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Back tracking slightly, my mission for the year was to catch the biggest carp Norfolk has to offer. The fish affectionately known as Babyface lives in a beautiful five acre venue in the heart of Norfolk’s Wensum valley and hovers around the upper forty pound mark, she has however on four occasions broken the magic 50lb barrier with its top weight being 51.08 the previous May. I’d had a good season the previous year with fish to 38lb 4oz but the big girl had managed to elude me – so I’m back again this year for retribution! |
On the 7th of April my wife kindly gave me permission to get a quick overnighter in, I’d just spent the best part of a week crawling the walls while all and sundry had managed to get the rods out on the lake. The big girl has form for getting caught within the first few days of the start but a week later the fishing had been patchy to say the least, there’d been a few out to 31lb but a large percentage of the fish caught had been stockies and surprisingly the big girl had managed to avoid a rig.
I arrived at the lake around 3.30pm somewhat dazed by the events of the last few days but nevertheless as keen as mustard. After a couple of circuits it was clear that finding anything was going to be difficult with the weather still very cold and a chilly north easterly wind rippling the surface. With only 3 other anglers on the lake I decided to plum for an area that has history for producing the big girl at this time of year, a swim known as Albert’s. The area sits left of the shallowest and weediest part of the lake but has a nice deep silty gully just short of an island that runs in front of the swim. The island also provides some nice shallow margins for the fish to patrol should the weather improve. The area by coincidence was the last swim I’d fished back in March before the 2 week close. I’d even managed to foul hook a fish on that session so I knew the fish had already been visiting the area.
I arrived at the lake around 3.30pm somewhat dazed by the events of the last few days but nevertheless as keen as mustard. After a couple of circuits it was clear that finding anything was going to be difficult with the weather still very cold and a chilly north easterly wind rippling the surface. With only 3 other anglers on the lake I decided to plum for an area that has history for producing the big girl at this time of year, a swim known as Albert’s. The area sits left of the shallowest and weediest part of the lake but has a nice deep silty gully just short of an island that runs in front of the swim. The island also provides some nice shallow margins for the fish to patrol should the weather improve. The area by coincidence was the last swim I’d fished back in March before the 2 week close. I’d even managed to foul hook a fish on that session so I knew the fish had already been visiting the area.
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I decided to fish one rod on the near side of the gulley along with a critically balanced bottom bait and two hundred freebies, a 15mm DT Fresh Orange pop-up neatly balanced with a size 4 shot on the hair. |
On the second rod I opted for a chopped down 15mm Fresh Orange frozen readymade straight out of the bag and tipped with a piece of pop-up corn to add buoyancy and visibility. This was chucked around a rod length past the marker into the deeper gulley and allowed to settle in the silt at the back of my bait spot with only a small PVA bag of two crushed freebies for company.
No sooner had I set up than the day turned for the worse and the rain arrived keeping me stuck in the bivvy starring out of the door. I drank a silly amount of tea and decided to get an early night. At 7am I noticed a fish stick its head out on the corner of the island to my left. I quickly wound the left hand rod in and pumped it the required distance to the bubbles. In the Spring crashing fish sightings are so important and you just have to put a rig on them.
Before long the gear was packed up in the van and it was time for me to leave. I spent the final few minutes with a lead feeling around the swim making a mental note of any likely areas before I was trundling back down the track to reality and dirty nappies.
I managed to get back down a lot sooner than anticipated for another overnighter on 9th April. I found myself pulling into the lane that led to the lake around 2pm on a Friday afternoon, foolishly thinking that I would have beaten the weekend rush, how wrong I could be! Already there were 12 people set up for the weekend. I had little choice so plotted up for a night in one of the lakes quiet corners in the hope that the fish may seek some sanctuary from the pressure. I kept things simple - fishing a rod in each margin left and right. Lines were kept extremely slack and back leaded directly under the tip just to be sure. I baited each rod with around 200 baits per rod which admittedly for the time of year and conditions was a little over the top but with a no pre-baiting rule on the lake I saw it as a good opportunity to let them have a little. [picture of bait].
Although a victim of circumstance I felt my original thoughts of the fish looking for quieter less pressured water had been spot on, that was until one fine young chap decided to pull up behind the next swim along to my right. With his van engine running he jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind him sending a couple of massive bow waves across the surface as he spooked them all.
‘Kindly’ he decided not to fish that swim after all and I was left thinking my opportunity had been well and truly stolen and so it was proved after a completely uneventful night passed. Before long I was locking the gate behind me once again on my way home.
No sooner had I set up than the day turned for the worse and the rain arrived keeping me stuck in the bivvy starring out of the door. I drank a silly amount of tea and decided to get an early night. At 7am I noticed a fish stick its head out on the corner of the island to my left. I quickly wound the left hand rod in and pumped it the required distance to the bubbles. In the Spring crashing fish sightings are so important and you just have to put a rig on them.
Before long the gear was packed up in the van and it was time for me to leave. I spent the final few minutes with a lead feeling around the swim making a mental note of any likely areas before I was trundling back down the track to reality and dirty nappies.
I managed to get back down a lot sooner than anticipated for another overnighter on 9th April. I found myself pulling into the lane that led to the lake around 2pm on a Friday afternoon, foolishly thinking that I would have beaten the weekend rush, how wrong I could be! Already there were 12 people set up for the weekend. I had little choice so plotted up for a night in one of the lakes quiet corners in the hope that the fish may seek some sanctuary from the pressure. I kept things simple - fishing a rod in each margin left and right. Lines were kept extremely slack and back leaded directly under the tip just to be sure. I baited each rod with around 200 baits per rod which admittedly for the time of year and conditions was a little over the top but with a no pre-baiting rule on the lake I saw it as a good opportunity to let them have a little. [picture of bait].
Although a victim of circumstance I felt my original thoughts of the fish looking for quieter less pressured water had been spot on, that was until one fine young chap decided to pull up behind the next swim along to my right. With his van engine running he jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind him sending a couple of massive bow waves across the surface as he spooked them all.
‘Kindly’ he decided not to fish that swim after all and I was left thinking my opportunity had been well and truly stolen and so it was proved after a completely uneventful night passed. Before long I was locking the gate behind me once again on my way home.
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I managed two more short overnighters over the next 10 days but so that I keep this diary interesting I won’t go into too many details, but suffice to say they were uneventful with the lake being very moody and the big girl still deciding to play hard to get. The pressure was becoming intense with anglers sensing that her mistake could be imminent. Anglers were queuing up behind swims and I wasn’t enjoying being there at all. It was with a bit of relief that she eventually slipped up to a friend of mine at 48lb 12oz on the 20th. I was hoping this would settle the venue down and I would be able to get on with some proper fishing. I’d stuck to my plan of fishing over quite a bit of bait as I’m sure the steady stream I’m introducing around the lake will eventually pay dividends. |
My last session in April was a quick twenty four hour session on the 24th. I arrived at the lake around 1.00pm on the Saturday afternoon after dealing with the necessary chores at home. I knew before I even got to the lake that it was going to be busy as Friday nights, like most lakes, are the busiest night of the week. The weather had changed with the wind light and south easterly and the temperature tickling the low twenties. At last some proper spring weather.
Eight anglers remained from the Friday night onslaught, all the “best” areas were taken so I had to make a decision on the best of the rest. I decided on an area of the lake know as Butlins. The area has a lovely margin and plenty of bars and silty gullies straight out which gave me lots of options.
There’d been 2 fish out since the Tuesday, both from the snaggy areas close to the islands and a quick look in the out of bounds on arrival had revealed around thirty to forty fish sunning themselves in safety. After a bit of leading around one rod was positioned to the left of the swim in deeper water at the bottom of the marginal shelf and baited with around 50 whole and crushed 15 milers. The middle rod, with the weather warm was positioned on the shallowest part of the nearest bar and baited with 100 baits. The right hand rod was positioned a rod length right of the middle rod, cast slightly further into the deeper silty area behind the bar and fished as a single hookbait.
The afternoon drifted by fairly uneventfully, I listened to my beloved Norwich City win the Division one league title and before I knew it was tucking smugly into my tea. Over the next three hours it was obvious as the day was cooling off that a couple of fish had exited the out of bounds bay and covertly made their way across the lake and were investigating the new weed growth only a short distance out in front of the swim. As the light faded I went to bed confident that I had fish in the area.
All of a sudden it was 6.30am and I was left staring at a lifeless swim somewhat confused at not having caught anything. I decided to stick around a bit longer and at 9.30am my middle rod burst into life my initial optimism was soon dismissed as the tip tap of a tench came back at me through the rod tip. I left feeling that just maybe I was a little bit closer on this occasion to catching a carp and planned to return to the same area for an overnighter a few days later.
April had ended before it had started and the lake had been moody, the fish unpredictable and many anglers struggling. The problem with writing a warts and all diary piece, especially when you’re chasing a target, is that it’s not just about those periods of success it’s about the failures as well. But don’t worry, I’m hatching a plan for May and I’m blaming the volcanic ash for my lack of activity throughout April (cough).
Eight anglers remained from the Friday night onslaught, all the “best” areas were taken so I had to make a decision on the best of the rest. I decided on an area of the lake know as Butlins. The area has a lovely margin and plenty of bars and silty gullies straight out which gave me lots of options.
There’d been 2 fish out since the Tuesday, both from the snaggy areas close to the islands and a quick look in the out of bounds on arrival had revealed around thirty to forty fish sunning themselves in safety. After a bit of leading around one rod was positioned to the left of the swim in deeper water at the bottom of the marginal shelf and baited with around 50 whole and crushed 15 milers. The middle rod, with the weather warm was positioned on the shallowest part of the nearest bar and baited with 100 baits. The right hand rod was positioned a rod length right of the middle rod, cast slightly further into the deeper silty area behind the bar and fished as a single hookbait.
The afternoon drifted by fairly uneventfully, I listened to my beloved Norwich City win the Division one league title and before I knew it was tucking smugly into my tea. Over the next three hours it was obvious as the day was cooling off that a couple of fish had exited the out of bounds bay and covertly made their way across the lake and were investigating the new weed growth only a short distance out in front of the swim. As the light faded I went to bed confident that I had fish in the area.
All of a sudden it was 6.30am and I was left staring at a lifeless swim somewhat confused at not having caught anything. I decided to stick around a bit longer and at 9.30am my middle rod burst into life my initial optimism was soon dismissed as the tip tap of a tench came back at me through the rod tip. I left feeling that just maybe I was a little bit closer on this occasion to catching a carp and planned to return to the same area for an overnighter a few days later.
April had ended before it had started and the lake had been moody, the fish unpredictable and many anglers struggling. The problem with writing a warts and all diary piece, especially when you’re chasing a target, is that it’s not just about those periods of success it’s about the failures as well. But don’t worry, I’m hatching a plan for May and I’m blaming the volcanic ash for my lack of activity throughout April (cough).