Trio of Quick Overnighters, Equals Success - Scott Kingsley

This entry was posted on 26th September, 2013

Trio of Quick Overnighters, Equals Success - Scott Kingsley

Our very own mail order maestro Scott Kingsley opens the door on his latest Carp fishing exploits...

After a long hard gruelling three months of concentrating most of my efforts on a river campaign, I have managed to fit in 3 short overnighters on my syndicate water. These have been short 12 hour sessions which have lead to some good results using a range of CC Moore baits, Gardner Terminal tackle and good old trusty instinct and watercraft.

First session I arrived at the lake just after work around 6.30pm, it was a very warm evening and the water was very calm. After a quick walk round it wasn't long before I found a small group of fish and decided I would fish for them as there were a couple of good 20lb fish in amongst them. Soon the rods were baited and out on the spots. One rod was placed at about 70 yards range quite tight up against a reed bed, a good looking spot ,the rig was my normal combi rig arrangement which consisted of the Gardner Subterfuge in 15lb and the braid section being the Gardner Trickster heavy in 15lb paired with a size 8 Gardner Covert Mugga hook baited with an all ever faithful CC Moore Meteor Cork Dust Wafter and a golf ball sized PVA bag filled with Crushed Meteor boilies, CC Moore shrimp pellet and a little CC Moore Antarctic Krill Meal. I catapulted about 25 15mm Meteor boilies around the rig. This time of year I find it best to match your hookbaits with what you are feeding, also I tend too always use glugged hookbaits in the matching liquid. This being the Meteor Glug, I love the way it congeals on the baits in the hot weather when it begins too dry giving a thick and sticky texture. It just gives the hookbait that little edge, I have watched fish home in on these very quickly amongst the freebies, I will apply this too all of my matching range being the Hardbait Hookers , Corkball Popups, Wafters or just a standard Meteor boilie and top the tubs up every know and then too retain more and more attraction.

The other 2 rods were fished on Chod rigs with Gardner components and all rods fished on Gardner Heavy Plummet Leadcore in 45lb brown and on the Gardner Mirage Fluorocarbon Mainline. The Chod rigs were baited with the super buoyant CC Moore Meteor Cork Ball Popups, now these little beauties really are some big fish catchers and are always in my armoury. One of the Chods was fished off an island not too tight as everyone would fish this area but just off of the drop off, I baited with about a kilo and a half of 15mm CC Moore Meteor Freezer baits widely spread over a big area with a throwing stick. The other Chod was fished in open water about 50 yards out in front of me again baited with around a kilo of Meteor freebies.

As soon as the rods were out the kettle was on and I was admiring the red sky and calm atmosphere watching the waters every movement. The fish seemed too have settled and not much was going on, just before dark a fish stuck it head out just off one of my spots, hour or so passed with no other occurrences , it was time to get some sleep.

2 o'clock that night my middle rod absolutely screamed off , I was away on the Chod on the heavier baited area. I could feel it was an ok fish as it was a powerful fight leading me into various weed beds, after about 5-10 minutes the fish came over the net cord. A lovely 24lb mirror was the reward; the fish was sacked for pictures in the morning. A fresh Corkball Popup was tied too the chod and recast too the spot.

My alarm was set for 4.30 in the morning, as soon as it sounded I was up and looking at the spots, I was debating a recast on the Cork dust wafter rod as I had no action through the night. I put the kettle on and told myself give it 15 more minutes, as soon as the tea was made the rod burst into action with a huge run . Only a mid double common landed but still a fish. I received one more take off this rod about an hour later again resulting in another mid double common then I left that morning feeling content.

My second session was entertaining but no real big fish were caught, some really good sport. Again a quick overnighter using the same tactics and baiting techniques 4 powerful mid double fish being the result and 2 Tench all fell to the CC Moore Meteor boilies and Gardner end tackle. This time the Meteor Cork Dust Wafters doing the business on my top rig choice the Gardner Sink Skin in 15lb brown and Gardner Covert size 8 Muggas, all fish coming off two different spots with the same rigs, hookbait and baiting tactics both fished over about a kilo of 15 and 18mm Meteor freezer freebies and topped up with the same amount after each fish. Yet another successful quick 12 hour session on the Meteor.

My third session which was very recent and was one for me to remember .I arrived after work again only planning on another short stay. This venue is strange as to if the fish are not showing they are not showing at all , it can get really moody sometimes and can be hard too spot fish . I had seen some big fish in a particular area on a previous occasion and felt there were still some good fish here when I landed in my chosen swim, I went on my instinct this time as I didn’t really see much in the form of carp but as some anglers say “ I could smell carp in the area “ . I opted for the chod approach on two rods Baited with the CC Moore Meteor Cork Ball Popups and the third rod was fished with a CC Moore Cork Dust Wafter with the same combination in the Pva bag that was previously mentioned. There’s just something about the shrimp pellet, Antarctic krill meal and crushed Meteor which fish go nuts for try it if you haven’t already. I fished one of my chods right in a weed bed the other was close to a different weed bed but fished just off of it rather than in it, the Cork Dust Wafter rod was fished on a gravel hump that I have had bites off in previous sessions; this is the rod that I thought I would receive the action from.

I fished over almost 2 kilos on the chod in the weed , this was my all or nothing rod feeling that if there was a big fish in the area and it was hungry it would get on the spot. Other spots were fished with about half a kilo on each of them, just a light scattering. Darkness came and I stayed up for around a couple of hours to try and see if I could hear any fish crashing or see any surface movement in the moonlight. It was very quiet and I had myself thinking have I made the right choice here, soon I was in the bag and sound asleep. I awoke early that morning at first light again the lake was still very quiet I looked at my watch and said right 3 or 4 more hours then I was leaving. After a quick cuppa I sat there scratching my head feeling that maybe I had made the wrong choice, no fish crashing not many signs here then suddenly a huge patch of fizzing appeared around the weed bed that I had placed my chod in about 10hrs before. This was the heavier baited area, I sat admiring several patches of bubbles coming up from the baited spot for well over an hour knowing there was fish feeding.



Scratching my head again I then began to believe that my rig was not presented properly, shall I recast, will it spook the fish – probably yes….. Just leave it be patient I told myself. Another hour passed with no liners and no fish boshing or rolling but still plumes of carpy bubbles, I began to take the bivvy pegs out of the ground slowly packing down, wondering if I should of fished a bottom bait just off the edge of the weed bed due too presentation, then correcting myself..... no that chod is fishing, telling myself one more hour. The slow take then emerged from the spot, the bobbin slowly rised and the fish slowly started taking line. I was on the rod quickly lifting into a big weight , as the Mirage fluorocarbon began to lift out of the water I could see a huge amount of weed on the line right the way down to the leader and fish. I thought I may have just hooked a small one and it was all the weed that made the fight felt like it was a good fish. The Fish put me in weed beds and went over to an island which there is a mass of lily pads, trying to do me in whatever it could find. This was no match for the Gardner Mirage Fluorocarbon as it cut through the weed and pads like a samurai Ninjas sword. I couldn’t believe it watching it literally tearing the pads to shreds and what still with the huge weed debris above the leader and fish. I managed to gain the upper hand and started to gain line, soon the fish was coming in closer it was then I saw the fish flank boring deep in my margin in the morning sunlight, I smiled as I could see it was a chunk. After a few more heavy plods the fish was over the net cord. As I looked into the net removing a mass bundle of weed from the fishes head I asked myself the question is it a 30+… no it’s a real good 20 I told myself. After sorting the unhooking mat, scales and weigh sling I was ready to find out. As I lifted the scales slowly the needle quickly went straight past the 20 mark and into the 30 zone, 31.14lb to be exact. I was chuffed as I had trusted my instinct on this occasion and chosen to fish where I had seen fish on previous occasions, and have personally fed the area quite alot of bait throughout the season, again with the right choice of bait and tackle being CC Moore for confidence and quality and Gardner Tackle for its strength and reliability.

It just goes to show if you have established a bait from the start of the season, even when you have not fished the water heavily for a few months, if you have been putting a fair amount of the bait in the fish will come looking for the bait source and happily feed on the particular bait again. I feel that once they have a taste for the bait in which this case it Being the CC Moore Meteor, they find it hard too resist.

The Tackle Box… Fox Supa Brolly Gardner Covert Mugga Hooks CC Moore Meteor Boilies CC Moore Krill Meal Gardner Critical Mass Putty