Winter Action ( Part 2 )

I Returned to the lake feeling very confidant after my last session and moved straight back to the swim i had been baiting. Conditions wasn't looking good again as it had been cold all week and i knew this wasn't going to be easy.

I baited up the swim like i did last time knowing the carp have been moving alone this side of the lake.

Out went the chody again with the same bait, didn't take long before i started to get liners again and i knew i could be in for a good night.

Morning came and the sirens stayed silent through the night, couldn't believe i hadn't had a fish but i wasn't going to be beat as i knew the swim i was in produces fish between 7am to lunch time, so i waited and finally it came a screaming run around 10am.

Nice 20lb+ Linear

The rest of the day passed without action. So i baited up ready for the night.

The next morning came with no results through the night, i had a walk over to mark who was fishing in the steps to see if he had caught anything when i felt my receiver bleep in my pocket, i ran over to my rod and struck and i couldn't believe it i was in again.

Another 30lb+ to add to my winter list  '31lb 6oz'  

I left the lake again a happy man, and knowing the cold was coming in hard i wouldn't be able to fish again for a few more weeks.

After the snow and ice had gone i was back for more.
I went back to the swim i was in as i thought it would be silly fishing anywere else on the lake as ive had 3 fish off this spot, But my first blank came.
My mate mark was fishing on the other side of the lake and he bagged his first fish of the year this gready linear i had the other week

Winter Action

There's no escaping the fact that once winter is upon us, blanking becomes all too frequent on the harder waters. This winter i had planned to spend my time experimenting with various bait and essential oils at my cambs syndicate. 'the folly syndicate'.

The lake i settled on can be hard at the best of times. I knew the lake like the back of my hand, having done a fair number of sessions over the years. The Mascal Carp lake is 7 acres in size, weedy one side of the lake and like a snooker table the other, depths down to around 20ft. It contains a good head of fish over 30lb and a few over 40lb, These are the ones I'm hunting.

My First Winter session was just a few days after boxing day. Conditions didn't look to well as the nights were down to -5 and i knew a few more weeks of this weather the lake would have a lid over it.

So i started baiting up my swim before i even had any of my gear out as i wanted the carp to start moving into my area as not many people was fishing on the lake at the time.

After i had put about 3kilo of boilies out and about 20 spods of my mix I started thinking about my plan to catch these crafty carp. If i caught one fish i would have been happy

Time wasn't on my side as the night was closing in, so i got my stalker rod out and quickly tied a small chody rig and placed a 10mm white pop up on that i had been soaking in irn bru for about a week.

The chod rig was placed in about 12ft of water on top of a small amount of weed and was baited up ready for the night ahead.

Confidence was high as i was getting alot of liners through the early hours of the night. Sleeping with one eye open waiting for the Nash sirens to light up the night.

Morning came without a run, i knew it was going to be hard so wasn't put down by this.

I took a walk over to the small lake to see flash had pulled up in the car park swim doing an overnight with his mate Russ. After having a chat with the guys i went back to my rods to think of a new plan to try and get me a bite. After sitting thinking about what i was going to do the line started to move on my rod, just a few bleeps and i sore that the rod tip was moving so i knew there was a fish on.

So down i went to strike my rod and could feel a fish on the other end, The smile on my face got bigger and bigger the closer the fish came in, as it felt like a big one. After a 5 - 10 min fight the winter carp was in the net.

New pb common at 35lb 10oz  

This was just the start to one of my best winter fishing experience.