3rd.July 2019

Paddlesworth, Pollard, Peg 41

13.20
I set off early this morning with the full intention of conducting an extensive recce of the pond. All the way up from the bottom car park to the end peg, 41, I neither saw nor heard a thing on a bright, sunny morning that absolutely screamed “ZIGS!”.

I had a plan. I would look for fish and set up on them (if I saw or heard any) but failing that, I would go in Peg 41 (the last peg on the House Bank, or dead opposite in 40, the last peg on the far side. As it turned out, both pegs were occupied so I had to think again. Not surprising really; these are two of the most popular pegs on the lake and invariably get taken first.

There was one saving grace however, both anglers were day-only fishermen so there would be an opportunity to move in at some point during the evening. I hate swim-queueing as it is dead against my principles - but hey-ho, I couldn’t come up with an alternative plan; it was one of them or nothing.

I walked back to the car and drove round to the West Bank car park, loaded up the barrow and pushed all the way to peg 38, two down from the end peg. There were a couple of options - a bait off the marginal tree to my left, or zigs out in the open water. I chose the latter as conditions were ideal for it.

First bait out to the right and successfully pulled down to two feet below the surface. Happy with that. Second rod set up and ready to cast straight out - and in lining up my ‘mark’ I noticed that the angler in peg 41 opposite was packing up and vacating! Oh my gawd!..

I stripped down both rods and packed everything away and made the return barrow-push up the slope to the car; unpacked the barrow, packed the car, drove round to the other car park, unpacked the car, loaded up the barrow, and pushed it all the way up the House Bank to peg 41 (now free). Whew! I was absolutely knackered! Worse than that my back was giving me excruciating pain with all the bending, lifting, and pushing of the past thirty minutes.

But at last I am finally settled in after a good three hours of messing about - but it seems a good move as I have seen a fish straight out in front, not two feet down. Needless to say I put a zig out there but unfortunately failed to get it up through the Eel Grass that covers the bottom close in. Casting a bit further out the bottom is ‘cleaner’ and enables the deployment of the adjustable zig kit.

Peg 41. Fish move all over this end of the lake but consistently against the tree-line on the left-hand side. There is a 'Bay' in which fish congregate and the aim is to put your bait right in it. Little did I know I was way off it (although I didn't find this out until the next session).

The other two baits are bottom baits cast on helicopter rigs straight at the tree in the margins along the bank to the left, both rigs skimming the branches of the tree and landing inch-perfect! Both look good for a bite during the hours of darkness and to add to the allure of these traps I catapulted twenty or so boilies (Cherry Carp ‘Pokernut’ 18 mm.) on the tree-line. Very happy with what I’ve got here…

Sometimes you know when you are fishing well and doing everything right, and yet at other times, not so. But no matter how well you fish it still requires the co-operation of the carp and in that there are never, ever, ever any guarantees!

17.00
It’s been very hot this afternoon with a lessening wind so now it is virtually flat calm. Fish should be up on the top but I can not see any anywhere.

17.15
There’s a group of fish just under the surface, the same range as my zig - but in line with the pylon. Will they venture left, towards my zig waiting for them two feet beneath the surface?

17.30
Just recast the zig out towards a group of fish I can see on the top (to the right of the pylon). The worry is, that by putting the bait nearer to the fish, have I spooked them? And if I have, will they return?

It would be only natural to look at this and think there were a pod of carp up just under the surface. it wasn't until the next session that I discovered they weren't carp at all!

18.30
For the first time since I started fishing ‘Polly’ my bait is out amongst the fish. Given the hot conditions I’m not surprised the fish are not feeding, but I would really expect something to happen tonight during the hours of darkness when it will be cooler.

19.45
Fish continue to move in the ‘Top End Bay’ although if anything with less intensity. The BBC Weather App shows 1027 mb so the air pressure is high - perfect for a zig up in the water! It’s a clear blue sky which promises a chilly night; I can feel the temperature dropping even now.

20.15
I have replaced my yellow pop-up zig with a black zig-aligner. There are so many flies coming off the water this evening it doesn’t make sense not to.

20.35
There are carp moving literally feet from my zig and yet there is no indication or sign of inspection at all.

Thursday, 4th.July 2019

06.00
Absolutely nothing happened at all during what was a still, misty, chilly night. The fish had certainly gone to bed as nothing was heard from them for the whole duration. Now, at six o’clock, they’ve started leaping about and I’m considering a change of tactics. I’ve noticed bubbling in the open water so I’ve cast a bait straight out and scattered some boilies around it. The bottom seems fairly free of eel grass so presentation should be ok. Gulls a real problem though. I know they are sitting somewhere like a pack of Vultures, waiting for the “snap” of the catapult elastic so they can be on it in seconds! It really is a game of ‘Cat and Mouse’ with the white trash; you wait for them to go away, fire off three or four baits - and they’re on it within seconds! A shotgun would be a handy tool here I deem!

I often think that when you’re blanking it can help to try and ‘force a bite’. By this I mean doing something pro-active to try and induce a take - although I’m struggling to recall whether this approach has ever worked or not! At the very least it has some psychological value as it’s trying something different to what has so far yielded zero results.

06.45
I was convinced the bottom baits fished on the edge of the tree were going to result in a fish and it’s very disappointing I’ve had not so much as a twitch. The Eel Grass is a continual concern. It’s so long and so dense it makes presentation extremely difficult although I have yet to try a solid bag which may go some way towards defeating it.

I’m going to have a lead-around at the end of the session to see if I can pinpoint its extent; for the next session I think I should try to find a peg at the shallower end, find a clear area, and spod some boilies over the top.

08.15
I’m sitting here looking up the left-hand margin, wondering whether I’ve actually put my baits in the right place. Fish have consistently moved tight to the left-hand tree-line and this seems to be the more obvious place to put bait rather than out in the more open water. The only problem is the Eel Grass.

Looking up the left-hand margin.
There is a 'Bay' into which you should cast your bait and I estimated that this was at 13 wraps. Turned out I was wrong and I was casting to completely the wrong place!

08.30
I’ve made a long cast down the margin to the left, landing the bait no more than a rod-length from the trees. Dragging back it feels smooth. This is the place to cast; fish have moved along this margin consistently and I would back a bite to come from here rather than the more obvious tree mark closer in.

09.30
End of Session.

Swim Survey, Peg 42:
5 wraps: 21 feet, smooth bottom (fish here!)
4 1/2: wraps 21 feet
4 wraps: 19 feet

Peg41:
Distance to tree-line, 13 wraps