Spring is dragging its feet around these parts, and the move from my usual Bolton Winter haunt to a South Manchester water was probably made a little hastily and obviously a tad premature.Maybe i should have stayed visiting the Bolton gaff and carried on the mini roll that i had maintained over the colder months.(Hindsight certainly is a virtue)
Two seperate weekend afternoon sessions during March on the South Manchester gaff, proved that little or no shows were as expected and the realisation that we were at least a month behind from the harsh Winter.. set in. There were some good anglers putting in a few nights a week and the chance of having one out in an afternoon session didn't take long to register that banking one of the biggies in there seemed a little unrealistic to say the least.
From my past experiences, the Manchester Park lake(Clifton) wouldn't kick off (properly)until the first couple of weeks of May, and the vow not to fish the place in the next couple of seasons was made to stick, so that was a deffo no-no. Visits and walks round Clifton have ..and always will be a part of my my life..simply because it is only five minutes from my doorstep, and i have a lot of friends that still have strong ties, unfinished buisness there and are they are the best of company.
Rumours were now a fact, Smiths in Bolton was now definitly on the market to be sold!! the uncertainty of the future of the lake and it's residents gave me a dilemma. Over the Winter on Smiths, i had carefully planned a Spring assault on the South Mancs lake which holds at present some of the biggest fish in the region..a quick decision had to be made.
Anyone that has been around the carp fishing game long enough will know of many of the residents of Smiths, and their prestige and worth of capture.Losing the chance to ever bank one the bigger known resident(commons) may be lost forever, and a decision to give my early season efforts to Smiths was made. I have done a few Winters on Smiths over the last few years and the fish seemed fairly predictable, and in my own thinking were not to difficult to fool, though as the Spring rolls in they instantly turn to their..you can see me, but can't catch me mode.The decision was made over the Easter bank holiday weekend to make a return to Smiths and hopefully try and bank one of the big commons that are simply worth their weight in gold.These fish have been very heavily pressured for decades, and no matter how innovative you may think you are.. they have seen it all before. Anglers catch a few a season through sheer persistance, some get lucky on top of the persistance and add a few to their tally for the season..no matter what, the Smiths carp have no respect for 'Who you think you are', or what you are about...The gaff is a real tough cookie. The Smiths fish are from my calculations,probably catchable in one day in every week, though i dont have the opportunity to sit there every day(short infrequent afternoon sessions being the norm), trying to hit the place when you think a take maybe on the cards..Timing is what i think Smiths is all about.
I decided to put the South Manchester lake on hold for at least a few weeks until the weather favoured my style of fishing, and the plans i had put so much thought into could be put into practice and when the weather was finally going to be more favourable.More Migraines and Anadin Extra were going to be needed in the foreseeable future. Three bodies fishing on Smiths is for me 'busy'( which in my eyes..they have put the carps guard up))..and the wait of expectation as you turn the bend down the hill to see the line of cars parked can sometimes completely deflate you before you even get the gear out.
The big South Mancs Mirrors were waiting to caught..one of them was spotted on a number of occasions last November and looked every ounce over 40lb.I could only manage a few brief visits due to work commitments, though the biggies still evaded capture by some very capable anglers during late Autumn..time and effort wasn't available by myself and i will probably regret it for a long time.. they were there for the taking.
Swim choice and long stay anglers..Small gaff and very cute fish..
Catching the fish from Smiths is never an easy affair, but the waiting in between fish(which can be for lengthy spells)certainly gets the grey matter working, to the extent that it makes my head hurt.
I had made my my mind up...Spring cleaning, or simply going with a whim?
The season hasn't even started..or had it started at the end of December?

Nice one, see i have a lot to learn in the old writing stakes

Thanks for that Steve telling it as it is, or how it was seems the best form of expression for myself.
Good Friday The tackle was quickly swapped from the long range set ups to a more comfortable feeling and a well balanced duo of baitrunners and two and three quarter pound Free Spirits were quickly stashed in the quiver. Sitting on a water of around two and a half acres with a set up combined for ultimate range seemed totally tartish and ..well 'total overkill', and the lighter rods had never let me down in the past on the Bolton gaff.
I momentarily closed my eyes as i veered the bend, dreading the sight of a dozen cars or more...Five. Kinnel..The first couple of swims nearest the cars were taken and a quick chat with a friend and a relative newcomer to the gaff, saw me immediately head to the shallower end of the lake as intermittent sunshine was forecast on the back of a really cold Westerly. The other couple of anglers were dotted around the lake probably hoping to keep out of the wind. The wind was fairly bitter, though up on the shallows in the sunshine it felt really warm..and the fish i thought would be thinking the same. I was proved right, at around lunchtime a guy facing me that was casting up the lake into the shallower water lost a fish in the pads that were now sprouting out onto the surface. By late afternoon i had seen enough and left knowing that the fish were certainly around there in numbers.
Easter Sunday The Bunny would deliver me a golden egg..it had to..i have asked other anglers many times about the ESP factor in fishing..gut feeling..or is it simply a gathering of experience over the years? Something tells me on to many occassions to 'do it now' for it to be chance or simply luck..whatever it is i am truly gratefull to blessed with any type of little edge that comes along. After standing and staring at the water for over two hours, i foolishly opted to go with the idea of sitting on the near bank..instead of following the inner gut feeling. Another big five hour session commenced facing the coldish Westerly, chucking up into the shallower water. I had the opportunity to fish the same swim as i had on friday and spurned it for a few fresh brew off Tommy and a chat. I kept sitting staring at where i knew i should be sat. I reeled in and had a walk round, totally uneasy with my choice of swim. Get back to the Island, they are up there. A guy with he's two young lads set up on the island, and commenced bombarding the water with anything they could get out the bag. Three o'clock and i look again up toward the shallows...It was like a rewind of the Gulf war when they first showed the 'Tomahawk' missiles being daylight launched from the battleships. My mind was obliterated..i stood with my jaw literally hung slack. I ran in slow motion the whole ten yards to Tommy, who had now totally recovered from a mega session on the Stella the night before... I stood and simply pointed in the general direction. The wake rocked into the back water, and the flat spot left in the light ripple on the back of the wind was at least three metres round. 'Whats wrong with you', ya Dak?...
One of the young lads on the island with he's dad was mirroring my stance..Dad! Dad!..He pointed at the flat spot and shouted at him to come and look. It was massive dad, a massive big pike has just jumped out.
I couldn't say the words..The image was immediately imprinted forever in my mind, but explaining to Tom what i had just seen wouldn't come out, i was totally lost for words.What?..The Long Common, i have just seen it launch.
I beat myself up all the way home, into and all through the night and into the following morning. I had been given the warning..and had foolishly ignored it.
Bank Holiday Monday ..It wouldn't go away...over and over again it replayed in my head. The sight of the 35lb plus common leaving the water..I was like a moth being drawn to the light, if i had been looking away for that split second i would have slept.United were playing Spurs at lunchtime, and were live on Sky, I never miss a live game...The radio was tuned in and i was sat comfortably with a scattering of bait in the area i had seen the big common clear the water the day before..Nothing..all afternoon i scanned the water for any signs of a carp. I had been contacted during the morning that future of Smiths, was being discussed at a meeting on this Monday evening at Six o'clock in a boozer only a few hundred yards from the water, and i had agreed that i would attend and give my support to any kind of realistic venture that would see the best of interest for the future of this historic venue. Smiths is simply a one off, the fish were irreplaceable..and i had vowed to help secure the future of this place to be there for real carp anglers in the future.
Five forty pm and there is a crowd gathering on the far bank..Was it a mirage?...Had i really seen the Big Common clear out of the water?
Hands waved at me to pack up and make my way round...I reeled in the rod in the unfavoured spot first, then reeled in the rod on the spot.
The one ounce lead skidded across the surface in the shallow water....
Up she came again. My lead had left a trail in the light ripple, that pointed it's way to the show from the same fish that i had seen the day before. She was there..why hadn't i followed the gut feeling the yesterday? Catch me if you can?
I stood with my line hanging limp in the margin..another 'half an hour'..or would she have waited until chucking off time?
The meeting was very constructive and well thought out by a guy that has my total respect and support for he's efforts. Carp fishing could do with a few more guys with the intelligence and drive of this local hero... The Common? I returned on Tuesday.

nice read tudge
all i got to say is " THATS SMITH'S FOR YA M8"

Nice read Tudge. Be Lucky

Quality mate...

Excellent read, Tudge...

Thanks for the kind comments lads..i have just read through what i have been writing, and i have realised that i may have put myself up here to be shot down Anyway, i will tell it has it happens..or doesn't.
Tuesday.. The rain pattering on the neighbours leaky gutter, woke me around half five in the morning.Dehydration and an head like George Best, from the Stella downed at the meeting the night before were certainly taking their toll.The expected call from my boss rang at seven, and a decision not to bother turning in work for today had already been made( being a Built up Felt roofer does have a few perks) A bag of bait was grabbed from the freezer and a few sandwiches were thrown in the ruckie.One car was on the lane and he was set up in the Woods..a quick chat in the pouring rain with Tony, and i headed straight round to the island. Baits were placed in the two spots i had fished the afternoon before, and i sat with my eyes closed for an hour to try and heal my mashed brain.The 12 f*ckin Canada Geese up in the shallows must have known i had an head full of Stella and played up all morning. Arrrgh!Cull..Cull.
Pair by pair they took flight and left hopefully to another venue to do someone else's head in with their fighting and noisy antics. The rain eased at around dinner time and the sun decided to poke its head through the now dissapearing cloud. A light Southerly picked up from no where and blew straight at the rod tips..this is it, i'm having one.
During the early afternoon a couple of other anglers turned up and settled in, Tommy fished the fence and Danny fished the Point. A quick conversation on the phone with Tommy, and then he was out blowing out'zzz's on he's bedchair catching up from HGV driving in the early hours.Sitting in the warm sunshine slowly eased the headache , though the sighting of a fish would have made me feel a whole heap better. I sat and stood for two hours never taking my eyes off the water and resigned myself to the fact, that they wern't here.
The fish in Smiths are past masters at making themselves seem invisible, even in Eighteen inches of water. One usually gives it'self away by leaving a vortex or clouding up a trail as it swims through the silty bottom..Nothing. An big hatch exploded in the shallows, and started popping out all over the silty shallows and i guessed that the fish would know that. 'There she blows'..A Mirror pushed out it's head and showed off it's orange underside in the sunshine. The show was at least fifteen metres to the left of my bait on 'the spot' and close to a line of overhanging trees...but at least i knew thery were still up here. The 'cases' left on the surface off the hatch, started to drift into the margin under my rods, and i knelt down to try and identify what sort of 'bitin little b*st*rds' they were.I looked up at the rod tips that were aimed at a pitch into the sky. The slack line hanging into the water, feathered upwards, then fell down again. My hand hovered over the reel seat..looking out to the area that my bait was in. The water erupted on the edge of the pads and the rod tip slammed over.... The fight was nothing short of Scary as Sh*t. A thought of 'Mirror or Common'? never entered my head, and as i slid the net under a nice long looking mirror, the sense and feeling of total achievement took over.
Danny ran the short distance round to aid with weighing and piccies, and i am gratefull for that..nice one mate. Tommy ignored the phone calls whilst in slumberland and missed the whole event.
Oh..sorry. the Mirror weighed 24lb and ounces, a Classic Smiths fish.
The trouble with this gaff is..you catch one..you Have to catch another.
The locals and regulars on Smiths know that the place can sometimes be good to you, though a lot of the time it is hard..
One thing is for sure..they will never simply just give themselves up.
Spring seemed as though it was finally arriving, and one or two should be gracing the banks in the next few days...

Luvverly !