Double Figure Addiction

After hearing about a water local to me I spoke to a few friends and managed to become a member of Excalibur A.C. The water is called Blackwood pool, affectionately known as “Little Pool”. I went to the Lake two days after joining to have a better look round the place. I climbed a tree in the shallows and must have seen near on thirty carp basking on the surface. This made me very anxious to get on the water before a cold spell of weather moved in. Three days later and I was dropped off at the water at 8am. I was unsure of pegs, and seeing that pegs 2, 3 and 21 were occupied I went down towards the dam end. I tackled up and baited my swim with a few pouches of prepared maize. Instantly fish were rolling, fizzing and crashing in the swim, so I cast two simple rigs into to my chosen spots. These were leadcore bolt-rigs with counterbalanced maize on the hair. Before long I was getting a few liners and so too was my mate, who was fishing in the peg next to me. We both felt as though it was going to be easy, and that Personal Best's would be on the cards.

The day slowly passed and still no fish on the bank. Then like flicking a light switch, the weather changed from dull and overcast, to clear skies and bright sunshine. We then noticed that a lot of fish started to show on the surface, so we both tackled up with surface gear and put out some dog biscuits around the island. We had many inspections from the fish but I felt that my presentation was poor. However, at that point a fish bow-waved towards my bait and the rod arched round - I was in! The fish headed straight for me and then rolled just ten yards out, I estimated it two be a mid-double and I thought I may indeed have a chance of a PB. The fish bolted towards the island, and my reel screamed, the rod bending to the butt. The fish really tested my tackle and I’d never felt a fight like it. Then, just as my mate said “This looks a nice fish” it all went slack. “!%£*!” was all I could think. I was really peeved and after spooking the other fish, I decided to fish back over the maize. Nothing more happened, and before long the session was over.

Being good friends with Julian Grattidge helped me, and after I received a few tips off him I changed my gear and got back on the water. I arrived at 8am once more and chose peg 21 after seeing a few fish in the area. A few pouches of maize went out to the sedges on the island, and similar maize rigs were cast out once more. At around 9:30am, I spotted a mirror in the area and just five minutes later he had his head down over my baits. With it being less the two feet deep I could see his tail out of the water and estimated it to be a mirror around 13lb. The indicators remained motionless as the fish moved out of the area. This made me loose faith in my rigs, but the thought of a nice fish in the area, made me choose to leave them where they were. Not long after seeing the first fish move away a second mirror moved over my baits. Once again it was head down, mopping up the maize but still no action. And then the session came to an end all too soon and I still hadn’t had my first Blackwood carp.

The shallows at Blackwood

A few days later a warm spell moved in and Gaz and I decided on an early start. We arrived on Blackwood shortly after 6am and we settled in pegs 2 and 3, me fishing peg 2. Not long into the session Gaz had a run on his left hand rod situated 10 yards out over a bed of Nash boilies. He had a full bend in his rod, and a good 15lb mirror surfaced and bolted, just as it did so, it threw the hook and the fish was off. Although a lost fish, this made us both hopeful of a good days’ sport so we both got straight back to fishing. In my swim I scattered just a few pouches of maize around the lilies to my right. There were a few fish showing in the area around the island so I cast out a fishmeal boilie with a PVA bag of freebies roughly 3 feet off the island where it’s only a couple of feet deep. Not long after casting I received a few knocks on my right-hand rod which was in the lilies, then it just screamed off on a proper one-toner and headed for the dam. I quickly picked up the rod and bent into the fish. Whilst playing the fish I slackened the other rod to give me ample “playing” room. The fish fought hard and the fight lasted more than ten minutes. I was fishing a slackened clutch however, just to give myself a better chance of landing the fish. After it gasped on the surface I quickly slipped the net under my first Blackwood carp. I put her on the mat and saw that she was a double, GET IN!

After weighing her in at 10lb 6oz I took a quick photo, then released her straight back to the water and off she went. The day could not get better for me but as fish were still showing I thought why not? Half an hour later and the island rod screamed off and after a brief tussle the kipper was in the net, a modest 6lb 4oz mirror. Just as she was netted however the lily rod screamed off and I shouted for Gaz and his net. After five minutes I slipped the net under my first Blackwood common that was to be my biggest from the venue. After realising the camera was dead, I had a quick look at both fish and popped them back. He common turning out to be a lovely 11lb 3oz specimen.

By 10am the action had been and gone, and for the rest of the day no more fish were to be in the net. I was extremely happy though; having finally caught not just a fish but two doubles - RESULT!

I then had a quiet spell only managing one two-hour session on a private fishery near home, but I still managed a kipper off the top. A lovely lean and mean 10lb common. She happens to be one of the only doubles that I hadn’t had yet, so I was chuffed with that. My dad and I then planned a trip to Bolesworth Castle, a Stoke-on-Trent Angling Society water, mainly for a quick eel session. This proved to be tough and with a quiet night ahead I decided to put my carping tackle on and cast a boilie to the island and another to some over hanging trees roughly 30 yards out and slightly to my right. I didn’t really expect any action but before long the right-hand rod was away. I bent into the fish as it kited from the trees to behind the island, and before I knew what was happening it had snagged me! After reeling in my rig I quickly cast it back out and catapulted a few freebies out. Soon after the rod was away again, this time I landed the fish and slipped the net under a little common weighing 10lb. I cast out again as I could still see fish feeding under the trees. I also put some small betaine pellets out towards the island over my other rod which went off shortly after. With many snags about I wadded in to steer the fish away from the overhanging and submerged trees. The fish put up a very strong fight, but nonetheless was in the net before long. A de-formed common weighing a shade over 10lb.

After, I realised that the common was my eighth double this year and I still had not broken my PB (Redesmere 13lb). The tree rod went again however, and I somehow hit the wrong rod (oops!) but after hitting the correct rod, the fish surfaced and bolted to the trees, and I was unable to stop it from snagging me. At least I’d caught though, which is the main thing when you go fishing so I wasn’t that bothered. But then the weather changed from overcast and raining to bright warm sunshine and the fish were just basking in the sun and cruising on the surface. After which I packed up.

Mean ‘n’ lean - A 10lb hard-fighting Common off the surface from a private water close to my home

I got in touch with a friend four days later, as I was dying to fish Blackwood again. So we sorted a few hours down on Little Pool as I wanted a PB desperately. After walking round I spotted the skin of a pound-and-a-half Perch on the dam, probably the heron. Then I noticed the fish in the shallows, so John fished peg 21, myself peg 2. After some interest on the surface baits I was hopeful, but they still didn’t want it. So I decided to go for the good old maize in the lilies. Mr. Heron flew straight over as I cast out and broke my concentration for a split second, and I forgot to turn my ‘oppy on (bite alarm). Minutes later the baitrunner screamed and in a slight astonishment I picked up the rod and bent into a small common. The fish made a few runs but soon came up ready for netting, but just as I was reaching for the net, she threw the hook.

That was the only action for the session and so after this decided on a change. I went shopping and picked up a few hooks favouring the Masterline John Wilson hooks. So when I got home I tied up some of the size 8’s ready for my next session.

After a great start on the water, I spoke to Julian, who placed me into the Carp Match on Saturday 21st August. We both arrived and I drew peg 2 and Julian drew peg 20. Miffer later arrived and settled in peg 17. We were the only ones fishing and whilst setting up in my swim I spotted at least two dozen carp in my swim. I slowly baited up by wading to the island and setting the trap with the smelly maize. At 2pm we cast in and action was slow with the conditions being clear skies, hot and sunny. The afternoon passed and still nothing, but then Julian got things off to a start with a 5lb Mirror, which on further inspection we noticed had never been caught before.

Julian’s Mirror that hadn’t been caught before!

It then went quiet until we were having tea when Julian had a funny bitty take, which result in a pristine 1 1/2lb tench. Then I had a series of bleeps followed by a significant drop back. This was on a big smelly halibut pellet by the island. I hit it and knew something was on but was not quite sure. It came in like a bream, so I was surprised when I swung in a Crucian about a pound (On the bent hook rig!). This gave me faith as fish were in the area and I knew I had good presentation. In the night it went quite cold with no cloud cover and I slept through with no action. I was awoken the next morning by a splash near the Island, only to see that Julian was into another, so I wound in and went round to weigh and photo the 9lb Common. I then went to Miffer who said he had had a small mirror about 5lb in the night.

Julian's 9lb common, a typical Blackwood Single

By this time I’d got the thought that I was going to blank so I went to my swim and baited up again. I put one maize and one pop-up fake maize on the hair, and put a PVA buffer on the hook to guard the point from snags. I cast it straight into the middle of the tight patch of bait and waited. Before long the rod screamed off and when I hit the rod the fish was fighting hard. After a brief battle the fish came in gasping on the surface and Julian netted her. After putting her on the mat we saw that she was one of the young fish that could only be described as a plated mirror in mint condition. We then weighed her and Jules congratulated me when we found that she was 10lb 4oz, I was chuffed to bits! Jules ended up winning with five fish for thirty odd pound, well done to him as he got up early and worked to sneak ‘em out (a few singles between 6am and 9am a small snotty!).

Well chuffed - My mint 10lb 4oz Blackwood mirror

Since then it’s been gearing up for my trip to the River Ebro in Spain next week for Catfish and possibly carp. Apparently the carping will be very hard, as there is a lot of natural food out there for them, so I'll see how it goes and report back.

Keep a bend in the rod...

Nige