Tuesday, 16th.July 2019

Paddlesworth, Pollard, Peg 36

13.00
A clandestine meeting yesterday with ‘Ryan The Bait Man’ who not only sorted me out a batch of ‘Maxinut’ - the going bait, but also added information to my growing knowledge base concerning Pollard Lake and its carp. Ryan is the ‘top rod’ on Pollard; no-one knows more than he and he gave me so much to think about, it was perhaps almost too much!

Peg 36. Eel Grass from the bank out to about 5 wraps, then a gap, then more weed. The feature at 9+ wraps is in line with the single 'vee' in the tree-line.

He confirmed what I already knew about P36. The feature at nine and three quarter wraps in line with the ‘vee’ in the tree-line next to the ‘W’. He also warned me of the deadly nature of Zebra Mussels which grow in areas of the lake. I had already had acquaintance with them on nearby Burrows so knew they would slice through mono and fluorocarbon like a hot knife through butter. Braided leaders and hook-lengths are the order of the day.

I’d still got some ‘Power Pro’ Spectra Braid left over from my days fishing the French rivers - over there, there are similar problems - all manner of snags both natural as well as man-made, cutting lines like underwater razor blades!

Power Pro, made from 'Spectra Braid'. This stuff is as tough as old boots; unfortunately, it's prone to tangling when fishing at distance.

So it’s simple rigs and ‘Maxinut’ Wafters on a size 4 Krank Chod hook accompanied by a four or five bait stringer. One bait is cast to the feature at distance and the other two at six wraps, just over the marginal Eel Grass, and short of another bed of weed half a wrap beyond. This looks a great spot between the weeds; fish have got to be passing through this gap!

My rig and presentation. If it looks like a 'Dog's Breakfast' then it very probably is. Some radical re-thinking needed I deem...

I confess I am having to contain my excitement… I have never been more confident since I started fishing Polly! I just know I’m going to get one soon! But will the fish co-operate, do the decent thing and pick up a bait?

'Maxinut' Wafter by 'Ryan The Bait Man'. I've got the bait - but bait isn't the whole story...

13.20
Just seen a carp cruising along just under the surface over the six wraps spot! There’s fish out there!

15.30
Wanted to get all disturbance and baiting-up done before any possible evening feeding spell so recast all three rods onto their spots and put bait out too without the intervention of the dreaded ‘white trash’ (Gulls). Now that’s a first.

Very confident with all three rods.

17.00
I’ve recast all three rods and replaced the rigs with ‘Fox Coretex Tungsten 20lbs.’ I had to reel the distance rod in because the line was being snagged by the Eel Grass and found the ‘Power Pro’ hopelessly tangled around the lead. Complete lack of confidence in that rig now - hence the change. I need to buy more braid because I’m getting to the end of this spool so I think I’ll go heavier and go for 35lb. When I’m next in the shop.

Yet another attempt at finding a rig I'm confident in. Chopping and Changing. Is this an honest attempt at finding something that works or am I just over-thinking things?

It’s still only five o’clock so rods out in plenty of time for any evening feeding.

17.30
When you know you are on the right bait, and you have total confidence in the rig to do its job, and you are in the right peg where you know (or are as confident as you can be) that you are on fish, then catching ceases to be a probable - and becomes a certainty. I am quite prepared to chop and change and faff about until this level of confidence is achieved.

I have to say however that once again (and not for the first time) I have been guilty of over-thinking. Whilst the ‘Power Pro’ is a logical and rational response to the problem of the Zebra Mussels, the simpler solution (the Fox braid) is not only more reliable, but perfectly adequate for the peg I am in. I will go up in strength (and hence robustness) when I can, but for now, what I’ve got on is perfectly adequate for the job.

The single biggest barrier to successful fishing - is ourselves. Don’t ‘trip over your own feet’ in your fishing. Use what you know works. Why use anything different?

18.00
Line bite/Bream bite on the middle rod. Jeez! This is exciting! I know there are multiple forty-pounders in here; for me, fish of a lifetime… to know that when the line moves it might be one of them?

18.10
There are fish popping up, down the lake to my left. Look to be in front of low P30s or high P20s.

18.20
Middle rod again. Little twitches that didn’t develop into anything.

I’ve just had a random thought about something Ryan The Bait Man said - he reckoned that the carp in here are ‘sight feeders’. The water is extremely clear and facilitates fish being able to roam about over distances, looking for boilies on the bottom, hence the need to lay down a bed of the 14mm.-ers and home in on the yellow wafters. The question is, how do they do this at night? Smell I suppose.

'Maxinut' Wafters. Order ten kilos and you get a tub of these for free.

19.30
I think the fella down the bank from me in P34 has had one. Probably one of those fish I saw poking its head out earlier on.

20.15
I know I said I wouldn’t keep chopping and changing - but I wasn’t happy with the length of the hook-length and the 5mm. gap between the Wafter and the bend of the hook…

Because I’ve got the bait in a little pva ‘sock’ with several bottom baits, and because I’m using a shorter hook-length, I’ve re-tied and put the Wafter touching the bend this time. All three rods re-done. I will get there! I promise!

20.30
Chap opposite in P41 has one in the net… this is torture, seeing everyone in view catching and my bobbins are stationary! (it might be something to do with all the faffing around with rigs you’ve been doing Andy, don’t you think?)

He’s put it straight back so it looks like no photos. Must have been a small one.

I’d give my right arm for a fish at this point. For sure I’m a bit depressed for it feels that no matter what I do I just can not catch a carp from Pollard.

Every time I get to the point where I think I’m confident as can be - I think negatively about my approach and change something. It is certainly true that mindset has a lot to do with determining how successful or otherwise you are. Naturally confident and positive people undoubtedly make the best anglers, they always believe they’re going to catch. Naturally negative and depressive people (like me) always think they’re doing something wrong and are constantly searching for ‘the way to do it right’ and bugger their chances by over-thinking. I’m sure this is right. Some highly successful acquaintances of mine have shown me their rigs and I have been appalled that they can catch on such a ‘dog’s breakfast’ of a thing! But that is how it is.

For me, carp-fishing has always been more a battle against myself rather than with the fish for I see my own predilections as the chief impediment to achieving my aims and ambitions. I think it has always been that way and I guess always will be. I’ve tried to turn myself into a positive, confident person - but it’s just not me. I am what I am and my more successful friends are what they are. They will always catch more than me and I am pleased for them because they deserve to do so.

So how can I reconcile my own lack of ability and come to terms with my inherent limitations?

When I was taking my Open University degree it was their mantra that “it’s not where you are - but how far you have come”. In other words, not everyone can achieve a PhD but everyone can go on a journey that is as long as it is rewarding.

I think it’s like that with carp-fishing. Not all of us are Terry Hearns; but every single one of us are who we are, with our own personal journeys and our own personal destinations. Not every marathon runner can keep up with Mo Farrah, but every single one of them can keep going and be the best that they can be.

Success can come. It just takes a lot longer to get there.

Wednesday, 17th.July 2019

06.45
Well, what a night that was! The Bream started just as it got dark and I caught them up until about twenty minutes ago.

The alarms were going more or less the whole night and although my Bream total numbered only seven, line bites continued during the intervening captures. I was convinced I was going to get a carp, especially when I withdrew one of the six-wrap rods and positioned it in the margin, just in front of the tree to my right. Of course, the line bites indicated fish bumping the line and I figured they were running up and down the margins all night - but nah… not a thing.

I feel absolutely worn out this morning having not slept at all; I lost count of the number of times I was in and out of the bivvy!

The carp however were moving last night and they seemed pretty well spread out. I just had to have a take - I just had to! To say I’m disappointed is an understatement and at the moment I’m feeling pretty depressed about it all. I know I should have caught, but failed. There’s only one thing to do and that is to carry on regardless. Dig in and go the distance. Keep fishing and trying to do things right, for at the end of the day that’s all there is left. If I can only just break my duck then I’m sure I’ll start catching. This morning, that hope seems as far away as ever…

10.30
It’s always great to see dear friends on the bankside and there is no-one dearer to me than Nobby. We go back a long way. A very long way. Fifty years? It must be all of that now. anyhow, as ever, Nobby is a mine of information - he’s fishing Pollard the same as me, although he’s being far more successful. “COG leads are the way to go Spreaders”, with little four-bait stringers attached; in-line leads may be just as good though. Nobby thinks his results have improved since he started using them and that’s good enough for me. ‘Steve M’ who I have become acquainted with uses in-lines too so that definitely looks like the way forward. I’m not too proud to copy what my friends are using when they are catching. The question remains however, what to use as hook-length material?

I’m also trying to fish the lines dead slack in order to keep them as low to the bottom as possible but as you can see, it’s not easy with this Pod - it needs something going across the struts to create a flat surface for the bobbins to lay on. I must see what I can do.

Trying to fish slack lines with this Pod. It needs something going across the struts to support the bobbins - I don't like them hanging down like that. Hmmmmm... looks like I'm going to have to come up with something.

Hook-length wise I need something that will re-set itself; with Bream buggering about with the bait, a soft braid is going to get in a right mess - something that resembles my old granny’s knitting - so a heavy, stiff, coated braid would seem to suit. I can make up stringers with pva sock and thread the hook-length through it, connecting it to a quick-link inside the in-line lead. I don’t think the hook-length need be any more than six inches, given that there will be baits around the Wafter. Or am I over-thinking things again?

12.00
Session ends.

Postscript
[I had so much to think about at the end of the session my brain couldn’t cope! Nobby showed me the rig he’s been using and described how he ties it up.

I’m sure he won’t mind me putting this up as he’s not the secretive type. Basically, it’s a multi-rig tied up from 15lb ‘Rigmarole Hydro Link’, the inner fluorocarbon core broken just below the knot to act as a ‘joint’ allowing the bait and hook to pivot. A small shot helps alignment when the fish picks the bait up. The COG system he fishes ‘Helicopter’ style although I would fish it with lead-clips.

So much to work on before the next session.]