Happy new year all, hope you have a great start to the new year.
Well it took me 13 days to get out in 2007, and i was out for a grand total of 5 hours. Lymm ac's Belmont pool was the chosen water and arriving at first light to find my favourite winter swims well stiched it was a walk over the far side into the teeth of the gale.... o and it was pi$$ing it down to boot.

Brolly up, brew on, and rods out....... Sh1t forgot the jacket...

...BBUUUUUUURRRRR....
Session goes as follows
The fish started to show off the back of the island in lea of the wind, so right hand rod cast out in the general area. Left rod single pop up fished off the lead at about 5 inch, cast just short of the island, not too close to the snaggs.
Short time later and the hanger on the pop up slowly rose all the way up to the rod... on thinking something had blown across the line i got up to see the line tightening still, then drop. Fish on! It could have only moved about 10inch since picking up the bait, but it was solid. So after 5-10minutes in the wind and rain, and the fish long gone it was time to pull for a break and start again.
Re rigged and re chucked it was the left hand rod again that was away a few hours later and this one was much more obliging...in coming away from the island at least... it managed to power into open water and stay well out for over 15minutes before meeeting the bottom of my net. It was clear at this point that the fish i had just landed was just what i was after. In almost 10years of serious carp fishing on this water i was still awaiting my first belmont 20. :D.... its been so long in coming.... having caught two known 20s down in weight in the past(one at 19lb 15oz) I was sure that the fish in the new was a 20 and a good one at that.
23lb 4oz :D. A cracking looking fish in its true winter colours.... I packed my kit up slowly and was on my way home a happy man.
I have decided that this coming summer will be my last on the said water and hope that one or two more of these larger fish will find the bottom of my net this year. Time will tell.

Cheers to the beers.

dave

Well in there Dave

Well done Dave there even more special at this time of year!

About time you caught something, sorry! I meant about time we heard from you again.
Well done mate, start the year in style eh?

Cheers chaps....i will post a picture if i get my machine at home sorted soon ;-}.
Back out again friday.... looking at the weather today i hope its not frozen!

dave

Session two on the same lake;

First choice swim fee. Rods in...Well first one in the tree!! So re tied and in on the second attempt, it was one of them mornings... the wind had started blowing into the brolly and the first cast in the tree... you know everything is going to go wrong.
Well i am happy to say it didnt!
First fish was banked within the hour a scraper double.. but in january thay all count!
Second fish an hour later as i was cooking up my partrigde(shot the week before)and at 17lb it was very welcome.
Third fish came at around 11.30 a bit smaller at just under 15lb.
3 fish in just over as many hours in january... i was buzzin....but knew it couldnt go on like this all day.....could it??

Well that was the last of my action untill about 13.15 when a ripping take produced my 2nd 20 of the year from this water at 20lb 4oz. No other takes were forth coming and 16.30 arrived and went and it was home for tea!

NOTE>
Not a single fish seen on the water at all, all day.
All the fish came to the same rod in the same spot with the same kind of rig. The other rod was changed to match this in every detail but it just didnt produce... not a single bleep all day!

Now when can i get out again... where is that diary?


dave


2007

2 days= 3x doubles, 2x 20s.

Now that is one big bird Dave
and you ate the lot in one go
Keith

Actually i had two....

How you doing keith been out doing much?
WOrk party this weekend? I cant make it saturday but will be there the week after.. sunday 11th. Will i be seeing you?


dave

Session 3 same lake.

No alarm.. as power gone off
m62 bad traffic
Arrived at lake an hour later than wanted to.
Decided to over the far bank again(same as session 1)As someone was in the swim next to the one i wanted and had his spod rod leaning against the bivvy.... not wanting the disturbance i thought best to head off over the far side. A quick chat on the way round and i learnt that he had taken 3 fish out in the night but the biggest was 11lb and odd oz.... he was fishing over spodded bait....

Rolled the barrow up into the chosen swim and decided to throw the rods in before anything as they were on the top. Rods cast with last sessions pop-ups still on and placed on the floor and net up.... whats next... bank sticks....where,,,what was ...... fish on!
18.8 mirror... nice way to start the day.....Sh1t, no camera. So snap with the phone and back in.
The rest of the session is kind of a blurrr. Something like this
Half an hour later 8lb 12oz mirror same rod... other rod next with a 13lb 8oz mirror
An old friend drove in to the car park at around 10am and before he got to omy swim i had another run, 21lb 8oz mirror and as that was netted my 2nd rod rattled off with a 16lb 10oz mirror.... It was something like " hello peter mate long time no see.... do me a favour and take a pic of this brace of carp i got in the net will you" Reply was "F**king hell you dont do things by half, ay dave?"
Here it went quiet again and it was around 12;45 that i had another fish at 14lb followed by another of 14lb 4 oz around 14.45.

Again all the fish came to the same single pop up approach with no free baits at all. Both rods received some action this time which has been uncommon of late.

So far this year i have fished for 2 and a half days( not nights) and total is standing at
3x20, 18,17,16, 3x14, 13, 11 one single

well happy..

dave

Well done, mate. It's nice to hear of someone catching, don't let it spoil you.

I've said it before, get the rods in first,everything else can wait.