Website Updated 11 May 2012

Written by Geoff Rauf

The temperatures have fallen considerably this week. Looks like British Summer has ended. I’ve noticed the mornings have a distinct chill in the air, and the car was showing 10 to 12 degrees around 7.15am as I made my way into work.

Word from the lake is that once again the end swims are sown up, however the wind has changed from a southwesterly to a northerly. The ball is starting to swing in my favour, the earlier swims on the lake will start to produce come the autumn months. I know this from experience, so this weekend, teenager in tow, I planned on fishing on the back of the northerly wind.

The BBC forecast for the weekend was Heavy downpours throughout Friday, Saturday and some sunshine for Sunday. I had been lucky with the weather for the past 7 weeks with very little wet stuff. I decided to pack the waterproof gear this time!

We arrived to see just one car in the car park, and rain. It was only light rain, but the clouds were telling a different story. Can you believe this is the middle of August I said as my son put on his waterproof gear. We made our way down the track once more, familiar sights at the first corner, with rabbits jumping from the path.

Continuing past the early swims, we stopped halfway along the path and decided to go and check out an area known as the ‘spit’. Part of a bird island stretching out into the lake, this is extremely popular. Ten minutes later we stopped just before the swim to see bivvies firmly in place. DAM! NOTE: The author has chosen to limit the use of foul language once again, although he did have a hoodie with him who would of probably heard far worse.

Having seen a few fish moving about on the plateau that runs from the bay swims down to the Island we decided on the latter. It wasn’t a bad bet because the wind direction had recently changed to Northerly, and this swim offers good protection from the obvious stormy weather approaching. I also knew this swim fairly well and it’s supposed good areas.

Going through the motions camp blanker was set up and every put into place. The time was now around 5.30pm and it started to rain. “Who has switched off the lights”? A big storm was moving in just as I was unpacking the rods, and after quickly throwing my waterproofs on, it started to hammer down. I had just got all 3 rods out and on the pod when the rain became turbo charged. I thought ‘sod this’, and jumped into the bivvy where Aaron my son, was already well into a mission on some PSP game.

Just half an hour later someone turned the lights back on, and the sky was blue. Looking towards the horizon another group of black clouds were making there way over. Time was obviously going to be a factor in getting the rods out and into place. I was going to stick with my plan of having two chod rigs, and one snowman set up. The weed is still a big problem and presentation offered by a chod is ideal for this situation. The snowman would be used in a known clear patch, where the chod would be less effective. I’m not obsessed with chods like half of the angling world at the moment!

With the marker rod locating all three spots inside of 20 minutes I soon had three rods fishing, just before another downpour. Rod 1 was cast 20 ft off the back of the island to my right with a chod presentation. Rod 2 was straight out at 40 yards on the top of plateau, again with a chod rig. Rod 3 was to my right at 50 yards, clear as a bell, in 13 ft of water using a snowman. I had the rod tips slightly raised as I have read this can aid the presentation of a chod rig, and the way the bait will sit on top of, or inside the weed. Around 30 baits were fired over the top, and spread out in lines around each rod. Here we go again. The waiting game begins!

My ‘sitting in the sun chair’ was pushed back inside of the one man Chub Cyfish, and the doors were closed down for a while. The wet stuff dispersed again, and it was around 9pm that the left hand rod started to receive some attention. Although only single bleeps emitted, the rod tip was notably bouncing. Perhaps it was the rubber maggots I had used as a boilie stop receiving attention from small fish?

By 11pm we called it a night, but the liners continued, although not as frequent. This got my thinking maybe the fish were closer in than I had imagined. It could be that these were of course silverfish or the odd pike moving about.

The rain throughout the night had been extremely heavy but nothing had happened. The rods lie motionless on the pod as if they were paid to do so. Mr Century NG, your job is to sit there and remain quiet. That is your job spec, and no deviation from this! Fifteen nights for no fish, and I was beginning to take it personally. I’m sure many of us do this especially when your blanking. You start to question rigs, bait, and everything gets over analysed.

Breakfast was something different as I had bought some ‘toastie pockets’ from poundland. Classy bloke me!? We made up some cheese sandwiches, and placed each one into one of these pockets. I then placed the metal toaster frame onto my coleman stove, and the contraptions were placed on the toaster. Ten minutes later we were both tucking into fantastic toasted cheese sandwiches! I would highly recommend these ‘Toastie Pockets’ as you can cook anything from sausage rolls, to sandwiches in them, and they can be reused 100 times. Think I will get a lot of use out of these come the winter months.

The morning dragged on, and nothing was happening. I recast all 3 rods with new baits, each one tipped with one of those rubber maggots. Into the afternoon we were listening to Radio 1 when news was announced that Two Tone from Conningbrook had been found dead. The Carp world was in mourning. At its last record weight of 67.14Ib Two Tone was an inspiration to thousands of anglers. Since 2001 she had held the British carp record, and for those lucky enough to catch her, and those who spent countless hours in pursuit of her at MKF Conningbrook, I can only relay a deepest sadness.

By evening the bad weather had returned and we were confined to the bivvy. The weather was a mixed bag as had been forecast. I thought perhaps the drop in atmospheric pressure would bring on a feeding spell but nothing was materialising. At around 6pm Jason turned up and took Aaron for a short session on a smaller pond at this complex. He was surface fishing, and had landed a few doubles during the week. I thought it may do Aaron some good to get out of the bivvy, away from his electronic world, and maybe even see a Carp!

While Jason and Hoodie were away I reeled in the rods and went for a walk. All the swims back to the Carp park were vacant with the exception of the first swim. Nothing was topping despite the surface becoming a mill pond. I have to admit the pressure I’m putting on myself is starting to show. I’m totally frustrated with the lack of action. Effort is certainly not equal to reward at the moment, but I refuse to follow the boys in the know. I will not follow the pack on here. For a start it’s just too dam expensive buying the tackle to do that, and I want to catch em my way, (isn’t that a song)?

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