A look back at 2014.Part 4-The wonderful Wye

Right then how can I start to describe and look back on our trips to the river Wye last year. All you really need to know about this river is its a special place to fish. Until you have been to the Wye you haven't experienced the best side of angling. The Wye is not known for its big specimens but it is however known for producing large quantities of fish,in particular Barbel.

It is this reason why each year myself, family and friends make the journey up the motorway to sit on the banks of the Wye. The Wye is an amazing location without the fishing that's on offer,in addition a lot of the beats you can fish and not see another person let alone another angler. 

To be honest last year I didn't make as many trips to the Wye as I would have liked. The trips we did make however were truly memorable. The first of these trips was with a small group of friends to a venue just outside of Foy. Travelling early morning to go fishing always has that special buzz and this session was no different. As we arrived at the venue which we knew we had all to ourselves for the day we looked at the areas we would target first. My opinion was as it was early season I would be targeting the shallower,faster and more oxygenated stretches of water. Having fished the stretch I knew exactly where to start. So we trundled down the steep banks and into the first swims. Everyone was using what has become the standard Wye Barbel tactics, A feeder some ground bait and a big pellet. We waited till we were all ready and then a little like a match cast out together in search of those bronze beauties. Bites can often come quickly on the Wye but this was not to be one of those days.

After about an hour of inactivity I decided a move was needed. Some days on the Wye you can expect to catch a fish every 15 minutes or so. So if your not catching they are not there I think. However after trying a few more swims but with no success I was starting to wonder if there were any Barbel in the area. I then moved in to the fastest swim of the day, a 5oz feeder was needed to hold bottom and the area was very weedy. Not letting these things deter me though I cast downstream to a slacker crease line about 3/4 of the way across the river. It wasn't long before I began getting hard knocks on the tip. These were classic signs that the Barbel were attacking the feeder to get at the pellets inside. After an hour I had managed 3 Barbel including a lovely fish of about 8lb. We had found them at long last. My friend Steve had also managed three fish from the swim just above me. My friend Kev had also managed his very first Barbel!!! It was hectic to say the least. The fish had obviously remained grouped up after spawning.

As the light began to dim however the action slowed in the shallow swims and we decided to move back to our first swims to see if anything had moved in on some of the bait we had put in. Not long after moving my friend John began battling with a very powerful fish in the fast flow. From the view of the fish in the water we felt certain it looked like a double. Which for the Wye is a very special fish. We quickly netted the fish and it was weighed in at a little over 8lb. Crazy really as it looked every bit a double figure fish and a really impressive specimen.

Regardless of the size John seemed very happy to have caught the fish which is exactly what the Wye is all about. The action which we were hoping would have gone from strength to strength then slowed right down as we headed in to darkness. I did however manage one more Barbel, just a small one about 6lb. We packed up very happy with the days fishing on the Wye and were keen on coming back to try another stretch.

With the joys and stresses of work our plans to return to the Wye got put on hold for a while. It wasn't until early September when myself and my friend John set off to fish a stretch of the Wye known as the "Courtfield fishery". This stretch is owned by the Wye and Usk foundation and can be booked with up to four anglers a day.  I chose this stretch as both myself and John wanted to catch our first double figure Barbel. From looking at previous catch reports this was the place to do it. 

Soon after arriving we walked the stretch and were surprised at the variety of swims on offer. Fast shallows with rocky pools then running into slower deeper stretches. With this sort of variation we knew we were going to have to stay mobile to find the fish. Tactics would be as before but with a few different hook baits to try such as Meat and Boilies.

The day saw us fish what felt like a hundred swims before eventually we came to an area surrounded by woodland.My swim was an adventure in itself which involved climbing down the bank with a rope to get to the water. John was just above me in an area he felt confident in. We sat and waited for over an hour before we had the first indications of fish. My rod tip began to bounce and tap but without any strikeable movement. I felt for sure that this was Chub messing with the bait so I changed my paste wrapped boilie over to a large lump of luncheon meat to see if that would get a better reaction. First cast on the meat saw a solid pull round and I connected with the first fish of the day a Chub of about 3lb. 

The next cast saw me connect with another Chub. This one was a much better fish at a little over 4lb. The day was starting to look better and with the light fading we felt certain a Barbel would be on the cards.John then also managed to get amongst the Chub by using meat on the hook.

My swim was now alive with activity from what looked like to be a very big shoal of Chub. The bite I was to get next however was anything but a Chub bite. The tip just hammered round with incredible force. Before I picked up the rod I knew this was the Barbel we wanted. As I played the fish it thought hard and long in the shallow water. Every time I pulled it closer it shot away again across the flow and out into the river. After a battle of about 15 minutes we set eyes on a big river Wye Barbel. My meat hook bait was still hanging from the fishes mouth when we slipped the net under it. What a fight and what a fish too. Once again the fish looked every bit a double and I felt certain it was mission accomplished for me. However it wasn't to be and the fish weighed in at 9lb 12oz, a couple good meals away from being the magical double. It was however a personal best so I did not care about the weight. The sheer beauty and size of the fish also made the actual weight far less significant. As I held the fish upstream in the flow to return her I thought this is why I come here. 

The bites then soon came to an end for me but I wasn't worried. John on the other hand became a man possessed and caught a number of Chub as we went into the hours of darkness. In amongst these Chub however was another stunning Barbel and the days second PB. We weighed the fish at 9lb 10oz and Johns new personal best Barbel. All the fish fell to the meat which just appeared to be the days killer bait. John was over the moon with his fish and as we packed up we congratulated each other on our new personal bests. A quick glance back at the river before leaving would then make me say "What a place". It would turn out to be the last adventure on the river Wye that year but its a venue I will always return to as long as I've got a rod in my hand!!

Tight Lines!!!!!

A look back at 2014. Part 3- The Horseshoe Holiday

Hello again. Been a little while since I last posted as have been updating our You tube channel and doing various other things. But here we go and continuing on from the last post we are looking back at 2014, so hope you enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed being a part of it.
In the spring of every year the Haydon males usually take part in our annual fishing holiday. The trips are usually a lot of laughs and normally defined by some silly moment. The venue for 2014's trip was the Carp society's Horseshoe lake. The trip would be all paid for by my kind Grandma and Uncle. Happy days!! Unfortunately we were running out of time to fix a date and the trip that was supposed to be four of us ended up being just me and the old man. Anyway we headed off to Horseshoe in the early hours of the morning full of anticipation of a good few days fishing. Horseshoe will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the venue at where I caught my first twenty pounder. A stunning fully scaled and a fish that defines what horseshoe is all about.

The weather for the trip was looking good for fishing. Strong south westerly winds and mild temperatures. The aim for the trip was to have a good time and hopefully get amongst some of the much fabled horseshoe thirties. Our expectations had be dampened a little however by learning of the tragic fish-kill the venue had suffered a few years earlier. Was the venue still going to hold its magic without such a large head of special fish? 

When we got to the venue we were to surprised to see quite a lot of anglers already present. With it being mid-week we thought we could pretty much be able to go where we wanted. This wasn't the case. So after purchasing our tickets and having a look over the fence into the famous lagoon swim we set eyes on our first horseshoe Carp. The bay opposite the lagoon was always a good spot to see the Carp and it looked like nothing had changed. Unfortunately the swim for this area was already taken but with the area being on the back of the wind we felt certain there would be fish in other parts of the lake. A short drive to the point of the horseshoe revealed the windward end of the lake. The wind was smashing into the banks like waves hitting the sandy beaches of Exmouth at home. Not the nicest conditions to be sat in but conditions that just screamed Carp. As we walked along the banks we could already see a number of anglers had the same idea and the area was heavily pressured. We then managed to witness one angler land a decent double. The fish were there and they were definitely feeding. Indecisive about what to do we spoke to the bailiff who was patrolling the banks. He advised us of an area that had been producing fish in the last few days and was well worth a go.

So we headed to an area off the wind in a part of the lake known as the summer bay. The summer bay is the shallowest area of the lake with heavy weed growth throughout. It was in the summer bay that I had caught all my previous horseshoe fish so I wasn't new to the area. On the day though all my Carping instincts were telling me this wasn't the place to be. However we set up camp and began setting our traps for the horseshoe Carp. 

I set up two Chod rig presentations and began casting around the swim looking for the clearer areas. It wasn't long before I had found an area of light silk weed. This kind of area is full of natural food and although not all presentations suit this area it would suit the chod rig perfectly. I proceeded to lightly bait the area with a few boilies, trying not to bait too heavy as I was almost certain a move was on the cards. It wasn't long before night had arrived and I went round to Dad's swim for a bit of a social and some grub. On returning to my peg I flicked out two rigs into the same area and settled down for the night. At about 1am I was awoken by a screaming take on the left rod. As I got up and put on my shoes to go and strike however the run had stopped. I stood over the rod and seeing the bobbin was pulled tight struck into what I was hoping would be a big horseshoe carp. There was nothing but weed on the end!!! Was this a missed chance? Was it a carp?? Was it a Tench??? Is my rig presented??? All these questions went through my mind and prevented much more sleep being gained for the rest of the night. 

The next day came and went without occurrence and it wasn't until early evening when we began to get indications that the horseshoe Carp were in the area. As we sat eating our food in Dads swim we looked out to see a very subtle roll from a Carp just a little left of Dads baited area. Surprised and excited by what we had just saw we stood up and looked harder at the spot. It was at this moment when Dad's right hand rod roared off with a full blown take!! The first horseshoe Carp was hooked! After a short battle we were presented with a stunning horseshoe mirror of 19lb. It was Dad's first horseshoe Carp and the first of the session.  

We were off the mark but was this a one off fish or a sign of better things to come?? The night ahead now looked a lot more promising but actually in reality was entirely uneventful. Frustrated by my own lack of success the following morning I began looking in other areas of the lake. With the wind still hacking down the same end I felt less inclined to approach this area which would now have become stale. So as I walked the banks and talked to the other anglers it became apparent that apart from Dad's fish the only areas of the lake producing were at the ends of the two bays on the back of the wind. With this in mind I headed over to the Lagoon swim to find the angler occupying the area was just packing up. Without hesitation I rushed back to my Bivvy and began moving my gear to the area. I'm not one to jump into someones swim while they are in it but this was a chance that couldn't be missed.

By the time I had moved my gear the swim was now completely vacated. With the area having ample space for two bivvy's I couldn't help but go and persuade Dad to join me. So by the time we were both set up in the swim the light had already began to fade. We did however know there were Carp in the area. With this in mind we baited  lightly and fished all our rods to the bay opposite which had a rope across it signifying a no fishing area. Being in the closer spot I fished to our own margin whilst Dad fished out and across. The tactics were the same as those used in the previous swim and a quick lead about revealed clear areas closer to the rope and along my margin.

As the light continued to drop our first bit of action in the lagoon occurred. My right hand rod was pulled round with a stuttering take. I struck into the fish and began to battle with my first Carp of the session. The fish pulled hard and eventually found a snag mid-way between myself and the rope. Not believing my luck I began cursing and fearing the worst. As I slackened the line though the fish suddenly pulled out the snag and began swimming straight towards me. Dad quickly grabbed the net and after a lot of flapping in the margins the fish was in the net. It wasn't a monster at 15lb but was another stunning example of a horseshoe Carp and well worth the move. 

The night then came and as previous nights went without action. Looking back this was probably a good thing as the next day was to be truly unforgettable. We awoke in the morning curious on the nights lack of action but before we had a chance to even make a cup of tea to talk about it my right hand rod was off again. This was a much better fish and I could feel it plodding away again towards the area the other fish had snagged me up. As I pulled hard to get it away from the danger it kited hard out of the bay and into the main lake. Eventually I began retrieving line and up popped a unbelievable looking mirror in the margins. We got it in the net and after a shout of "Yes" from myself we set eyes on a rather large but bizarre looking Mirror. The fish was definitely one of the old warriors of the lake and one of the real characters too. We weighed it in at 27 pounds so he wasn't a small chap either!! I lifted the fish to see that it only had one eye, and had really tiny fins. It was an odd ball but strangely beautiful in its own right.

The target was achieved in catching a big old horseshoe warrior. It wasn't a thirty but I didn't mind. The day then went on as it started. The spot which was doing the business was a couple feet off the rope along our own bank. We were baiting the spot after every fish with 50 to 100 boilies and it wasn't long before fish came investigating even after the disturbances. Two more mirrors fell to my right hand rod before darkness one of 14lb and another of 17lb. Both of these fish an example of the newer stock that is present in Horseshoe. 

The day wasn't without its frustrations however as we had lost and equal amount of fish in the snag that appeared to be attached to the rope. We contacted the bailiff and thankfully it was removed and revealed to be a massive spiders web of lines all attached to the rope. Amazing really as a lot of the takes we were getting were not that close to the rope at all. With the snag out of the way though we looked forward to another nights fishing and hopefully another good morning the following day. The night again though came and went without action. It had now become apparent that the fish were moving out into the main lake during the hours of darkness and coming back into the bay for sanctuary during the day. 

We awoke the next morning to a slight change in the conditions and a change that had definitely affected the fish. A look into the bay revealed a lot fewer fish were present and our chances had lessened dramatically. Never the less we stuck at it as it was our final day of the horseshoe adventure. My rods unfortunately saw no further action but Dad managed to sneak one out and unfortunately lost one. The fish was another stockie but a nice looking fish of 16lb. 

It was a nice end to the session. We hadn't caught that Horseshoe thirty but we had caught our fair share of the stunning stock that resides in this magical lake. As we began to pack up we talked of how I could get out of work so we could stay longer. Always reluctant to leave, I think we could have stayed not another night but the whole summer. Just two bivvy's, the lagoon and the horseshoe Carp. 

Tight Lines!!!

A look back at 2014. Part 2- Digger lakes Dreams

Hello again, here is the second part of the summary of my years angling in 2014. Towards the end of the winter and the beginning of spring I set my sights on Carp. I am very lucky in Devon to have a number of fantastic Carp fishing venues to choose from. The venue I was going to concentrate on for the coming months however was a fairly new fishery situated on the outskirts of Cullumpton. The fishery is right next to a popular attraction known as Digger land, where kids can have a go on all sorts of machinery type rides. Due to its location therefore the fishery is appropriately named Digger lakes. The venue consists of two lakes, Perseys pool and Snails lake. The complex has got quite a good reputation for bites during the cold months so therefore was my number one choice to fish during the changeable weather conditions.

My first session on the complex was just a short day trip accompanied once again by Kevin Dobson. With a brief mild spell after consistent frosts we felt certain of a few chances but knew that we would have to take it easy on the feed. The plan of action was to travel fairly light and try a number of different swims on the complex. During the winter Carp are far less active and often spend weeks in the same parts of the lake. These areas of the lake are often the warmest but could also be areas where the fish feel safe such as snags. With this in mind we headed to Persey's pool in search of areas with depth and cover. As we walked up the hill from the back of snails and up to Persey's we could see we had the whole lake to ourselves. But with no obvious areas and a lack of knowledge of this particular lake this actually just made things harder. We stood and watched the water for 15 minutes or so when suddenly a mid-double mirror came clattering out of the water in a swim just to are left. " I will go here then" I said, met by laughter from Kev. However as Kev chuckled another fish head and shouldered out directly in front of him!! " Ha I will go here then" soon followed. So we had found some fish,but how were we going to catch them?

I set about tying up two rigs both identical but with different hook-baits. Reluctant to spook the fish by leading around I chose a rig that could be presented over any bottom, that rig being the chod rig. The chod rig really has revolutionised my own Carp fishing and has accounted for nearly all my biggest fish in previous years. The version I would be using on this session though was scaled down to accommodate a 10mm pink northern special pop up. For variation the other rod would be presented with a white northern special pop-up . 

Taking note of the area I had seen the fish, I cast the rigs out and felt the lead down on to a fairly soft bottom. Both areas were then baited with a couple pouches of 10mm CC Moore live system boilies. I then sat back confident of a take from one of the digger lakes Carp. An hour had soon passed and both mine and Kevs rods had remained biteless. Without seeing another fish roll on Persey's we began to formulate a plan for the Snails lake below us. As we talked out of the blue my right hand rod let rip a screamer of a take! I bent into the fish expecting to feel much lighter resistance as the average size of fish in Persey's is about 8lb. The fish plodded around in open water for about 10 minutes which is often the sign of a better fish as smaller carp tend to tare around all over the lake. The fish came to the surface and we were pleasantly surprised to see what looked like an upper double or maybe if we were lucky a low twenty. She was soon in the net and Kev grabbed the sling so we could weigh her. The scales went round to 18lb 12oz I believe. What a great way to start the digger lakes sessions. It was one of the biggest fish in the Persey's pool which was the highest stocked of the two. Before we did any more with the fish we treated a wound she was carrying on her side which looked almost like a gunshot wound. We gently applied some anti-septic to the areas and hopefully she could fully recover in the coming weeks.After a few shots we slipped the fish back and re-cast the rigs hopeful of another quick bite.

A couple of hours soon passed and we hadn't had another indication. Time was now not on our side as is often the way on short day sessions. We quickly packed up our gear and headed down on to the much lower stocked Snails lake below. Snails is a far more feature filled lake which can only really be likened to a maze. Snails is a series of intricate channels leading to open pools and can often be quite mind blowing when first fished. We worked our way down the lake trying a number of different areas for about 20 minutes or so using the same methods as we did on persey's. It wasn't long till we had reached a swim at the start of the lake near the carp park. The swim was a Carp anglers paradise, two islands, a channel into another bay,reed fringed margins and a large group of snaggy overhanging trees on the left margin. My confidence had suddenly shot straight back up as every area of the swim looked certain to hold a few fish. I quickly re-baited the two rods and flicked one chod to the end of the island in front and the other to the snaggy trees on the left. Full of anticipation I then went around to Kev's swim to see what his plans were. I hadn't got more than 10 yards away when the rod cast to the trees had an absolute belter of a take! I ran back to the rod and hit into what again felt like a decent weight fish. This fish was a lot more energetic however and was using all its muscle to try and ditch the rig in every feature of the swim. After a battle that seemed to last a lifetime she was in the net. We peeled back the mesh to reveal a smaller mid double but a much prettier fish with apple slice scales and a broken linear pattern down its flank. The fished was weighed at 16lb and returned. I was absolutely buzzing the first trip to Digger had produced a fish from each lake.

As with the Perch fishing it wasn't long before the light had faded and it was time to go. We loaded up the car and set off on our 20 minute dive back to Exeter. On the way home we had already started planning the next trip, which we hoped would be a much longer session to try to get in contact with the bigger fish on the complex. When we got home the discussions continued over a few games of Call of Duty and we had even convinced one of our good college friends to come down and join us.

It was not until a month and a half or so after the first session till we returned to Digger lakes though. It was now early spring and the temperatures far warmer. We set about taking our friend from college John Jackson on to Persey's pool for his first proper Carp fishing session. John had caught plenty of decent Carp before but was still calling this his first serious carp session. We set up in three swims located in the area that I had caught the fish on the last session. John on the right hand swim had open water options and an island directly in front. Kev's swim was almost identical to Johns but in addition had a sheltered corner of the lake to his left with a large reed bed to fish to. My swim was located directly in between two islands with a small amount of open water to fish. We set up in late afternoon with the intention of fishing the swims for the next 48 hours. I had chosen to fish the same rigs as the previous session. John was using a method known as solid bag fishing, a method which presents a small patch of feed directly around your hook bait. Full of confidence we cast our rigs out and waited for the first bit of action, in the meantime we sat in the middle of the swims and had a drink and a catch up. It wasn't long before darkness had come and we still remained fishless. We got an early night certain of some action throughout the hours of darkness. At about 1 I was awoken by a slow shuddery take on the left hand rod. About 5 minutes later I had the first fish of the session in the net, A small mirror of about 7lb.It was a start, however I couldn't wait to get back in the big snooze sleeping bag as the ground was now covered in a thick frost.

It wasn't till daylight until I was awoken again, this time by an absolute flyer. Not on my rods though, it was Johns. So I got up to give him a hand and was happy to find out he also had some success through the night. I grabbed the net and landed what looked like a low double common. The session was coming together nicely. It wasn't long before we heard Kev's rods screaming off and he got up to land a lovely scaley little mirror!! It was a good start to the day for him as he ended the previous day on some what of a wet note shall we say ;).

It was soon mid-day on the second day and John had been having a great session with consistent takes every couple of hours all on his solid bag presentation. Pleased by what we had caught we couldn't help but wonder if we were going to see any bigger fish put in an appearance. As I wasn't getting as many takes and was fishing in a different style I felt certain a bigger fish would fall to my boilie approach. In the early hours of the afternoon though John connected with a slow take on his left hand rod, as he bent into the fish he said "this feels a bit better". With Kev and myself beside him he started to battle the fish which was plodding slowly around the pool in front of him. We all began to wonder was this the better fish we had been waiting for? The fish began to pull hard for the bottom and we all became certain it was a decent fish, John however was still saying it's not that big. We began joking around saying what if its the "Fat Lin" which is the biggest fish in Persey's pool and a fish of over 30lb in weight. The more we joked the harder the fish battled to escape. Until eventually John had tired the fish out enough so we could just get a quick glance. "Oh my god" I said as my eyes caught a glimpse of a very fat linear mirror. "He's got it, he's got it" I was saying just knowing that he had on the end the fish I had been dreaming of catching. John at this point was shaking a bit more than usual, however was saying "No its not". Then out of the depths rolled over a truly breathtaking and enormous Carp. "Get it in the net!" Kev yelled as I think we had all just paused for the moment. She went in first time and we all gave out a big yell. The next few moments were just superb and my initial jealousy of knowing what John had caught quickly faded as we could all just see how buzzing he and all of us were. This was the first time the "Fat Lin" had been caught from Persey's pool since being moved from Snails. It was a great moment, we weighed the fish to reveal it had smashed Johns personal best of 21 lb and his new pb was over 31 pounds. We then tried to get some great photo's to capture the moment as best as possible. John had now taken to the water with the fish in true Carp fishing style and then returned the fish slowly by hand back into the lake.

What a day it had been for John and we couldn't have been more happy for him. The session wasn't over yet though and we still had another night to go. As we sat down for are takeaway maccy d's and reflected on an amazing day Kev's rod let rip a bizarre take where the bobbin lifted dropped, lifted and then held. Kev jumped up and hit into it and said "Yes, that's on the zig!" the take was actually a typical zig take but it was the first time any of us had tried them this session. Kev battle a fish which had his rod bent doubled! He began to say "This is big and I think its foul hooked". The fish then began about tearing line off of Kev's reel and gave him one hell of a battle. The fish then popped up to the surface and I think the next moment completely took the wind out of our sails. It was the fat lin again! However this time we could see the hook had gone right into the base of the pectoral fin. Worried about the welfare of the fish we quickly removed the hook and began reviving the fish in the margins. We were all a bit gutted but none more so than Kev, it would have been his first UK thirty and a new personal best. Kev's mind was well and truly on the fish though and as he picked it up to return her we took a quick shot to reflect what might of been and as Kev held her in the margins she gently swam off back into the lake. A strange end to what had been a great day's fishing. I then wandered down on to snails to see my Dad and look after his rods for the evening. 

The night came and went without any action for the three of us on Persey's and we began packing up after what had been a truly memorable session. As I walked the barrow back to the car though I couldn't help but feel I'm not done yet. So as we approached the car park area of Snails lake I dumped my gear in a swim known as Tyler's bay. An angler had just left the swim with reports of a couple of fish. That was enough for me. So I stayed to do yet another night. Confident in the presentations I was using I cast them out to the far side of the bay and felt them down into what only could be described as deep silt. This kind of bottom meant the chods would be perfectly presented and would have a distinct advantage over other rigs in this particular spot. I baited the area hard with nearly a kilo of Live system. I wasn't messing around this time and it wasn't long before I was rewarded. Only an hour or so after setting up in the new swim my rod cast tight to the far margin was away. A short battle followed and I had a pretty mid double in the bottom of the landing net. This was the type of fish that was typical of Snails a stunning scaley little mirror. 

The fish was a massive confidence booster for the night ahead and had restored any confidence I had lost in the chod rig. The night however flew by and before I knew it, it was mid morning the following day and I hadn't caught another fish. Perhaps maybe the initial disturbance had spooked the fish out of what was a small and secluded bay. It was then I decided to move back onto Persey's for the remaining few hours of the session. I headed straight to the far end of the Persey's pool where I had seen a number of fishing topping the days before. The lake was now completely empty and the chance of a bite looked very high. The top end of the lake had also been extremely muddied up as the fish mopped up what was left of the weekends bait. With this in mind I didn't want to bait heavily and risk spooking the fish. So I lowered two P.V.A bags down in amongst the mud clouds. Not ten minutes later was my left hand rod away with a pristine little common. As I was returning that fish the right hand rod was away with an equally stunning common of a similar size. Well why couldn't it of been like that all weekend? !!!. After about an hour or so I packed up as the quick bites had blatantly spooked the area and slowed the action. I headed back to the car after a long hard time on the bank however my mind was again already on the return visit. 

Time just seems to go so quickly and again it wasn't another three weeks or so until I returned to the Digger lakes complex. This time I was on my own as I had a couple day's off from the stresses of work. I decided that my target would be the bigger fish in the Snails lake.  On arrival to the lake I began to walk around and could already see a number of the key areas were already occupied by other anglers. Not being disheartened I stopped in the swim where I had caught from on the previous visit, I waited for about 10 minutes when I saw a decent size fish crash straight out of the water at the bottom of the bay. This was soon followed by another three or four shows before a fish delicately head and shouldered on the left hand side of the swim also. I had found the fish for sure. I headed back to the car and grabbed the gear as quick as possible. I set up in the swim as quietly as I could mean while another five fish had showed around the bay. The rods were still set up from the previous session but I was not leaving anything to chance and tied to fresh chods to go onto the pre-tied lead core leaders. I also began to gradually bait the areas where the fish were showing with a dozen or so boilies every few minutes. This was hopefully enough bait to get the fish interested but not enough to spook them. By the time I was fully set up the light had almost completely gone and it wasn't till the hours of darkness when I made my first cast. I cast the right hand rod to the bottom of the bay where the fish had been showing and began slacking the line off as you always should when fishing the chod rig. Whilst I was gently slackening the line the line pulled bow string tight and line began to peel off the clutch. A little stunned I paused before picking up the rod and striking into completely fin air. Was this a missed chance? I began to worry that what had just happened would affect the swim so I baited with a few more boilies and re-positioned both rods. 

A couple of hours had passed and the heavens had now opened. I lied in my sleeping bag wondering if I had again blown my chances and spooked the fish out of the bay. As I slowly began to nod off my right had rod went into absolute melt down shortly followed by my left hand rod. Surely not? I jumped out of the bag and grabbed the left hand rod first. My strike was again met with no resistance and was met with a large amount of swearing from myself. The right hand rod however was still ticking away and I picked it up to lean into a solid weight. My mind went into overdrive and for some reason I just knew that I had one of the biggest fish in the lake on the end. The fish plodded about the pool for a while before turning over to the left of my swim. I could see it was a big fish but how big? I slipped the net under the fish and before I even parted the mesh to see the fish I knew it was the big girl. I opened the net to see a massive mirror carp with little scales. The fish was "Baby M" the queen of Snails lake. With the fish in the margins I jumped up and down and shouted before then trying to figure out how I was going to deal with the fish. I left the fish securely in the net and walked just round the corner to the gentleman in the next swim who kindly came to assist me. He had himself caught Baby M before so knew straight away it was her, We weighed the fish to reveal she was at her biggest ever weight!!! She went over 36 pounds in weight. It was my second biggest Carp ever and I was just gob smacked . It was also a new fishery record. What a buzz. After getting the best photos we could in the pouring rain and treating a nasty wound on her tail she was returned and I began to tell everyone the good news!!.

Not being sure how that moment could be topped and now being absolutely soaking wet I returned to bed but just couldn't sleep. Another quiet night passed and it wasn't till early evening the next night when I caught my next fish. It was another mirror and a decent fish of 19lb. Still buzzing from the previous night I probably didn't appreciate this fish as much as I should of done as at the end of the day they are all special. 

I packed up the following morning as happy as you could be. Most other people would probably think I should have been locked away for staying out in those conditions to catch big slime covered fish. Once again though for me however it was target achieved and the Digger lakes complex had cemented its self in my mind as not only one of the best fisheries in Devon but the UK also. 

Tight Lines 

A look back at 2014. Part 1-The years first target.

Right then lets get things started and may I wish you all a very happy new year! As well as good luck for 2015. It wouldn't be the new year though without some reflection on the year that has just passed and that's exactly what I am going to do for my first few posts. Partly because I haven't had much time to get out on the bank recently due to the joy's of work. Never the less 2014 was actually a great year personally for me angling wise. I managed a number of personal bests in 2014 and to be honest would probably call it one of my best fishing years ever.
At the start of 2014 I had a number of angling objectives and the first one of those was to catch a personal best Perch. With my personal best Perch being a little over 2lb this objective on paper did not look too difficult. The first choice I had to make however was venue. The good thing about Perch is they can literally be found almost anywhere from ponds to rivers and canals to lakes. But would a big Perch be so easy to track down? With the use of the power of the Internet I managed to find some reports of 3lb plus Perch being caught from a venue in Devon. The venue was Stafford moor fishery in Winkleigh approximately 40 minutes drive from my house.
Stafford moor is a commercial fishery with a number of different lakes on site. The lake I would be targeting however was known as the "Pines". A week or so after reading up on these monster Perch and the best methods to catch them I headed off early accompanied by my good friend Kevin Dobson to see if we could connect with one of these big Stafford moor stripeys. On arrival we were presented with a stunning lake that just screamed Perch!! A look from the car park revealed a tree lined pool with a number of islands, snaggy margins and reed beds. From what I've learnt from my own angling and what I had read a Perch paradise! The issue was however, where do you start? Luckily the choice was made easier for us, as a quick walk around revealed that these Perch were being quite heavily targeted. So we decided to set up in a central area of the lake both swims with a number of areas to fish to.
I began setting up two rods for the Perch. The first a simple float set up on which I would be fishing a small worm in  my near margin to the right of my swim. Looking down to the right there was a large tree with a bush coming off the stump, this looked the ideal place to present a bait. The second rod was set up with a equally simple running ledger rig, which I decided to bait with a larger lob worm tipped by a couple of red maggots. This rig was to be cast to the margin of a island opposite and for bite indication placed on a delkim alarm system. During my research on the species I had read that Perch are very sensitive to bite resistance and when ledgering tension should be kept to an absolute minimum. The best method for this is to fish with your bale arm open and your line in a clip or under and elastic band down to a very light bobbin.
So with both rods set up and spots found I began fishing,the session started with bites from the word go. Albeit these bites were from Roach, Skimmers and small Perch. It wasn't till mid day until the first bleeps on the alarm was heard soon followed by a full blown take! As I hit into the fish I knew straight away that it was no Perch! After a short but hard battle a small mirror Carp came to the surface and was slipped over the net. This was obviously going to become one of the main issues with targeting the Perch, how to avoid the other species.

Not getting disheartened by my lack of success with the Perch I carried on with my initial game plan. I was constantly tinkering with hook baits on my float presentation as my margin swim had now become absolutely alive with fish! At about 4pm though this all changed as the swim went stone dead. Confused by what had happened I did think maybe a group of Perch had moved in and spooked the other fish. This time I wasn't wrong and after changing my hook to accommodate a larger worm I was rewarded with a Perch of a pound and a half almost instantly!

It was the biggest Perch of the day so far and things were looking up. I couldn't wait to get the rod back in the water and this again was justified as on the very next cast I connected with what felt like a much bigger Perch. A hard and jagged fight indicated this was a decent fish and as it popped to the surface my heart began to race, it just looked enormous! I quickly shouted to Kev but with no reply I could only assume he had fallen in or asleep. Not worrying about that I quickly put the net under the fish and she was mine. As I looked down in the net I thought to myself "Well that's the biggest Perch I've ever seen" so surely it was mission achieved and the personal best beaten. I took the fish round to Kev in the swim next door to find as predicted he was asleep. So after giving him a nudge we weighed the fish to confirm it was a pb at 2 lb 12 oz. Not the biggest in the lake but It felt like it was to me and I didn't care.

After a few pictures and a shake of the hand from Kev I returned the fish just stunned by how impressive it looked.As has been said previously a big Perch really is "the biggest fish of all". By this time though the light had almost gone and I packed up my gear a very happy man.
A week or so passed by and I was still buzzing from my big Stafford moor Perch, so much so that even though the objective for 2014 of a pb Perch had been reached I couldn't wait to go back and try for an even bigger fish. So I gave Kev a quick ring to see if he was up for it and unfortunately he was heading out on the town that night so didn't fancy it. This made me re-think a little as it was a long way to go on my own as I was a little tight for cash at the time. In the end however I just decided lets go for it! So the following morning I jumped in the car and was off to Stafford moor for the second time in two weeks.
On arrival I could see once again that pines was very busy with anglers but there were still some spots free. I jumped straight in a swim a couple down from where I had my perch the previous week which was unfortunately occupied. The new swim was a lot more open then the previous but was located in front of a gap in between two snaggy islands. The methods would be exactly the same as the previous week with two rods. One a ledger rig and one a float rig. The baits this time however would be slightly different, as after watching a lot more videos on you tube about targeting Perch a bait which I hadn't yet tried was brought to my attention. That bait was the Prawn. Prawns have become a phenomenal bait for perch in commercial fisheries and now some of the best catches of Perch have been on this cheap and readily available bait. I decided to do something a bit different with my prawns however and flavoured them up with a Carp bait additive. The prawns had now gone a blood red colour and just oozed attraction. Could this have been the bait for another massive stripey?

 The flavoured prawn hook bait would be presented on my ledger rig which was to be cast in between two adjacent islands, a spot were I believed a big Perch could ambush its prey as they pass through.
The float rod would be fished similarly to last session in my own margin with maggots and worms for bait.
The session started in a very similar fashion to the previous with bites instantly on the float presentation, the fish this week however were of a much better stamp and I was taking quality Roach and Skimmers on the maggot right out of the edge. Some Perch then got in on the action and I caught about 5 to just over the pound and a half mark. It was good fishing but I couldn't help but want to see another of those big Perch in the net again.
During this time the ledger rod had remained without a bleep and I began to doubt the effectiveness of the prawn hook bait. I decided to leave it tough and continued to spray pouches of maggots over the area in an attempt to liven up the spot. Then in true fishing style as I was happily eating my lunch thinking not much was happening the alarm burst into action. A bizarre indication with the bobbin coming right to the top then dropping the rising again. I hit into the fish and was pleasantly surprised by the resistance felt on the end! From the way the bite developed I felt certain it was a Bream or a small Perch. As the fish began to jag and shake its head my thoughts went back to last weeks fish however this fish had a lot more power. A battle of a few minutes followed until eventually the sun hit the stripes on the flank of what looked like an even bigger Perch!! The fish just looked ridiculous!! Now shaking like a leaf I grabbed for the net terrified it was going to drop off! But luckily she went in the net first time. Amazed by what was in my net I sat back and smiled. Next thing I knew however a angler from up the bank had seen the commotion and come down to see what I had caught. It was Christopher Lambert who I had met on the bank previously and whose blog I had been reading for a number of years. Chris kindly got the scales and we weighed the fish. I didn't look as I was certain it was another pb. Chris said "Well its a three" and I literally went into melt down and was just so chuffed! He turned the scales to reveal the fish was indeed just a little over the 3lb mark. What a moment and one I will never forget. My first three pound Perch. The next moments went in a bit of a blur as Chris and his friend kindly took some photos for me and showed me a little trick in keeping the perch's fin up for those trophy shots. It wasn't long though before I was returning the fish by hand back into the murky depths of the pines. I grabbed the phone and began to tell everyone what I had caught. Most of whom probably thought I was mad!! Kev called to congratulate me on the fish and probably wished he was there to see it but there would always be next time. Once again the light quickly faded and it was time to go, but if it was even possible I went home more content than the previous week. The objective of a big perch now really was fulfilled.

Tight Lines!!!

Introduction

Hello, my name is Chris Haydon and all you really need to know about me is I am absolutely crazy about fishing. I have created this blog to share not only my own but also my friends angling adventures and stories. I am based in south west England so this will be primarily the location for a number of my post's, however I often travel all over the country in pursuit of some of the best fishing action.
I have been fishing for as long as I can remember and have gained an absolute passion for the sport. So much so that I am even attempting to make it part of my working life, as I have recently completed a Bsc Hons degree in Fisheries management and Aquaculture at Sparsholt college. Since then however I have struggled to gain employment in the industry but remain hopeful.
Anyway on to the fishing. I am primarily a coarse angler but in recent years have started delving in to other areas of the sport such as fly fishing. I will quite happily fish for anything that swims as I'm sure a number of people would! I do it really for the challenge, the mystery and the chance to get close to nature. I hope there will be something in this blog for all anglers to enjoy on those days when you just can't get out on the bank yourselves. Cheers.