FEATURE
A D A M
C L E W E R
THE UPS AND DOWNS OF FISHING FOR CARP We’ve all exper ienced them, the days w hen you can’ t do r ight for doing wrong, or, alter na tively, the days w hen ever ything jus t goes according to plan. As Adam says , “It’s w ha t makes this car p-fishing lar k interes ting!”
M
y fishing of late has been really quite inconsistent. Not inconsistent in terms of frequency of visits, because I’ve fished no more, nor less, than usual, it’s just that when I have ventured to a lake
or river, sometimes I have repeatedly suffered a number of erratic and unpredictable happenings. My catch rates have sustained a pleasing level, and at times I have caught some really good fish, it’s just that every now and
then the wheels have fallen off and I’ve suffered the dizzying see-saw effect of triumph and then catastrophe. These episodes have not always related to the fishing itself – the circumstances and surroundings in which I have
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found myself have, at times, been slightly frustrating, disconcerting, and thoroughly exasperating. I wonder if I’m the only angler to drink from this cup? I doubt it… Most fishing articles portray the angler to always be on the ball, fishing at his best, and reading the signs of the water with extrasensory perception. That sounds appealing, however, some occasions and events of late have highlighted the fact that, as anglers, there are some things over which we have no control. What follows are a few instances of such tales. One of the lakes I have been fishing over the last year is incredibly seasonal in its catch rates and angling pressure.
Maybe it’s the ups and downs that keep this carp-fishing lark interesting…
BELOW
Throughout the winter months I was not aware of a single capture. This hibernation period lasted five months, and although our recent winter was especially harsh, the lack of results to the anglers who did fish throughout the colder months did come as a surprise to me. Last summer, the fishing was relatively straightforward, with multiple catches a regular occurrence. However, with the first signs of spring, it was only a matter of time before the fish made a reappearance. A young lad, Tom, who certainly seems to be fairly sharp on the carp-catching front, was fishing the lake most weekends. Being a regular, he seemed to choose the
weekend when the fish woke up from their prolonged respite. Tom was in the right place at the right time, and when the lake produced its first fish of the season, he was amongst the action, with carp of 29lb 10oz, 34lb 14oz, 32lb 8oz and three 20s. As a bystander, waiting from the warmth and comfort of my home for news that the fishing had started again, I was really impressed by Tom’s success – what a start to the season! The weekend he caught those fish suffered freezing temperatures, northerly winds and driving sleet, but Tom braved the weather and was duly rewarded, and his success generated enthusiasm in the other members – me included.
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Two weeks later I attempted to start my fishing on the lake. I say ‘attempted’ because as is increasingly the case in fishing, you never know what is going to greet you. When my car pulled through the familiar gates of the fishery, I was astonished to see the car park resembling a busy supermarket on a bank holiday weekend. There were cars everywhere! This was not a good sign. It seems news of Tom’s result, and the suggestion that the switch had been flicked, had travelled far and wide. The fish also have a reputation of weighing several pounds more than they do during the summer. All this had encouraged more anglers to fish the lake, and who could blame them – the stock of fish weighing 30lb+ is really quite impressive during the spring. After a sluggish and slightly downbeat stroll of the lake, I returned to my car, disheartened by the fact that the decision of where to angle was not mine to make. No number of ‘watching the water’ tips and articles can assist in this scenario; you might be the best fish-spotter in the world, but if there are bivvies already installed in every swim, you have no choice but to consider the areas that the other anglers have already rejected. This is perhaps my biggest disappointment with the modern carp scene. The popularity of our sport has created conditions where waiting lists for good waters are long, membership fees attract a premium price tag, and banks are busy. This is such a shame, but the paradox of the situation is ironic. The fact that this article appears in a magazine that promotes the sport has also contributed to the rise of carp angling. Social media, YouTube and television, to name just a few, have also assisted in the growth in popularity of our sport. This isn’t all bad. An increase in revenue in the angling industry has enabled tackle manufacturers to resource development incredibly. Our fishing equipment is therefore superior to anything that has ever been available to us before, and in some instances costs less than it did. This is probably due to advancements in manufacturing, and the quantities of items being produced being far greater. However, back to my rather busy
lake. I had two options; either go home and endure the news that others were catching while I was sitting at home, or put myself in one of the ‘dregs’ swims, and convince myself that with a bait in the water, there was always a chance. I chose the latter. The swim I elected for – or should I say the swim that elected me – was one of only a few remaining, and was conveniently close to the car park, but on most other occasions, would scarcely be a swim of choice. The rate at which I assembled my tackle was slower than usual, no doubt due to the fact that I would rather not have been there in the first place. However, bivvy up and a few casts around, I was content (not happy) that I had found an area that would suffice. The guys at Kent Particles had spiced up some hemp for me, with the addition of garlic and Cell glug to hopefully
TOP This 28lb mirror was caught when I least expected it. ABOVE Regardless of how things are going, I always try my best.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
BELOW
“I had two options; either go home and endure the news that others were catching while I was sitting at home, or put myself in one of the ‘dregs’ swims, and convince myself that with a bait in the water, there was always a chance”
induce a cold-water bite. I gingerly baited the area with half a bucket of bait and duly positioned three rigs in the general proximity. Sitting by the water that evening I was torn between the emotions of enjoying and enduring. It was certainly pleasant to be back after such a long winter, but the busyness of the lake was bewildering and rather unappealing. As the evening drew into night I considered the season ahead. If this was a glimpse of the next few months I was apprehensive that my hopes for my spring fishing would unfold as projected in my feasibly idealistic imagination. As is often the case when fishing a swim you would rather not be fishing, it came as no surprise, in the light of a new day, that I had failed to catch during the hours of darkness, however, the morning mist was a pleasant backdrop to wake up to, and although fishless, it was good to be angling again. Two hours into the new day, to my utter astonishment, I received a fast take on the right-hand rod. Time froze for a moment – as I stared at the spool, before eventually engaging my brain, and striking the rod. Fish on! The fight was long and hard because the carp,
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which had been rudely awakened from his winter slumber, was giving his all to shed the hook. As the fish approached the net I caught my first glance of a deep-bodied mirror that looked every bit of 30lb. Half a dozen more twists and turns occurred in close before, fortunately, the fish slipped over the net cord and was mine. What a bonus! My confidence and expectation to catch had been virtually non-existent. The scales recorded a weight of 28lb 6oz. Although not quite a 30, I was nonetheless delighted. I’ve often considered the comical paradox of succeeding in catching carp when it is least expected, and failing to catch when it looks almost a certainty. Mercifully, in this instance my expectations did not materialise, and I returned home a happy angler. T he B i g g es t Fis h and a R ea l l y B a d D ay
A few weeks ago I ventured across the Channel on a flying visit to Abbey Lakes. I had heard so much about Abbey, and although I have little
ABOVE The sun goes down on a day that produced a very big fish for me.
45lb 14oz mirror. After a breamlike take – what a pleasant surprise.
BELOW
experience of fishing on the Continent (this was my first visit), I could no longer ignore the impressive stories that friends were telling me about the place. Abbey is only a 2½-hour drive from Calais, so after a very early wake-up call, I made the journey to check out the place for myself. With a remarkable portfolio of waters to choose from, it was a hard decision to select a lake to fish, however, after expert advice from the resident bailiff (thanks Rupert), I decided the best chance of success would be on Atilla Lake.
Amazingly, Atilla is sometimes considered the lesser of the portfolio of big-fish waters on the Abbey site, but with over 70 x 40s and half a dozen 50s swimming in its depths, that was good enough for me. With only 48 hours of fishing time at my disposal, I was keen to get the rods out, but also reluctant to just throw them out blind. An hour with a marker rod gave me the confidence I needed, and finally I was fishing. As I was sitting down to eat and watching the French sun go down on my night, I received a twitchy take on my middle rod. My initial thoughts were that it was a bream-like take. However, as the sun was now fading, if I needed to recast the rod I needed to be quick. I picked up the rod and struck into immediate resistance. Whatever was on the end was either engulfed in weed or was a very heavy fish. I had been playing around with some new drop-off lead kits from Fox which, upon discharging the lead, brought a large boil of bubbles, immediately followed by a large-framed carp to the surface. Now free from the weed and in the upper layers, I was immediately aware that I was connected not to bream-trolling weed, but to a carp – and a big one at that. For the size of the fish the fight was relatively ordinary, but being attached to a fish that I really wanted to land, I was slightly grateful for that. It continued to move slowly and felt heavy, and at times I speculated that it was trailing weed, but it wasn’t – it was just big. Fortunately, it went in the net first time. I peered over the net cord, and could see that either my net had shrunk, or this fish was bigger than anything my landing net had previously held. The scales quivered at 46lb before resting just shy of that at 45lb 14oz. It was the biggest fish I had ever caught. I was elated. A bottle of celebratory wine was consumed (not French wine, I might add), before I turned in, a very happy man. The following day dawned, and although I was still very pleased due to my previous night’s capture, it turned out to be the most unusual of days. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. From catapult elastic breaking (spares sitting at home in the shed), to Stop Knots breaking sending spods into the lake never to be seen again. Rich, my friend who had joined me (and who took some great photos – thanks Rich) suffered a similar fate. He received Au gu st 2 013 C a r pwor l d 25
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a screaming run on his right-hand rod soon after breakfast, and with the previous evening’s fish still very fresh in our memories, the battle commenced with some trepidation. The fish fought hard and stole line from his reel at every opportunity. Eventually, it came close, so, with waders on, we both stood kneedeep in water spectating on what was, once again, a large carp, fighting as if its life depended on it. What happened next can only be truly understood by carp anglers. At a little over a rod length away from the waiting net, the hook pulled. Rich dropped his rod in the water in disgust. We both remained silent. I retuned to my bivvy speechless. In these circumstances there are no words to say. People try to say things such as “Get the rod back out, there’s always another one”, etc. These ‘helpful’ aphorisms rarely assist. It’s a little like someone at a funeral saying “Oh well, they’re in a better place”. Often the best answer is silence.
“For the next 20 minutes or so Rich attempted to recover the rod by means of casting around with his marker rod” Gutted, Rich got his rod back out and fishing. He lined up his cast on a far margin tree, and proceeded to flex the carbon in an attempt to land his rig back on the spot that had just produced the bite. What happened next took us both by surprise. His line snagged on one of the eyes of the top section of the rod. This caused the line to break on the cast and take the top section of the rod with it. For the next 20 minutes or so Rich attempted to recover the rod by means of casting around with his marker rod. He was eventually successful in recovering the rod, and fortunately the tackle and baited rig too. What a nightmare! Further events occurred that day that just never happen. I don’t believe in luck, and as a casual snooker player (when it’s too cold to go carp fishing), I know that eventually the flukes and the fouls ultimately balance themselves out. It just seemed that on that day everything that could go wrong did go wrong. We returned to the UK the following day bemused but truly enthralled by the place. Rich received a secondchance take that resulted in him catching a 33lb 10oz
mirror. So a fish each in 48 hours’ fishing on a lake we had never seen before wasn’t too bad – especially given that my fish was a good one. A Ge niu s or a F o o l
My last story resulted in events for which I was responsible. In this instance, I made my own fortune, and could be branded either a genius or a fool. Living on the south coast I have dabbled over the years with boats. From small sailing dinghies to RIBs (rigid inflatable boats) with powerful outboard engines – I’ve always enjoyed being on the water. A number of years ago I fished a lake which afforded its members the use of a boat. The transformation a boat made when exploring the lakebed, and finding the fish was incredible. One lake of which I am currently a member shares the water with kayakers, and although kayaks aren’t my thing, I was keen to hire one for an hour, ascertain where the fish had been feeding, bait the spots generously, and then sit on them for a few days. The last time I had endeavoured to do this it paid off handsomely – I banked five fish in 24 hours, including a 31lb common. A few weeks ago I attempted the same escapade. With tentative optimism, I secured the same swim as before, and, knowing the spots a little better, liberally baited the area with a mixture of hemp, particles and Cell boilies. That evening I organised my bivvy, ensuring my camera, scales, and slings were close to hand for the multiple catch I was about to incur. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. The next two days passed without so
TOP Escapades with a kayak. The angler who followed me when I vacated the swim had a great time! ABOVE Sometimes when nothing seems to go right, it’s just nice to sit by the fire.
A pleasant turn of events – the biggest carp in the lake!
BELOW
much as a liner to my rods. Something was very different. As is always the case with fishing, eventually time had run out and I pointed the car in the direction of home. You’ll never guess what happened the next day! An angler dropped in my swim and fished single Cell hookbaits. That story is his story to tell, but let’s just say he had a good time! Often in angling I have arrived at a water to be greeted by the words, “You should have been here last week…” In the example with the kayak, it was actually the other way around. As carp anglers, sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we don’t. I have often caught fish when it looked unlikely, and blanked when everything I could have done to ensure I was fishing with meticulous accuracy and systematic precision failed to arouse so much as a bite. I guess that’s what keeps carp fishing interesting. Recently, I was out shooting some photos for a Crafty Carper feature. The aim was to demonstrate the effectiveness of mixed pellets, particles, and highattract boilies. I elected to fish a lake that contained a good stock of scaly fish, which, although not overly large, were pretty and should assist in my endeavours. Being midsummer, the weather had been warm all week, so I travelled light and left the brolly/bivvy at home. I had checked the weather forecast before leaving; the weatherman affirmed that the brolly would not be required, because rain was not very likely. How foolish we are to trust the weather forecast! Two hours into my day the heavens opened. I was drenched. I had no waterproofs and no brolly but couldn’t quit and go home, because I had to produce the goods and catch a fish for the feature. I eventually took shelter under my unhooking mat and prayed for the rain to stop. As it continued to pound on my mat, my middle rod called for attention. I played the fish quickly because the driving rain was increasing in strength. To my amazement I landed the biggest fish, the only 30 in the lake. What a pleasant turn of events. Anyone who has fished throughout the years will have suffered, and celebrated, whilst fishing for carp. I guess that’s what keeps it interesting. Most articles will only tell you one side of the story. Maybe it’s the ups and downs that keep this carp-fishing lark interesting… CW
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