memorys?

[shaun]

Originally Posted by Julian Grattidge

Exactly! This is what I mean about the TP, you’ve got all this to come Phil!

I was fishing top shallows, a quick overnighter some years ago. Put out two worm rods; each over two pouches of particle, and each just a few rod lengths from the bank in about two feet of water. Both spots I knew intimately, better than I know the back of my hand, and had taken countless fish from each spot. I was fishing very light swingers with no back leads, and fishing a standard safety clip braid rig with leads of *less than* half an ounce.

The left rod (just off the bush) went off at about two in the morning resulting in a nice low twenty scattered scaled mirror. After dealing with the fish, I put a fresh worm back out on exactly the same spot and went back to bed. Next morning my alarm wakes me up at about 6.30am to get me packed up and home for work. I break down the gear whilst having a brew leaving rods till last, as you do. I leave the bush rod till last and when everything is done I reel in to feel a thud when I connect with the lead. I lift the rod up a bit thinking I’m snagged or that a pike has just had a go, but nothing moves. I look to where the rig is and can see ‘something’ over the spot (only 2ft deep remember) but whatever it is, it’s not moving, so obviously not a fish…

Bemused, I keep winding in until a mint young tench of about 4lb comes into view. The only problem is - its stone cold! I net the fish and investigate further. The fish is, and has been, dead for some time! It’s well hooked in the bottom lip and its mouth is completely closed around the hookbait. On opening its mouth, to my surprise, the worm is still on the hook - alive and kicking!!

Now, as I say, the lead was *less than* half an ounce – tiny roach regularly pick it up and register bites when they have a go at the worm, so had the tench have wanted to move from the spot, it could have done so without any problems, and on doing so, would have registered a bite immediately as my delks are always on sensitive.

The hooklink was fine, as was the safety clip, attachments and mainline. For the life of me I could not figure out what had happened - how did it not register, and more importantly, how come it just up-ended and gave up the ghost?

I was determined to get to the bottom of it; even though it would mean being late home for work (Elton’s good like that). Having first checked that there was nobody else on the lake that I would disturb, I went down to the bottom end and rowed back up the lake in the punt to investigate the area where my bait had been, fully expecting to find a snag which the fish had got caught in, but which somehow had come immediately free when I reeled in.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You could still see the remains of my particle mix, and I could even follow the route in the silt that the hooked carp had taken towards the bush after getting hooked. In addition I could follow the route the dead tench had taken back towards the swim when I wound it in, but no snag or clues as to how it had met its maker.

It played on my mind for weeks. Firstly, how could a four pound plus tench not move a half ounce lead in two feet of water with no snags and no line resistance? Secondly, if it had moved, how could it not have signalled a take and how come when I reeled it in, the fish and lead were exactly where I had placed the bait – surly if it had moved and got snagged without registering a bite, it would be in a different place? Thirdly, why did it die in the first place? The rod had only been in the water for about three and a half hours – hardly long enough for a hooked fish to die of exhaustion or trauma even if it had been tethered, but as I say, I rowed out and checked the *whole* area around the spot and nothing.

In the end it went down as another unsolved Top Pool mystery, and there have been many more like it over the years. My mates often bring that one up on a social in a ‘whodunit’ stylie – a proper head-scratcher. The most common verdict is that the worm was highly trained in self-defence.

All I do know is that there was *nothing* wrong with my rigs, the spot itself, or the way in which it was fished.

Other than that it’s anybody’s guess – answers on a postcard!

ha ha pmsl very weird though

[davidg]

I reckon there is a conspiricy here. Over the last few months a lot of the guys and girls have suggested they intend to try the top pool. Is someone trying to scare them off - its already been said that its a difficult water with more than two on being the kiss of death (is this the explanation for Julians tench)

[Bet]

LMAO Blue

Originally Posted by davidg

I reckon there is a conspiricy here. Over the last few months a lot of the guys and girls have suggested they intend to try the top pool. Is someone trying to scare them off - its already been said that its a difficult water with more than two on being the kiss of death (is this the explanation for Julians tench)

Do you think its one of those 'local lakes for local people ' ??? venues

[davidg]

Originally Posted by Phil highlander

Do you think its one of those 'local lakes for local people ' ??? venues

Depends how you like your burgers

[Blue]

Originally Posted by davidg

Depends how you like your burgers

I like mine made with 'special stuff'!!!!

[johnny dry net]

One funny memory of my fishing trips to les quis in france, and is something i often remind him of was last year. The first night we were all very tired from the 5 hour journey from calais, our very own SHAUN was fishing next to me, it must of been the early hours of the morning and he had a couple of beeps and a drop back, he jumped out of bed and tried to get out of the side of his bivvy Being a 2 man continental there is a door at the back and the front and yet he still tried to get out of the side of the bivvy, lmao. Strange things can happen when tired ( sorry shaun, LOL)

[shaun]

Originally Posted by johnny dry net

One funny memory of my fishing trips to les quis in france, and is something i often remind him of was last year. The first night we were all very tired from the 5 hour journey from calais, our very own SHAUN was fishing next to me, it must of been the early hours of the morning and he had a couple of beeps and a drop back, he jumped out of bed and tried to get out of the side of his bivvy Being a 2 man continental there is a door at the back and the front and yet he still tried to get out of the side of the bivvy, lmao. Strange things can happen when tired ( sorry shaun, LOL)

ha ha thought you might bring that up at one stage mate, not once did i do it but twice at A1 pits last year. you little git.

[shaun]

Will get you back johnny

[johnny dry net]

Bring it on LOL

[shaun]

Originally Posted by johnny dry net

Bring it on LOL

bring it on indeed matey

[Callum91]

notbeen carp fishing long so i dont have many funny memories.. i think atm its got to be falling in down south in white acres on pats specimen lake, i was leanin forward to attatch my captive backlead and bellyslammed the water. Broke my phone and everything!

[MCFC]

Casting the line into a tree, snapping the line and the lead hitting me in the shin wow that hurt at the time lol.

Erm, i got a spinner stuck in my nose. Don't ask.

My PB rolled down a 45 degree hill through my mates legs and into the lake so it is an unknown weight, so lets call it a 40 .

I was throwing my boilies in the lake and threw my phone in, haha, then jumped in without thinking lol.

I had a run on my rod and couldnt see anything and ran through 6 foot of reeds to get to my rods.

Oh and some homeless guy was stood behind my bivvy at Gawsworth and then walked off over the styal into a field in the middle of nowhere. Weird.

Hence the name Captain Chaos.