Keeping It Simple

Since joining my north Lincolnshire syndicate at the beginning of the year I've done nothing but think about the place. Julian said to me when I got the ticket that the place would spoil me after spending so long on day ticket waters, he certainly wasn't wrong! While the lake isn't massive or have huge amounts of big fish there is just something about the place that puts you at ease with the world. I had done several nights on the lake during the late winter and had been content to just sit and watch regardless of if I actually caught anything. But as the trees got greener and the water warmer I was hoping for a little action but nothing had materialized for me.

I had been following some advice from a few regulars, which I think would be folly to ignore, but it just wasn't working for me. I know a few lads had caught one or two and I was chomping at the bit to land my first from the venue so decided that a change of tact was in order. I was using a combination of NuttaS boilie, particle and ground bait to create a mushy, sloppy bed of bait and putting various coloured pop ups over the top. After a chat with the two Jasons at DNA Baits I came away with a much better idea on what I was going to do. I decided to ditch the full on particle/mush approach and just keep it simple with a bucket of chilli hemp and S7 boilies.

The next trip planned was a much longer session than I had previously done so I intended on making full use of the time I had. It was early May and the carp would surely be on the move? Jules had done an overnighter and had a lovely common out a few nights before so I was a bit more confident. The conditions didn't look the best with high temps and pressure but according to the forecasters it was to change on the Wednesday, we shall see Mr weatherman!

I arrived at the lake just after 10am on Tuesday and grabbed a bucket and some water, put on my trusty modified shades and went for a walk before deciding on where to plot up.

The water was very warm and I was hoping the carp didn't have 'other things' on their minds like the ducks had! I've never seen so many ducklings on a water in my life. One family had 8 of the little guys in tow.

Several families of geese had upwards of 5 chicks they defended fiercely from anything that came near them so the water was alive with activity making spotting fish difficult.


I did managed to see a group of fish making their way through the islands and in to the shallow water where I watched a few fish tilt and feed just behind a low lying weed bed. That was all I needed to decide on the area so I dropped my bucket in a swim and headed back to the car to load up.

I got back in the area and set up one of my rods with a bare lead and flicked it the 40 or so yards to where I had seen the fish tilt up, and sure enough it was a really smooth area in-between two small weed beds. I clipped up just before the lead pulled in to weed and then wrapped the rod between my distance sticks. I did the same with my Spomb rod and then dropped about 12 Spombs in the area and got to making the rods up.

I decided that I would fish two rods on the area and then I would have a third rod to a small inlet on my right with just a few loose baits around it. I got to work sorting out my bag rigs which consisted of a supple braid tied to a Nash Twister hook fished blowback style and when used in conjunction with a balanced bait in a solid bag is a rig I have 100% confidence in!

I changed my bag rigs early last year after a session with Mark Watson on the A1 pits. He was giving me a bit of a casting tuition while we were on a social and I was using a version of the KD rig at the time. We got chatting on rigs and Mark showed me the Twisted blowback. He showed me how to tie it and explained the benefits of having the shrink tube kicker, and why he angled the cut off.

During that session Mark had several fish up to 32lb and the hookholds were immense. Much better than any I had. So after the session I went home and bought all the bits I needed, rings, Twisters, shrink tube etc and tied a few of my own up.

 I had a fantastic year last year up until Autumn fishing bags over boilie with the Twisted blowback on a few day ticket waters. But over the winter I started to over-complicating things and shied away from my go-to method of solid bags over boilie. I have no idea why, maybe seeing too many videos of other anglers or such, so this session was a back to basics session for me and I went back to my old faithful.

With several bags tied up and both rods clipped up to the distance I dropped two bags on to my baited spot and flicked a short Chod in the edge to my right and settled in for the day ahead. I noted a few fish coming in to the shallows but they skirted around the margins ignoring the open water, they obviously knew they were being fished for, however I was still confident that come darkness they would come in and feed with a bit less caution. So as the sun set behind me I recast the rods, both with semi-buoyant artificial hook-baits compressed in bags made from a mix of pellet and crumbed wafters. Happy with everything I settled in for the night and indulged myself in my book via torch light.

I woke as the sun crept over the tree line on the far bank and was making a brew while watching the coots diving on my bait, enjoying a free meal. After a few minutes of watching the wildfowl fill their boots my middle rod gave a few bleeps before ripping off, at first I thought it was a coot until no bird resurfaced about the bait and I struck into my first carp from the lake. With the water being so shallow it wasn't long before the angry little carp was charging across the surface. First it went in too my left hand rod and then in to the waiting net. A celebratory jig was most definitely in order and after that I got the little guy unhooked and safely in the retaining sling while I sorted the rods back out and placed two fresh bags on the spot.

A stunning bar of gold in the morning light. I was so made up with this fish. I wasn't the biggest in the lake but certainly gave me a huge confidence boost. After suffering carpers block for the past few sessions at the syndicate and on other day ticket waters it was the most welcome carp for a good few months.

Unfortunately nothing else materialized from the spot and as the sun got higher in the sky I decided to wind in the rods and go for a walk to see if I could spot some fish. This was a new thing for me. I've always been one to sit on a spot if I've committed a fair amount of bait to it, hoping that the fish would move on to it. So to wind in was pretty alien to me. As soon as I had wound the rods in and stepped out of the brolly the wind decided to pick up, and with a force on it as well. As I made my way to the windward end of the lake I noted a few fish heading down in to the deeper water, they were following the wind! I had decided on moving before I had even got to the other end of the lake but seeing a few fish feeding hard under the trees right in the corner of the lake cemented the move and the area I would target. I made my way back up the lake and soon had the barrow loaded.

Once all the gear was in the swim I walked around to the over hanging trees and introduced about half a kilo of mixed size boilies, 12mm, 15mm, barrels and halved baits but decided against putting in any hemp. I wanted to see if I got their attention with just the S7 bait.

I'd already had a fish so any thing now would just be amazing. The wind picked up and soon the sides of the brolly shook and the rain pattered above my head as a large low pressure front came in from the west. Mr Weatherman was correct!

Settling back with my book was all I could really do as the weather rendered me indoors for the time being but soon the day light began to fade.

I was confident with both the rods on the far bank and the third in the edge to my right under a second tree. Everything looked spot on and I was content being tucked up in my sleeping bag watching as the rain licked the water.

I woke to a savage liner at around 4.30 am and was sat up in bed looking at a calm lake and noted a small amount of fizzing coming from near a solid bag.

I must have drifted off and I was woken by my middle rod pulling up tight and the tip bending round. I darted out of bed and lifted in to the fish. To begin with the fish headed straight towards me to the left and popped up to the surface for just long enough for me to get a glimpse of it before powering off down the lake. She took 20 yards of line in the first run and soon I had her under control again heading towards the net before charging off again. My knees where shaking and I dropped the net twice as nerves got the better of me. I managed to compose myself and finally slipped the net under the fish. I stared in wonder at the fish sulking in the folds of my net and I knew I had landed one of the bigger fish from the lake. And at 25lb 10oz she was a new personal best for myself.

Again a small pva bag of mini pellet and crumb with a pink fruity squid artificial barrel as the hookbait was it's downfall and it has given me such a massive confidence boost in everything that I am doing. After the pictures had been done I settled down with a brew and some breakfast before getting ready to head home.

I learnt so much on this session now I'm more confident in my approach and bait. My rigs worked to perfection and above all else I learnt a move is not to be scared of if needs be. I'm learning my water and the fish behaviour so fingers crossed I land a few more from this special water in the near future.

Matt.