common came out twice, right in front of my face!” he said I didn’t have to ask how big it was, as his face said it all. We both rubbed our hands together and chuckled away. As it got dark we were sitting upright in our den in total silence, when all of a sudden we just cracked up laughing. “What you laughing at?” Ryan asked me. “Don’t know. What about you?” He didn’t know either. We were both so excited we just burst out laughing – what a top buzz. I was woken that night by a stuttery take, which I thought was a bream. “ It ’s a It came straight in to where Ryan , id c a rp !” I sa was waiting with the net, just in n a y R at a n d w it h th case it was a carp, when a long, d n a r up old-looking mirror popped up rest charging for sc o o p e d h e e . S h e h a d on the top. in m s the other end of the a w e sh fl o p p y ta il “It’s a carp!” I said, and with lake. The plan was to a g re a t b ig l that Ryan scooped her up and a n a d intercept them with re d w it h a b lo o she was mine. She had a great big singles as they made e r o ld fi n – a p ro p fl oppy tail with a blood red anal fin their way in and out of ” e n lo o k in g o – a proper old-looking one. their cozy bay, hopefully Throughout the next day we mainly giving us the chance of two watched them swimming about, becoming or three takes. With everything familiar with a few of the group we were seeing sorted we got the rods out nice and tight to regularly, including two koi, a twisted-backed islands and marginal reeds, as this was where common, and a small fully-scaled mirror. It was they had been munching on the naturals. Ryan almost like they were becoming pets as we got was just wondering where to put his second to know their characters. Ryan had another that rod when one launched itself out three times, morning, a small mirror of 15lb, which he was with three unbelievable crashes, just off a set of very pleased about. I don’t blame him, as it was reeds further up the bank, so that was that one all coming together nicely and we still had two sorted. We had about half an hour left when nights ahead of us. Ryan’s second rod burst into life, and after a We decided on a move for that night after good fight he netted a mint mirror with loads seeing a few bigger stunners using a slightly of starburst scales, weighing 20lb 11oz. This different area. We got halfway there when the was his first from the lake so it was an extrabarrow tyre punctured. If you have ever had special moment for the pair of us. this happen you’ll know you have to work 10 We were back down the next day, and with the rods sorted and our little den looking sweet, times as hard to push it. We carried on though, Ryan went off for another look in the bay while and soon set up camp and sailed out the leads to some new carpy-looking spots. The weather I watched the rods. The next thing I knew was had been perfect the whole time with very this ‘PE-DOSH, PE-DOSH!’ sound coming warm sunshine for April and a nice warm from the bay. I turned around and looked at ripple blowing straight into our area – the carp Ryan who was just making his way back round just couldn’t resist it. looking like he’d just seen a ghost. Perfection – what more can you say?
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During the night Ryan was once again into a any signs in front of us for a while. Off he went, We grabbed our rods with a few stalking bits carp, and after a good tussle in the deep margins leaving me on the lookout in our area. and followed them another half mile around he had an absolutely awesome carp in the net. About 15 minutes later a group of carp the lake until they settled. After lowering in We sacked her up for an hour until dawn, to turned up around the island, bow waving a couple of baits, the carp must have gone do the pictures, and when we opened the sack around in the morning sun, right over my over the boilies several times, completely we couldn’t stop commenting on how perfect hookbaits. Minutes later I had a violent take on uninterested. They preferred to make a meal she was. The mirror was also the biggest of the my left-hand rod. I immediately held the rod out of the lake’s naturals, so we dug through session so far, and what a way to do it. He really up high so I wouldn’t get cut off on the nastysome old, smelly, beached-up weed and was chuffed to bits. looking bars closer in. Thankfully the carp kited found a couple of nice, fat, juicy lobworms to As the sun rose higher in the sky, the carp along the back of it until the bar dropped away use. Once in position my line tightened five once again turned up in a different area, about and I was now out of danger. I waded out in the minutes later and I reeled in a beautiful big 300 yards down the bank, so the gear was water up to my waist to get a better angle on perch. Not quite what I was hoping for, but a loaded onto the punctured barrow and it was the still-kiting carp. At this point I looked up lovely-looking fish. once again time to start sweating. By now and saw Ryan casually strolling back around the All day we were dunking our caps in the our food and water water and putting them supply was getting very back on our heads All day we were dunking our caps in the water low because we hadn’t to cool us down. We brought much to start and putting them back on our heads to cool us really didn’t want to go with, preferring to go the carp were down. We really didn’t want to go because the because as mobile as possible, still moving around but we still had another carp were still moving around the margins and the margins and some two days and a night of them were amazingsome of them were amazing-looking creatures looking creatures. to go. After a couple of missed stalking chances Suddenly a boat with during the day it was once again time to set up other side of the bay, totally unaware of what an outboard came thrashing towards us. We the brolley and back-breaking Argos bedchairs was going on. Eventually he noticed me in the hit the deck and got in amongst some reeds before getting the rods out for the night ahead. water with a bent rod in my hand, stopped, did and goose crap. It stopped about 15 yards short All the rods were cast tight to an island, which a double-take, and then belted round to assist. of the bank and I could see the driver having lay about 90 yards away, where the carp had I soon netted a lovely pale-looking common, a good look through a tiny gap in the reeds been bow waving during the day. It was our last and with quiet cheers all round we steered her before he turned and went back. We both just night and I felt very confident once again of up the bank to do a few photos. One of her started laughing until we realised he would some action. On these big, low-stocked waters I flanks seemed totally slime-free where she’d have scared off the carp, which he had. only really feel confident if I have actually seen been power-diving and rubbing along obstacles They were nowhere in sight so this drew an carp in the area. Sometimes certain bays and to get rid of any leeches and other parasites end to one of my best sessions of all time. It other little areas scream carp at you as you look from the winter. She was also very tensed up, was now time to push the punctured barrow at them from ground level, but a quick look trying to curl into a ball with her dorsal erect. back to the car, well over a mile away. With all from a tree and the area can be deserted. This is It was obvious she was a bit scared and had the gear loaded on, it was only adrenaline that why we moved about so much. probably never been caught before. Once again kept us going. An hour later we made it. After a quiet night we woke up to a fantastic a very happy angler released his prize and we Later on that year Sonning was hit badly by sunrise. The lake was flat calm and it was were off looking again, ready for our last day. the floods. We went for a look and were wading obviously going to be another hot one. We The day turned out to be a up to our waists in water, on an area that used took down the camp and hid it away. We hadn’t scorcher. We felt very weak and to be dry land. Anything could have come and been up long but we were already gasping for tired and we had no supplies gone from there into the river. As I said before, a drink and a bite to eat. We had half a pint left; we were starting to get you never know what lakes like this contain and of milk between us so we put it in a hedge very dizzy from being when the weather warms up I think it might to cool it down and only drink half each dehydrated, but these be worth another look, but it might now only when we got desperate. As we sat on the feelings soon faded contain a few of those stunning warriors. It’s dew-covered grass Ryan told me he was going as we caught sight of a big gamble for someone on limited time but to check the other bays because we’d not seen another group of carp. we’ll see how it goes. CB
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Another result from a water that could still hold one of carp fishing’s unsolved mysteries.
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