Practice What Is Preached

In my last blog I covered what I would be doing for the most part this winter, and a few weeks ago I put those tactics into action and had a cracking session on a little lake near Selby called Birches. Here's how I got on.

The clocks have changed and with that came brighter mornings, however I was still up at dark and out the door just as the sky was beginning to lighten with a golden autumnal sunrise. The lake I was heading for, Birches, was only half an hour away so before long I was at the gates waiting for the bailiff to open up. Being first at the gate gives you a good chance of getting the swim you desire and I got the one I wanted. A swim called Lonely Point. It's predominantly a double peg but at this time of year the lake doesn't see too many anglers and those it does see, tend to be match/course anglers who prefer the wood bank and it's close pegs so they can chat while bagging some of the crack roach the venue offers.

I decided to set up on the right of the point and target the plateau shelf as I thought this would hold a few of the lakes residents. However, after a few hours nothing had materialised in the deeper water and I had seen a few fish crashing out in the far bay. The only peg that can fish this water is the left hand side of the point, handy for me. I decided not to put leads on there heads straight away but instead trickled a little bait in. Ten S7 boilies every 15 minutes or so and after an hour it was plain the fish were intent on staying in the area, continuity crashing out regularly.

The nature of the peg, there is a great big tree on the point end, meant that to reach the fish I had to put a lead around 80 yards away while skimming tree branches to my right and avoiding overhead phone lines half way to the bay, I had to punch the leads so they travelled fast and low, thank heavens for bringing my beefy rods!

I Hope That One Day I Will See It Again, But Bigger!

I moved all my gear to the left of the peg and then punched out my rods. On my right hand one I decided on a hinged stiff rig with a pink peril fluro popup. On the left a critically balanced bait, an S7 wafter tipped with a piece of white corn.

It didn't take long for the first fish after moving the rods and it came in the shape of a stunningly small but fully scaled mirror, this came to the wafter rod and left me with my confidence sky high! I soon got the rod back out and topped up the swim with another 15 baits.

I sat back and relaxed for a while but the clock was ticking and I was hoping to bag another fish before I had to go. Even though I got to the lake early I also had to be off before I would have liked. Anyway, with coffee in hand I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with the rig, was it tangled? Had I caught a leaf as it skimmed the tree? I stood up and was about to bring in the right hand rod when it tore off! Now the fish in this lake are possessed and go mental when they hooked and this little guy gave me a right old run about! 

I was blown away when it went in the net though. Without a doubt one of the most stunning fish I've caught, and I doubt it was even over eight pounds! 

What A Fish! I Was Blown Away. 

After slipping this one back I really was thrilled. The rest of the lake seemed to have quietened off but fish where still showing in the back bay I was targeting so I kept the bait going in. After a while I felt something was off and brought in my right hand rod. It was a good job as I must have caught a branch and the hook point was masked! So I redid the rod with a yellow PB pop up tipped with white corn and added a few foam nuggets to the rig before I recast it, but as I was just about too my lefty rattled off and then stopped. I had my hands full but dropped everything and hit in to nothing when I lifted the rod. Gutted, but I fired out the right hander and redid the left.

After I sat down and sulked a little from losing a fish I made a brew and stared out over the bay, another two fish showed over the area and then my left hand rod pulled up tight and battle was commenced. The fish kitted right and tried to get behind the point and snag me up but keeping steady pressure on it brought it around the point and it fought well in the margins. I saw it was a better fish as it was twisting and turning. I was hoping it was a twenty pound fish and when it went in the net and I got a good look at it, I was convinced it would hit twenty. And it did. At 20lb 4oz it was a very welcome fish for late October.

Lovely 20lb Common To Finish The Day Off.

It marked the end of the day but I really had a great time and on a day when I may have struggled elsewhere I feel I picked the right venue for the day and what I wanted to achieve, a few fish on the bank.

I also brought my cameras along and managed to catch some of it on film, I hope you enjoy it guys.

Thanks for reading.

Donk.

www.hobocarper.blogspot.co.uk