Here’s a question for you, do you think that you can learn from blanking? Personally, it just makes me want to go again and try harder, but sometimes its just not possible to catch a carp no matter how hard you try!
This is what happened to me during several sessions earlier in the year. After good winter/spring angling, when I was fortunate to capture a few good fish from the club lakes, I set my mind towards catching some of the gems that swim around the complex of public waters I planned to visit. Then on the 16th April, the close season started and my blanking started!
After 8 nights blanking in changeable and chilly conditions on my UK fishing trip, and then the first 3 nights after the opening at the public complec complex, 11 nights fishing/blanking got me in a corner. Fortunately, I just love being out fishing and on my next session I walked past one of the lakes that I never fished on the complex and a fish showed close to the reed line. I kept on walking and looking at the other lakes at the complex, but did not see any sings of carp, so back tracked to where I had seen that fish show.
I quickly leaded around near that reed line and near a great looking gap in the reeds and got a nice drop and a firm donk as well. Although there was some silk weed present, there wasn’t so much that I thought it would impair my hookbait presentation. I positioned the rods half a rod length off the reed line, fishing at 16¼ wraps on the right hand rod, and 15 wraps on the left hand rod. Then I cast a couple of Ronnies accurately to those spots and followed them with around 15 Spombs in and around the area where the rigs had landed. I used my favorite size 6 Conti Mugga and, for the boom section, I used some of the new Ultra Sink tungsten skinned hooklink that I was helping to test.
The lake is kind of split in two by a bar with that reed line growing on. The reed line there has a few gaps and I’ve found fishing close to them is always a good starting point. After getting everything sorted it took some time before I got my first bite after the disturbance of finding spots and baiting; this was after sunset. I was happy with the first one, after the preceding 11 nights blanking, and it turned out to be a high double. After returning this one the other rod was off, and this fish turned out a low twenty.
Unfortunately, at this time my (non Gardner) head torch gave up and as I could not recharge it. I reeled in the rods because there are a few snags in the margin where the swim ends. I didn’t feel happy about playing fish in the dark without a head torch and without a light it is tricky to play and land and play a hooked fish safely. Consequently, I had a good nights sleep, as I had that warm glow after getting two fish under my belt.
Before I went to bed I made sure that I set my alarm for 5AM, and by 20 minutes past both the two rods where back out on the spots and 5 spombs followed. I had 2 small commons and another low twenty mirror during the next few hours. By this time it was after 10AM and it seemed like bite time was over, as it took until late afternoon before I caught 2 more mirrors; one mid twenty and another low twenty. It went well but as this torch problem was still not solved I reeled in the rods again at 11. So I had another good nights sleep, and once again a wake up call at 5 to cast the rods back out.
Before I went to bed I made sure that I set my alarm for 5AM, and by 20 minutes past both the two rods where back out on the spots and 5 spombs followed. I had 2 small commons and another low twenty mirror during the next few hours. By this time it was after 10AM and it seemed like bite time was over, as it took until late afternoon before I caught 2 more mirrors; one mid twenty and another low twenty. It went well but as this torch problem was still not solved I reeled in the rods again at 11. So I had another good nights sleep, and once again a wake up call at 5 to cast the rods back out.
At first light I flicked out a few spombs onto the area, and 10 minutes later the first one rattled off. I was pleased to see a low thirty common was in the net. What a session this turned out to be as 2 more fish got caught before I packed up that afternoon – as after 10am bite time was over. I had a ‘black as your hat’ low double mirror and another low twenty common. I also had a bloody big bream and a big tench.
After I got home, I had a talk with the misses and it transpired that she had plans for the next Sunday, so after some diliberation, I got the green light to get back to the lake on Thursday after work and do two more nights before my summer break.
This second session from Thursday after work, was not as prolific as the previous one, but in the end I caught 4 carp, with 3 of them being only low doubles, but the first one was again a good mid twenty common. Oh, and 4 big bream came along for the ride!
To say I was happy how things turned out wopuld be an understantment. Everything went well, and I finally made another Vlog about my fishing this spring. So check that out on my YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv19E5d9mE1_8rcldqHRwgA. But for now its summer time and that puts the stop on my fishing, so I will naturally be back to restart the campaign in September, as the days lengthen and the temperatures become more bearable.
I only have 2 more sessions planned, one in July and one in August (I hate fishing in the heat of the summer). In July I am going to France to fish a week at a friend’s lake on my holiday. Then in August, we have the Gardner Benelux Tackle team social, at a fantastic lake here in Belgium, but that is another story… hope you guys have a great time and catch ya later.
Tight lines,
Tommy
Leave A Comment