Latest Catch report from Keith

Posted by Keith on February 6, 2010 under Carp and Coarse Fishing, Catch Reports | Be the First to Comment

Stenhill Carp Syndicate,
Nr,Collumpton, Devon.
5th February 2010.

Hi all.

Well this is my first report for 2010 and at last I’ve had the opportunity like many of you to get back out on the bank side. Many reasons for not getting out which include the obvious horrendous weather which as blighted the UK for the best part of a month and a half.

We personally had some of the heaviest snow we have seen in Wales since moving there some 6 years ago. The children obviously enjoyed themselves hugely and the schools remained closed for two weeks. Thus giving the local kids a four week Christmas holiday! Poor parents! lol

Winter has always been one of my favourite fishing periods in the year. The banks are quieter, the fish are in their finest dark conditions and if your brave enough to really stick it out, catching fish during winter conditions gives you the most incredible feeling of accomplishment.

I have already started 2010 with a good spell of luck in the form of a new Syndicate ticket. The venue in question is the feature of my first catch report for this year. At just around an acre and a half, it’s not the biggest and most complicated water I have fished.

Albeit a very good level of stock to mid thirties and a big stock of twenties, it still requires a level of skill to catch these somewhat wary carp. The water is shallow, around 4ft maximum, with two small islands, a short horseshoe channel section and plenty of tree and reed growth to target the many very attractive specimens held in there.

I first went to the venue early last week for an informal meeting with land, fishery owner and extremely keen carper himself, Brian Cox….. Brian is a real gem, proper character, and all out genuine gentleman. The welcome was second to none and I truly hope we will over time become very good friends. The venue itself is set in some of the most glorious Devonshire countryside and the quiet hamlet of Stenhill.

Extremely good security, solid standing car park, running water, toilets and of course top quality fishing make this water one to certainly have a ticket for…..hence I jumped up and down when I received one of only 25 tickets issued per year for this very exclusive opportunity.

So, the day came on Monday of this week. My first chance to get back out on the bank side and of course my first chance to wet a line at the new water. I arrived mid morning to a lake covered almost totally with a thick layer of ice…..not what you want to see after 2 hours driving on the motorway!

Well, Brian was very helpful by clearing a couple of small areas for me to get a line into and gave me a few guidelines on the rules and of course the all important hotspots! I’m not saying that I need help to locate these spots, but of course every little bit of help edges you closer to bagging the all important first fish from a new water.

I set up on a nice grass section of bank next to a small island channel……the only clear patch on the lake. It just so happened that a few nice fish were clearly visible under an overhanging bush. I decided to target this area only for the first night. I managed to use the Microcat to position a bait just under the overhanging bush, which Brian assured me was totally clear underneath.

This was baited with a Mainline Milky Toffee 14mm white pop up on a split shot multi rig and size 8 Korda Choddy hook to 20lb Hybrid. Lead was a 2oz inline semi fixed set up to 2 feet of tungsten tubing.

It wasn’t long into the session before my first take. In fact the rod had only been in the water some 40 minutes or so before it tore of. The fight was a brief affair and a little one sided as the fish had little opportunity to head anywhere other than straight into the waiting net.

It was all over before the fish knew it was even hooked! Feeling totally relieved to have banked one already, I felt sure that there was others still under the bush waiting to be caught. I weighed the fish, a very pretty white Koi Carp of 13lb 10oz. Brian runs a strict ruling of using only onsite nets, weigh slings and unhooking mats….this is to obviously ensure that no disease is past onto these stunning fish.

Around 10pm on Monday night the lake was already struggling to stay away from being completely iced over as temperatures again dropped to well below zero for a consecutive night in a row. I managed to keep the ice away from my little spot and around 10.15pm I had another nice run from the bush rod. This fish fought a bit harder and I was happy to bank a nice mirror of 14lb 2oz.

By early morning the wind had swung around to the West and rain started to come in. This brought the air temperature up and started to melt the ice on the lake. This had a somewhat detrimental effect in that the ice obviously melted into the lake and dropped the water temperature by a further degree.

Doesn’t sound a lot but the difference between 3-4°c in angling for carp can mean the difference between catching and a total blank! Subsequently the day passed by with no action whatsoever. My next run came around 5pm on Tuesday and from around the still partially un-iced area near the island bush.

A small common soon breached the rim of the net and took the dial around to 11lb 6oz. The night pass by with no activity and I was left feeling a little disassembled by day break!

I felt my chances of bagging yet more fish from the small bush were pretty slim now. There was certainly very little activity around and under the bush and no fish were now visible. I decided a move to the open, deeper water section was the order of the day.

After breakfast on Wednesday I checked the water temperature and was chuffed to see it had at last risen to 5.1°C in the margins. I decided to position a rod to my left down the margin to a lovely set of tree roots which invades the water by some 2 feet. The other two rods were placed out into open water and some nice choddy spots.

I thought my luck was up by midnight as I’d had a few liners but no takes. I made the choice to recast all three rods around 2am and after a brief shower of rain, everything was ready to go again.
3am and the RH rod ripped off. A good scrap ensued and a few minutes later I was self taking pics of a nice 17lb 10oz Common.

I placed the rod back out and around 6.15am she again tore off at a rate of knots. A very pretty deep and dark mirror graced the net and swung the Reubens around to 18lb 15oz. A great way to end a cracking winter session.

So, it just goes to show that even in the hardest of weather conditions you can still catch Carp!

Get out there and bag a winter whopper! I’m off to Brasenose 1 next week for 3 nights with site regulars and good pals Jess(The Jester) Collins and Keith (Travelling Hawk) Paris.

Tight lines boys and girls!

Keith
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