Rods out and ready for action. Fortunately at Drayton you don't have to wait very long!

First trip of the year and a good friend of mine (Kieron Axten) joined me for a day out at Drayton Reservoir in Northampton. The water is owned by British Waterways and was primarily set up as bag-up match venue with 50,000 small carp introduced some years back. However, due to some thinning out and masses of bait thrown in these fish have really packed on the weight. A very prolific venue and always a good place for some winter action. I tend to stay away in the summer as the place is always packed with match/pleasure anglers and the action is just too much! I would really recommend this place for the beginner who wants to learn the sport or for some serious winter fun, either way it's a great day out with loads of action.

This trip was on 22nd January 2008 and the weather was dry, with sunny spells but mostly overcast. High pressure, no rain, and quite seasonal, considering the time of year. Air temperature was around 8-10C.

All in all we hooked over 25 carp between the two of us and landed about 20 of them. Average size was about 13lb with probably only 1 or 2 below double figures! We fished off the platforms (pegs 34) and roved the baits around to try and land on   some fish, and took them from various spots. Single white 14mm pop-ups (Solar Dairy Cream & Fresh Pineapple) on stiff rigs doing the biz. I've got lots of faith in white pop-ups in the winter, as I've scored a few times on these little bad boys, especially when everyone else seems to be chucking yellow one's at them! Anyway, get on these white one's if you fancy something good and different. That said, these Drayton fish really aren't that fussy, sometimes just fishing a bare hook would probably catch here!

Below are the best three of the day at 17, 18 & 19lb. I've fished here a few times and these are the biggest three fish I've ever caught, which I think is testament to the growth rates of these fish.

17lb, Jan 08

18lb, Jan 08

19lb, Jan 08.

Well that's my first and only session of the year. 8 hours fishing landing 20 carp up to 19lb, It just don't get any better than that in the middle of winter!

After a few months lay off due to work and family commitments I dusted the rods off and got myself down to Acton Burnell's big lake  for a two day session with a couple of friends from work. I wasn't really looking forward to it much as I've always held negative preconceptions about Rob Haless' waters, but let's just say I was pleasantly surprised! I'm not going into any detail/discussion about the origins of these fish as I have no facts to support any opinions, other than to say, from my experience, that the lake is truly breathtaking and the fish (the one's I caught anyway) were beautiful, challenging, and extremely satisfying, and that's all that counts in my book.

As far as the fishing went I managed to winkle out two right lumps. One the first day I caught a stunning 32.5lb mirror, which far exceeded any expectations I had of this trip as I was only really looking forward to a few days relaxing with some friends and just being out there doing it. Anyway, the weather was quite hot on the first day and I'd soon located a few fish milling around up the shallow end of the 17 acre lake. After pulting out a few mixers I manged to get the odd one taking and over the course of the next three and a half hours had this thirty take about 6 mixers in total! Fortunately for me I'd managed to make sure that one of the six it took had my size 8 Drennan Super Specialist hook in it! After a pretty spectacular fight with the fish taking over 60 yards of line on it's first run, PJ (fishing bud from work) netted this absolute corker. I was over the moon with this one as it really was hard earned and a new Personal Best to boot.

After my initial success on day one I was looking to capitalise on this tactic and hopefully nab another one off the top. I was up at the crack of dawn on Friday fish spotting and generally trying to locate some feeding fish. I was pretty much up the opposite end of the lake when I spotted a right lump crash out up the shallows. Knowing that these fish could be tempted off the top, and that if they were already up there I had a pretty good chance of getting something going, I briskly (ran as fast as my legs would carry me!) got back to my swim, grabbed my floater rod, and headed back up to the stalking swim in the shallows.

I must have only been in the swim for 60 seconds when I noticed some activity about half way across just under the lake's surface. With my rod already set up it was just a case of flicking a bait in the direction I thought the fish was heading and cross my fingers! At this point I genuinely had no idea how big the fish was that was moving around under the surface as it was still fairly early and the sun hadn't got up enough to provide the necessary light levels that provide good fish spotting clarity, but it was a carp and I was gonna have it!

The rest was text book as it made a bee line for my single hookbait and came straight out and sucked it down. It was a pretty dogged fight with the fish not really taking much line just plodding heavily around under the rod tip. However, when I netted it and got a good look at it's width across the shoulders I knew this was special and certainly much bigger than the one I'd caught yesterday. A quick call to PJ and Kieran to give me a hand and we soon had the fish weighed, photographed and back in the water to fight another day. It weighed 41.5 lb and was a really impressive lump. I couldn't believe how big this fish was, it had such a massive frame and having only ever been used to catching mid-twenties in the past it's size just blew my mind!  

So there you have it, my second session of the year and two new PBs! Back to reality now though as I make plans for the start of the season, which amongst other bits and pieces will be primarily about getting amongst some of my old friends down at Blackroot as I try to realise a long overdue ambition of catching a Blackroot thirty. I've also just sent off my application to Stoke-on-Trent Angling Society as I quite fancy a go on Redesmere. So if all that works out I'll hopefully soon be smiling like a Cheshire cat with some of those gorgeous Redes carp!

Now that the new season is under way down at Blackroot I've managed to get a couple of short trips in over the last few weeks. I also arranged to meet up with Neil, who runs another great carp mids website (www.beyondthebivvydoor.co.uk), during his first three day session of the season. It was great to finally meet Neil as we've corresponded quite regularly since our paths have crossed over the world wide web! He's as keen as mustard and it's only a matter of time before he bags the few remaining big'uns that have eluded him so far.

Anyway, I've had a couple of short trips (3/4 hours) in July, one before work and another after work, but other than catching a few bream I've blanked miserably. Here's a couple of scenic shots of Blackroot. First one is Simon's peg (RIP fella), which is right up the shallows and on the end of any southerlies that blow up the lake. The second shot is of the old paddling pool/fence area, which covers some nice margins and a bird nesting platform roughly out in the centre of the lake. Both great pegs but on these two occasions not so great for me!     

Simon's Peg (above)

Paddling Pool/Fence (above)

Any chance of dropping this rig out there mate?!

After my first two blanks I was back again in mid July armed with my trusty floater gear as the weather was predicted to be hot. It wasn't quite as ideal as the weather man had forecasted as a good breeze, coupled with cloudy skies made it very difficult to spot any carp yet alone get them eating bait. However, after 4 hours of spodding chum mixers soaked in Samlon Oil, which creates a slick on the surface to aid visibility in the breeze, and four swim moves later, I finally managed to get one carp taking a few out of the margins where the chum had ended up on the breeze. Didn't think it was very big but it was the opportunity I'd created and I wasn't going to miss out on it! I was now in the last swim on the woods side of the lake (called the Shit swim - cause it's a bit of a bog and stinks of...) and the fish was only 2 rods lengths out sneaking in and out from some bushes to my left picking off the odd mixer. I waited to see it come back out along the bushy margin and I flicked my mixer out pulling it back inline with it's direction of travel. She came straight up, slurped down my hookbait and I was in. After a short but spirited fight I was soon netting a cracking 24lb mirror. I had thought it was only a small one at first until I got it up to pull her over the net-cord then I saw how wide it was. It didn't take long before a large crowd of dog walkers, mountain bikers and old people had gathered round to witness the weighing and photographing. It's a known fish and one I've caught before but I was well pleased with the result as my effort certainly warranted some reward.

All in all this is probably my hardest surface capture to date. The weather was crap for it, I spent 4 hours spodding mixers, getting covered in Salmon Oil, which I can't get rid of the smell off my clothes and hands, I moved swim 4 times to keep up with the drifting bait and got very frustrated with greedy seagulls and ducks and all just to get one fish taking. But, that said, it was a nice result and I'm more than pleased with my first fish of the season. Here's to a few more (hopefully!)...    

The Medies fish - 24lb

I've recently been paying a couple of visits to a small pool about 45 minutes north of Stafford which holds a real special fish. I've managed three takes in three mornings landing two 19lb'ers, or so I thought! Long story short, after getting the photos developed I realised that the 19lb'er I caught on Monday morning was the same 19lb'er that I'd caught again on the Wednesday morning! Twice in three days and from the same swim on the same bait! Does this fish like me or what?!

I've only managed three short sessions (3 hrs each) over the last couple of weeks due to work and family commitments, but fortunately I've still managed to bag two (or shoud that be one!) and lost another. I'm going to concentrate my efforts on this pool for the foreseeable future as I'd dearly love to catch the monster that resides in there. I'm not going to mention the name of the lake and anyone who knows the lake will recognise it from the picture anyway. It's not a secret lake or anything like that, it's actually failry well known, I'd just rather not disclose its location just yet due to it already receiving loads of pressure.

Don't know when I'm going to get out next and I've got a feeling it's going to be a long time before I get to tell you all about the big'un - but fingers crossed anyway.

19lb - proper old fella (the carp, not me!)

What lies beneath...

19lb again!

So that's my season bang up-to-date. I'm certainly not breaking any records, but I'm enjoying this year probably more than any other. I've caught two new PBs; made some new fishing friends; and for the first time in my fishing career I've got a secific target fish, which I'm really buzzing about catching. 

Before signing off though, I've just received news that a friend of mine, Neil Horton, from beyondthebivvydoor fame has just landed himself a new PB in the shape of a 27lb lump out of Blackroot Pool. Couldn't of happened to a more deserved angler - big congratulations mate, well done.

Well, that's about it for my 2008 season. As you can see I don't actually get out very often due to family and work commitments, but my love for carp fishing never fades and I still enjoy every minute on the bank. Im going to continue my diary piece for 2009 too. Thanks for all the feedback I get from you web surfers and I hope 2009 brings you many hours on the bank and loads of wet carp sacks!