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!!