After setting up my first spot with George it was clear this was going to be
something entirely different ! Talk about taking technical carping to another
level, this was going up about 5 storeys! Markers and corner posts and the like
had to be carefully positioned at just the right angle to fish at; not 20 yards
but 120 yards into one of the finger bays off to my right from swim 1- and this
was my closest rod! The other 3 traps were eventually set after about 2 hours
with a scattering of bait to attract but not really feed the fish.
George’s rods were all off to my left over a variety of different spots, all
known to him, and having produced loads of fish to him last June. For George,
it’s important to fish for bites on Rainbow, knowing that you cannot chose the
size of the fish you catch, but get them feeding competitively, and a big girl
will show up sooner or later.
We sat back and had a welcome brew at around 7pm, and by 7.30, I had my first
take as the rod shook and bucked in the rests, with the alarm hammering away! We
both jumped into my boat and sped under motor to the fish that has picked up a
Brazil nut balanced with a 12mm Pineapple Fever Pop Up. I tried to keep calm,
while George expertly coached me on how to play the fish.
As we rounded the corner of the bay, I spotted the fish boil as it tried to make
the snags further up the bay. We were soon on top of the carp though, and after
a spirited tussle, I had my first Bow fish in the net. It was not exactly what I
had in mind, being mid double Mirror, but it was a good positive start, with one
bite and one fish. We quickly slipped the carp back after unhooking, and noted
that it was in very good condition, and had clearly not been throwing itself
around in the wood work trying to mate with any of the bigger females. We
suspected that many fish had still not finished spawning yet, despite the water
temperature being +23C.
George had been on the lake for 2 days and had just on bite, which fell off in a
snag, so the lake was going to be hard work I thought, with perhaps finding the
big girls more challenging than we had both hoped for?
After re-setting the rod, we got the kettle on again, and I sat in eager
anticipation of what could happen during the night.
Would I get any sleep, or would I break my PB of 49.12??
I’ll let you know tomorrow…….
Stew
