17th.-18th.March 2020

Paddlesworth, Burrows, ‘The Shallows’

'The Shallows'. A real 'banker' swim; I've always caught here - but only early in the morning. Six wraps is as far out as you need to go. 12.30
With the whole country going demented over the Coronavirus Pandemic I once again decided to self-isolate and go fishing. This time I wanted a change of scenery and opted for Burrows Lake which I fished in the Spring of last year, catching fish up to 26 pounds. There are thirties in here and it would be great to catch one of those of course, but I’m only really here for rig trials.

I have previously mentioned that many of my friends have been using in-line lead systems on Pollard Lake as opposed to the Helicopter Rig that I use. There are lots of reasons why an in-line system is superior to the ‘Heli’, not the least of which is the instantaneous hooking effect you get which is absent in the ‘Heli’.

Against the in-line lead (on Pollard specifically) is the presence of silt on the bottom substrate, into which the lead (and swivel to which is attached the hooklength) will sink, potentially resulting in the hooklink sitting up off the bottom unsatisfactorily. With the fluorocarbon hooklinks I have been using there is this distinct possibility - hence my use of the ‘Heli’ system.

But what if a more supple hooklink material is used, one which did not stick up like this? Maybe a coated braid or mono? I have both with me today and hope to try them out, fishing one against the other. At the moment it’s my normal fluorocarbon ‘D’ rig against a rig tied with ‘Fox Illusion Fluorocarbon in 20lbs.’ This seems thinner and more supple than the ‘ESP Ghost in 15lbs.’ I have been using since last summer.

The two lead systems under trial. Both were fished on 'Nash Lead Free braided leaders in 40lbs.' for anti-tangle purposes. Swapped around various hook lengths during the session.

13.00
I’m fishing at six wraps in five feet of water, wrapping the spod rod to 5¾. Instead of the usual Hemp and Boilies I use on Pollard, I’m spodding sweetcorn over the top of artificial buoyant corn on the rigs. These baits act as ‘Wafters’, sitting above the hook which lays flat on the bottom - just as my boily Wafters do on Pollard.

Couple of little tweaks on each rod which suggests there’s something out there.

14.30
Did my first change. Withdrew the ‘standard’ rig (I know it catches) and replaced it with a ‘Ronnie Rig’. This is totally conventional and is armed with a 12mm. ‘Eclipse Baits Citrus Pop-Up’. The colour is almost a perfect match for the sweetcorn and the size approximates too.

Rocky is looking at my rig and saying - "you're not going to sling that out are you?!".

22.00
Things not looking too good at all I’m afraid. Apart from a couple of ‘shows’ at the extreme far end I have neither seen nor heard a thing in my vicinity. It seems totally dead.

Conditions seem good for the time of year - the temperature is hovering around double figures and during the day it’s been higher than that. This mild weather however seems not to have done much for the fishing.

I had an horrendous barrow-push to the peg. The paths are a lot worse than those on Pollard and despite recent dry weather I was still sinking into the mud, almost up to the wheel axles! Such has been the colossal quantities of rain this winter. I am minded that in future I may well confine my Angling to day-sessions only, such is the extreme effort in getting all the equipment to fishing spots during the extremely wet and boggy state the fishery is in.

Come to think of it, day-sessions may well be the answer in that they provide great capability in terms of mobility - moving onto fish where they have been spotted - or merely just trying somewhere different on the lake. It is a burdensome faff to re-site the bivvy to other pegs when there is so much stuff to shift about.

Wednesday, 18th.March 2020

07.00
Totally blank night…

Hang on! I’ve got a take!… the left-hand rod is going!…

I hooked into the fish and immediately suspected it was one of the better ones; it fought with that dogged persistence rather than the splash-and-dash of its smaller cousins. On the scales it went 24:04 and I must say I was delighted to have caught a fish at last; the last one I’d got was way back in early January.

Twenty-four pound four ounce mirror caught on plastic corn and the in line lead arrangement.
I have been using the "Whistl" app on my phone to take fishing shots lately. All you do is set the phone up on a tripod, launch the app, pick the fish up and whistle - and the shutter is released! Simples! The only thing is that it catches you with an exaggerated 'pout' of the lips leading to some questioning stares from passing carp anglers!

I was about to say (before I was rudely interrupted) I had been getting line bites around dawn. It had been completely quiet during the night but just before first light there were a couple of knocks - one on each rod, a sure sign there are fish in the peg.

Had a top-up of corn and replaced the ‘Ronnie’ with my ‘standard’ fluorocarbon ‘D’ rig (on the Helicopter Rig) to see how it compares with the in line arrangement on which I had the fish.

08.30
There’s another line bite… are they back, feeding on the corn?

09.00
And we’re away again on the in line rig and ‘wafting corn’… this fish “fought like buggery”; it was one of those that simply would not go in the net. Multiple times I got it inches from the net-cord - only for it to power away in a run. Sheer force however will ultimately prevail and I eventually netted a 22:02 mirror, my second of the morning.

Twenty-Two pound two ounce mirror on the same lead and rig setup. I do like an in line lead. As soon as the fish picks up the bait and moves against it there is an instant 'jolt' effect, unlike the Helicopter rig which permits a certain amount of 'pivoting about the lead' and what I deem might be a warning resistance to the fish.

Fully confident in this rig now. It’s quite soft out there and there is no positive ‘donk’ as the rig reaches bottom. I estimate that it’s a similar bottom to Pollard so no worries about using it there. The only question mark can be, ‘will it tangle on a long cast’? I’ll test this out at the end of the session; for now I’m waiting for the next fish in what has become a morning feeding spell. I think there are still fish out there as I had line bites whilst photographing the fish.

09.50
Yes!… we’re away yet again! This time it’s the right-hand rod and the Helicopter Rig and ‘standard’ Fluorocarbon Rig.

This fish took off like Usain Bolt - had to be a small common, and so it proved - 15:08. All the splash-and-dash you expect from these youngsters.

Fifteen and a half pound common on the Helicopter rig. Does the rig make a difference? At the end of the day it's more about what you are confident to fish with than any scientific explanation.

I have withdrawn the ‘standard’ rig and put out one tied from ‘Fox Coretex Tungsten’, a coated braid. Short hair made from the stripped back braid.

Question: do these different rigs make any difference to results? Nah; they all catch fish. The only real difference I can see between them is being able to get them out in to the pond without them tangling. I think in this regard only time and experience using them will tell.

11.30
Despite my attempts at trying to keep the fish in my peg by spodding, it would seem that they have now ‘done the off’. No line bites for a while now so I deduce they’ve cleared off. But where have they cleared off to? Are they still in ‘The Bowl’ where I am now, the part of the lake attached to ‘The Arm’, or are they indeed elsewhere?

Although I have caught fish from Burrows I realise my knowledge of the place is still very much incomplete and further sessions are required to reach a better understanding of the place.