Posted here to keep the site editor happy.
After doing my usual Friday evening/Saturday morning blankety-blank,(I did have 1 slight take, but managed to pull out of it.) I went home for dinner and then changed lakes and went bit-bashing on the float rod. With 1 carp rod cast out for the hell of it.
When I say bits, I mean crucians of about 2lbs and small carp from 1/2 to 3lbs, plus small roach.
Size 14 hook to nylon, pellet on, 1'st fish was a good crucian, nearer 3lb than 2.
Within the hour the carp rod was away, result: a carp of about 2lbs. Oh! well, back out with another dozen freebies.
4 hours later and my float rod has produced another crucian and 7 commons up to about 11/2 lbs, well pleased. Trouble was, I pulled out of 4 large carp (on the float rod) which does tend to disturb the swim a bit.
As I'm putting my toys away in the rain at 6.30, my carp rod was away again, this time a beautiful linear of 17lb exactly.

Next time,I may fish a float rod with 6lb straight through, you know it makes sense.



Float rod tactics:
Maggots didn't produce a bite, all fish were caught or lost on pellet or corn.
A 14 hook to 3lb nylon didn't produce any fish, they just played with the bait.
All fish caught or lost were on a 16 hook to 2.25lb nylon.

My carp rod which produced 2 fish employed a snowman boilie set up to a 6 ashima hook on 12lb merlin.

Maybe to be continued, maybe not.
I'm forever fishing, but not many tales to tell as not much happens.
Mind you , I did nearly fall in a lake last week, complete with rucksack, chair and rod holdall,and if I had, this would be posted from "the other side".

Diary update,15/005/06
Lake P.
Drizzle am/rain pm, brolly up, stopped raining.
Arrived @6.25pm 1 carp rod/3 bait stringer/30 freebies, nothing happened.
Float rod: Lost first fish within 5 mins, so 4lb sensor straight through to a size 12, bait was pellet only. 7 carp landed from 1 to 3 lbs, bites stopped at 8.30, toys away at 9.30.
(note: the 3 anglers going into their 2'nd night were struggling, only 1 double and a few small ones.)

Diary update 16/05/2006
Lake P again.
Only went for 2 hours after work tonight, persistantly pouring down for the first 1 1/2 hours. No brolly, thank Milletts for the waterproofs.
Float rod only, alternating from corn to pellets, 4 bites only, 2 were VERY cagey, 2 absolutely unmissable......I missed them.
Blanked, but it's only fishing.
The 3 carp anglers where about to do their 3'rd night, one only had a pasty yesterday, another had 12 fish, all singles. An angler who fished were I was yesterday caught a 17+ while I was there, and pulled out of another.
Carp fishing sucks, so I'm staying on the float rod for the little uns for a while, except Friday night/Saturday morning.
I'll be back.


Note to self, change that line, it's not 4lb, it's 8.

Diary update: 20/05/2006
The oblong lake.
I have fished this well understocked lake for the last 3 weekends now, fishing from approx. 8pm Friday night until 11 am Saturday morning. Result so far from three trips is two landed and two lost.
I was due to fish it with HARV, but due to Mrs.Harv needing some drastic, immediate surgery, Dave played the good Samaritan and stayed at home. .....and I thought Saturday nights were for playing Doctors and Nurses.
Anyway, after a quick trip to the supermarket for some provisions ie;pot noodle,doughnuts,2 pasties and 4 cans of ale, I arrived at the lake by 7.30 and once again, I was the only angler there. This comes as no suprise as it's a 300 yard walk to the lake through 12" of wet grass, and the swims are overgrown, added to which, there is probably only 30 fish in the lake.
Why do I bother? Simple, it's the peace and solitude and the challenge of what is practicly a virgin water.
The lake is man-made, oblong in shape and appears to have a constant depth of 5.5 feet. The only definate features are overhanging trees on one side, which hang into the water,where my 4 runs have come from,(2 landed,2 lost to snags)the other feature is a concrete structure in one corner.
So, I set up 1/2 way along the fishable long bank, which if I could cast a bit further would enable me to fish anywhere.My first bait was walked 80 paces to the concrete structure,and 25 loose baits were scattered around the area. My right hand rod was cast 30 yards to my right in front of some bushes, but away from snags.
Super-duper, at 1.00 am the rod by the wall was away,it put up a good fight, but I was suprised when I saw the fish, it was a dark golden common of 7 1/2 lbs. Size doesn't matter, it was a result, and I only caught it as HARV wasn't there.
It was 11.30 am before I had my next run, to the right hand rod which I had not re-cast, so the bait had been left there for over 15 hours, this time a symmo fish of 15.14. Not the largest of fish, but I'm well pleased with the result from this particular water.
Roll on next weekend.


Hope Jo makes a good speedy recovery.


Nearly forgot, it rained again, off and on all night,well not when I was landing fish.
..and no, I'm not showing anyone the lake, it's bad enough having ramblers asking for directions at 9 in the morning while I'm trying to sleep.



It's just occurred to me, if I wasn't within 30 pages of finishing a good book, I'd have gone 20 minutes before catching the second fish.

4 trips, 4 landed.

Nice one victor a whole lake to yourself cant be bad

Cheers Manager !
A good result ! Ill be back next week mate
Harv

that,s not a lake near stapley is it on the fur and feathers

He cuts down trees, he skips and jumps,
he likes to press wild flowers.
He puts on ALDI clothing,
and hangs around in bars???????

LOL !!!
Harv