9th.July 2019
Paddlesworth, Pollard, Peg 41
12.00Today is a continuation of the previous session where hopefully I can put into the equation some of the things I learnt last time.
There was nothing to see or hear on the pre-session recce and when I saw Peg 41 was free I put my bucket straight in there. Encouragingly, the water was coloured which was a sure-fire indication there had been carp-activity.
Two bottom baits along the left-hand margin at 13 wraps and one zig aimed at the pylon. In view of the fact it was windy, there was no apparent surface activity, and the barometer was falling so I pulled it down to seven feet. I’m persisting with the black zig-aligner although if something doesn’t happen on it soon, my confidence in the method is going to take a hit. To be honest, I’m fishing it on reputation alone at the moment, rather than expecting something will happen on it.
The two bottom bait presentations I have total faith in; I’ve caught loads of fish on them in the past including my biggest so I have decided to stop messing around (and over-thinking it) and put out two ‘Half-Snowmen). These consist of a boily straight out of the bag (in this case a ‘Cherry Carp Pokernut’) topped with half a fluorescent ‘Cell’ pop-up. These are fished on my favourite fluorocarbon ‘D’ rig with a ‘Carp R Us’ ‘Mouth Snagger’ kicker. These little bits of plastic look like little grubs and suit the size 4 ‘Korda Krank’ well.
Several spods of boilies were put over to the tree-line although to begin with it was somewhat problematic. Using my new ‘Fox Spomb’ I had half a dozen casts and in all six, not one of them did the damn thing discharge! I changed to my normal white ‘Spomb’ spomb and this was successful. I have no idea why the Fox failed to open as it did on testing on the bank.
So all baits are out in the pond. Disturbances over and done with. All that remains is to wait for the fish to return (which I hope they will do this afternoon or evening).
13.00
There’s a pod of fish just arriving into the ‘Top End Bay’ from the right. If the last session is anything to go by then things will only get better from here on in.
It’s probably a good move to bring the zig up to two feet being as these fish are just under the surface.
13.05
In fact I’m changing my mind about these fish I can see on the top - I think they are the dreaded Bream! There seems to be far too many of them to be carp - but they are so big, they look for all the world like carp!
In keeping with my policy of being pro-active, I have re-positioned the zig two feet down, further around to the right - half way between the two pylons. There seems to be activity there and it makes sense to have the ‘lure’ where that is.
16.00
More convinced than ever that what I am seeing out there are pods of Bream just below the surface of the water. I have never seen this anywhere else I have ever fished - you’d be easily fooled into thinking they were Carp, but every now and then, a little triangular dorsal breaks the surface. This is most unlike the ‘sail-like’ fin of a carp and is almost transparent too.
They’re Bream damn them!
16.45
My zig has been out amongst these pods of fish for the past three to four hours and there hasn’t been a flicker of interest on the bobbin. They’re definitely the ‘slimy filth’! Occasionally however there is a persistent bow-wave arrowing through the water’s surface which is more carpy so although Bream are present, I think the odd Carp are out there too. No definite signs of Carp yet such as splashing, rolling, or crashing.
17.30
Confirmatory proof that what I am seeing out there are Bream just under the surface - I’ve just caught one!
I had some sharp knocks on the zig (set at two feet down) - hooked the fish and couldn’t make up my mind as to whether I was attached to a clump of weed - or a fish! In the end it proved to be a bit of both as a fish of seven or eight pounds slid its slimy way to the bank. A Bream! On a black zig aligner! Two feet under in twenty feet of water! Who’d have thought it!
The encouraging thing about this though is that if the combo can catch a Bream - then it can catch a Carp.
18.45
I’m trying to bait the tree-line with boilies before it gets dark but I’m finding I only have to think about picking up the catapult - and the Gulls are all over me like a rash!
19.05
Just seen a Carp head-and-shoulder off the tree-line, but at about the same range my baits are lying. Promising.
20.15
Just changed the rig on the middle rod for a Cell Wafter. Although I am confident in the ‘Half Snowman’ I have known a plain bottom bait to work better on occasions and the Cell is said to be a good backup to what I understand is the widely used bait on here - ‘Maxinut’.
20.45
Things are gradually ‘mashing’ together as I gather information from my good friends and other club members. I got news that ‘Steve’ opposite in P36 had four fish last night and my ‘informant’ ’N’ was good enough to tell me how.
Fishing over a bed of ‘Maxinut’ with Wafters at five wraps was about as complicated as it got. Later on in late August, the ‘taking’ distance moves out to ten wraps - and then fifteen wraps throughout the winter.
I must get hold of some of this ‘Maxinut’ for myself… [see endnote]
Wednesday, 10th.July 2019
05.30I spent most of the night lying awake, tossing and turning, pondering on what informant ’N’ had told me about how to fish Pollard. Five wraps, over ‘Maxinut’, top end of the lake (for the moment).
The chap opposite apparently, going by the name of Steve SomethingOrOther had four fish on Monday night (and I’m sure he had one last night as I heard the familiar ‘flapping’ on a carp mat and lights going on and off in the dark). Four?! At the moment, I can only dream about such a catch!
There is a ‘team’ numbering between twenty and thirty who are all using the same ‘Maxinut’ bait and ’N’ reckons there must be at least fifty kilos a week going in; even accounting for the fact the Bream are getting at least some of it, that’s still enough to warrant having to be on it, given some level of preoccupation must be going on.
[I have often seen one bait dominating a carp water and although other baits do catch carp - your best opportunities are going to come if you are on that one bait.]
My mission then is to get some of it for myself for it would increase my confidence no end to know that I have at least got the bait right.
I have withdrawn all three rods and decided to use the remainder of the session doing what I hope to be doing in the next session.
It’s too late to move pegs. That’s ok. I can still ‘practice’ my approach and get into the mindset. I have virtually run out of boilies however so can not spod as I would have hoped; instead I have put out four and five bait ‘stringers’ of ‘Pokernut’ with a rig I used most successfully on the Ham Road Lake, Faversham. This comprises a size 4 Chod hook (in this case a ‘Korda Krank’) and a Wafter (here I’m using The Cell). A small piece of silicon tubing keeps ‘the hair’ - which is an extension of the knotless knot tied with 15lb. ‘Daiwa Sensor’ monofilament, close to the shank. I like to have about 3-5mm. Gap between the boily and the bend of the hook. This is so simple - and yet it has done the job for me in the past as I’m sure it will do so again.
There really is no need for anything more complicated. The hook balances the Wafter nicely; a carp has only to flash its ‘pecs’ at it for it to waft up off the bottom into its mouth.
This is how I’m going to catch Pollard Carp - I’m convinced of it!..
07.30
Although I have been trying to catch up on lost sleep this morning (unsuccessfully) it is apparent there is nothing going on out there at all. It seems utterly dead. Either the fish are down at the bottom end - or they’re just not having any of it at all.
08.00
One of the problems fishing Pollard is the presence of the Eel Grass. This covers the bottom of the margins down to a depth of at least 15-18 feet which makes fishing close problematic. This is another argument for abandoning the tree-line in P41 and going for the open water in front at 5 wraps where there is twenty feet.
Random fact: there are approx. 18 x 18mm. Boilies in one medium sized ‘Spomb’ and about 14 in a similar sized ‘Fox’ Spomb.
10.00
Session Ends.
[After I had packed up, I went round to the far bank and had a chat with ‘Steve’ who had been fishing opposite me in P36 and had taken the four fish on Monday night. Although he wouldn’t admit to using the ‘Maxinut’, informant ’N’ reliably informed me that he was on it - but what amazed me was that he (and other members) was so open about his tactics. He told me that he had taken fish under the trees, and had caught one at six wraps - but importantly, put me onto a feature I would not have known about.
In line with a ‘vee’ on the far tree-line and at 10 wraps, the bottom rises sharply creating a significant feature. He advised me not to fish at 10 wraps but at nine and three-quarters; the feature is steep with several stones and if a hooked fish goes over the back of it you will get ‘cut off’.
This is all great information and fills in a lot of gaps in my approach which has been sadly lacking. Although the learning curve has been a steep one, I know consider that at last, after many a false start, I am on the right track. All that is required is to get the bait and for the fish to co-operate.]
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