A 17 hr session

So on Monday evening I pack the car with the gear and head on out to the lake for a overnight session. Having spoken to another member, I was informed that the fish still hadn't spawned and that there was no one else on the lake. a quick pit stop at Salisbury's for some milk and food and into Johnson Ross for a new weigh sling getting the Trakker sanctuary.
I arrive at the lake to find 2 cars in the car park. I load up the barrow and my mate I spoke to earlier arrives and unpacks. I head out to the lake finding a guy set up in the far end of the lake in a swim I didn't fancy. I plum for swim 6, a swim I have caught in many times before. I set up the rods with a Mainline Cell wafter on a semi still D'rig with a COG lead setup cast out to the pads. and the second a coated braid KD rig with a Cell barrel and 10mm milky toffee snowman style, again attached to a COG lead and cast to open water. Dad arrived with tonight's dinner of Fish n' chips.

I scattered a few dog biscuits to try and tempt them up in the water. I only succeed in feeding the wild fowl. While having a coffee I hear a noise that sounds like my baitrunner going! I look down and notice that my line is tight and the rod tip bouncing. I strike into a fish but it heads straight to the lillys embedding its self. I eventually loos the fish to the hook like breaking. The reason I didn't hear the alarm go was due to the batteries running out on me.
I re-rig and bait and cast back out adding a few fee offerings. I settle down for the night. Nothing wakes me apart from the cold air and the need for a wee. 4am rolls around and nothing. The kettle goes on and I watch the water. fish had been crashing, head & shouldering out up in the far end in front of the other angler. the morning goes by without a bite. So I pack up with the result of a lost fish to be had. Not the trip I was expecting but there is always a next time.

I plan to upgrade my Korda Stow bobbins to the mk2 version that have just been released as they have a improved line clip and a coloured body. The other the other piece of tackle I'm looking at upgrading are my alarms. I currently use Fox MXR that I have had for a number of years now. There is nothing wrong with these at all. I just want something else form my alarms that these don't give me. What it is I'm after is being able to see the LED indicator from either side of the alarm, which these only have on the left side. So what I'm looking at are the ATT underlit alarms but at £300 for 3 and the receiver its a bit pricy. I have seen the new Pro-Logic SMX which have the added benefit of having sound out of the head and build in snag ears which have L.E.Ds i the top indicating a forward and drop back bites. and only cost £150. Choices choices.

20th May - 22nd May – First session of the new season. Having had the last 2 years off through injury and operations to my bicep and shoulder, I panned a 2.5 day trip to the Lake. Tackle packed (too much as always) and off I went after a busy nights work. I arrived at the lake at about 07:30 with no other cars in the car park. Surprised at this I loaded the barrow and made tracks to the lake. The sun was out, giving the lake that attractive early morning look. I dropped the gear off by swim 4 and had a look around the lake for signs of the fish. There was one cruising the island between swims, and 3 fish doing the same by the small set of pads in front of another swim up th eother end of the lake. Not having any dog biscuit with me I fired out a few small pop-ups to see if they were in the mood. Not a sniff. I decided to plump for a swim in the middle as this gave me lots of water to fish as well as being in a great place for fish traveling between the 2 ends of the lake.
Having unloaded the barrow and getting the new 9ft 2¾lb Scope rods out, it was time to decide where to fish to. I baited the left hand rod with an 18mm Cell topped with a ½ 10mm white milky toffee. This was baited onto a Korda size 6b KD rig with a stick mix (crumbed cell, Cell pellets, desiccated coconut, and syrup). This was cast out to the edge of the pads in the middle of the lake over towards swim to my left, knowing that if someone came into that swim I’d have to move it. I toped this up with 20 free offerings scattered over the area.
The second rod was a homemade coated size 8 KD rig wit 3 grains of slow sinking plastic maze. This was also on a 2½oz COG lead system. A mesh PVA bag of maze & hemp was swung out 15yrds just to the right of the tree in the margin.
At 11:20 the left hand alarm sounded and line tearing off the real. I struck into a fish which went straight into the pads. Managing to get it out it took me on a merry dance in the margins to my left. After having worn it out in the net it went. Up on the scales at 20lb 14oz liner mirror dark top and lighter bottom half.
I was joined by my dad who jumped into the swim next to me so we could have a social. A couple of trophy shots and back t went. Rod re-bated and out again with a scattering of free offerings. The day passed with the sunshine being broken by the odd cloud and the rain holding off.
Dinner was made and I settled down for the evening. Then at 20:50 the left rod beeped into action again. This one didn’t fight as hard as the first keeping its head down until the gulp of air before the net. Onto the back it went and weighed in at 21lb 2oz mirror carp.
A couple of photos and back it went. Rod rebated and out to the spot aging. With that to bed it was. Nothing disturbed my sleep until the phone goes with the kids wanting to know how many fish I had caught. The day progressed with some nice weather. Others soon joined us on the lake.
Another member went into the swim to my left which meant I had to move my left rod on the pads, but I knew this when I put it there so wasn’t to disappointed (I did manage to get 2 before no5 was taken)
No other fish were to grace the bank for me during the rest of my stay. Which ended on Friday lunchtime.
A good start for me I think. Will need to up my game plan a bit for the rest of the season. I think the odd stalking/floater session after or before work will be the order of the day to winkle out a few more.