I managed to get down before Friday 5pm which on Fryernings, as with many venues up and down the country, is a real plus. A few of the popular well known swims were already taken but luckily The Royal Box which I had my hit out from the previous weekend was free as an angler was packing up from a two night session. That will do I thought not being one to mess around on a Friday just before the parades of weekend anglers turned up. Speaking to the angler in question it was positive to say the least, he had lost a fish that morning due to a hook pull and seeing as though nothing had been out since my last visit the fish were still clearly in the area and ready for another clubbing, or so I thought!!
Well I couldn’t have been more wrong. Nothing showed down that end of the lake all day, through the night and into Saturday morning, clearly something was up and the fish had done the off. Fryerning can really play on your mind at times with the constant bleeps from the crayfish during the night and although I wound my N-Blend hookbaits in untouched something just didn’t seem right in the area. As Saturday lunchtime rolled into afternoon a fresh northerly had picked up and now things looked good for a move to the far end of the lake towards the lodge end. Now the Lodge just happens to be the hottest swim on the lake and invariably impossible to get in if you’re a weekend angler.
After a walk around the lake and a chat with a few of the lads I had got to know over the last few weeks I soon turned up to the lodge to find the angler who had been fishing there packing up. He’d had a right result over the last two nights having banked mirrors of 27lb and 36lb and dropping a good fish at the net. I asked him whether anyone had claimed the swim and to my disbelief no one had!!! Well I knew where I had to be that’s for sure and no sooner had the words left his mouth I was round there and setting up my camp.
By now the northerly had dropped right off and the lake was soon flat calm. Chest waders on I was soon up to my chest in water firing out my marker setup, oozing with anticipation as to what the hottest swim on the lake held for me. The fish were clearly in front of me or at least down from me in ‘mothers end’ as Chris the owner likes to call it, as this is the out of bounds area of the lake where only the lodge swim can fish to. It’s at this point you can clearly see why the lodge is the hottest spot on the lake as it commands some 6 odd acres of water to its self with only those few who can cast well, to truly take full advantage as to what the swim has to offer.
To paint a picture of the swim imagine a large bay with the lodge swim at its entrance with an awkward tree hanging in the water to your left, making casting very difficult from the bank, ‘hence the use of the waders’ and an expanse of natural shrubs, gorse bushes and reeds on the far margin. Oh and before I forget without another anglers lines in sight. You honestly couldn’t find a better carp fishing swim if you made it up and it was all mine for the weekend!
Not being one to mess around for fear of cracking off etc due to having old line on I thought it best to scatter my three rods over the bay and down to my left all around the 80yard mark and not go for the big heave ho. A line of traps so to speak with a scattering of 18mm N-blend baits across the whole area to intercept the fish as they moved in and out of the bay. The lake bed in this bay is fairly uniform with four and five foot the average the whole way across it, with clay and gravel patches predominant amongst the fresh beds of Canadian pond weed that were finally starting to sprout after the long hard winter.
Afternoon soon turned into evening and as I sat watching the water and the sun set on the horizon to my left, I clearly knew I had made the right move, as over the course of an hour leading up to dusk I witnessed no fewer than 30 shows from some absolutely huge fish. Now if anything breeds confidence in this game for me it’s watching carp in a feeding frenzy when they just nose the surface of the lake and sink leaving a huge trail of bubbles as they go. They were feeding in earnest and although I hadn’t come equipped for this session I was only forty yards or so from the fish and knew if they moved up from the bay I’d definitely be in for a bite.
The night was cold and clear and although not the best conditions for spring carping I was buzzing. I could hardly sleep all night at the thought of all those hippos down to my left and somewhat shattered, by 2oclock in the morning I eventually dozed off. I awoke at half seven to a single bleep on my left hand Neville and as I peeped for a look out the sleeping bag, the left hand tip wrenched hard round to the left and I was away. Heart pumping and bleary eyed the fish kited some 70yards up from my left straight out in front of me. It was definitely a carp but not what I was expecting and as she popped up there hanging on the end of a size 10 wide gape was a 10lb common. I chuckled to myself as catching anything less than 25lbs in here is a rarity. Slipping her back and punching the rod back to the spot I was soon back in the land of nod. No sooner had I dropped off to sleep again the middle rod was away. Yes I thought here’s my chance for a better one. Well guess what it wasn’t a thirty pounder, neither was it a twenty, but this time a single figure common. I wasn’t happy to say the least and knew now being half eight in the morning my chance had gone, especially as all the regulars had said to me that this was predominately a night and early morning water.
True to form midday was soon upon us and after a wind in and a well deserved cook up at the cafe’ with my mate Neil, who was also fishing, we soon arrived back at the lake. Since we had left the lake the strong northerly that was with us on the Saturday had picked up with real strength. I couldn’t help but wonder, what with a big fresh wind pumping into the bay I was fishing that it looked prime for a bite during the daytime. Fresh N-blend hookbaits were shrink wrapped and cast back to the previous nights spots, I then topped the swim up with a liberal scattering of 18mm’ers again. I was due to pack up that afternoon, but what with getting in the lodge being an opportunity not to miss - I just knew I had to do one more night.
As the afternoon progressed the northerly got stronger and although I had not seen anything roll probably due to the rough weather it looked so good out there for a bite. Well true to form at half four the right hand rod at the mouth of the bay was away on an absolute flyer. Picking the rod up I knew instantly this was no double figure carp. Kiting right and keeping low it powered around the swim for some 15 minutes or so before finally popping up and there in the net lay an absolutely gorgeous linear. Nailed in the bottom lip, the short rigs and heavy leads were still doing the business and with Chris the owner seeing all the commotion from the other side of the lake was soon round to assist with weighing and photos. He recognised it as a fish they called ‘Stripe’ due to the markings on its huge tail and at 34lb 8oz I was more than happy with my prize.
The rest of the day and evening passed uneventful, not that it bothered me whatsoever and as the evening turned into dusk the resident fish in the bay put on a real display down to my left again on the far margins. I must have seen some sixty odd shows this time in under half hour and just knew that the Lodge was the place to be the moment. All I knew equipped with an awesome bait, fresh line and a better distance set up, if I could manage another session in there soon before the weed really came up I felt sure I could really take advantage as they looked so catchable. So join me next time to see whether my prediction was right and see if those big old wily Fryerning residents would play ball or not. Tight lines.
James Willsmer
Well I couldn’t have been more wrong. Nothing showed down that end of the lake all day, through the night and into Saturday morning, clearly something was up and the fish had done the off. Fryerning can really play on your mind at times with the constant bleeps from the crayfish during the night and although I wound my N-Blend hookbaits in untouched something just didn’t seem right in the area. As Saturday lunchtime rolled into afternoon a fresh northerly had picked up and now things looked good for a move to the far end of the lake towards the lodge end. Now the Lodge just happens to be the hottest swim on the lake and invariably impossible to get in if you’re a weekend angler.
After a walk around the lake and a chat with a few of the lads I had got to know over the last few weeks I soon turned up to the lodge to find the angler who had been fishing there packing up. He’d had a right result over the last two nights having banked mirrors of 27lb and 36lb and dropping a good fish at the net. I asked him whether anyone had claimed the swim and to my disbelief no one had!!! Well I knew where I had to be that’s for sure and no sooner had the words left his mouth I was round there and setting up my camp.
By now the northerly had dropped right off and the lake was soon flat calm. Chest waders on I was soon up to my chest in water firing out my marker setup, oozing with anticipation as to what the hottest swim on the lake held for me. The fish were clearly in front of me or at least down from me in ‘mothers end’ as Chris the owner likes to call it, as this is the out of bounds area of the lake where only the lodge swim can fish to. It’s at this point you can clearly see why the lodge is the hottest spot on the lake as it commands some 6 odd acres of water to its self with only those few who can cast well, to truly take full advantage as to what the swim has to offer.
To paint a picture of the swim imagine a large bay with the lodge swim at its entrance with an awkward tree hanging in the water to your left, making casting very difficult from the bank, ‘hence the use of the waders’ and an expanse of natural shrubs, gorse bushes and reeds on the far margin. Oh and before I forget without another anglers lines in sight. You honestly couldn’t find a better carp fishing swim if you made it up and it was all mine for the weekend!
Not being one to mess around for fear of cracking off etc due to having old line on I thought it best to scatter my three rods over the bay and down to my left all around the 80yard mark and not go for the big heave ho. A line of traps so to speak with a scattering of 18mm N-blend baits across the whole area to intercept the fish as they moved in and out of the bay. The lake bed in this bay is fairly uniform with four and five foot the average the whole way across it, with clay and gravel patches predominant amongst the fresh beds of Canadian pond weed that were finally starting to sprout after the long hard winter.
Afternoon soon turned into evening and as I sat watching the water and the sun set on the horizon to my left, I clearly knew I had made the right move, as over the course of an hour leading up to dusk I witnessed no fewer than 30 shows from some absolutely huge fish. Now if anything breeds confidence in this game for me it’s watching carp in a feeding frenzy when they just nose the surface of the lake and sink leaving a huge trail of bubbles as they go. They were feeding in earnest and although I hadn’t come equipped for this session I was only forty yards or so from the fish and knew if they moved up from the bay I’d definitely be in for a bite.
The night was cold and clear and although not the best conditions for spring carping I was buzzing. I could hardly sleep all night at the thought of all those hippos down to my left and somewhat shattered, by 2oclock in the morning I eventually dozed off. I awoke at half seven to a single bleep on my left hand Neville and as I peeped for a look out the sleeping bag, the left hand tip wrenched hard round to the left and I was away. Heart pumping and bleary eyed the fish kited some 70yards up from my left straight out in front of me. It was definitely a carp but not what I was expecting and as she popped up there hanging on the end of a size 10 wide gape was a 10lb common. I chuckled to myself as catching anything less than 25lbs in here is a rarity. Slipping her back and punching the rod back to the spot I was soon back in the land of nod. No sooner had I dropped off to sleep again the middle rod was away. Yes I thought here’s my chance for a better one. Well guess what it wasn’t a thirty pounder, neither was it a twenty, but this time a single figure common. I wasn’t happy to say the least and knew now being half eight in the morning my chance had gone, especially as all the regulars had said to me that this was predominately a night and early morning water.
True to form midday was soon upon us and after a wind in and a well deserved cook up at the cafe’ with my mate Neil, who was also fishing, we soon arrived back at the lake. Since we had left the lake the strong northerly that was with us on the Saturday had picked up with real strength. I couldn’t help but wonder, what with a big fresh wind pumping into the bay I was fishing that it looked prime for a bite during the daytime. Fresh N-blend hookbaits were shrink wrapped and cast back to the previous nights spots, I then topped the swim up with a liberal scattering of 18mm’ers again. I was due to pack up that afternoon, but what with getting in the lodge being an opportunity not to miss - I just knew I had to do one more night.
As the afternoon progressed the northerly got stronger and although I had not seen anything roll probably due to the rough weather it looked so good out there for a bite. Well true to form at half four the right hand rod at the mouth of the bay was away on an absolute flyer. Picking the rod up I knew instantly this was no double figure carp. Kiting right and keeping low it powered around the swim for some 15 minutes or so before finally popping up and there in the net lay an absolutely gorgeous linear. Nailed in the bottom lip, the short rigs and heavy leads were still doing the business and with Chris the owner seeing all the commotion from the other side of the lake was soon round to assist with weighing and photos. He recognised it as a fish they called ‘Stripe’ due to the markings on its huge tail and at 34lb 8oz I was more than happy with my prize.
The rest of the day and evening passed uneventful, not that it bothered me whatsoever and as the evening turned into dusk the resident fish in the bay put on a real display down to my left again on the far margins. I must have seen some sixty odd shows this time in under half hour and just knew that the Lodge was the place to be the moment. All I knew equipped with an awesome bait, fresh line and a better distance set up, if I could manage another session in there soon before the weed really came up I felt sure I could really take advantage as they looked so catchable. So join me next time to see whether my prediction was right and see if those big old wily Fryerning residents would play ball or not. Tight lines.
James Willsmer
