Return to night fishing

After five weeks without night fishing I braved the rain for a long overnighter. After being soaked setting up the rain cleared to a nice mild nights fishing. The boilies were receiving a lot of attention from the bream and then around six in the morning the rod blazed off. After a doggered fight I had a pristine mirror in the net at 2 ozs shy of 10lb. Fantastic wood carving cocky to go with a fantastic looking lake at dawn.

Last orders......

Fished Straits today for a late afternoon session and decided to fish the cave swim. Placing meat to the left far tree and nuts in the right shallow area. Didn't have to wait long for my first action after managing to turn the fish from the shallow snags it darted across the tree line like an unstoppable force and headed for the other tree snags in which the line snapped! The nuts were producing feeding fish but no hard bites. With the meat rod producing nothing I was heading for a fat blank but with last knocking the nut rod screamed off and it produced a lovely dark old 14lb common. :)

Friday insomnia session

Well I finished my week at work with a night shift on thursday night and thought I'd have an early morning fishing/sleeping session down at Straits mill. Being the first person there at 6am I set up in the compass swim and quickly cast out in the silt and set up my bedchair for a couple of hours kip. I only managed an hour as the rod with tigernuts on roared off and I dozily rolled off the bedchair and played in the fish, a 14lb 12oz mirror.
By now I was awake so tried putting a bit more effort in. I had tons of rudd close in so when a pike attacked one of my rigs as I reeled in I quickly caught one and put out a pike rig, which was immediately taken! After a crazy fight I brought in the pike which was around 7lb in weight. I unhooked it in the water and after that all went quiet. I then noticed some carp moving over the gravel patch in front of the entrance to the cave swim. I put some tigernuts out and cast over. Soon enough I had a take but the hook pulled. That was all for the session as it was now lunchtime and time to go.

Afternoon session at Straits mill

Because I worked the previous night I had thursday daytime off work. As wife and kids were out I went down Straits mill at lunchtime for a 6 hour session.
There was quite a stiff breeze breeze blowing up into the shallow end and I spotted a few carp drifting about so I set up oposite the big gap area where Graham had some action recently. I fished one rod in the gap and the other at the base of the big gravel hump.
I lost a fish in the gap on the chod and homemade pop-up, then shortly afterwards had a nice 10lb common from the base of the hump on the same set-up. Then the rain came and soaked everything, luckily I had my shelter with me. After the rain eased off I had a 13lb common from the gap on popped up tigernut. Then after I had packed most of my stuff up, the rod at the bottom of the hump went off and after a good scrap (I thought it was a biggun!) I landed a snub nosed common of 12lb.

Asheldham night session *Pics*

Neil's pictures from Asheldham

P.S if you don't sleep you'll look like Neil in his last photo.....

Asheldham night session

After the disasterous session at Craptains lake, Graham and myself made the most of having monday off by fishing an overnight session at Asheldham lake (BDAC).
After getting lost on the way (hadn't been there for a couple of years!) we arrived at around 7pm on sunday. It was quite mild with a strong southwesterly breeze.
The lake itself is another mature pit with lots of secluded bays, lily pads, snags and overhanging trees so plenty of features and a large head of hard fighting carp.
There were two guys fishing the carpark swims so we had a scout about and found some fish in one of the little bays which you reach via a footbridge that goes across part of the lake. It even smelt a bit carpy!
It didn't take long for some action and I caught almost straight away and continued all through the night until the next morning! 12 fish in all, from around 7lb up to low doubles (2 x 12lb commons and a 13lb 8oz mirror) Graham had 4 carp I think, though he likes his sleep too much to fish keenly all night!
Nice end to the weekend, especially when all the fish fight like demons as they do there!

Craptains mistake

Ha ha 12 hours of generator noise, what a peaceful environment that was! On a better note Dawn Vale is looking like the setting of our new fishing weekend

Captains log more like!

The Gate to Captains Treasure

Who knows what lays beyond this gate for us intrepid anglers.

but a few targets are always good motivation, so here are a few targets we are looking to achieve:

1: Chris to get a Carp over 10lb


2: Alex to get a 20lb Chocky


3: Neil to spend the weekend getting the leads out of the trees Chris has cast them up.


4: Throw Grahams portable DVD player into the lake

Any More???

"Mind the Gap"

Fished Thursday midday through till late. With the wind blowing towards the car park end Neil and I decided to fish swims in front of the tree lines. Surprisingly the Main lake was busy and with no fish showing our confidence was low! Tigers and meat was my weapon of choice which were cast across towards the gap in the trees. Around three o'clock the meat rod shot off and I was able to turn it before he hit the snags after a good fight I had a nice common in he bag a 15.4 Lb (I was a tad luckily as the hook had pulled and somehow re-hooked in opposite side of the mouth) About five o'clock the tiger rod screamed off! With the fish full of energy it charged up the tree line and into the snacks, fortunately I was able to turn him back out the snags and after a good fight he weighed in at 12.8lb! Lovely Mirror but he had a bad parrot mouth and looked as if the fish had been tethered up at some point. I didn't have to wait long for the third fish again on the meat after charging to the back of the swim the fish turned and bolted towards me and after another arm aching fight it was another mirror weighing at 13.8lb! Neil and I decided to fish the small lake for the last four hours for the "Angry Tench" but without any luck...

Mixed fortunes!

Following on from the dismal (yet promising) session yesterday I sneaked down to Straits Mill this evening, arriving at 7:35 for a very short session on the compass swim with Graham. Quickly casting out to the same spots as yesterday, I had a take on the chod setup and after a short scrap had a 16lb common in the net. As we unhooked it in the water the open water tiger nut rod went off! We left the first fish still in the net in the margin and Graham set up another net. The fish came in slowly due to the very fine hooklength I was using but managed to get under the left hand bush, I gave it as much pressure as I dared and got it back in the open. It was just getting near to netting when the hooklength parted. Close inspection showed it was frayed from where the fish was moving under the bush. We were a bit gutted as we could have had a brace shot! The common had scattered scales on it's belly so it had been christened 'scatter'.
Shortly afterwards the chod went off again and after Graham had removed a big bundle of weed from the line I managed to land another common, 15lb 8oz.
Recasting as it was getting quite dark, I was just sinking the line when I had another take! The line got caught on my fingers somehow and the fish managed to gain a lot of line before I could get a direct contact. The fish came up in the water into the snags and severed the hooklength which was a bit annoying to say the least.
Still I was well pleased with two decent doubles especially as they were on my own baits.

Three-nil too the carp (and possibly tench)!!!

Following on from recent success at Straits Mill I decided to nip down saturday morning for a quick 3 hour session. Arriving at 6am I found the lake empty and a quick scout around found some carp moving around in the corner snags.
Set up on the compass swim, fishing a homemade popup in a chod type rig to the left hand snags and a long hooklength rig using superfine nylon in open water with tiger uppercuts as bait. Not long into the session I had a twitchy take on the chod setup and hooked what felt like a tench which as I played it in found a dense weedbed to hide in! I drew the great lump of weed in and netted the whole lot. Excitedly ripping the weed out of the net revealed a bare hook - the fish had done the off!
Nevermind, a short while later I had a whizzer on the open water rod and slowly brought in what felt like a good double, only for the fish to make for the cave area. I sunk the rod tip under but somehow managed to get tangled up in what seemed to be 20lb mono snagged on the bushes under the entrance to the cave, the fish kicked up in the water and severed the hooklink!
As I dejectedly retackled the chod went off again, this time it was definately a good carp and I was forced to keep the rod low and hold on as the fish tried to get into the snags. I managed to stop the fish that then started to plod towards the main part of the lake before getting into the same weedbed! A little extra pressure and the fish kicked hard and bow-waved across the surface, leaving my rig behind and another lump of weed to land!
On top of that it had rained and everything was soaked, so the lake has decided I was due a payback for myself and Graham's success!

Common Delight

After the opening day success I decided to fish another long afternoon session down Straits Mill. The lake was quiet again with only two other anglers fishing. The day was mild but overcast with was a small breeze blowing down towards the "Compass Swim" the carp were showing well. I decided to fish the "Cave Swim" again. Placing one again on the right snags with baited tiger nuts and the other with meat in the channel near the far left tree. Within the first hour a carp had taken interest in the tiger nuts but after a sharp bite I failed to connect and spooked him off! This disappointment was followed 1pm by a fish on the meat stick at 14lb (Carp a bit flappy). After at least a two hour gap the meat rod bolted off again this resulting in another Common 11lb which tried to snag me up numerous times! Then just after another hour the meat rod produced another fantastic fight with another common to 15lb which was in great condition. This was topped of by yet another common at 12lb about half five again on the super meat. The final two hours failed to produce another fish although I had plenty of knocks. Neil popped down and was surprised how quiet it was on the lake and when I left the bailiff was the only one fishing on the lake, in the "Carphaunt Swim".....

Opening Day Glory

After Neils morning success I decided to do an afternoon session down Straits! The lake was very quiet considering it was the first day of the season. I decided to fish the legendary "Cave Swim" Placing one on the right tree snags baited with chopped tigers and the other to the left tree baited with meat. Around one o'clock and after a series of small knocks the tiger nut rod raced off. After a good fifteen minute fight I had a nice dark mature common weighing 17lb! Lost one in the snags as well. Good start to the bdac season and makes a change of blanking down Rectory.

Evening at Rayne Lodge *Pictures*

Couple of nice Carp photos from our evening trip to Rayne Lodge

Good start for little bruv...

Graham went down Straits the afternoon after I fished and had a 17lb common from the 'cave' swim on tiger uppercuts.

First day of BDAC season...

Decided to fish the first day for once as it was a sunday, usually avoid first days at weekends as they tend to be ridiculously busy. Went to Straits mill, arriving at 6:10 for a 4 hour morning session I expected it to be packed as it has been before on opening days with cheats sneaking in early and bagging the best swims.
There was one guy setting up in the beach swim and that was it! I followed the wind down the lake and set up in the corner swim where there were a few patches of bubbles. Hooked one after just half an hour on a chod type rig from near the snags down the left hand side but hook pulled after a few seconds. Cast back to the same spot and after 30 mins had another that came straight in and plodded around in the margins for a few minutes before I netted it; a nice 13lb 12oz common to start off the season!
It went quiet for about an hour so I tried baiting with my own boilies in the same area and a standard bottom bait, soon hooked a fish that ran in left of me and broke me in the snags. Quickly retackled and cast to the same spot as I was running out of time. Was just about to pack up when I hooked a crazily powerful fish that tore about like a torpedo all over the place. Finally netted it, a 13lb mirror that looked a little tatty but still a nice fish - had a huge tail, no wonder it fought so hard!
All in all quite a hectic start, just goes to show how catcheable they are if you can locate them, maybe the fact that it was quiet helped too.