In Search of Star

Kev Wilson In Search of Star 82

082-089_InSearchofStar_CW221.ind1 1

22/1/09 10:11:10

In Search of Star

Kev Wilson

Kev Wilson

After his incredible run at Elstow, Kev Wilson heads off on a hunch and goes on the trail of a 40+ mirror and a 40lb common!

D

uring my time at Elstow I’d heard about a few other lakes in the area, including a club water that took my fancy, which had a mid-40lb mirror and a possible 40lb common in it, and was a pretty cheap ticket. With just the local day-only lake to go at now, I felt I needed somewhere else to fish. On my return from Elstow, the necessaries were sent off for the ticket, with me planning to do a couple of days locally the following week whilst waiting for the ticket to come through. The day sessions produced nothing, and with my ticket arriving Thursday morning, I was off to the new lake on the Sunday.

Arriving at around 10.00 a.m., there were quite a few cars about and a quick walk soon revealed most belonged to match/pleasure anglers with only one other chap staying that night. As I got halfway down the Field Bank I saw three or four carp crash in the open water – ‘That’ll do me,’ I thought. Once in the swim I got a rod set up as quickly as I could with a hinged Chod Rig and cast it at the showing fish. Whilst setting up the other rod (only

082-089_InSearchofStar_CW221.ind2 2

two rods allowed), a few carp kept crashing just out from the forestry bit at the bottom of the field, so I cast another Chod Rig on the second rod to them before setting up the house and sitting back to watch.

The confidence I had in the Odyssey XXX was high, to say the least, so understandably I was going to use this as my main line of attack The carp continued to show until midafternoon all around my two baits but nothing occurred, so I wound in and took a quick wander. The walk revealed nothing, so I put the rods back out, firing roughly half a kilo of boilies around each rod. After producing the goods for me on Pit 2, the confidence I had in the Odyssey XXX was high, to say the least, so understandably

I was going to use this as my main line of attack here too.

I got my head down early that night in order to be up before first light. Nothing showed for a few hours but then, around 7.00 a.m., a small carp showed down in the forestry area, followed a bit later by another, then another. I had a walk down there but with the overhanging trees above me the light wasn’t great and I wasn’t able to see much, and none of the trees were any good for climbing.

Further along there was a little opening in the trees which was just big enough for a couple of rods, and there was a space further back, out of the way, for the bivvy. I made the decision to move and did so at midday, as I had nothing else to go on and couldn’t find fish elsewhere.

It must have been about 2.00 p.m. when I noticed a massive vortex about a rod length out near to one of the fences that go out into the water at each end of the forestry bit. The pike had been going mad striking that morning and I was unsure whether

83

22/1/09 10:11:37

In Search of Star

Kev Wilson

it was a big pike or a carp. A few minutes later and the same thing happened again, but nothing broke the surface and there were no silverfish flying out of the water. Still puzzled, I continued to watch, but there were no more signs so I decided to put a rod there just in case it was one of the bigger carp. Having changed the rigs over to the Multi-Rig, both rods went out with the shot on the tag end on a Helicopter setup – the same rig that had been successful for me at Elstow. I also put on the larger 18mm cork ball hookbaits just in case there were smaller fish around. On reflection, I should probably have changed the rigs over the night before as I don’t like to fish the Chod over too much bait, but I had put out the rods without a marker in order not to cause too much disturbance and wasn’t sure what I was fishing over. At least the rigs would have been fishing effectively. I also tend to fish the hinged Chod pretty long, with the main section being 3-4ins in length, which I didn’t think was ideal for the shallower water into which I was now lowering the baits. With the lead hanging level with the reel seat and with the bale arm on the reel left closed, I had waded out as far as possible in the shallow water, swinging the lead out on a tight line, feeling the lead down. Any kind of a drop and I would leave it, as the slow sinking hookbait and 6ins or so of movement on the Helicopter setup would ensure the rigs were fishing properly – the weed wasn’t that deep and with the lead only dropping 3ft or so max, it was more a case of me placing the baits in rather than an actual cast. However, after having switched over to the Multi-Rig I was still wading out and placing the baits in a similar manner, and after two or three swings to the area where I’d seen the vortex I hadn’t got a drop as such but everything kept coming back clean, so I swung it out and put 10 halved 18mms around it. The same process was repeated with the other rod to my right – the second swing went down onto a firm bottom and again I baited with 10 halved 18mm baits.

A few splashes just before dark told me there were still fish about and I settled down for the night, confident of my first take.

A few bleeps on the left-hand rod woke me just as the light was starting to break, but the bobbin sat back down to where it was originally. Just as I lay there waking up properly, the right-hand rod roared off and I was into my first carp from the new lake.

The obviously small carp was darting around shaking its head like mad, and before long a common of around 5lb was in the net – it was small, but at least it was a start, and the bait and rig were working fine, with the exception of the bait size. It would seem that even the smaller carp in the lake could deal with a large bait!

The rod went straight back out with a new rig, but by mid-morning nothing had happened and I hadn’t seen any signs. Waiting until around midday I wound in and climbed every tree I could get up, and I slowly made my way round the lake, but to no avail – the lake isn’t massive at around 10 acres, so I was quite shocked not to be able to find a single fish! The wind was still trickling into the forestry area and I guessed the carp must still be down this end of the lake so I kept dithering around that area. Finally, around 3.00 p.m. I noticed a couple of bow waves close to the bank in a small sort of bay created by a little point jutting out into the lake. Once I got round there I found a group of five or six carp sitting under the white scum that had gathered around the margin.

After a while a big fish, which I was pretty sure was the big mirror called Star, swam through just under the surface. Creeping back from the water’s edge I started to make my way back to get the gear. I couldn’t have travelled more than 20yds before I noticed two sets of fizzing about two rod lengths out.

I stuck a feather in the ground and lined up the fizzes with a telegraph pole on the far bank before returning to get my gear. The carp were still evidently about come teatime when I

I kept bait over my rigs to a minimum, 10 halved 18mms were the order of the day.

84

My take on the Multi-Rig – I believe the extra movement in the rig is paramount to its success.

082-089_InSearchofStar_CW221.ind3 3

22/1/09 10:11:50

was all set up and ready to put in the rods, so started seeing the big mirror charging about I waited a little longer because I wanted the once more, just under the surface, albeit a swans to move from the area before I put my little further out. baits out in the shallow water.

I waited until midday to see if it would By using some bread I managed to get venture closer in but it didn’t, just staying at the swans around the other side of the little the same distance from the bank all the time. point, just enough out of the way so they The smaller carp didn’t seem bothered by my couldn’t see me putting in my bait. Hastily two slack lines so I didn’t think it was them I went back round and repeated the same causing the bigger one to stay out. Figuring process as in the forestry in the edge and got my best chance was off the top, I wound in a nice drop second swing where the fizzing to go to get the floater gear from the van. On was occurring earlier, again, baiting with 10 arriving at the van the bucket wasn’t there! halved 18mm baits.

I’d foolishly left it in the garage, meaning I The other rod went out much the same to had no floater tackle either – it was pointless my left, where the going to the shop to fish had been moving It was obviously going get a box of mixers as through earlier, I had nothing light to be another nice day enough with which although it was a lot harder to find a decent with not a cloud in the to fish on the surface. drop. The light was Gutted, I wandered sky – hopefully the carp back round to the just starting to go as I finished my dinner where the fish would turn up in front of swim when the right-hand were still moving me in the edge again along the margin rod, positioned on the fizzing, tore off. This down to my right and one fought a bit more, leading me to believe back in front of the swim. With only 15lb it may be a better fish – which it was, a mirror GT80 with which to tie a Zig setup I didn’t of 18lb. The rod went back out with a new rig fancy my chances of a take on the thick line, and I settled in for the night, hoping a carp so whilst the fish were out of the way, the called Star might turn up. two rods were put back in. I flicked a couple At 2.00 a.m. the same rod was away again, of bags of boilie crumb around the areas to but just as I got to it, the spool stopped hopefully pull the fish down. spinning and I struck into thin air!

The carp continued to hang around in I was a little confused because I couldn’t front of me for most of the day but I didn’t work out what had gone on, so I just put it see any signs of feeding – they were happy down to a pike getting caught up in my line in just mooching in and out of the weed on the edge. Once more I got the rod out before the shelf. Happy with how the rods had getting my head down again. gone back out I left them for the night, but Morning soon arrived and it was obviously nothing happened, and not long after waking going to be another nice day with not a cloud up I saw a few of the small carp show in the in the sky – hopefully the carp would turn forestry margin again – they had obviously up in front of me in the edge again. A light moved down there in the night. Chuffed to easterly was still blowing down to the forestry have caught a couple on my first trip, I headed with conditions exactly the same as the day home after baiting a few areas I’d found, before. A few of the smaller fish turned up with the marker close to where the carp had around 10.00 a.m. then about an hour later I showed in open water that first day!

When out of throwing range, the ’pult was my preferred way of baiting up.

082-089_InSearchofStar_CW221.ind4 4

22/1/09 10:12:00

In Search of Star

Kev Wilson

Returning on the Sunday (with my floater bucket!), I set off on a lap of the lake to see what I could find. On approaching the area from which I had caught the mirror the previous week, there were a few fish about again, so I returned to the van for the gear.

There was a 20mph northeasterly, forecast to come in later in the day or the following day, starting to slowly develop by dinnertime.

They seemed happy enough on the back of it though, so once the carp gave me the chance I got the two rods back on the same spots as last time. It seemed as if the carp were just working their way along the margin between the little point and the forestry down to my right, but annoyingly they kept swimming straight over the baits only 3ft below them! This continued all afternoon and by teatime there was a fair ripple on the lake from the wind blowing over my shoulder.

No action to the rods overnight, but in the morning I saw one show in the forestry.

I wound in and had a walk round to the far side of the forestry where it met the field again and I could really feel the chill in the wind because it was also overcast with no sun. After standing there for a while, wondering why they were on the end of it, a mirror, which looked to be around the 30lb bracket, cleared the water about 20yds from the end of the fence that entered the water here. There aren’t many backup carp in here so I guessed it must have been one known as The Orange that I had seen. It didn’t take long to get packed up and

round there, and whilst setting up I saw quite a few shows in the forestry area – mainly small carp again but I knew there was at least one better carp about. After three or four underarm flicks I finally found a drop off at the end of the fence and, once settled, I scattered 10 halved 18mm baits around it. The other rod was swung out in the edge and I found an area that dropped slightly deeper and was hard, again repeating the 10 halved baits.

By late afternoon the cold wind had got up and I wondered if I had made the right decision. Three or four small carp showed around the forestry just before dark but I didn’t see any of the better fish show again.

I was woken just before first light by a few bleeps on the right-hand rod – the bobbin was tight and the tip pulled over, but it was a tench that was responsible. The rod went back out and I sat watching until dinnertime, in which time I only saw one small ’un bosh in the forestry – the smaller carp obviously seemed to like this area. With only this one sighting all morning I wound in to see what else I could find.

The first lap revealed nothing, so I stopped at the bivvy for a quick brew before heading around again. On nearing the spot from which I had caught the mirror, I could see a few fish – a couple of doubles and a low-20 mirror – were skirting the back of the marginal weed.

It also felt a lot warmer round here on the back of the cold wind, so I went and packed up and made my way around.

My little moon strike chart showed a new moon the day previous – pukka!

There can’t have been many trees around the lake that I didn’t attempt to climb.

86 98

The hinged Chod Rig has led to the downfall of many of my recent captures.

082-089_InSearchofStar_CW221.ind5 5

I had a few altercations with our feathered friends, to say the least.

22/1/09 10:12:45

a drop on both rods so was happy with them, and since I hadn’t received a take over the bait I decided to leave them as singles.

One of the lads I had met on the first session on the lake wandered round just before dark. After a quick chat before heading on his way, he mentioned about the new moon and how most of the captures of

It was apparent the fish were moving from the front of the point into the bay then back again, with the odd bit of fizzing now and again off the end of the fence the two biggies coincided with this period.

I got out my little moon strike chart and saw that it had been a new moon the day previous, with the chart still showing good sport for the next two days – nice! After a couple of brews and nothing much showing I retired to the bag for the night.

Kev Wilson

I stuck a feather in the ground and lined up the fizzes with a telegraph pole.

First light arrived with nothing to show for my efforts. By 11.00 a.m. I still hadn’t seen a thing, and was starting to get worried that they’d done the off. The sun broke through the cloud for a bit in the early afternoon so I decided to take a wander around while the light was better for spotting them. That first lap revealed nothing anywhere, as did the second. On getting back to the bivvy though, I noticed the swans behaving strangely in front of the little point to my left – it was as if they were watching something swimming around them. As I neared the point I clocked a few fish in the little bay before seeing regular swirls in the shallow water in front of the point around the swans. I watched them for a while and it was apparent the fish were moving from the front of the point into the bay then back again, with the odd bit of fizzing now and again off the end of the fence which surrounds the little point and enters the water either side.

Staying well back, I set up the house about 20yds away from the bank – this bank is very open and with the treeline being a good way back it doesn’t take them long to suss you if you’re not careful. The carp started drifting out into deeper water come 4.00 p.m., so I left it another hour then put the rods out – one went on a firm spot I found just off the end of the fence, with the other going into a gully about 9ft deep some 30yds from the bank, both on the Multi-Rigs, and I put the usual 10 halved 18mms onto the fence spot and around 50 baits onto the deeper spot. I stayed up quite late that night to see if they were active in the darker hours, but by 1.00 a.m. I hadn’t heard a thing so I turned in.

I was woken an hour or so later by what I thought was a liner on the deeper rod, then the same happened again just before first light.

As the light began to break I could see 10

In Search of Star

The carp hung around for a few hours before disappearing into the deeper water.

For this reason I decided to fish a rod out in the open that night on one of the spots I’d been baiting, with the other going on the spot that produced the mirror. A few shows in the middle just into dark meant I could nod off, hoping the rod in open water would receive some action. However, it didn’t, and neither did the margin rod. With the wind now gusting and feeling really cold, I decided to bait the spots then leave them to it and return the following week, hopefully with a bit better weather for a bite.

On opening the gate the following Sunday, I was met by a strong southwesterly, as forecast, accompanied by low pressure – the weather was spot-on for it! For a while I hung around the area into which the wind was blowing, but after seeing nothing I continued round the lake. Fish were again showing in open water around the baited areas so I set up on them, just chucking singles to the clips to begin with. They continued to put on a display until around dinner when all went quiet. By 2.00 p.m. I hadn’t seen anything else so set about getting the rods out for the night – one rod onto each of the baited areas around 50yds out, with the Multi-Rig, baiting with around 50 baits over each. Just after teatime they started showing again and continued into dark.

I was a bit shocked when I woke with nothing to show because my confidence had been really high before getting into the bag the night before. Mid-morning and they started showing again in the same areas, with one carp showing right on the money, but, again, by 2.00 p.m. they had stopped and I hadn’t received a liner, let alone a take!

Later on I started seeing them again, but this time to my right, so I moved down the field a bit, casting singles at the shows. I got

With the barrow loaded I was on the move – again!

87

082-089_InSearchofStar_CW221.ind6 6

22/1/09 10:13:00

Kev Wilson In Search of Star

or so tufties diving on the spots further out in the lake where I had been baiting, and guessed it must have been them.

As if watching them diving on me all morning wasn’t enough, the swan family then floated round the point before beginning to munch on the area covered by the fence rod! I could take no more, and having not seen a thing I wound in to go for a mooch round. Not long after this, Richard, the nice chap who sorts out the tickets and looks after the club, appeared behind me.

We had a quick chat, as you do, then he asked if I’d seen anything untoward around at night – apparently someone had cut the farmer’s perimeter fence surrounding the field in two places and some electrical gear had gone missing. I hadn’t seen or heard anything, but promised to let him know in the first instance if I did.

Time was now getting on, it was about 4.30 p.m. and I still didn’t know where the fish were. I’d been told of a deeper channel on the other side of the little point so I thought I’d take the marker rod down there and have a play whilst keeping an eye out for shows. There was indeed a substantial drop down to around 16ft but the majority of the bottom of the gully was thick with silkweed.

A few more casts revealed a small clearer area

in around 13ft of water – and then I heard a large splash from behind me.

On turning around, the aftermath was roughly halfway between the little point and the opposite bank, so I left the marker rod in the little point before getting the gear down and moving. I soon had my gear behind the little point, where I considered the options and decided to set up just past it, fishing one into the deeper gully and one out to where the fish had just showed. Once the house was up I put new hooks and baits onto the Multi-Rigs before trying to find a spot around where I saw the fish show. At first the marker was in thick weed, but after a quick tug it became free, sliding across something smooth for about 3-4ft. The float popped up at around 7ft then I walked back down to where I’d been plumbing the gully to see how it looked – it was bang on the money!

After two casts I had the clip sorted, and on retrieving, ready to make the final cast, found a bit of grey clay on the lead – I’d had good results on the smaller pits at Linch Hill fishing over this stuff. The recast hit the clip and landed just behind the float with a satisfying thump and I waded the rod back down the margin of the little point back to

88

082-089_InSearchofStar_CW221.ind7 7

22/1/09 10:13:14

It must have bolted off over to the far side of the lake because it seemed to take an eternity to get it in, and not once did it take line as far as I knew, it was last out at 44lb+ in June, but I wasn’t too fussed and I quickly secured him in the sack in the margin, which thankfully was sheltered from the big wind.

Now I needed to get hold of a photographer because I was on the lake by myself. I rang my mate Rob, who I knew was doing the night up at Elstow, but his phone was switched off, so I texted him asking him

Kev Wilson

Star spun the needle round to 40lb 4oz.

to ring as soon as he received the message. By 6.00 a.m. I hadn’t heard from him and started worrying that his battery was flat. I kept trying every 10 minutes but to no avail, then finally, around 6.30, thankfully he rang – he had literally just switched on!

After packing up from Elstow, Rob made his way to me and did the deed with the camera – thanks, mate, don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t got through to you!!!

With the pictures done, the big carp didn’t hang about once back in the water, and I set about making us both a brew.

I did return the following Sunday for a few nights, hoping to track down the common, but it didn’t happen and the buzz for the place was no longer the same – I hadn’t actually seen the common in the water in my time there either, so I moved back onto the local days-only lake for a while. As it turned out, I later found out that the common had been out three or four times already that year with 38lb being its highest weight. I knew it had been caught twice in early spring but the other captures had been kept quiet until late-autumn. As far as I know, it didn’t make another appearance for the rest of the year, so the decision to move on turned out to be a good one in the end!

All the best. KW

In Search of Star

the swim. Fifty baits went tightly around the float before I wound it in to do the rod in the gully. The 13ft clearing was easy enough to find again, but getting a drop was a different matter. Finally, after about 10 casts, I felt a thump before baiting the spot with a kilo. By the time I’d tidied everything and got some dinner it was near enough dark, so after a couple of brews I retired.

Around 1.30 a.m. I was awoken by a take from the rod where the fish had showed. On leaning into the fish it felt like a heavyweight, just chugging from right to left on the tight line. It must have bolted off over to the far side of the lake because it seemed to take an eternity to get it in, and not once did it take line. Already in the water in my waders with the net, I saw a vortex about 20yds out, then again at 15yds before I pulled the heavyweight over the net cord. Having a good idea by now of which carp I had caught, I had a quick feel around the tail and could feel the telltale nick – it was Star! After securing the net with a bankstick I got everything ready before Star spun the needle round to 40lb 4oz – a little down on what I expected it to be because,

Rob arrived just in time to perform the photographic duties – Star in all his glory.

89

082-089_InSearchofStar_CW221.ind8 8

22/1/09 10:13:32