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Andrew Hull - Patterns and Plans
Spring never really happened, winter was replaced by weeks of hot dry weather and the carp were playing hard to get. I had to wait until a balmy hot night the middle of May right on the full moon for my first carp, a low 20 mirror.
Next up was a high double a month later, again bang on the full moon.
More blank weekends followed. I didn’t get another chance until the July full moon, which, as full moons often do, bought with it a big change in the weather. A big storm and high winds; for once it wasn’t difficult to locate the carp, boshing out one after another right on the end of the wind. Three light leads were flicked out, all short. I was still catapulting a few baits out when the right-hand rod was away. A 28lb mirror, getting bigger. Then, as the Lodge fish so often do, they just drifted away, not one more sighting during the weekend. Par for the course.
I’ve always kept an eye of the moon phase, it affects all of nature, fish included. I’ve always favoured the new moon, but with an obvious pattern emerging, I looked at when the next full moon phase fell – August Bank Holiday. I booked off the Tuesday and Wednesday to give me five days.
So I had the time, now I needed the place. The other obvious pattern was that Three Scales liked a margin spot; sightings and captures suggested a margin spot would be where to focus my effort. I fancied one swim on the windward bank, but it was popular and I didn’t want to bait a popular swim. So, I opted to have a look at the swim to the left, often overlooked and much less regularly fished. A big overhanging tree prevented a cast up the left-hand margin, but with chesties on I could get the other side of the overhang and it was all accessible. Careful plumbing showed me a spot which felt perfect, a small drop off into five feet of water right in the margin, a spot I was sure I could get the fish to feed on.
A couple of midweek baiting sessions with a particle and pellet mix and a few kilos of the ever-reliable Red Spicy Fish from Urban Bait primed the spot. I fished the spot for the first time the weekend prior to the Bank Holiday.
A quiet Friday night, but at 10am Saturday the margin rod was away, a blistering take. A powerful fish ripped line off a tight clutch, then went solid in the weed. On with the chesties to get a better angle. I got level with the fish and lifted the rod, a huge weedbed camesto the surface. I’m really not sure whether there’s still a fish on, so I slowly hand line it in, ripping weed off until finally I see a flank of a carp, at which point I grab the net and bundle the lot in! I needn’t have worried, my hookwas firmly nailed in the bottom lip of a lovely common. Up on the scales; 27lb 6oz. So, they were visiting the spot, now I just needed the right one.
I got down Friday evening and kept my fingers crossed that the swim would be free; it was. Just as well, as I’d put a lot of bait in on the Wednesday evening. Both on the margin spot and out in open water.
It looked spot on, low air pressure and windy. I posted on Facebook ,a moody looking swim shot with the caption ‘There’s some seriously carpy weather around, let’s see what the next 5 nights bring.’ Confidence was brimming.
Again, Friday night passed quietly, but Saturday morning the buzzers were sounding. Unfortunately, the tufties were diving on my spots; after my margin rig was picked up for the third time, I decided to I needed to recast it. On with the waders I walked up the margin and flicked out a fresh bait. Sank the line, and got the rod back on the alarm.
I’d not had the chesties off for long when the margin alarm sounded. At first, I thought birds, but then I realised the rod was still pulling round – carp! I picked up the rod, heavy, plodding resistance, unlike the previous fish kiting out in front. It rolled, a very big fish. I knew which one, the two-tone body giving it away. Not known as a fighter, it was soon in the net. From flicking out the rig to having Three Scales in the net was about 15 minutes. Was the fish already on the spot feeding when I cast out or did it arrive just at the right time?
Richard, my fishing partner, came around to help weigh the fish and take the photos; he read out 42lb 12oz, a new PB, I was buzzing. He did a great job with the camera, finishing with some video of me holding the fish in the water. I gave the fish plenty of time to get fully recovered before letting it go, swimming off strongly.
So, job done, but still another four nights to go. The next 24 hours passed in a bit of a blur. I had a walk around Colney, the lake next door, on the Monday. Should I? No, not yet.
I saw a few signs of feeding in open water early Tuesday morning; later I did a good bit of plumbing out in front, where the change in the amount of weed was quite noticeable. I found an area just 10 wraps out, which felt cleaned off. It had been quite weedy just a week before. I repositioned a rod to cover it and put out a couple of kilos of boilies over the top.
Just before midnight the rod was away, absolute one toner. I lifted into a powerful fish, just managed to stop it, then it was gone. Cut off. Gutted.
I re-rigged the rod and got it back out. The morning brought the rain, meaning a late pack up was on the cards. Just as well as the fish were still on the feed, late morning the same rod was away again, this time it stayed attached and I slipped the net under a nice mirror of 25lb 12oz.
So, full moon had produced the goods again, three takes including a new PB. I wonder what the September full moon will bring,as I have a few days booked off…
