A Trio Of Twenty's For Our Very Own Scott Kingsley!

This entry was posted on 19th April, 2013

A Trio Of Twenty's For Our Very Own Scott Kingsley! Finally the day came when I got the key too my new syndicate!

It was a Sunday morning and I’d decided to have a look around the main lake on the complex .Two of my friends were already fishing down there, so it was a good chance to not only have a look around, but to enjoy a brew and some fishing banter with them. As I sat on the guest chair in their pegs enjoying the sunshine, a part of me wished I’d packed my rods, as I’m sure I could have stalked one out! However I resisted the temptation as a knew Monday would be mine, with a 36 hour session pencilled in, the lake and the fish could wait until then.

Monday’s working day came and went, and finally the clock hit six and with that my mind turned to the syndicate! The car was packed, the rods were rigged and the food back well stocked! After battling through the traffic I finally arrived at the calmer environment of the lake. I soon had the gear uploaded and was on the way to choose a swim for the evening, I picked an area in the main basin of the lake, choosing the point swim, this would enable me to have a wide view of the lake, meaning any fish activity wouldn’t go unnoticed.

I got the rods out and was quickly fishing… One was fished tight to my nearside margin, one was out in open water and the other was cast to a small roped off area. I felt the fish would feel safe in there and would maybe venture out in the cover of darkness in search for food.

It wasn’t until after dark that I saw (or should that be heard) the first sign of fish, with a fish crashing right out in the roped off area. Excitement flowed through my body, as I knew my third rod wasn’t far away from the spot! Carp are inquisitive creatures and I knew it was probably only a matter of time before one would stray from safety to sample some of my loose feed boilies CC Moore bottom baits.

It was around 3 in the morning when I heard another fish crash out close too the baited area, a few minutes later I then received a very brutal liner. I thought I was in, but it wasn’t to be, as the bobbin swiftly dropped back on the deck. I returned too the warmth of my sleeping bag with my confidence high, the fish were in the area, it was now just a case of them starting to feed. The twilight hours came and went without incident and soon I found myself woken by the dawn chorus, nature’s alarm clock! With a full day ahead of me I roamed a couple of rods around the area but unfortunately no action came my way and it was a blank, I wasn’t too despondent as at least I’d seen signs of fish and got a real taste of what the lake had to offer.

I returned for another session a few days later, but due to other commitments I knew I could only fish for 12 hours. That evening when I arrived I decided to fish a different area from my previous trip, this time I set up in the top basin, an area which just screamed Carp! My theory was correct, as soon as I’d started to erect my shelter a decent looking fish popped his head out close in to my near margin.

I quickly cast a chod on the fish with a 14mm CC Moore Northern Special rigged on the hook and around a kilo of CC Moore Live System boilies spread around the area. With the traps set I retired to the comfort of sleeping bag and drifted off into the world of nod. At around 12 o’clock I was woken from my slumber with the piercing sound of my Delkim alarm, unfortunately by the time I’d got to the rods the fish has already taken me into a snag and after a brief moment the hook pulled! Devastated, I’d lost my fist fish on the new water! A little dejected a cast the chod back onto the same spot and retuned to the bivvy.

I woke early that morning with no further action, after a quick brew, I decided to move one of my rods to the edge of a different snag. This rod was rigged up snowman style with a glugged CC Moore Livesystem bottom bait and CC Moore Northern special, mounted on the old faithful Gardner Covert Mugga hooks and 15lb ESP Striptease hooklink,  I also added a small PVA bag to the rig. When fishing near snags or over hanging tree’s I feel that a PVA bag just slows down the speed at which your lead falls, meaning it should sit nicely on the bottom above any old leaves or weed. It obviously also means your hookbait is sitting amongst a tempting little pile of freebies and attractants, in this case crushed Livesystem boilies and Livesystem stick mix were the chosen ingredients.

I placed the rig right under the chosen snag and felt it touch down on the bottom, it was bang on the money and everything felt right!

With time starting to run away from me I slowly started to tackle down, of course leaving the rods out until the very last instant! I’d just started to pack away my shelter when all of sudden out of the blue my snag rod roared off, not wanting to loose another fish I was on the rod in a flash and was soon steering a cracking looking Mirror over the mesh of my landing net.

On the Reuben Heatons the fish weighed in at 22.4lb, a gorgeous looking scaley mirror, it was a right result! I returned the fish and started to pack away the rest of my tackle, leaving the lake with one huge smile!

I returned to the lake two days later, with Steve Swan (Swanny) from work, and we both decided to fish the same basin area. Once again, as in all cases when fishing after work, the rods were set up first and out quickly, the Fox Supa Brolly was set up and the kettle was on! After a nice, even if uneventful evening, putting the Carp worlds to right, we both got our heads down early ready for the following day.

At around 5.45 in the morning I was soon into my second fish from the water, this time one of my chod rigs was away, but as the fish made it out into open water the hook pulled… Gutted, would be an understatement!

After a few hours working the bottom baits with no further success I decided on a different approach, I reeled the rods in and went for a wander. With the weather forecast to be hot and sunny it was the perfect conditions for snaring a Carp or two off the surface, so off I trundled, armed with my floater fishing tackle and ESP polarized glasses I went looking for the fish!

After visiting a couple of swims I finally found some fish cruising in the surface layers of the water in a sheltered bay. A few glugged chum mixers were catapulted over the top and after a few minutes the odd fish started to show an interest, however not enough to warrant introducing my hook bait. I had to sit on my hands and wait for a good hour or so before the fish became real confident, one Mirror in particular really caught my eye, charging round the swim, slurping down the chum mixers, like they were going out of fashion! Soon I was joined by Swany and we both carried on observing the fish, in what now looked like a giant aquarium! We introduced our hook baits and we didn’t have to wait long for some action, the fish taking the surface baits with great zest.

The Mirror I’d spotted early was still working around the swim, and I soon spotted him eyeing up my hook bait! Soon his big Carpy lips were just an inch of so away and with one giant slurp my bait was gone! I struck immediately and the fish was hooked!

After an adrenaline fuelled battle, with the fish doing everything it could to try and shed the hook and with my praying for it not to come off I was soon netting my second fish from the lake! Swany done a fantastic job acting gillie and I think we were both buzzing as we placed the fish on the scales. The needle went round to a very satisfying 22.12lb, no monster, but a fantastic fish to catch from the surface!

After a few quick pictures and a last lingering look at the stunning chestnut Mirror we slipped her back. After all the commotion of the fight the swim had gone dead, all the fish had sulked back down to the depths after realising what we’d been up to! The wind had also started to pick up, so we abandoned the area and went back to the bottom baits.

As I started to rig the rods with fresh bottom baits I saw a huge boil on the surface under a tree in my near side margin. With minimal disturbance I baited over the top of the fish, with a handful of crushed boilies and corn, a chod rig baited with a Northern Special was then gently cast to the spot. Later that evening I kept getting the odd bleep, it was obvious fish were in the swim and I was confident it was only a matter of time before one fish slipped up and snaffled my hook bait.

At around 3.00 in the morning one Carp done exactly this as line melted off my reel and the Delkim sounded! After a short shaky scrap, where the Carp done its best to imitate a Tench! Fish three was in my landing net. No twenty this time, but a fish nudging double figures, what it lost in size it made up for in looks, as it was another fantastically marked creature. After a quick picture on the mat it was returned none the worse for wear. That was the only action of the night and once again dawn was soon upon us.

I’d almost ran out of supplies, most importantly water and tea bags! So I made the decision to head home and stock up, I hadn’t really got any plans to return, but after being at home for an hour, something was telling I should head back down and fish the night. The Carp fishing bug and the attraction of a new water was too much too take as soon I was back on the road again, heading to the water.

On arrival I left all the tackle in the car and just spent an hour or so wandering around the complex, when I was stopped in my tracks by some feeding fish. The area they were feeding in was proper text book, the sort of swim you’d read about, the sort of swim which you’d draw a picture of if someone asked you to draw a carpers paradise.

A patch of clean sand and gravel, surrounded completely by weed and chod, on second inspection with my polaroids I noticed two nice fish grazing on the area.

Not wanting to disturb them I discretely baited the spot with a few handfuls of corn and a few handfuls of crushed Livesystem boilies I then left the spot of settle and returned to the car to grab the tackle.

On returning to the area I was greeted with a sight that gets all Carp anglers hearts pumping, the fish were heads down, tails up, hovering up my free offerings.

I carefully rigged up one rod, ESP Leadcore, a tiny 1oz Square Lead, a 10inch Fluorocarbon Hook Length and size 12 hook completed the set up.

The cast was going to be a tricky, with only a slim channel of water to aim for, desperate not to spook the fish I approached it in a slightly different way. Casting my lead into the tree over the feeding fish, I went the far side and retrieved my lead and attached my rig, from this point I was then able to lower the whole thing into the water right above there heads. No splash, no disturbance and most importantly no spooky Carp.

I dashed back to the rods and waited with great anticipation and I didn’t have to wait long, it could have only been around five minutes before the line started to peel from the spool and the bobbin was jammed to the butt ring. As soon as I lifted into the fish it felt heavy, I was hoping it was the larger one of the two I’d seen and by the way to was fighting I was quite confident it was. It stayed deep and somehow managed to find every snag in front of me, as more than once I was left with my heart in my mouth as it buried itself in the thick weed.

With steady pressure I soon had the fish in open water and was able to steer it into the arms of my waiting landing net. As I lifted my prize from the water I gazed in amazement as the fish looked a lot bigger in the net, than what it had done in the water! It was also a very black fish and in absolute mint condition, a real looker!

A quick phone call to Swany, saw him on the bank with me, he kindly obliged to weigh the fish and to take a few snaps for the album. The big girl weighed in at 22lb on the dot, and was my third twenty from the water! After a few pictures we both took one last lingering look before returning her to her weedy home.

Boy was a pleased I’d gone with instincts!

As I sit here in my office writing this, reflecting on my first few sessions, besides loosing two fish, I’ve landed three fish over twenty pound (One from the bottom, one from the surface and one from stalking!) and one fish nudging double figures. With the best of the weather and season still to come I can’t wait to get properly stuck in!

I’d like to thank all the guys at CC Moore for there support, as I have such great faith In there range of boilies, in particular the Livesystem range and powerful fish attracting Northern Specials.

Until next time…

The Tackle Box… Fox Supa Brolly Gardner Covert Mugga Hooks CC Moore Northern Specials CC Moore ‘Live System’ Boilies Trakker Armo LCG Stove