Is big always better?

Hi guys, I'm going to spice the blog up a bit more in the coming post's by talking about some of angling's most controversial topics. This is brought about by the fact that I haven't been out much recently and to be honest just need to talk about fishing. So for the first topic I ask the question is big always better?
This is an interesting question as the fact that we all declare our personal bests and claim venue records is enough to answer the question itself isn't it? Actually however there is a lot more around this question that can be discussed. No matter when you start fishing whether it be as a youngster or later on in life it doesn't take long for you to be hooked and on each cast want something a little bigger. This is a perfectly natural thing and would the sport be as exciting if we didn't want this?
What I'm really trying to get at though is when does bigger become boring. It seems to me these day's that a part of the angling community is obsessed with bigger and somehow that bigger means better. The Carp fishing world is full of enormous fish caught daily, so often that the bar for what is a big fish is constantly getting higher. Hundreds of venues across the country now can boast that they hold several fish over 30 and even 40 pounds! Fish of these sizes are truly monstrous!
A couple year's ago I was lucky enough to fish one such venue with a massive stock of monsters. The venue was the well known "Monument fishery" in Shropshire. To put a long story short we turned up for our 36 hour slot and after the second hour I had landed a 37 pound Mirror. A fish which absolutely smashed my PB of 24lbs. I didn't know the venue, or the stock or what was best to use but had bagged a fish of a lifetime. Unsurprisingly I was chuffed, because I had never seen a Carp that big before. The sheer size of it made you respect it and you couldn't help but think Wow!

37 pound Mirror. Monument fishery.

The interesting part of the story however came in my sessions on my home waters after I had caught the fish. On every session I went out thinking "I am the dogs bollocks". All because I had caught this one fish from this one lake at one time. This is where the debate swings round because yes I had caught a 37lb Carp which I could now claim as my personal best but was I a better angler because of this? The answer is no, however in bank side conversations you chuck in that you have caught a thirty pounder and suddenly people listen a bit more carefully to you regardless of where that 30 was from. Don't get me wrong I am not knocking the venue as the monument is a well set up business that provides big Carp on a day ticket. I'm just saying that sometimes weights often blind people to what actually happened.

This year in particular my eye's have been opened to paying a little less attention to size but not ignoring it completely. We can't really deny that we all want to catch decent sized fish especially those of us who are Carp anglers. But the way I have been looking at things recently is that big is in relation to the venue it has came from and the effort it has taken to outwit. A number of the waters I fish in Devon may only have a couple of fish over 30 pounds and in these venues a 20 pounder is deemed a big fish. A lot of these venues have an old stock and a fish of twenty pounds tends to be an older fish that has seen all the tricks in the book. So a twenty from these waters is a real achievement. 

In contrast there are also waters close to me where a twenty pounder is expected on a day session as this is the average size of fish, so a twenty from these venues is a little less special. 

Obviously angling is a very personal thing and that's what makes it so great this is just the way I have been looking at things and accessing my self as an angler. I like to think I have learnt a lot of tricks to outwit Carp regardless of their size and feel comfortable that I could fish on most venues and have results. However  more recently I have come to learn that regardless of what size of fish I catch I will never know it all. This is what is also great about angling. Even the best anglers are always learning and surprisingly there will always be things that even a relative novice could teach them. 

Spending time on the bank learning your craft so you can choose the right tactic for the situation is what makes good angling in my opinion. As this is equally as relevant if you are pursuing a low double common or a monster fifty pound mirror. You may get lucky and turn up to a venue as I have in the past and bang out a big thirty but does that make you better than someone who has learnt the habits of a low twenty and caught it off it's natural patrol route? 

This Mirror took some crafty angling to tempt and is one of the biggest fish in the Pond. 

Let's get one thing straight though I am always chuffed to catch a big fish and anyone who has caught one should be! But why should big fish get all the attention? If your sometimes struggling a bit, often stepping back and targeting smaller specimens can be really rewarding. Fishing is about enjoyment after all and not having caught a big fish should not make your enjoyment level fall.

If your ever in doubt and wondering if size is everything I can only recommend one venue to you and that's the beautiful river Wye. Barbel fishing on the Wye is some of the best fishing you can do yet after years of fishing there and catching hundreds of Barbel I have never caught a double. Do I care about this? Not enough to make me stop going, as a double from the river Wye is now in my eye's a true monster and a fish that takes tremendous skill to catch. This is why angling is so personal as perceptions can be so different.

The Wye Barbel are not often monsters.

As anglers we should always want to beat our personal bests and achieve our targets. This does not mean we should stop learning when we have done this or ignore the advice of others who have not yet achieved theirs. Consistency is what makes a good angler not their biggest catch. This is why sharing angling stories is not only fun but great at painting a true picture. Some of the hardest fish Iv'e had to catch have been quite small in general terms. So next time you see a photo of a fish think of what went into catching it and less of its size as bigger is not always better. :) 

A common that required a bit of extra thinking to outwit.

A 20lber the result of a real "Pub chuck"

My first Barbel was the result of an unexpected Lob!

But this Throop Chub took some crafty baiting to tempt.

 

And a good net from the river can be equally rewarding but just as difficult to tempt!


TIGHT LINES!!!!

What do you guys think?

These are just my opinions. Please share your's as that's what OTBA is all about.

The joy of travelling light and stalking them out!

Hi guys, big gap in the posts again I know and I apologise yet again. To be honest been a lot going on with the hunt for work and a lot of time spent on the bank just not catching really. That was until recently however when over a number of sessions my luck changed and I have been very fortunate to catch some stunning fish. All of these sessions have focused around one main strategy though, that being to travel light and stalk them out! This has been the case regardless of species or venue.

My first travelling light session came on the banks of the beautiful Bristol Avon near Chippenham. With only a few hours to fish it was vital that I was fishing near some fish. So on arrival the best thing I could do was to walk the stretch and use my eyes to try and spot fish on the clear gravels. It didn't take long! A quick look over the bridge next to the car was enough for me to spot three lovely Barbel and some big Chub too. I quickly opened up the boot and grabbed a handful of boilies. I begun feeding a few crumbed baits from the top of the bridge to see the fishes reactions. Unfortunately the Barbel were having none of it and vanished into a near by weed bed, meanwhile the Chub were troffing! Not disheartened I set off down the river to see what else I could find. Pretty much every swim had Chub that were willing to pounce on any bait that hit the water. So I knew there wasn't much chance of blanking. Anyway a walk back to the bridge was next, were as I was about to put a bit more feed in I noticed a rod poking out from the bushes. Someone had found the spot. Oh well (sigh) there would always be next time.
After all of my walking the river I did finally get some gear out and set up a basic free line approach with just a side hooked boilie in attempt to hook up with the ravenous Chub. I did just that, catching a Chub from three different swims on my way down the river. The light quickly faded however and the urge to catch Chub quickly diminished as all my attentions turned to Barbel. The stretch is not home to a massive number of Barbel but the swim I had chosen to fish for them was a swim I had caught a Barbel from before, so I was quietly confident. This confidence proved to be justified when I got that moment that all Barbel anglers crave the classic trademark slam round!! No mistaking what it was, and although it didn't feel like a massive fish it was still giving a good account for it's self and my knees were wobbling like jelly. After a spirited attempt to snag me under my own bank I eventually got the fish in the net. The light had now completely gone and I stared at a beautiful little Bristol Avon Barbel of approximately 5 pounds. What a great way to end a fun evening session on the river.

Bristol Avon Barbel

To find out more on the tactics,spots and fish I caught that evening please check out the video from the session by clicking this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUrvB62rDUE

Pleased with what I had caught on the river my attentions switched to still water a few day's later. In particular a water that I had fished a couple years ago regularly until it had quite a severe disease outbreak. I was eager to see what remained in the lake as rumours and stories surrounded the place. In order to get a gauge of the stock the travelling light and stalking them out approach would need to be brought in to action again! The lake is a little over 12 acres and has a lot of areas overgrown with reeds. When I previously fished the lake the Carp which I was targeting were often found in a number of key areas of the lake. It would be these areas that I would target first.
My baiting strategy would be simple chum mixers fed to attract the Carp up on to the surface were I could then identify their size and numbers. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the place really hadn't changed much and my usual spots held just as many fish as ever. As I sat back,fed and watched the fishes confidence grew to the point were they were literally feeding all around me. A truly amazing sight for a lake that some said "Isn't fishing well for Carp". This is a method I would recommend to anyone targeting big Carp in a lake with lots of fish. The more you feed the more confident the fish become and the bigger fish also turn up for a look. This is until on this occasion it got to one point were you could pick the fish you wanted to catch. Unfortunately for me my rod was back in the bushes not on the platform at this point.
I did however manage to get into contact with some of the lakes residents during a couple of evenings free-lining dog biscuits on the surface. I also regrettably lost a couple real nice fish in the reeds, but then the lost ones are always bigger aren't they? :)

To see how I got on please check out my video from the session by clicking this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRtQ-nREDn8

It really is a beautiful lake though with a stunning stock of fish so if you live in the area I would recommend Tockenham Lake for a day out fishing.

Tockenham Resevoir

Talking of beautiful lakes, my next session came at probably one of the most stunning lakes in Devon. A venue run by the Exeter and district angling association known as "Abrook pond". The pond is a bit of a history water as it was once fished by angling legend Dick Walker.
These days the pond has a much younger stock of fish but the venues beauty has not changed. As you look across the pond you are greeted with large beds of Lillie's, overhanging trees and reed beds. The association have done a good job looking after the place into which they have put a lot of work. I was at the venue as my good friend Kev had decided to make it a bit of a new target water to see what exactly the lake holds. The findings of which will be posted regularly to our youtube channel so stay tuned for those in the future.
The first session on Abrook did fill me with some excitement as If anything it looked a lovely place to bivvy up away from it all. My swim really was just that too, as I chose to set up on a swim known as "Two bridges" which is on an island connected by surprisingly two bridges. There wasn't much thought in my swim choice other than "this is bloody nice". So I squeezed my bivvy into the little space there was and was presented by the view pictured below.

"Two bridges" Abrook Pond

The session started slow as a blank night soon turned into a blank morning. That was until the stalking them out approach was implemented! Abrook is the perfect stalking water as there are a number of secluded bays and reedy margins to fish too. So creeping about in the back bay was to be the order for the rest of the day. My first plan was to try and tempt cruising fish off the top on bits of floating crust but to be honest they just weren't interested. However as I watched the water I could see a fish clouding up on a spot about two rod lengths out from the bank to my right. I watched as this fish rooted about tearing up the bottom in search of food. It looked to be a fairly sizable common too. Frantically I began trying to get a bit of sinking bread on the hook but just as I did I saw the fish turn and slowly move off. Darn it! I was thinking that maybe even the stalking approach wasn't going to work. A few moments later however I noticed another fish head for the exact same spot, This fish was different all together what looked to be a decent mirror Carp. It also was a lot more confident and was clearly searching bait out, With my bread all ready to go I cast just in front of were the fish was clouding up and watched as my bread fluttered down out of sight. I now had to watch the line as an indicator of whether the fish had taken the bait. I didn't have to watch it for long though, as not 30 seconds after the bait had gone in I saw the line slowly tighten towards the spot. Bang! I was in.

The fish battled hard in the shallow water and made a right mess by turning over all the silt. It wasn't long though till I got it in the net and was chuffed to see a decent dark old mirror Carp. We quickly weighed the fish which gave a reading of 18b 12oz. What a great start! It turns out the fish is one named "Winston" and has been a lot bigger but probably dropped weight after spawning, a process which is common in a number of species.

"Winston" Abrook pond

The rest of the session went from strength to strength and myself and Kev caught some more Carp. I will let Kev's video diaries tell you the rest of the story just as soon as the bugger comes back from Malta.

Anyway the stalking approach was obviously working well and my confidence was back up. It is a way of fishing that I truly love as although I would spend years on the bank, some times little time is needed to catch. The next venue I would be targeting was a lot more closer to home being only a 10 minute drive from my house. I have fished the venue a lot over the years and have really got to know some of it's residents. These fish are heavily fished for however and the venue is small. This means getting on the water can be the main challenge. With this said I was pleasantly surprised when I turned up on a Sunday afternoon to find the place completely empty. 

It's at these times when you don't only rub your hands together but you also realise just how wary Carp are of us humans. As I came through the gate and crept round the lake I could see a number of fish sunning just under the surface. However when I came back with the gear these fish were gone. A sure sign that they had be alerted to my presence despite my best efforts to be quiet. Never the less I began baiting the lake from as far back as I could using a throwing stick to achieve the distance. This worked as after about ten minutes I had the fish in a frenzy near an overhanging tree on the island. The next two hours would be epic as I would catch not one but two target fish! One of which a cracking Koi. This was only to be bettered the next night however when again on an empty lake I caught another target fish! It just shows what can be done when the fish are not being heavily pressured. I will let the video in this link and the pictures below tell you the rest of the story. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oe05nQmbXKs

One things for sure, stalking is not just an exciting method but also an incredibly deadly one! 

"One eyed Common" Darts Farm

"Paint Job" Darts Farm

"The Big Common" Darts Farm

TIGHT LINES!!! :)

The Carp strike back! A weeks fishing at Furzebray Carp lakes.

Carp fishing, a side of the sport that we all love but which often can end up taking over our lives. People have been known to get so obsessed with Carp fishing that it has cost them jobs,friends and even wives. But why does Carp fishing lead to such obsession?

On a recent holiday session I found out just why anglers can get so immersed in fishing for Carp. The highs and the lows of Carp fishing make it very exciting for one. However more importantly and what I learnt after my weeks fishing was you can never stop learning about Carp. 

My years Carp fishing to date had be a largely successful one, I had managed to catch several nice sized fish from a number of different venues. This meant I was full of confidence leading up to my years big fishing trip. The trip was to take place at Furzebray lakes in Devon where five of us had hired the island lake for an entire week on the bank.

The island lake at Furzebray is an amazing little lake. It has mature trees lining its border and several features dotted around the lake. With only eight swims there is also lots of water and options for the visiting angler. Perhaps what is more astonishing about this venue however is it's stock. With a little over 130 fish in the water the angler has plenty of chance for bites. More impressively however is that these fish grow in excess of 40 pounds! It is for these reasons why Furzebray has become one of the most popular day ticket venues in the south west. 

Having previously visited Furzebray a number of years ago I knew exactly what the lake is like and what magic it can produce. On my previous visit I was lucky enough to catch my personal best Mirror at the time which weighed exactly 24 pounds. The fish was known as "Star" and since then was piled on the weight becoming one of the A-team and one of the lakes many thirties!

"Star" 24lb. Furzebray Lakes.

With the confidence of having banked a Carp from the lake before I did not worry too much about how I was going to approach the venue for the week, instead planning to fish to my strengths. In saying this heated discussion had occurred weeks prior to the trip between the five of us as to what were the best methods and swims to choose. 

This debate ended however on our day of arrival. After a meet up and catch up in the car park we eagerly walked around the lake to see what the crack was. With a number of anglers still on we were able to gauge how the lake was fishing. Several fish had been out over the weekend but all in all the lake was fishing tricky and looking a bit peggy. The draw for swims therefore would be vital.

We then had a chat with the owner Tony who was very helpful in terms of tactics and spots. Tony also aided us with the draw which went as follows-

1-John (Point)

2-Chris (Jezzers)

3-Kevin (Lawns)

4-Jack (Aquarium)

5-Steve (Inlet)

With everyone happy with their swim choices the race was on to get sorted and baits in the water. From observation of the water it was clear there were a lot of fish present at the windward end of the lake in an area known as the lawns and secret. I myself was the next swim back up the lake so felt I too would have fish in front of me. But could I catch them?

The first few hours flew by with not much to report, the weather was sunny and a strong breeze began to hack down the lake. My tactics had been to pre-bait a spot on the far margin with the house bait and then fish it during the hours of darkness. The rig I was going to use for this would be my ever faithful chod rig as it had done me a lot of fish already this year. 

It was that evening when we saw the first signs of fish activity, The snag located to my left had what looked to be a number of fish round it. This was made more obvious by what appeared to be fish banging into the tree stump and rubbing up against it. After seeing this activity for about half hour I decided it was time to cast a rig over towards it. This proved to be a smart move as 15 minutes later the rod was away with the first fish of the trip! It was a beautiful woodcarving of a Mirror at a little over 18lbs. What a way to start the trip!

18lb Mirror Furzebray

A great way to start but was it really going to be that easy? The answer to that question was a resounding no. The next two days were perhaps some of the most frustrating days Carp fishing I have had. Keeping with the same approach I often had fish pass through the area without indication. I was not the only one suffering from this frustration however as Kev in the lawns had what appeared to be the entire stock of the lake sat in front of him. His frustration has then heightened by a loss of a fish which appeared to be a lump in the weed. 

So why were these two days so difficult? When observing the stock at this end of the lake it was apparent that 90% of their time was spent off the bottom and chilling out in the weed. Feeding was not really high on the fishes agenda at this time and therefore a cautious baiting and fishing approach was required. Almost certainly my own chances for this period had been ruined by over-baiting, a tactic I had hoped however would come good later in the week. 

Kev's chances I feel were hampered by poor line lay over the weed in front of him, this was putting the fish on edge in the area and less inclined to feed freely. With this said however the following morning Kev's rod rattled off again and this time he won the battle. The fish was another Mirror at a little over 16lbs in weight.

16lb Mirror, Furzebray Carp Lakes.

Kevin was obviously happy to be off the mark but remained frustrated by the loss of the fish in the weed the day before. That's fishing for you though! Another thing with fish is that they can often be like buses as not long after Kev returned his fish, Jack at the other end of the lake had one on! Jack's fish summed up the Furzebray stock entirely though as it was an absolute stunning fully scaled Mirror of 19lbs 12oz. 

19lb Fully from Furzebray Lakes

To be fair to Jack he had not had the same frustrations of seeing a lot of un-catchable Carp but instead had the frustrations of being in an area of the lake that at times seemed empty of fish. He therefore had only lightly baited the area which seemed to be key in the capture of this stunning Carp. 

The day had got off to a flier and suddenly what was a very frustrated and deflated set of anglers seemed to burst into life again. These Carp which appeared to be un-catchable were catchable again.

That evening it was John's turn to get off the mark in what was the lakes most productive swim in the past weeks. John's tactics were simple solid bags over a light scattering of bait towards the island. That night his tactics rewarded him with the biggest fish on the trip so far a quality mirror of 25lbs +.

25lb Mirror from Furzebray

It was now the middle of the week and 4 of the 5 of us had caught which was a good sign for things to come. The next couple of day's however we would get a massive helping hand from the weather. 

A change in pressure and a change in conditions saw a flurry of fish landed. John with a stunning mid-double and myself with an absolute belting linear of 20lbs!

16lb Mirror from the point

20lb Stunning Linear Mirror from Furzebray Lakes

But was it all to do with the weather? I certainly didn't think so as I had changed tactics in my swim. After a morning of fish fizzing all over my popped up boilies I decided a change was in order. With the bottom being quite hard clay at Furzebray were the choddies just to blatant? After all if the fish were being riggy and picky whilst not feeding hard a bait sat 2 inches off the bottom could quite easily be singled out and ignored. So that evening I switched to the most simple bottom bait presentations imaginable which incorporated a pva bag of 4 whole boilies. I was now fishing and feeding the exact same bait and thought to myself why don't I do this more often? It has almost become unfashionable to fish with a boilie straight from the bag but I for sure won't ignore them now.

John's approach was similar as he was using a standard bottom bait on the hair however inside a small bag of crumb. What was more interesting however was that baits had to be left in the water for a significant period of time before a bite. Almost as if the fish knew that fresh bait was a danger. All thoughts running through are heads as we tried to outwit these crafty Carp.

The next morning the rain was battering down when I was awoken by a vibrant John saying "I've got another one" and "Its a twenty". Just what you like to hear! Anyway I wandered out in the rain to John's swim were resting in the margins I could see the back of a fish that not only looked twenty but much much more! As soon as we put the fish on the mat it became quite apparent that the fish John had caught was one of the lakes monsters and an easy thirty pounder! With all of us in a bit of a buzz we weighed the fish and the dial slammed round to 32 pounds!!! What a result for John as it was his new pb! A chat with Tony later in the day revealed the fish was a character known as "Sovereign" which had yet to be caught post-spawning. What a moment and what a fish. John had outwitted what appeared to be some ultra-crafty Carp and done so in style. I will let the photo's tell you the rest! 

"Sovereign" 32lb Furzebray Lakes

32lb Mirror Furzebray

John's new pb "Sovereign" 32

Returning a 30 pounder

Think that ones worth getting wet for.

The rest of the day flew by with all of us buzzed by John's capture. Have you ever met or are you friends with anyone that just has an un-canny knack of catching big fish? Because that's exactly John to all of us that fish with him! 

So the rain had brought a change of fortune and it now seemed like anything was possible. Feeling more confident in my change of approach I switched both rods to bottom baits and began baiting the area more heavily hoping for that big feed up. I then proceeded to rest the area for a few hours so the fish could gain their confidence. As I rested the swim I sat and chatted with John in the point staring down the lake. This time was not wasted as the fish began to show like dolphins all over the place! Over the couple hours we must have saw twenty shows many of which were straight over my dad Steve's rigs in the swim next door. In fairness his swim had seen little to no activity to this point and he therefore had not yet got off the mark. This all changed though as his chod rig got snaffled by another stunning mid-double mirror.

Mid-Double Mirror Furzebray Lakes

We had now all managed to catch at least one fish from the lake that in all honesty so far had given us a battering and tested are Carp fishing skills to the limit. Seeing this action I couldn't resist going back to my swim and casting a rod to the showing fish. Resting the swim had definitely payed off as after just half hour the same rod was away. So are the fish aware when we are fishing for them? Are fish less inclined to feed with lines in the water? Or was this just a coincidence? Never the less in my eyes the plan had worked and I was rewarded with another 20lb + Mirror.

20lb Mirror Carp. Furzebray Lakes.

Again after returning the fish I thought I've cracked it! How wrong I was. With a day and a half of the trip left I felt certain that the spot would go from strength to strength. Which actually it did, I just couldn't take advantage. The Carp were now visiting the spots in the swim regularly but the rigs were being sussed just as regular. Violent indications suggested that the Carp were now feeding so cautiously that they were able to shake out the hook. It was at this point when I made a massive error. I decided to not change the rig. Now you may say "Why fix what isn't broke?" but actually for the current situation it was broke. When the fish were feeding aggressively the presentation was more than enough to slip them up but now a more effective hooking mechanism was necessary.

This remained the case right until the end of the trip and the Carp had gone back to doing what they did at the start of the trip "Mugging us right off!!!". 

So there it was a weeks fishing was over. What a week it was though. The highs and lows of Carp fishing all experienced over the week. Furzebray really proved it's self as a great Carp fishing venue for a true Carp angler. As the week made me learn there's more to Carping then chucking and chancing. The true Carp angler has to think like a Carp and perhaps that's why a hobby often turns into an obsession! 

Tight lines!!

The Marchamley Pools Quest

Well it looks like again I have been a terrible blogger with the gap between the posts getting bigger all the time. Apologies it will be better soon. Anyway as those of you who know me will know my short stint up North is over and I am back in Devon on the job hunt again. Obviously the job hunting is a bit harder when you have an un-healthy fishing obsession though. Before we talk about some of the fishing I have done since returning to Devon I think it would be wrong not to look back at the fishing I did up North at one very special venue in particular, that venue is called Marchamley pools.
I was told about Marchamley by my land lady who's son had been fishing there when he was younger. Back then she said it was two pools one with some big Carp. It sounded like just the venue I was after and a quick check on google maps indicated it was only 12 minutes from my accommodation. This was ideal as I was not sure how much time I would have in and around work commitments.
My first trip to Marchamley was just really a scouting session after work. I arrived on a Saturday night and quickly realised that this was a popular venue. The site consists of three pools, two specimen lakes and a match pool. On my first look all three ponds were being heavily fished. I did not let this put me off however as although having a lot of other anglers around can be frustrating it also means plenty of bait going in and as I would be fishing mid-week anyway it meant less work for me. My first plan of action was to walk around and chat to some of the local anglers to try and gauge what the stock levels were. My walk left me more optimistic than when I arrived as conversations with other anglers had revealed my targets in the venue would be Carp to low thirties and Catfish approaching fifty pounds! All for just £20 for 48 hours!
So the next day I was back again but this time armed with my Carp gear and 1kg of Cell boilies. With the weather still being fairly cold I decided to target the bottom pool as this is where I was told the bigger Carp resided. The session gave me a good feel for the sort of challenges this venue would present me. To watch how the session unfolded check out the video link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLX_Zwq4AZ8.
At the end of the session I left having caught my first twenty pound Carp from up North. The fish was caught on my ever faithful choddie to a spot near the island. The session was not all easy though and it became obvious I would have to vary my approach to be more successful in the future.

23 pound Common Carp from Marchamley Pools

In the weeks to follow I fished Marchamley pools a number of times mainly after Carp and had some success but none matching the fish from my first visit. It was at this point that my attentions switched to the Catfish that reside in the top pool. Having heard of a few big fish being caught all my thoughts not switched to how I could tempt one of these big moggies onto the bank myself.  The videos in the two links below are well worth watching to see the trials and tribulations I went through in this quest. But lets just say what a species of fish they are but they sure can be frustrating!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enZ7KikAaEo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aVDzIIWczY

Whilst pursuing my search for the often elusive Catfish I was actually very lucky to catch some more stunning Carp. The fish at Marchamley really are in great condition and although they are not all monsters who cares when they look like the fish pictured below.

Low Double Mirror Carp Marchamley Pools

There's not much more to say about the venue really other than its a fantastic place to fish. It is cheap, well stocked, well managed and has little rules. A couple of massive bonuses too are that there is a burger van located on the entrance to the venue! This means food can be delivered direct to your peg morning and night! Its top tucker too!! The second massive bonus is that you can park in very close proximity to your peg, meaning no hiking tonnes of gear for miles!
Unfortunately my time at Marchamley for the time being is over. I will be sure to head back for a holiday at some point in the future though. Below are my best pictures from a memorable two months at the venue. If you liked the videos be sure to subscribe to the channel and keep in touch with the blog for more of our fishy tales!! Even if I am a bit late at telling em!! Till next time tight lines guys.

Marchamley Pools Common Carp

27lb Catfish Marchamley Pools

Low double Mirror Carp Marchamley Pools

15lb Common Carp Marchamley Pools

Stunning Mirror Carp from Marchamley Pools

23lb Catfish from Marchamley Pools

15lb Catfish from Marchamley Pools

A mad few months and big Changes....

Well first things first a massive apology for the inconsistency of the posts on the blog at the moment. It has been a very hectic couple of  months to say the least as those of you who know me will know I have left my home in Devon and moved to Cheshire to begin work at a coarse fishery and fish farm there. With all this going on I have not actually had much time to be out on the bank but some of the trips I have had have definitely been worth it.
Before I left Devon we tried to cram in as many sessions as we could. The bulk of these sessions were at Creedy lakes. The venue has been kind to us in the past and is probably still the best bet in Devon for a day ticket twenty pounder. The sessions we had were more social than usual as we discussed the future and potential plans for fishing a bit further up North. Even with us not taking the fishing as seriously as normal the venue still rewarded us with some cracking fish. I was very lucky to catch two twenty pounders in two sessions. Both stunning fish in perfect winter condition.

21 pound Common Creedy Lakes

20 Pound Common Carp from Creedy Lakes

The methods were simple. Chods with high attract hook baits and a light scattering of boillies over each rod. You don't need to overcomplicate things or bait heavy at Creedy at this time of year. The management at Creedy had carried out some netting and stock removal over the winter and this showed its value as the average size fish we were catching were mid-doubles.
So after a couple of enjoyable sessions at Creedy it wasn't long before I was heading up north. I am now located in the town of Whitchurch in Shropshire. After doing some research I managed to find a few venues in the area that would certainly be worth a visit.  However first things first I needed to sample the fishing that was on offer at my new place of work. Its amazing really how you can work at a fishery and actually get little time to fish it yourself but that's just the way things have turned out. With that said I did manage to fish an afternoon on the specimen lake and although the weather conditions and time was against me I did manage to catch a stunning double figure mirror.

Double Figure Mirror Carp from Hampton Springs Fishery

For now I will have to watch others enjoy the quality fishing that is available here but at least while doing so I can still learn of the productive areas and methods.
Outside of work in my days off I have actually managed to get out on the bank. a few times in the past couple of months and have actually had a fair bit of success too. The fishing up North has proved a challenge in that its so bloody cold!!! Or maybe that's just my Southern blood talking. Never the less my sessions up North started at a venue called Chequered Lake. The lake is a small,intimate and tree lined pool split up by central finger like islands. On my first visit I was lucky enough to chat to some local anglers who informed me the lake was well stocked with a number of species. It was Carp I was after though and looked like I would get as whilst I was talking to them one of their alarms went in to total meltdown! Fully inspired by this I grabbed my own gear and put some rigs tight to the snags. I fished for a few hours and had a very enjoyable session catching three small but very beautiful Carp. Check out the video from the session by clicking the link below-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0XtmB96pdw

A stunning Mirror Carp from Chequered Lake

I enjoyed the first session at Chequered so much that during the following week I returned one evening after work to fish for a couple of hours before dark. The weather had gone surprisingly mild and after seeing Carp cruising around all day on the surface at work I couldn't resist heading to chequered with a loaf of bread to try and tempt some off the surface. Surface fishing really is an amazing way to appreciate the sport and your quarry. It allows you to target specific fish and gauge what exactly your fishing for, this in turn makes it very exciting. The lake at Chequered is also perfect for the method as the overhanging trees provide shelter for the Carp on warm days and a bait placed just beside them is often snaffled quickly. To see more from my surface fishing session and to see my surface fishing tactics click the link below-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUvCvhQ-NQA

Another Chequered lake Mirror

My biggest challenge fishing wise in the last couple of months didn't actually occur up North at all though. A trip to the girlfriends for the weekend saw me with the opportunity to fish a venue in the Cotswold water park known as little horseshoe lake. The venue is a 4-6 acre gravel pit with depths reaching 35ft. Being a gravel pit the water is crystal clear and has abundant weed growth. With all this in mind I knew catching a fish on just a day session would be hard work. I was proved right as although I tried a number of areas I failed to get even an indication from a Carp. I did however have to deal with a different problem, the signal Crayfish. Every now and then I would get lifts and drop backs on the bobbin before reeling in to find my coated cork ball pop-ups stripped bare of all coating. I did however manage to catch one at the end of the day so I could at least identify the problem. But how do you overcome them? Definitely something I will have to figure out before my next trip to the venue.As despite the blank I for certain will be returning as the place has a magic about it with a stunning stock of fish to target.  To see how I approached the session click below-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQpcwt25wZ0

Sunset on Little Horseshoe Lake

The Signal Crayfish

Right so that's my summary of the last couple of months guys. Sorry its been short and sorry again for the lack of posts. I have actually been fishing one other venue but to be honest I think it deserves its own post as I have had some good results from there already. Stay tuned for that one!! Please feel free to comment on any posts with what we could do better or give any advice. If you would like to write for the blog please let me know in the comment section, We also have a facebook group and youtube channel full of content for all anglers whatever the weather.
So cheers guys I promise it wont be so long next time!! ;)

Tight Lines!!

The hunt for a winter Carp. Part 1- Stafford Moor Fishery

Well February is well and truly here with weather patterns and temperatures all over the place. Such conditions are hardly inspiring to go fishing but even in February if you time your trips right you can have some good results. As I've mentioned in previous posts I myself like to change what species I'm fishing for depending on the conditions. This month however I have done anything but this as almost every session I have had on the bank this month has been after Carp.

Winter is not the best time for consistent Carp action but it is however a very rewarding time of year if you can motivate yourself to go out fishing for them. Carp often look more stunning at this time of year as they take on their "winter colours", they also are often at a very good weight. Most Carp at this time of year however will not be feeding heavily. They will instead be seeking shelter in snags, looking for areas of warmth and picking up odd items of food. With the Carp being more lethargic and not moving around the lake so much it is important to locate areas they may be holding. 

The choice of venue is therefore also very important if you are to have any success when fishing for Carp during the winter months. 

Our choice of venue for our first session this winter was known to have winter form and had done several fish in the weeks prior to our visit. This is just the kind of water that would offer the best chance for a winter bite. The venue was Beatties lake on the Stafford moor fishery complex. The lake itself is  decent size at 8 acres but is well stocked with 400 carp to 35 pounds. Having never fished the lake before we didn't really know what areas were going to be the best so a bit of hard observation and help from the owners would be needed to hopefully put us on fish from the start.
On arrival we headed straight into the shop to get the tickets and hopefully that much needed tip off on what the best areas were. After a long chat with the new owners of the complex they kindly advised us of what the best spots in the lake were. We then had a couple laps round the lake to see if the fish would give anything away to suggest anything different. They didn't.
So with the advice of the owners are only real thing to go off we set up in two comfy swims known as the summerhouse pegs in front of the luxury Stafford moor lodges. I would be fishing with Kev on this session with the pair of us just hopeful of getting some winter action. Kev's swim was the first swim which looked a lovely intimate area full of features. The swim had two islands, a small snaggy bay and deep open water to fish to. This would give Kev a number of options and areas to present a bait which was vital seeing as we had no previous lake knowledge to go off.
The swim I was in was to the right of Kev and looked more out onto the middle of the lake. The area had a large island to the right and a no fishing bank going to a point up the left hand margin. The swim allowed a good view of the lake which is important in winter as you can often spot tell tale signs of Carp if you keep your eyes peeled.
Happy with our swims we set up and started fishing with a cautious and varied approach. On any new water I have found it's important to not put all your eggs in one basket but also to stick to what you know works elsewhere. With this in mind I set up one rod on my ever faithful chod rig and the other on a small pva bag presentation. The chod rig would be cast out on the left hand side of my swim to the point of the no fishing bank. This was a noted area according to the fishery owner as just off the point was a depression that the Carp often hold up in. The rig was then followed by approximately 20 free offerings and the trap was set. The right hand rod was to be a searching rod with limited loose feed around it. I would be moving this rod consistently around the swim to try and locate the Carp. Often in winter bites can come quickly from fish that may be laying dormant when your bait just appears in front of them.
After we had got everything sorted it wasn't too long before the night had arrived. Long winter nights on the bank can sometimes become a bit boring and therefore I probably would advise taking something to keep yourself occupied while you wait for those alarms to start screaming. Me and Kev however had not done this and as we waited we began to get more frustrated by our lack of success even though it was winter and are rods hadn't been out that long!!
This restlessness was about to be numbed however when at about 9pm my left had rod shot off with an absolute screamer. The chod had done it again it seemed. The fish didn't really fight as it came in towards me very quickly. A short sharp battle of 5 minutes or so then saw the first winter Carp of the year in the back of the landing net. As I gazed over into the net I gave a bit of a girly "ooooooohh" as I looked down onto a very chunky mirror Carp.
Before taking the fish out of the water Kev quickly zeroed the scales and got everything ready as we knew we would want to weigh this one. We quickly put her on the mat and removed the hook which was nailed in the bottom lip. Kev lifted the sling and the dial shot round to a couple ounces over twenty pounds. Happy days!!!! What a great way to start the Carp fishing year.

20 pounder!! Stafford Moor

20 lb 2oz

We slipped the fish back into the lake and were now full of excitement and anticipation for the remainder of the night. This anticipation was soon heightened as Kev's rods began giving signs of fish. He began to get bleeps on both rods indicating fish were in the area and hitting his semi-slack lines. Kev was now on tender hooks and sat almost hovering over his rods awaiting a take.My rods however were motionless and it seemed as if I had just caught one fish out of the blue.
The night grew darker and colder so we settled down to try and get some kip. This didn't last long as my left hand rod again let rip another screaming run. Being awoken in the cold is not the easiest and I think my reactions were slow to say the least. By the time I had got to the rod the alarm had stopped. Not happy with what had happened I reeled in to find a decent size branch attached to my size 6 choddy hook. I had been well and truly done!!! How do they do it?
Kev had a very similar occurrence an hour later as his island rod let rip resulting in a fish crashing on the surface as it shot free of the area. Unfortunately ditching Kev's rig in the process. There were definitely fish about but this would turn out to be the last bit of action for the night as a hard frost soon set in.
With such a cold night I have to say I wasn't the quickest to get up in the morning. This is always a mistake however as first light can often be the best time to spot Carp. The night that had started so well had resulted in only the one Carp and although we had other chances we couldn't help but feel the chance of another fish had gone. With little movement on Beatties lake we set about a plan to fish one of the other lakes on the complex.
We reeled in our rods on Beatties grabbed some bait and headed up the hill to a lake neither of us had seen before. The lake was "Jospeh's" and is the second specimen Carp water on the Stafford moor complex. As we arrived on the lake we could see that there were already a significant number of anglers set up and fishing for the larger number of Carp that were present in this lake. Not letting this deter us we set off on a walk round the lake. The lake was beautiful in its own right and full of character. Plenty of islands leading to sheltered bays with snaggy margins. It looked the perfect place to hold big Carp.
After seeing the beauty of Joseph's lake and some tell tale signs of feeding fish in the snags we headed back to Beatties to collect our gear. As there wasn't long left in the session we headed up to Joseph's with the minimum amount of gear possible. The tactics would be similar to those used on Beatties a light scattering of boillies accompanied by a handful of corn. The rigs had to be changed slightly however as the Chod rig which is usually fished on a slack line would not be suitable for such snaggy conditions. It is important to fish locked up when fishing against snags as any give in your set up could be the difference between landing and loosing a fish.
With the spot and tactics all sorted we were full of confidence. Our confidence was soon justified as literally minutes after setting up Kev landed his first fish of the session. It wasn't the largest of Carp but was a proper little stunner and certainly made Kev smile.

Joseph's Lake Mirror

Kev returned his fish and we were both happy that we had made the correct choice in moving onto Joseph's as the lake just looked a lot more alive. I had not even cast a rig into the swim yet but when I did I didn't have to wait long!! As I was adjusting the bobbin on the rod after casting out the line literally shot out my hand. I was into my first Joseph's Carp about 20 seconds after making my first cast into the lake!! The fish dogged it out in the middle before trying to ditch the hook in the snaggy margins. The fish was soon in the net and I had caught a nice little 12lb mirror.

12lb Joseph's Mirror

What a buzz to hook a fish so quickly after casting out. The surge of quick action did have a knock on affect though as we struggled to get a bite from the snaggy area for another couple of hours. With the sport slowing down I decided to try a rod out into the main area of the lake. This change in area rewarded me with a nice little mirror within about 10 minutes of casting out.

Stafford Moor Stunner

I slipped the fish back and decided to pack that rod down as the light was now fading. Just as I put the fish back my other rod that was still fishing to the snags screamed off!!! Get in!!! The culprit was another Mirror of the mark simmons strain. The fish weighed in at 11 pounds and was a nice way to finish the day.

Stafford Moor Double

It had been a very enjoyable 24 hours at Stafford moor and we were rewarded in total with 5 Carp between us. Not bad going for February!! The complex certainly does offer a lot of variety in terms of species to fish for and lakes to fish. We may have only managed to tempt one of the Beatties beasts on the session but the Joseph's stock were more than happy to show them selves. It just goes to show in the winter Carp can be caught, you have just got to choose your venue and find them fish!!! 

Tight lines!!!