21st.-23rd. January 2020
Paddlesworth Pollard, Peg 30
13.00After a late start at last I am out fishing… I have spent the past six weeks ‘confined to barracks’. What with Christmas and New Year social events, extensive building works to the house, and a hundred and one other distractions - not to mention the appalling weather which has seen local flooding, I hadn’t known whether it was even possible to negotiate the banks much less fish!
But here I am in peg 30 with all three baits cast at eighteen wraps to the usual spot opposite - the dip down in the tree-line where the house roofs are. Just having a cuppa before thinking about putting the spodding gear to good use.
It's almost impossible to get in this peg normally, so popular is it, it's constantly occupied. For this reason though I favour it because everyone spods feed out there creating an artificial 'feeding zone' where the carp can habitually find food.
13.25
I managed to get four or five spods out before the birds were on me - this is only a token offering at this stage, I have decided not to put more in until the ‘coast is clear’.
I have made what I deem to be an improvement to my spodding performance.
I have mentioned before the difficulties of defeating the bird-life - the fact that they dive on it as soon as the spod hits the water and that it is imperative that as much spod mix as possible is put out in the shortest possible time. To this end I am using the largest Spomb size available in conjunction with a ‘Fox Warrior 5.5lbs. TC Spod Rod’. As you may remember, the rod I have been using is rated at only 4lbs. TC and this has simply not been ‘man enough’ to cast the big Spomb plus its payload of Hemp and boilies. The Fox does the job with ease although I have to say it takes a certain amount of strength to fully compress it, my feeble-ness not being quite up to it!
Wrapping distance is 17¼ wraps to allow for ‘swing-back’.
14.45
Air temperature is 5ºC (and falling) and the water temperature is 8.5ºC fifteen yards out. Water temperature still holding above 7.5ºC which is generally considered to be the lower limit at which carp will feed although I take these ‘rules of thumb’ with a pinch of salt these days. Does anyone really know this for sure? In my experience carp will do what they will do regardless of so-called ‘rules’.
Five degrees centigrade is right at the bottom end of what I would normally consider to be ‘fishable’ weather. Yes of course you can go fishing when there is snow on the ground but can you actually hand on heart say you thoroughly enjoy it? As it is, my hands are cold; my feet only slightly less so. It will not be long before the sleeping-bag is the only comfortable option.
I gave up trying to be a carp-hero years ago…
17.30
I had to wait until it was fully dark before I could spod to my satisfaction but I had a good half-hour at it before my shoulders were aching and my hands were numb with the cold. Certainly got enough out there to illicit a take. All that remains is for the carp to do the decent thing!
A lot of folks would say “you’ve put too much bait out!” But my spies and co-collaborators on here are absolutely adamant that you must put a lot in - even in winter. I’m sure on some waters carp are not used to looking for food in the winter but on coming across it, what wild creature ignores an opportunity in times of scarcity?
Wednesday 22nd. January 2020
08.20The night started off very cold and clear and I thought I’d be in for a crisp and frosty one, but it soon clouded over and the temperature stabilised somewhat. still, it was a clammy, misty, damp dawn with condensation dripping down from both inside and outside the bivvy (despite the double-skin to the pit).
Two or three line bites during the night; I think they were towards dawn which got me anticipating a take which unfortunately failed to materialise.
Heard nothing during the hours of darkness - the first occasion this has happened that I can recall. I don’t know whether this is a bad sign or not as I have had fish from here previously without there being any indications carp were in the area.
08.35
I forgot to mention what Father Christmas brought me this year. A new ‘Fox Stalker Plus’ Rod Pod.
There are several things I liked about this pod when comparing it to other brands:
- It’s not too long front-to-back. Most pods are far too long for my liking; I like a very short distance between the reels and the alarm heads.
- It comes with both 2-rod and 3-rod buzzer bars, avoiding the need for separate pod and buzzer bar combinations or having to put the rods on the two outer rod rests. I like my rods close together side-by-side. There are waters of course where the limit on the number of rods is two and this covers both bases.
- Everything comes in a carry-case so you can keep everything set up beforehand - alarms and rod rests on both buzzer bars which are strapped tidily in the case.
- The rods mount side-by-side without the reels touching. This was a real (no pun intended) nuisance in the past as not only were reel handles having to be positioned pointing backwards so they didn’t touch the adjacent reel body, but sometimes, on the take, I’d knock the rod off the rest in the panic that inevitably is part and parcel of lifting into a fish!
I got my chair out so I could sit out and watch the lake with a cup of tea; no such luck; it was soaking wet where I’d stuck it behind the bivvy overnight.
What to do with chairs overnight is a bit of a problem. Since I only have a one man bivvy there’s barely enough room to house all my ‘clobber’ without making room for furniture as well! What is required is some form of cover or bag that it can be stowed in. If it’s waterproof then so much the better; it can be left outside, even in the rain. Come on tackle manufacturers! This is a job for you.
9.20
It’s one of those sessions where you are confined to the bivvy. It’s not actually raining outside as such but there’s a sort of damp mist which is very ‘wetting’.
There is nothing to do except wait. And look out at the weather. And listen. What the eye can not see the ears can hear. And dream. I do a lot of that - dreaming. Of a forty-pounder that lives in this lake and that I know will one day appear at my net-cord unexpectedly.
Some have told me that when they have achieved their target fish that it all turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax. That the church bells didn’t ring, the heavenly choirs didn’t sing, and their feet never left the ground.
Many years ago (very many years ago) I caught a target fish - ‘She’ from the School Pool, Faversham, and for me the ringing bells were in my ears for a while - but then I came back down to earth with a bump.
Success is ephemeral, it passes as quickly as day turns into night, but however things turn out it’s the getting there which is just as important as the destination itself.
10.30
Session break.
Reeled in the rods and walked up to the ‘Portaloos’ to have a reasonably civilised ‘dump’ (i hate crapping in the woods - which of course is also against the rules here). I have now returned in a much more ‘comfortable’ state and have re-cast all three rods. Left and centre are a bit too close together and must be no more than a foot or so apart; this is the way Tom Maker fishes however so if it’s good enough for him…
12.20
Lunch done and dusted. Waiting for the afternoon to go by when at darkness I can have another spodding session.
In May or June (depending on the weather) the carp will have their minds on spawning, but as we all know the months leading up to this event can be an extremely variable time of year in terms of angling success.
I’ve had some extremely good winters in the past as well as some extremely bad ones and I’ve always felt that the nearer we get to the May/June spawning season, the more the fish’s minds will be on these activities.
Fish that are in spawn do not get to this state overnight, indeed, spawn development takes an extended period of time and my suspicion is that the process begins as soon as the water temperature rises in the Spring. But what of the weeks and months leading up to this?
When I fished Bysing Wood (back in the day) we always used to say that the fish we caught in the winter were of a different year class than the broad range of carp caught in the warmer months. The average size was certainly bigger and the suggestion was that these bigger fish fed all the way through the winter in order to prepare their bodies for the exertions of May/June. It certainly suggested that winter captures were (are) on average, heavier than at other times of the year.
All this suggests that it is worth sticking it out through bite-less winter sessions because if you do get one, it’s likely to be of above average size.
I wish…
13.30
Just had a massive drop-back on the rh rod. Only trouble is there’s hordes of Coots out there and it was probably one of them.
17.45
At half past three this afternoon I got out of the pit and had a pee (like you do) and right in mid-stream - the centre rod was away! …
What to do? Carry on peeing? Tie a knot in the end of it?
Pinching the end of my member I made it to the rod - but had to let go to get two hands on the rod and reel to lift into the fish; this resulted in me peeing myself, the front of my trousers and undies soaked in wee!
I managed to hang on to the fish with one hand and direct the irresistible stream with the other, limiting the embarrassing ‘damage’! Heroically, I hung on to the carp which felt like a really good one and managed to get it coming towards me. Calamitously however when twenty yards from the bank it suddenly did a dive for the bottom and managed to wrap itself around both the other rods!… What a cock-up! It was effectively tethered by the other two tackles and it took a good deal of heaving and humping and some ‘over-and-under-ing’ with the three rods before I was able to disentangle the ‘knitting’. Eventually however I managed to get it over the net-cord and successfully net my first fish of 2020.
Up the bank I staggered, the other two rods blown out, my shrunken willy exposed to the elements, and a boisterous carp beating me up with its thrashing tail! Oh the joys of carp-fishing.
At thirty-four pounds eleven ounces it was my second biggest from the lake and only one ounce shy of my old PB. In fact this fish could have been ‘She’s sibling, so alike in build are they. The fact they are separated by 43 years of angling is testament to how long it has taken me to equal the weight. Happy days!
I took this shot with the camera on my phone, set up on a tripod.
Yes, that is a whistle in my mouth!
I got an app on my phone (Whstl) which releases the shutter of the camera when you whistle. Since I lost my 'pee' many moons ago (I can't whistle!) I got a refs whistle to do the job. None of this taking loads and loads of shots with an Intervalometer and hoping the fish stays still - just whistle and it's done!
It’s six o’clock and I’ve only just sorted out the mayhem caused by its capture.
Amongst the carnage of crossed lines and tangles I somehow managed to get the line caught around the arbor of one of the reels. The only way I could remedy this (in the dark) was to cut it away with scissors and take the reel apart. I thought I’d re-assembled all the various washers and components in the right order but the damn thing stubbornly refused to work. Nothing for it but to strip it down (under the light of a torch) and take one of the other ‘good’ reels apart and compare the two assemblies. This I was able to do successfully after several attempts and eventually got it working satisfactorily.
There is one thing though - I’m left with a spring washer of which I have no clue where it goes. I suppose I shall have to take all the reels apart again tomorrow and try to find it a home!
Argh!…
19.15
The last of the Hemp and boilies have been spodded out and I’m very pleased with how it’s gone in - right on the money over the centre rod. Now to sort out the carnage that is my pit.
Thursday 23rd. January 2020
08.00
Awoke to a drop-back on the rh rod; looked a bit ‘Breamy’ but lifted into it anyway. Nothing. The usual assorted hordes of Coots, Tufties, and sundry hangers-on are all out on the water so I suppose it was probably one of them.
Confident of a take however. My spodding last night was ‘spot-on’ and I am certain this is the key to fishing Pollard since I don’t feel nearly as confident without it.
10.45
Hanging on in the hope I’ll get another fish. Ordinarily I’d be getting everything sorted for packing-up but in view of yesterday’s fish there’s a chance of a carp during the day; it feels a real possibility.
I’ve had a couple of line-bites since dawn and I’m sure there is something out there. Unfortunately, the birds have been diving and I’m sure at least some of this action is due to them. Despite this I feel really confident and if all that is required to catch a carp is confidence then I should be in for a big catch!
11.00
I’ve just seen a fish - the first of the session, way down the lake in front of P23-P24, no more than ten yards out from the bank. Very unusual location; this is the first time I’ve seen a ‘show’ in this location all winter.
11.10
It’s jumped again, this time even closer to the bank in front of P22. I see someone is in P21 and he has also seen it and has cast a bait towards it.
The big hand is on the twelve and the small hand is on the three. It’s time to go; no ‘Walk of Shame’ back to the car on this occasion though, I couldn’t be happier; apparently, my fish is the first one out all week!
Now that’s a first…
[Quick survey of P31:]
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