Up to my neck in it; My Lancashire Thirty

After a longer than usual day on the motorway, my day at work was over and before I knew it I was picking my bucket out of the car boot and walking towards the lake. The wind was really strong and the lake looked more like the North Sea than a carp lake in Lancashire.

With the wind hacking into a small bay near the car park I dropped my bucket in the swim and rolled myself a smoke. After about ten minutes a good fish leapt clean out of the water at around 40yards range, “That will do me" I thought to myself and quickly grabbed my gear out of the car and got the old pioneer set up, as it looked like heavy rain was on the way.

My first rod was fished close to the far bank reeds on a gravel bar. When the PVA foam covering my hook popped to the surface I scattered 100 or so baits around it with my scorpion stick. The other two rods where flicked out 40 odd yards, just beyond the thick weed where the fish had showed itself earlier. I had just got the kettle on when my far margin rod let out a single bleep, which made me turn around and look. As I did the rod tore off and I was connected to an angry carp doing its best to seek the sanctuary of the far bank reeds!

21lb two- tone Mirror off the far margin rod

After a few hairy moments in the thick weed I had her in the net, on the scales she went 21lb.Not a bad start! I quickly got the rod back out on the gravel and topped the spot up with another 50 or 60 baits. After a few brews and a much needed bacon sarnie I crashed out in my pioneer confident of an early morning wake up call. At 3.30am I was wrenched out of bed by the "one toner" from hell! I ran out of my bivvie in my bare feet and lifted into a powerful fish that flat rodded me as it tore into the back bay, I managed to get around 30 yards of line back on the reel when I began to feel the fish coming into the heavy weed, I was gaining a little at a time then everything just ground to a halt.

I kept the pressure on but there was no budging it, so I slackened the clutch a little, placed my rod on the floor and sprinted as fast as I could around to the point where the boat was. After a bit of tooing and frowing in the strong wind and what felt like an age, I was back in my swim. I quickly threw the net in and grabbed my rod. The line was still tight. With slightly shaky hands I began to slowly pull myself out towards the carp. Due to the strong wind I could only get within 15 yards of her, but the change of angle saw the rod give a couple of thumps and an angry carp flat rodded me once again, spinning the boat round in the process. She was in the weeds twice more before I had her wallowing on the surface, I grabbed my net and over she came. Get In!

Now this is where the real fun began, with the wind so strong I was being blown further and further into the tree lined bay. No amount of rowing was doing any good at all. I was well and truly stuck! There was only one thing for it, I grabbed the ore and had a little prod around and it felt about 2 feet deep, so I rolled down the net, broke my rod down and climbed out of the boat up to my waist - lovely!

As I waded out of the bay, all I could do was laugh! Once back on shore I secured the boat and as I went to lift the net out I struggled to lift it. I unrolled the net and peered in with my head torch �" and that's when it struck me what I had caught!

I got her onto the mat and then into the sling, they were bouncing between 34 and 36.I quickly popped her into the sack and staked her out in the deep margin and went to wake the guy in the next peg for a lift with the photos and weighing.

My New PB, at 35lb 4oz - Result!

On the scales she settled at 35lb 4oz, a new PB and my first UK 30. BUZZIN! After a few photos I was left on my own in the cool margins with the carp. As she was ready to go I lifted her one more time and gave her a big kiss, “thanks old girl”. The sight of that old carp slowly swimming off through the clear water will stay with me forever, a truly special moment.

The next day passed by quietly with not a great deal showing in my little bay. It wasn’t until dinner time the next day when I had all my gear packed away with just my rods left when the far margin rod was away again. After a few powerful runs the carp was wedged solid in the weeds. Thankfully my mate Andy was on hand with the boat and we set off after it.

Last but not least, a stunning 23lb 4oz common

Without too much of a fuss Andy scooped her up with the net. Back on shore the scales read 23lb 4oz - a new PB common!

Thanks to Matt for the photos of the 35lber and Andy Woodbutcher for being on hand with the boat and the amazing photos of the common; they really helped make it a session of a lifetime.

Cheers lads,

Dave

Dave Gilly
June 2009

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Up to my neck in it; My Lancashire Thirty

Clint Walker