Contemplating Conundrums - Written by Geoff Rauf

Back from two weeks on holiday, batteries recharged it was time to face autumn at lake de frustration. After a number of phone calls to friends on the water the news wasn’t great. The weather had stayed mild with that dam south westerly prevailing. Most of the fish were still being caught towards the far end of the lake.

Autumn is my favourite time of year in Carp fishing. I find the colours of autumn truly stunning, and if you add to that one important factor (Carp pack on weight) it can be a very productive part of your season. With this in mind I was ready to do battle once again, and after providing a taxi service to my parents from the local airport, I headed for the lake pitch black at around 8pm.

After the previous problems with my old Fox X3 alarms I had sourced a second hand set of the Sundridge Radio Optonic alarms from a well known forum. Complete with receiver for less than £50 I’m hoping these will provide me with years of good service.

By the time I had pulled into the car park it was about 8pm. Loading the barrow in the dark using a head torch was easier than I thought, and within 15 minutes I was setting up in the Helipad – after delivering some fish and chips to a few friends fishing further down the lake.

The new alarms have all the features of a top brand system including Tone, Sensitivity, even a Night Light function, and when you get a run (if ever in my case) they light up the swim like a flaming Christmas tree would – including a receiver they were a steal at £50. As I mounted them on the pod a sense of confidence surged through me. What is it about new tackle that makes you believe the end result will be different? Do the fish really care? Of course they don’t.

By 9pm the rods were on the pod and I was contemplating bait selection and rig choice, and after a cold beer all three rods were in place at close quarters, two on a chod rig, and the third using a standard bottom bait. As I sat back in my sitting in the sun (now dark) chair I revelled in the fact I was back on the lake, ready for the autumn and this had to be my time. I mean surely the blank had to go at this time of year right.

I woke from a deep sleep around 9am but nothing had happened, and once again I contemplated failure at the pub chucker level – which is high. A few cups of tea later and a piece of toast, then it was time to reel in the rods and go for a stroll. There were four other guys on the lake and everyone had blanked. Even with a constant easterly wind blowing straight into my swim nothing has shown, and I hadn’t even had so much as a sniff from my all singing, all dancing Christmas tree alarms.

As the day progressed even after a three week break from the lake I began to think why on earth I was wasting so much time on what felt like mission impossible. The top rod on the lake was now on 33 fish which isn’t exactly huge by today’s standards. That guy has spent a huge amount of time on the water, and this makes my 13 weeks look stupid by comparison. In any case surely if any of you reading this had blanked since August 2008 you can appreciate how I’m feeling at the moment.

By the afternoon I had a visit from Smudge who is one of my old fishing buddies of the past. He had a few new ideas, and had been making up some new rigs and baits which we discussed and tested in detail. As time ticked on I was still surprised at how mild it was for this time of year. According to the forecast it was 17 degrees and cloudy, but if it wasn’t for that cold easterly wind I expect it would of felt even warmer.

Saturday night came around fast as it always does when you’re on the bank with limited time. The rods had remained motionless as they always do, and the wind had picked up by the time I recast for the night. One rod went out at distance around 110 yards, and the other two stayed close in covering that deep water that had been so kind to me in the past – distant past I should add!

BOOSH, BOOOSH, Before hitting the sack I heard a few fish crash to my right which was music to my ears. My confidence levels suddenly flickered from empty to half full in an instant. Maybe the fish were here after all? Impatiently I then sat starring at the rods for the next hour waiting for something to happen, eventually giving up and climbing into my sleeping bag around 11pm.

It was 9am again when I came too Sunday morning. There was no action during the night and once again my new Carp sack purchased over two years ago lay empty. As I packed away that Sunday morning, despite the three weeks break from the place I suddenly felt completely and utterly de-motivated, and uninterested on returning. I’m not sure if it’s the lack of action this season, or the fact my time on this particular lake is coming to its natural end. On many days you will rarely even see anyone, but that never used to bother me. I cannot explain how I’m feeling but perhaps the place has finally beaten me into submission.

I cannot begin to understand what has shot me in the foot right now but in terms of fishing next weekend I just don’t know if I want to do this anymore. Do I need to revisit next season? Change venues completely or just persevere…