Carp Catch Reports
Welly is generally very shallow with average depths of only 4-5ft. It does drop deeper in some specific areas, but the majority is consistent in depth. This is what can make it productive in the winter if you do the classic things like stay mobile and keep eyes and ears always open.
I tend to stay up late and wake up extra early as this gives me the extra hours of listening and watching time that could nail down the location and leads to that end goal of a capture.
It was really difficult to establish any portfolio of exactly what carp were present. The biggest known mirror in the lake was named ‘Megan’ apparently. I was told that one spun the scales to just over 30lb.
I embarked on a campaign for the biggest carp in my locality – a very big carp indeed. Some had caught it quickly, however, I knew one or two extremely tidy anglers that had been fishing for this beast for several years...
I first came across ‘The Local Lin’ when Sticky Baits posted a picture of it on their social media and I remember thinking, what a carp it was! A unique fish, jet black with a tiny mouth and a very small tail and I knew it had gone over the 40lb mark!
I was really impressed with the Noir, it was a lovely black colour and had a fluorocarbon weave in it which meant it sank superbly, but with zero stretch I knew it would help me ensure I was fishing spots with maximum accuracy, as well as a feel beyond what you can achieve with any mono.
Generally, in winters gone by I’ve either continued on my chosen venue for my target or started a new winter campaign elsewhere. With travel restricted, I was limited in my options, and the routine post-Christmas socials were postponed.
I couldn’t have chosen a more perfect week and I ended up having 9 fish that week with 5 of them being over 35lb, topped off with one of the most wanted fish on the complex known as The Upfront Common.
In common with my warm weather fishing I usually take a fairly freestyle approach to finding fish during the cold months. The main reason is that, if there’s one thing I’ve concluded, they are where they are and I’ve found it vital to keep an open mind with regard to the carps’ whereabouts and feeding areas.
After participating in the annual Gardner Tackle social in Autumn 2020 at Burghfield Blue Pool, I really liked what this quirky pool had to offer. An intimate 4 acre lake tucked in amongst some of the best carp lakes the Thames Valley has to offer.
I like adapting to the green stuff in my angling, I always have. Adapting presentation, thinking about rig length and materials. Adapting lead weight, for the perfect drop and to aid more stealth getting rods into position.
The start of a new challenge is always exciting and after hearing about a special big scaley mirror and then seeing some photos, it was one that I was desperate to have in my album. The venue in question was a large 60 plus acre boating lake with a relatively low stock of carp.
It was now close in, but staying deep, and it was a further 5 minutes of arm ache before I got a look at it. I saw the cluster of scales near the tail, and the distinctive round body shape, confirming what I already knew, it was the unmistakable SP. It wasn’t finished yet though, despite me praying for it to just give up, and twice having it over my outstretched net...
With Covid impacting angling being so open and closed this last year, plus restrictions in place impacting visitors on the bank when open. My family haven’t been able to nip in to say hi to Dad this last year. But at random points in the past, they have dropped by and shared my love for carp angling.
I could still see some frothy bubbles on the surface, with that, a good fish showed but it was a bit far out in this swim and I knew that I could get a much better line angle in the point swim. It was a zone that I had never seen anyone fish from the point but more important the line angle would be perfect...
Het begint allemaal op een namiddag tijdens een opendeurdag in een shop waar ik Gardner Tackle sta te vertegenwoordigen. Vroeg in het voorjaar van 2017 dat ik enkele foto’s te zien kreeg van het desbetreffende water (ik vermeld het de locatie niet uit respect voor zij die er vissen) maar ik noem het ‘de diepe zand put’ of ‘the deep sand pit’.
Eventually, though, my thoughts were that I needed to be back at the park lake. This was to be my 3rd season on White Swan and I was determined to fish it my way, as I wasn’t really happy with how the past seasons have gone...
After Monday 23rd March when the government finally said we could go fishing I was out the door in a flash! I was doing one or two nights a week at Milton, unlike some places, Milton did not exactly fish its head off. In all truth I was scratching around each trip trying to get a bite with plenty of blank trips...
The start of the new season on the island lake was a bit strange… Coming after the lockdown, and the fact the biggest fish in the lake had come out at 60 lbs plus meant the lake was rammed. The first few weeks became a lottery and I just slotted in between anglers in vacant swims that weren’t really on fish...
At 62 acres with 75 swims, lots of room and carp to go for the carp in Horseshoe are very catchable and I caught plenty, but they keep you on your toes. Keeping eyes on the water for signs can lead to numerous sightings in short spells and then being mobile, it can be very productive...
