New PB at Hengar Manor

Hengar Manor is a small holiday complex on a site of around 35 acres set in the beautiful Cornish countryside. Apart from the tennis courts, golf course, swimming pool, snooker room, whilst not forgetting the on-site boozer; the complex also has two relatively small lakes stocked with carp, tench, bream, crucian carp, perch, roach, rudd and eels.

My plan for the week was not only to chill out, but also to have a few nice carp and perch. It was the back end of October and an early start, frost and mist was burning off the golf course as I walked down towards the lakes with a beautiful sunrise beginning to warm the lakes. To start off; I planned to fish for some perch. I went round the dam side of the lake, which is roughly 6 foot deep and fished chopped worm on the pole next to an overhanging tree. After half-an-hour of feeding I decided to start fishing. On my first put in the float sailed away…. Minutes later a lovely 1lb 12oz stripy is in the net - get in! Second put in and the float sailed away again, after a short fight I looked in the net to see a lovely roach/bream hybrid of around 2lb 8oz. I then decided to fish on light gear for the roach and rudd. I changed my rig and shotting pattern in order to fish on the drop. After 10 minutes of heavy feeding I started fishing. Within an hour I’d probably caught nearly 20lb of quality roach and Rudd but the rain put an end to that. After a quick dinner back at the lodge I was on the bank; braving the weather, armed with my carping gear. It was the first time I was using “Flavour’Em” PVA bags, flavoured with strawberry. Just 5 minutes after casting into the corner where the wind was blowing, I found myself leaning into a hard fighting fish. After a 5-minute tussle on my 1 3/4lb DAM Carp rods, a small mirror of around 7lb was in the net. After a good first day’s fishing I surrendered to the rain and wandered back to the lodge to put my feet up and with a lovely warm brew.

Second Day was very similar, however, Ben, Dave, my dad Ron and I started match fishing on the top lake, known as “Bilko”. After a couple of carp lost on the pole between us, I decided to fish chopped worm again, an hour’s fishing resulting in another lost carp and two nice perch, both of which were around 1lb 8oz. Once again I was eager to get the carp gear out, and so the afternoon passed with me sat behind my rods, which unfortunately didn’t bring a run. Oh well, I was on holiday!

Day 3 of the holiday and there was just the two of us, Ben and I, with Dave and my dad off to do the shopping. After my bad luck on Bilko we decided to start off on the bottom lake to see if I could continue my luck with the PVA bags. I filled the bags with a variety of different sized pellets and in went the rig with a lovely sweetcorn bolt rig. After sitting in the lovely sunshine, the morning passed rather quickly without any action, but then out of the blue came a run. After bending into the fish it rolled a few times, after which I expected it to be around 8lb, but only when I got it in the net did I see a nice linear double. The weight was irrelevant, but the pretty mirror took the scales round to 11lb 4oz, my 19th double this season!!

11lb 14oz • my 19th double this season • what a cracker!

After putting the 11lb’er back and casting out again, the rod was away once more! It was 5 minutes since the other fish, and I was into another fish. Another struggle pro-longed due to a branch managing to tangle against the main line. This fish was another lovely mirror weighing 8lb.

“70mph Gales and torrential downpours!” said Michael Fish, as the flood and weather warnings were given out on the news. The weather was changing for the worse, so knowing that, I decided to go to the Tavern for a few games of snooker. Next morning we woke to hear howling winds and rain hammering against the windows. So what did I do? I went fishing of course!

I got down to the lake and decided to fish the margins. After nearly loosing my brolly due to the wind, I decided to limit myself to only a couple of hours. A few handfuls of hemp were placed in the margins over which I placed a simple hair/bolt rig baited with a lovely piece of Peperami. It was only about 2 foot off the bank, in water probably only 2 or 3 feet of water. The other rod was chucked into the margins near the far bank, baited with a sweetcorn rig and a PVA bag full of pellets. After just ten minutes I was getting thumping knocks on the rod tip of the right-hand rod, which was placed just down the bank from where I was sitting. After 25 minutes of these, my mate Ben came down to ask how I was getting on; half way through explaining the knocks I was getting, the rod screamed off with line ripping off the reel. I hit it and managed to sink the other rod tip to give me ample playing room.

Me verses Southern carp

After playing the fish for about 15 minutes, I was still undecided on the size of the fish. Then she surfaced, took in some air, and I knew she was ready. I slipped the net under her, seeing that it was a good fish; I rested her in the margins whilst getting the scales and camera ready.

I put her in the sling and was chuffed to bits when the scales went round to 13lb 14oz, meaning that I had broken my English PB. I didn’t care about being absolutely soaked; I just tried to get some decent pictures. I put her back and was over the moon, my 20th double of the season, finally resulting in an upped PB for me.

20th double…….and finally a new PB, 13lb 14oz

Not long after putting that back, the other rod was away. This time a small common about 4lb being the culprit, very welcome all the same in such lovely weather! So one hour, two fish and absolutely soaked • I was well chuffed! I dried off and stayed indoors for the rest of the day. Day 5, shopping day, and no fishing was had. Although I couldn’t resist wandering round each of the lakes whilst trying to play golf! (Editors note: Golf!!???)

So it was Friday, and I’d caught what I was after and had a good week, so the last day was spent “tiddler bashing” with a mini 10 minute match being won by myself with the scores being Nigel: 11 and Ben: 9 • a close call and great fun. I then decided for a last bit of carping, which unfortunately didn’t produce anything, but did I care? However my dad was having a nice run of perch on worm with 3 fish over 2lb, with the biggest a nice 2lb 5oz specimen.

Ron with a perfect 2lb 5oz Perch

And then whilst I was trying to stalk a couple of carp from the top end of the lake, he came up to me and cheekily said: “this what you’re after?” with a big grin on his face • Git! Oh well, at least I could say I remember what they look like! A good day for my dad Ron with 3 nice perch and a common of 8lb. Great holiday, which was thoroughly enjoyed, not just for the fishing. For more information on Hengar Manor, visit: www.hengarmanor.co.uk

Showing me how it’s done! My dad with an 8lb’er on the pole

Until the next piece, Tight Lines and Merry Crimbo!

Nige