With the lake being so weedy I decided to fish a snowman set up so my hook baits would be presented well on the bottom. I was also wanting to try out DNA's new 10mm pop ups as well as a new pop up on test. This all tied in nicely with the margin rods have MaltX red and 10mm pink peril pops and the main baited area getting MaltX red with a red berry 10mm pop up. Rigs out and it was time to sit down and take in the view. About an hour in and my right hand rod was away. After a rather hairy fight with the weed I managed to land a 32lb4oz mirror.
I had no more action until the next day when I started to get a few liners and fish fizzing around on the rod at 40 yards. It wasn’t long before my rig was picked up. This time the fight was a little more sedate as the fish seemed to just come in steady through the weed. Fish netted and I had a 27lb8oz on the bank. I topped up the baited spot with 100 or so more freebies and got the rod back out. I ended up having 5 carp off this spot using the same tactics and topping up with 100 baits after each take. A great start for me using the new Red Berry pop ups. In total I managed 8 carp including 3 fish over 30lb to 33lb 8oz with the rest being 20lb+ up to 27lb8oz. One more coming off the margin spot and the other a nice common which I managed to sneak off the top after seeing a few carp cruising to my left.
A cracking weekend with the lads, on my first visit to the Yateley complex. Can’t wait to get back down there now in 5 weeks time with the lads from DNA.
Chris Thornton
July 2012
CALL US NOW ON: 01482 703485
I arrived about lunch time on the friday, a few hours before the draw so i could have a walk around the lake making notes and trying to make my mind up on swims if the draw went my way. With the draw quickly approaching i made a list of the swims and what choice i would pick them, having seen a few fish break surface and down to research i had found out i had a strong idea which swim i wanted. It came down to the draw.. I was more nervous than ever.. I came out second in the draw and luckily got my first choice swim!
The first hooter went to start baiting up and marking lines.. By this time I was all over the place still happy about the draw I hadn't even realised what the time was. I knew that I wasn't going to go straight in with marker floats and leads spooking off fish in the swim so this didn't bother me being behind schedule. After it feeling like the past hour had taken about 3 hours the rods were all ready to be put out to where i had seen fish show and hopefully pick up an early fish.
The match started off very slow with no fish caught until the first sign of darkness. The first fish to make an appearance in the match was luckily on my unhooking mat. A hard fighting common weighing just over 14lb had put me ahead of the field and straight into first place. After a night with no bites and dropping places, i woke up sitting in 4th place. I was up early saturday morning watching the water to see if i could see any signs of fish. I noticed a few fish cruising around about 15 yards out. I tied up a 3ft zig with a 10mm pink peril pop up and plopped it just past the area i had seen them cruising. Before mid day the bobbin came to top of the rod and let out a few bleeps before i struck in to what felt a better fish. After a short fight the fish had given up being buried in a ball of weed. This went 20lb 7oz, another common to shoot me back into the lead.
After my second fish the swim went quiet for a while, having lost a fish it was clear that the fish had started to follow the wind and head down to the other end of the lake. It wasn't until Sunday when i had my next take. This was the most important fish of the competition for me. In the dying hour of the match i had a phone call to say that swim 7 had caught another fish and had put me back into third position. This meant for me.. GAME ON! All three rods came in and a different approach went out to catch this final fish for a qualifying position. Three zig rigs went out with 10mm, milky malt, pink peril and pb popups on each rod. With 15 minutes since the phone call my right hand rod ripped into action and i was on the end of another hard fighting fish. With a heart racing 10 minutes the fish came close to getting snagged up in the margins.. Taking no chances the boots came off and i was into the lake fully clothed. A 21lb zig caught common had put me back into second place. The last 30 minutes of the match was one big blurr as i was hoping it was enough to qualify. What a relief it was to hear that final hooter! Three fish for 56lb 1oz meant i had finished second i would be heading to the UK Carp Cup Semi finals!
Callum
July 2012
CALL US NOW ON: 01482 703485
Two kilo of DNA baits S7 went on the spots. After a few hours of resting the swim I put a bag of crushed s7 on the first rod with a pb wafter as hookbait. I placed the rod on the spot and started to set the line and bobbin. Just as I was doing this, the line pulled tight and I thought I had knocked the handle on my reel but then I saw the rod tip twitch so I lifted into it. Fish on! I couldn't believe it; I landed a nice 13lb stockie. Not a bad start, but this was nothing with what was to come!
With the fish weighed and photo'd, I put another bag of crushed boilie on and put the rod back on the spot. Again I set the bobbin and alarm then picked up the middle rod and turned to go to the bivvy to bait it up. I never made it. The right hand rod was away again this one felt a lot heavier and plodded about. After a decent scrap I netted my second fish at 34lb. At this point I was absolutely buzzing and couldn't believe the start I was having. I could have blanked for the rest of my session and it wouldn't have bothered me.
Not much else happened until the Wednesday morning at 3am. This time the left hand rod let out three single bleeps then ripped off. As I lifted into it I knew it was another decent fish. After another decent scrap I netted a decent fish and when I peered into the net the fish was sat upright so I was looking down at how wide it was. I thought bloody hell that's a decent lump, and then it rolled onto its side. I must say I was shocked! It was massive and my new pb of 48lb 4oz.
I didn't think id ever beat my previous pb of 44lb 8oz. The session was already the session of a lifetime but what happened after that was crazy. The next morning I had two aborted takes and I didn't feel confident that the rig I was using was going to get me any more takes. I changed two of the rods over to snowman rigs with s7 and candystick or s7 and milkymalt pop ups. This had an instant effect and within an hour I'd had another two runs resulting in a brace of thirties.
More than buzzing at this point! To be honest I didn't even know what day it was. I then had a few of the smaller stockies which were little stunners and great fish for the future. I kept topping the spots up with boilies and resting the swim for most of the day, which seemed to be working. I then went on to take a further four fish which were all twenties up to 29lb 8oz.One day soon it will sink in what has just happened. Sorry for going on and thanks for reading!
Jason Bassett
May 2012
We got a caravan right next to the lake, in the same area I did well from last time. I unloaded the gear and just cast the baits out on 6 bait stringers onto a clay bar in 4ft of water. The day passed with my family sitting by the lake with me in the sunshine. Around 7pm I had a screaming take on my left hand rod. The fish charged off at a rate of knots, peeling line off at will. He eventually slowed down though and came into the margins, the coloured water hiding him from me. Eventually after 5 minutes of dogged battle underneath the rod tip, he surfaced; I could tell straight away it wasn't going to beat any records. My dad netted him and shook my hand, on the mat, I could tell it would be at least a high double and it was, at 19lb. A more immaculate common you couldn't imagine.
I left my dad with the rods and rode up to the shop on my bike to tell the manager, he congratulated me and wished me luck for the night ahead. That night I recast the rods and deposited 20 boilies around each rod. I hit the sack at 10:30pm but was awoken at 11pm by an absolute flyer on the middle rod. I got to the rod and lifted into it, disengaging the baitrunner as I did so; but it was like I left it on! The fish just kept on going and dropped over the other side of the bar. The rod locked up as the fish went to ground. The rod just bent double and stayed there quivering, bit by bit though the fish started to come back towards me. Eventually he dropped over the bar and the fight resumed, or so I thought. The fish just swam towards me, with just the odd lunge until it got under the rod tip, when it went crazy! It charged back out to 30 yards and then came back several times. After half an hour, it was coughing water and ready to be netted. My dad slipped down the small slope and netted my prize. He tried to lift it, but as he did his back gave way! He said that might well be a thirty mate, under his breath. I helped him and the fish up the slope and couldn't help but agree with his statement, the fish looked huge, if it wasn't thirty then it wasn't far off! I hoisted him onto the scales and they bounced around the 30 mark, but it wasn't to be, the scales settled on 29lb 4oz. It was still a new PB so I was over the moon, and very tired after the fight it gave me!
I cast the rod back out, with a small pva bag of crushed bait back out to the spot. I couldn't sleep though for at least an hour, the adrenaline was just overloading, eventually though it wore off and I drifted back off to sleep; only to be woken again by a rather large eel on my left hand rod. I re cast and went to sleep straight away this time. At around 3:30 am I had another take on the middle rod, an absolute flyer. I scrambled and fell towards the rods and connected with a solid weight, which immediately tore line off the tight clutch and kited to the right. This fish was feeling faster and had a lot less weight to it, fighting very hard. As I managed to gain line, the fish came into the edge and surfaced, it was incredibly long and had lots of mirror scales on it. My dad lifted the net around my prize; I was shaking uncontrollably, 2 massive carp in one night. My dad hoisted her up onto the mat, immediately we knew it wasn't bigger than the previous fish, although with more of a belly it defiantly would have been. A proper stunner of 22lb to cap off the first nights angling.
As the sun rose, so did I, and another day of angling was ahead. I fished all day and had 4 carp out of the lake to 23lb 8oz, but by far the best looking fish was a 17lb mirror which glistened in the Somerset sun.
In the evening I cycled up to the shop to tell the fishery manager, he was very pleased for me and gave me my pewter mirror off the shelf. I had planned on fishing that night but at the very last minute, I decided I didn't want to, so just left the bivvy set up. When I woke the following morning, I got the rods and pod out and went to the lake to set up, my dad came down and opened up the bivvy, he asked where I had left the bait bucket, I thought I had took it inside, but I was wrong. It had been stolen through the night from the bivvy, many people were watching me land these monsters during the day, I can only think that they became jealous of my captures, and thought my bait was the answer!
This left me really upset, as I thought that we had no more bait to use, little did I know that, where my dad worked the previous week, was actually dynamite baits factory! So on inspection of the car, there were particles galore! I was still very upset though, and let the fishery manager know, he was shocked also. He said I could have as much bait as I wanted from the shop, which was so nice of him and I am forever grateful to him.
In actual fact, the thieves did me a massive favour, although I caught plenty of fish on boilies I was given from the shop, the fish went mad for the particles. We used loads over the rest of the week, I went from 4 carp a day to 10 carp, I didn't even do anymore nights; there was no need! On the last full day of the holiday, I put the rods out with the intention of going out to the beach hours with the rest of the family two hours later. The rods were out for half an hour when the right hand one was screaming. I lent into the fish and it felt like a dead weight straight away, it didn't take any line but violently shook its head and plodded in towards me. After 5 minutes it surfaced in front of me, and its huge frame glided into the waiting net, with the bait hanging out of its mouth; two monster tiger nuts. I lifted her onto the mat and called for my dad. He came down the steps of the caravan and gasped at the sheer depth of the fish before me. The fish went 27lb 3oz on the scales, an absolute lump.
I caught a few more low 20s and a couple of doubles to round off the day nicely, I was so sad to leave after the week of fishing heaven. On the day we were due to leave, the fishery manager found me and awarded me the tankard. He told me it was for not only catching 2 new lake records, but for showing those thieves who rules these waters. Nowadays the lakes have been revamped and the manager I loved has moved on, but we keep in touch. The lakes have been netted and the carp moved to the larger lake to grow even more, and this shows as the record now stands at over 31lb, although I know that will be beaten by an even bigger fish some day, as there are some uncaught whackers in that big lake.
Andrew McFarlane (screamer26)
March 2011
The history of Alton Towers is mired in myth and legend; the story of the Chained Oak continues to spellbind and delight as the tale is told in ‘Hex’, a modern day park experience. The Lady in Black is still said to haunt the upper floors and corridors of the main house and numerous other apparitions are recorded in past accounts. While researching the story of the house and gardens, and, more specifically, the many lakes and pools which can be found throughout the site, I was delighted to find that the boating lake on the lawns in front of the Towers is just one of several that have been stocked with original English carp! As an angler, this needed investigating! Where did they come from? Who had stocked them? Why are they there? How big are they? More importantly, can I fish for them?!
I had seen the carp in the lake during my many ‘fun’ visits to Alton Towers, but had never noticed anyone actually fishing for them. Numerous telephone calls had drawn a blank as it became obvious that getting definitive answers was going to be almost impossible. I work locally to the Towers, and know many of the staff employed there so I started my investigations close to home; my step daughter operates one of the rides during the season, so I set her the task of obtaining a ‘name’ to find out more. However, trying to get a teenager to concentrate on anything other than appearance and partying proved impossible so another approach was necessary..... A chance conversation with a colleague turned up the possibility of a contact that could help, so I gave Alton Towers a ring, hoping to hear some good news. The signs were promising; if I emailed the information I needed, then this could be passed on to another department who “....I’m sure may be able to help.” I was becoming more hopeful that I would be able to speak to someone who could give me permission to cast a bait in the direction of what was becoming an obsession!
A few weeks later, I received word that a meeting could be arranged to discuss the matter. Fishing the lakes at Alton Towers is not allowed at all to members of the general public after problems with irresponsible anglers in the past so I was unsure why I was being invited to set out my idea for a magazine feature about the mysterious inhabitants of the lake. A very curious manager received my queries with enthusiasm and I was then directed to ‘the man’ with the power to grant my request! Further conference then amazingly he granted me permission to fish the lake “...for one day only!” To say I was pleased was an understatement, and I rapidly recruited a friend, Chris Watson, (Wotto) to assist in taking photographs and planning for the session.
Arriving at the security lodge, we had arranged to meet Steve who would take us on to the site and brief us on the expansion of the gardens, the construction of the pools and the stocking of the fish. The security staff had no knowledge of the proposed article, had no idea we were expected, and, sadly had no intention of letting us in! The threat of commercial espionage regarding the exciting new ride attraction for the 2010 season was high, and no spy was going to break the news to the outside world! Nightmare! An impassioned plea to telephone Steve was met with “...he’s not on site, I would know, and I’ve not seen him” resulted in two grown men weeping on bended knee until the gate guardian relented and made the call. Minutes later, Steve arrived at the gate and shepherded us past the sentries.... we had a pass and we felt like extras from ‘The Great Escape’! Following him towards the main lake, it was astonishing to see how empty the park is when it’s closed for the season; although there were many staff busily maintaining and cleaning the rides and buildings, to see no ‘people’ seemed very surreal.
Steve made an excellent host and quickly told us of the stocking of the fish some twenty five years ago by himself and his team after being offered the carp from a reputable source. Thinking they would only add to the ecology of the waters, they were added along with perch, tench and roach with the idea that a stable, self stocking environment would result. The carp entered as ‘fingerlings’ and we were told that the biggest now weighed in at over 30 pounds having grown chubby on a diet of hot dog sausage and doughnuts thrown in by visitors over the next few years. With that in mind, (and having thought about it previously) I had decided against a strictly boilie approach and opted for hot dog sausages or cous cous and pellets. Chris however had complete faith in his pepparami boilies and they were to be his main attack.
We picked a spot in the shadow of one the huge established pine trees nearest the dam end. The wind was pushing into this end of the lake, but from over our backs which made the fishing far more comfortable for us. The carp are often seen in the summer months feeding in this area on titbits lobbed in by visitors, and, as the cold snap had not yet happened, we gambled on a few fish still being in this part of the lake. As we tackled up, Chris pointed out a fish crashing towards the centre of the pool and quickly cast towards it; his second bait soon followed into the gulley which Steve had earlier described. I was still watching the water for signs of fish when Chris’s left hand alarm warbled off to indicate a run. This was within 10 minutes of baits hitting the water!! A short but energetic fight resulted in a sturdy low double mirror carp lying safely in the net. Obligatory photos were taken and the fish returned. A good start....
Meanwhile, I had sneaked quietly across the raised path at the base of the bridge to drop in a few handfuls of bait in an effort to get some carp feeding. The night before our session, I’d prepared my (not now) secret weapon; cous cous. Mixed using boiling water into which black treacle had been dissolved, it gives the cous cous a sweet scent which carp love. A kilo of 2mm feed pellets and two tins of tuna in sunflower oil completed the concoction which was also coloured using Sonubaits black dye. It gives a loose feed ideal for close range fishing to get the fish digging about a bit and feeding confidently. My rig comprised 2’ of rig tubing, a 2oz square lead on a clip and then a size 10 Korda Kurve shank tied to 5” of A.C.E. camo core coated hook link; only the hair and 2” before the hook had the coating stripped back and was tied KD style to make the hook turn efficiently. The mainline I’m using this season is 12lb A.C.E. ‘Velocity’; it’s camouflaged and has great knot strength so I have full confidence in it. I then lowered my baited rig over the top and then opened the bail arm and walked back to my peg. By walking my rig to the baited area, I was guaranteed to put the trap exactly where I wanted without risking a cast into the surrounding trees or disturbing the water too much. Allowing the line to sink, I placed the rod in the rest and set the alarm. My second rig again had 2’ of rig tubing, but this time a large run ring allowed my lead to run freely up to a tulip bead which protected the hook link swivel. Hook link this time was from the ‘Darkside’ stable, a braid known as ‘Black Mamba’, again tied to a size 10 Kurve shank. Hook bait on both rods was a fifty pence sized chunk of Matteson’s smoked pork sausage.
With both rods settled, Chris was getting odd bleeps as fish moved over the baits, so we were both sure we would catch other fish during the day. Fifteen minutes after Chris had landed the first fish, my right hand rod which had been dropped over my baited patch, gave out a couple of twitches before the hanger stopped. A sharp drop back resulted in me lifting the rod into my first of the day; another mirror, this time around 14lbs. One each after half an hour, surely time for a cuppa? No chance. Chris hit his second fish, our third mirror of the day weighing in at 13lbs. Three doubles in our first hour fishing! In November! My next fish picked up the sausage hook bait and shot under the trees on the far bank. No problem, I could walk across the path again and free it from above. As I walked to the far end, I was astonished to see several large tails waving near the surface as hungry carp snaffled my loose feed. Quickly freeing my hooked fish, I steered it away from the swim before getting a smashing 16lb 2oz chunk on the mat. Photographed and returned, we thought it would be a good idea to take all baits out of the water to discuss our attack on the carp which we could see stirring the bottom up as they rooted the cous cous up.
After our first brew (at last!), both of us stealthily crouched as close as we dared to the feeding fish. With just a rod each, a landing net, unhooking mat and a bucket of feed between us, we swung baited hooks amongst them. Holding the line in our fingers, both of us could feel the tension rise as big carp cruised in front of us looking for food. My line went tight and was snatched from fingers as a shiny common engulfed the bait; ‘Hook and hold’ was the order of the day to prevent the fish reaching the sanctuary of a tree branch we could see sticking up out the water. The thing is, the carp weren’t much on that game and pulled back just as hard! 10 minutes of arm ache gained me a pristine lump of around 13lbs. Resting the swim for a short while, we could see the fish approach the area once more and agreed to try again. Surely we couldn’t keep getting away with it?
A big mirror slowly mooched over to my hook bait and hovered above it; “...take it! Go on! Go on! Ooh! Nearly....” Not this time, but I could see other fish behind it which were feeding. Quickly, a second fish drifted up to the sausage and slurped it in! As soon as the hook point pricked the bottom lip, it turned and bolted into deeper water. At extremely close range, less than 5 feet away, trying to stop a carp doing what it wants is exciting stuff! Burying the rod tip under water, a bit of side strain got the fish away from any problems and up to the surface. I could see that this was slightly bigger than the previous fish so I was looking forward to landing it. Eventually, it was ready to be netted and it proved to be the biggest of the day at 18lbs 5ozs. A beautiful ‘starburst’ mirror in perfect condition with hardly a mark on her. Slipping back into the water, she soaked me with a flick of the tail and sank away into the depths.
We managed to take another 4 fish by touch ledgering right under the rod tips which is an exhilarating way to catch carp. All of the fish we caught except a beautiful Koi were double figure, immaculate carp in fantastic condition and all fought extremely hard. Things quietened down after a couple of hours and we couldn’t get them feeding again, so it was back for another cuppa and a rethink. We still hadn’t really seen anything moving in the main part of the lake, and a walk around didn’t raise our spirits any. The wind was causing a few problems as it disturbed our lines and made the issue of spotting fish almost impossible. The last hour or so had given no bites to either of us, so, with Chris minding the rods, I risked another wander over to the baited area on the far side. I was stunned to see a large common had my bait in its mouth and was trying to free itself of the hook by using my lead as a lever! I’ve never seen this happen although I’ve heard about it and I’ve always wondered just how much goes on under water that the carp angler knows nothing about. I hadn’t had so much as a single bleep on my alarm to indicate anything was around the baits, let alone had actually picked one up! Unable to eject the hook, the fish then tried to get around a timber snag, but as soon as it felt the weight of the lead, it returned to its original position, all without a single bleep!! I suppose it moved around an area about 2’ across, mainly turning within its own body length, and never lifted the lead once. Racing back over to Chris, I lifted into the fish only to immediately lose it as the hook released. Having seen the fish, I was a bit gutted to say the least......
Between us, we were struggling; the wind had picked up to the point where fishing becomes difficult. The alarms and swingers were constantly being battered by the wind giving off false bites and bleeps, and the addition of extra weights didn’t help. Sitting it out for a bit was the only option, so another cuppa and some food went down very well whilst we pondered our next move. The daylight was fading fast as we put the baits back out, and we prepared for another hour before we had to pack up. The final take of the day consisted of a single bleep, drop an inch, single bleep so I struck into the bite, sweeping the rod high in the air to lift around 100 yards of line and set the hook. I could feel a fish but knew it wasn’t a carp so carefully teased the fish back towards me; it felt ‘funny’ and at first I thought I might have foul hooked a welly or similar. I was very pleased to see a dinky perch hanging onto the bait, with the shell of a freshwater mussel on the line in front of it. I’d obviously dragged the main line over a bed of molluscs, but never expected to land one! Apparently the mussels had been introduced over 100 years ago as a food source for the main house and were still thriving.
It proved to be the final fish of the day, and our finished tally of 12 carp between us was an excellent result on a session made harder by the weather. I always try to learn something from every days fishing, and this session definitely gave me lots to consider. The use of highly developed boilies is something that many carp anglers swear by and often look no further, expecting the baits to catch carp because of the name on the packaging, but on our day, if we hadn’t contemplated the fact that the carp in this lake are used to picking up visitors food scraps then we would have done very little. A bit of forethought and pre-planning had made all the difference; ten fish fell to hot dog sausage and only two came to boilies. All the baits were presented in a similar area on similar rigs, so the ONLY variable was the BAIT! The other instance that gave me something to think about was seeing a good fish trying to release the hook after picking up the bait. It proved to me that my bite indication (and probably yours) isn’t as sensitive as I thought and it has room for improvement!
The staff at Alton Towers made our day a success so I’d like to offer my appreciation. We had a great day in extraordinary surroundings and we caught some cracking carp. I’ve also been asked remind anglers that the lakes are unfortunately not open to the public for fishing and all enquiries will be politely refused. I would also like to say a special thank you to Steve who gave us the best information and pointed us to the right spot and keeps the Towers estate looking fantastic for people to enjoy. Next time you visit the North West’s premier theme park and resort, take a look in the lakes. You never know what you’ll see!
Clint Walker
2009.
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Hotshot recalls his time on the legendary Birch Grove in search of
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After a bit of arm twisting and a lot of false promises on my behalf, I got the go ahead. I felt that time spent on the bank talking to the lads and watching for signs of fish would greatly improve my chances of a Serp original in my net. I have quickly learnt that effort equals reward and so after a couple of months going up in all weathers, I found a couple of likely spots to begin my prebaiting campaign.
This was by now the end of April so I started to prebait with a couple of handfuls every 3 days to gauge a reaction to my bait. I was going up at different times of day and night around my shifts at work and was getting soaked through on many occasions. A few times I thought about leaving it for a couple of days, but then remembered the effort that had already been put in and did not stop. I should say at this point that I had been looking for a decent bait at a reasonable price to concentrate my efforts on. After speaking to a few of the lads on the forum and reading past threads, I stumbled upon Scotty at SAE Bait Developments. For everyone who uses his bait, enough said. For those thinking about it, get on it quick!!
As we headed into mid May, I had seen signs of fish in my areas, and even spotted them crashing out whilst on the work parties to improve the pegs. I increased my baiting up to half a kilo every 3 days and this continued right up to opening day. They were well and truly on it. Earlier in the new year I had promised my good lady that I would not go fishing until opening day on June 16th. As things turned out, I had to sell all my gear to clear a nasty bill, and then was overwhelmed by the kindness of fellow monkeys who rallied round to get me set up again!
With just 3 weeks to go until the start of the season, my wife could stand it no more. "just go and have a session and get it out of your system" she said.” you are impossible to live with in this mood; go fishing and sort your head out!!"
I didn't need telling twice!
There are half a dozen lakes on my club ticket, so I chose to fish Stinky's; the Cricket Ground Pool. To cut a long story short, I ended up with a new Personal Best in the shape of an 18lb mirror! By now the touch paper was well and truly lit for opening day!
As people may be aware, anyone who does the work parties on the Serp is entitled to a treat at the start of the season. This entails being able to go down the night before to get set up in the daylight and wait for midnight for the start of the new season. Personally, I quite like the fact the Serp has a close season, giving the fish and banksides a good rest, and builds up the excitement for a new season start that is lacking in places that are open all year round.
So at about 7.30pm on the 15th, i could wait no more. The family had been fed and watered and the car was loaded up and ready to go. I must confess to feeling real excitement as I pulled into the car park for my first trip of the year. What would I do, how would I do it, when, where, how, who and why? All the thoughts which had raced through my mind for the last 3 months… and now my time had come!
As I stepped out of the car, my heart was pounding. I made myself sit down for a quick smoke to calm myself down, and allow myself to start to take it all in. Five minutes later I loaded the barrow up and made the long uphill walk to the lake. If you know the lake you will know it’s a git of a walk, but well worth it in my opinion.
As I rounded the corner at the top of the hill for the thousandth time, this time felt different. This time, I would be fishing! I headed round to my swim stopping along the way to speak to young Dan who also could not wait to get started and was already on his peg setting up. Dan has also put in a lot of time in the close season, and was well rewarded on opening day. Hopefully he will do an article to tell you all about it, so we'll leave that one open for the time being.
As I approached my peg, I was sweating from lugging the barrow half way round Staffordshire. All this was forgotten in an instant as I made my way down to the lakeside. Again, I made myself stop to take it all in and was glad I did, as a kingfisher swooped by me in a flash and was gone. I saw kingfisher a total of five times on opening day. I don't know if it was the same one or not, but what a beautiful creature. I quickly got set up in a blur of excitement and butterflies. The time had finally come and I was going to enjoy every second. once set up I got the kettle on and had a brew and a smoke, soaking it all in. As the light began to fade I was invaded by hundreds of bats that were on their way out of the woods for their night time activities, not to return until dawn was breaking.
Leading up to this trip, time appeared to stand still and now here it began to fly by. Why is that?? As midnight approached I attached my bait to my rigs with shaking hands, and then waited for the all important first cast. I remember praying that it would not end up in the trees, and fortunately Izaak and the gods were on my side. First cast and by sheer luck more than anything else, my rig hit the spot perfectly first time! My second rod was sent out, perhaps a couple of yards off the spot, but it was dark and I had to be happy with the casts.
I settled down on my bed chair, just looking and listening for that all important first bite. I didn't have to wait long. A little after 1.30am, my left hand rod screamed off and I was in. From total peace and quiet to absolute chaos in just a couple of seconds… If only you could bottle it.......
I struck into the fish and straight away I could tell this was no stockie. The knees went a bit wobbly as I struggled to locate the fish in the dark. I have a head torch, but prefer to rely on my own vision as it takes my eyes ages to adjust when the torch has been on. Luck was on my side, and the fish quickly appeared at the net. She went in first time and I remember being stood there trying to work out what to do!! I quickly got my head in gear and peered into the net. First cast of the new season had resulted in one of the originals in my net. These fish were stocked in around about1962, so there is a lot of history there, and it wasn’t wasted on me.
I got her onto the mat, and opened up the net to reveal my prize. When I first saw her I thought it was "little lin", and this was later confirmed to me. I got the scales ready and weighed her off. I had zeroed them off against my sling, so when the dial went round to 24lb and a couple of ounces, the old knees went again!!
There was nobody near enough to me for the pics and I did not want anyone having to reel in so soon after casting out, so I took a few snaps on the mat. I must also confess that at the time, I did not want anyone else around to shatter the moment in any way. It was only afterwards that I began to think I should have got someone round, but we live and learn!
I placed her back in the net and walked her back into the lake. She rested for a few seconds to get her breath back, and then with a flick of the tail she was gone. I let out a small but loud yell then went back up the bank for a brew and a smoke to calm me down. I don't ever remember enjoying a brew more than at that moment!!
Soon after all this, dawn began to break and the bats returned. Just on first light proper, the kingfisher returned for its first flypast of the day. A bit later, the alarm was screaming again on another run. I was using simple running leger set ups with tubing and fluorocarbon hooklinks, so all the takes were fliers. This time a lovely 7lb stockie mirror was in the net, and I was just as happy! Two fish in the opening five hours was a very good start.
A couple of hours later, again I was in. This time I was rewarded with a stocky 12lb common in perfect condition; certainly one to look out for in the future. Pinch me, I thought, I’m dreaming. However, Izaak was not yet finished as a couple of hours later again the alarms went off resulting in an original 18lb common. This fish led me a merry old dance and gave my best fight ever before charging into my grateful net. This time I could not let it go without a trophy shot, so I phoned Dan who shot round and did the honours. Many thanks mate; you did very well to concede your disappointment on it only being an 18!
That was my lot for opening day. I wound the rods in at midday for a well deserved kip and woke up 4 hours later still absolutely buzzing!
So if it’s a bit of history you want in your fishing, backed up with a load of smaller stuff to keep you going then the Serpentine just might be the place for you. Hopefully the walk from the car park will continue to put people off, and the Serp will remain as peaceful as it is. I have very limited time to go fishing, as do many, so to find my own little piece of heaven really has been a true blessing.
Thanks to Izaak for all the guidance, and if you're still reading, many thanks and I hope you get at least some of the thoughts and feelings I got from opening day.
All the best,
Shadyady
July 2009
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Cherpont seen from the Dam wall
Following the customary walk round the lake after unloading a mountain of gear off the coach (I say I’m travelling light every year but still end up with too much!), we retreated to the lodge for a brew, a full English brekkie and a look at the previous weeks catch reports. The swims are chosen on a draw basis – number 1 out the bag gets first pick, and so on and so forth. Picking Number 1 out of the bag is not always a good thing as there are so many capable swims, choosing can be hard! I picked number 8 out of only 9 anglers this week so my decision was made for me really, and I went on the far bank in a swim I fished last year called ‘S.O.S.’ with my buddy Gaz going into ‘Re-named’ next door. My other friends Dave, Pete & Whitie, along with the other four anglers fishing that week went on the lodge bank (Lazy Sods!) – perfect as this meant myself and Gaz had the whole far bank (some 600m end to end) all to ourselves. With the week being so quiet in terms of angler numbers we would have to spread out as the fish at Cherpont are expert at slipping into empty swims unseen by us anglers. Many fish are taken quickly after a cast into an empty swim and this week would be no different as we would soon find out. Back at S.O.S. I set my stall out for the week. After a quick scan around with a marker at 85-90 yards, and going on last year’s experience of the swim I had two rods I was happy with, and the third rod was fished way round to my right at around 50 yards. Bait for the week would be the ever-reliable Trigga, backed up with some ‘alternative’ change baits. These fish are by no means mugs – they have seen a lot of pressure over the years and I can draw a lot of parallels with the sort of waters I would fish in the UK. The week started off slowly as it sometimes does – the fish seem to know when the Saturday changeover arrives and they shut up shop for 24 hours. It wasn’t until early Monday morning that the Delkim signalled the first take. A short battle later the blank was saved as a very welcome 36lb 2oz Mirror lay at the bottom of my net.
With the far bank to ourselves we decided that every available opportunity would be spent moving around the empty swims if the main swims were not producing and Monday afternoon would be spent at the far end of the lake in the shallows. As the sun began to warm the water we moved down, myself going into Churchills No.1 and Gaz going into Churchills No.2. A 13lb Common (one of the ‘Spratt pack’!) came my way within 10 minutes of casting out, which I half thought was a bigger fish as it gave me the run around like those mental double figure commons always do. Gaz took two mid-twenty Mirrors casting to showing fish at around 90 yards, while I had to be content with the one fish as the afternoon turned into evening and it was time to reel in and get ready for dinner.
I thought it would be the start of the action but I had to wait until Tuesday morning for the second fish – a cracking 39lb mirror that scrapped all the way in. it was a real chunky fish, and fairly typical of the Cherpont stock and definitely looks set for a big weight to come.
39lb Mirror Tuesday 12th May
The wind was a fairly constant south-westerly blowing into the dam wall, and fishing opposite the lodge at short range looked good for a bite or two so Gaz and I reeled in, took two rods a piece and snuck quietly into ‘St Tropez’ and ‘The Pipe’ fishing under the rod-tips on ultra slack lines. I must admit I love this style of fishing – concealing the end tackle, being ultra stealthy, flicking one 15mm bait in at a time, but after several bouts of liners I was pretty sure I’d spooked them – gutted – must try harder next time! Gaz on the other hand had more success and took 3 fish before tea topped by a stunning 34lb mirror.
I’ve always found that resting your main swim at Cherpont pays dividends and I introduced a kilo or so of bait on my spots before walking to the lodge for dinner.
Following a great meal cooked by John at the lodge I walked back to S.O.S. and got set-up for the night ahead.
Everything felt good, I was happy with my spots so I was confident of some action during the night, but wasn’t woken up until 5am as Gaz peered down into my bivvy and squeaked “can you give us a hand with these mate”. Plural! Yes two fish on the bank – lucky he had two nets!! After weighing and photographing his brace separately and a quick chat and a brew, I ambled back to my swim, happy that others were getting amongst ‘em but I couldn’t help bemoaning my lack of action. It wasn’t long before I was back in the bag chucking out some zeds, when I hear a voice. “Sorry mike you couldn’t help us out again could you!” I look at my watch: 6:30am, get out of my pit and walk over to Gaz’s swim where I see TWO more full nets………..that’s Cherpont for you I guess! With four fish in just over an hour it was turning out to be a good day for Gaz.
35lb 4oz Common Wednesday 13th May
Following a shower and breakfast at the lodge, I felt a lot better as I made my way back to S.O.S. to get the rods out and sort myself out for the day. It was now Wednesday, and we were over halfway through the week, time flies when your……………BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP, I had to do a double take as my middle rod went ripping off. When you’re fishing at range you cant really tell how big they are, but this one gave me no doubt it was a decent fish, and fought like a tiger all the way in. when on the mat it soon became obvious why – a long, lean ‘torpedo’ of a common, which we dubbed ‘Pop-eye’ At 35lb 4oz it was just a pound shy of my best ‘frenchie’ common, but the weight is immaterial when they look like this eh!
Less than an hour later the same rod trundled off which resulted in another 30 at 38lb 6oz. I wasn’t catching the numbers but with 4 good 30s out of my 5 fish total, I shouldn’t have been moaning (never satisfied!).
38lb 6oz Mirror Wednesday 13th May
Following the two post breakfast fish I fired in some baits with the stick, reeled in and headed down to the shallows. This time I went into Churchills 2 and Gaz in Churchills 1. It’s amazing how quickly you get a run in an empty swim and it couldn’t have been more that 5 minutes before a 26lb 8oz Mirror took a liking to my Trigga hook bait topped with a piece of plastic corn. A 2nd fish was lost on the remains of a tree stump about 20 yards out but it did not feel all that big.
26lb 8oz bonus Mirror - Wednesday 13th May
Back to S.O.S after another great meal and the next two fish were taken late on Wednesday evening, one at 10pm (34lb 10oz Mirror), and one at Midnight (34lb Mirror)
Wednesday 13th May - 34lb Mirror as the heavens opened – check out the grimace!!
At around 11pm it started raining and continued apace (torrential) until first light. A quick survey of the margins Thursday morning revealed the lake had rise around 6 inches and was in danger of coming over the landing stages! This may have put the fishing off as all the cold water entering the lake from the several upland streams would have definitely lowered the water temp. Scanning the outlet pipe in “St Tropez” (the next swim down from S.O.S.) showed the rain water was roaring into the lake and I had no doubt it was bringing food in from the fields and streams. Sure enough there was a small group of fish fizzing and absolutely ripping up the bottom. It was an opportunity not to be missed. I could just about reach it with a light lead casting from S.O.S. but as the day wore in it was clear they were too pre-occupied with whatever had been washed into the lake and no runs were forthcoming.
Thursday night passed quietly and it wasn’t until 6am Friday morning that I was stirred by a slow take on the right hand rod. From the start this fish felt a good ‘un. It didn’t do much just felt lumpy at range, moving slowly right to left, and it pretty much came straight in to the submerged net. I had a quick look in the net and thought to my self ‘high 30’ maybe a bit bigger. I beeped Gaz on the walkie talkie, who came over to help with weighing and photographing. It wasn’t until we lifted the fish out that it dawned on us how big it was. A weight of 48lb 8oz was agreed and a new French PB……happy? I had a beer to celebrate!
48lb 8oz Mirror - Friday 15th May (what’s the betting this ones called ‘two-tone’!)
After breakfast it was time to get all the non-essential bits of kit packed away so the early pack up on Saturday would be easier. A 17lb 6oz mirror interrupted my tackling down mid-morning and I can honestly say it gave me one of the best fights I’ve ever had from a carp. Mid afternoon on the last day after such a hectic week is always a strange time, but it wasn’t long before I was slipping the net under the second forty of the week – this was an absolutely fin-perfect mirror, and at 44lb 12oz it capped off a good week.
44lb 12oz Mirror – Friday 15th May
From tea time to packing up early Saturday morning the fish did the off and not a single one was banked. It was all too soon before the coach had arrived to pick us up and drop off the next party of anglers searching out those Cherpont crackers. It had been a frustrating week at times, but had I persevered and was rewarded in the last couple of days. For those of you who like statistics I ended up with 11 fish - 2x40s, 6x30s, 1x20 & 2 doubles. Gaz took 14 fish, but couldn’t quite crack the 40 barrier – we have got September to look forward to matey, your time will come! Dave fishing “McVities” on the lodge bank took the weeks biggest – the aptly named “Bruiser” at 55lb plus.
Dave Lamb – 55lb Mirror “Bruiser”
So there you have it – My week at Cherpont, I’m going back there in September for a late season session so I’ll keep you informed how I get on.
For those of you looking for your first trip to France, or just looking for a change, I can wholeheartedly recommend the place. John & Mick (Cook & Bailiff) are Top blokes - Great food, Great advice to anyone who needs it, and great banter just make the place all that more welcoming. It still holds the buzz for me, just like the first time I set foot on its hallowed banks.
Give Eileen or Eddie a ring at the office on: 01708 449297 or alternatively, visit their website @ www.Cherpont.freeola.com (and no, I am not taking any back-hander’s for plugging the place!)
Catch you soon & tight Lines wherever you fish……….
Mike Bebb (AKA Kezzo80)
July 2009
Aside from the obvious beauty and tranquil surroundings of this stunning old Estate Lake, there was always something else when set up in the Rodie. Something you could never quite put your finger on. A feeling that, despite whatever the prevailing conditions might be telling you at the time, anything was possible…
No doubt this feeling stemmed from the fact that the Swim had always been good to me. It gave me my first fish from the water many, many moons ago, and continued to offer up rewards over the coming years when other seemingly more suited swims on the day failed to deliver the goods. In essence, for many years, the Rodie Bush could often be considered a ‘banker’, if there was such a thing on the Top Pool!
Its other major plus was that it had lots going for it no matter what the time of the year. The water suffered from masses of Canadian pond weed which grew from top to bottom in all areas, and had the effect of making certain parts of the lake fishless at certain times of the year, but close sets of pads (with no weed underneath them), margin features, and the Rhododendron bush itself, which gives the swim its name, all gave effective spots from which to try and ambush passing leviathans during the summer months. Come winter everything switched, and the same swim offered short flicks to the deepest body of water, distance daytime casts to shallow open water, and of coarse, the same margin spots just in front of the bush.
Creeping out to place one in front of the Rodie
Also in its favour were countless large trees all around it, each giving a slightly different vantage, which when combined gave excellent vision to all areas of the Bay. The hours (or more likely weeks!) I spent up those trees in reconnaissance were rarely wasted. From being perched in branches way up high watching Buzzards effortlessly drifting round above me, to being sat on the lowest branches over the outlet hand feeding maggots to carp just a couple of feet beneath me; some of the sights from those trees will stay with me forever.
No matter what the time of year, there was always something magical about fishing that swim. Summer mist-ridden dawns with greenery everywhere, winter sunsets watching topping fish during the last few minutes of daylight; it’s one of those swims where after settling down in the bag for the night, you’d be excited at what the night might bring.
Misty summer mornings...
When they did come, takes could be pretty violent, especially from in front of the bush. Most people just plopped in baits to the visible ‘edge’ of the bush from the swim itself. This could produce, but the fish were no fools to baits placed here, and you were basically on top of the spot so it would be hard to fish it without spooking them. My personal tactic was to wade out a little and swing the baits out in front of the bush itself. The bush was in fact several bushes, all merged into one and growing way out over the margin all the way around to the first outlet left of the swim. There was a point in front of the bushes where the arc of two bushes came slightly inward to meet, and the lake bed directly below was just a few inches deeper than all that around it. It was at this point that many fish came and went from the little bolt holes within the submerged branches of the bush itself, as it was completely hidden from view from anybody standing on the swim.
Summer, Winter, rain or shine. No matter what time of the day or night, if I was fishing the Rodie I would always wade out and flick a rod in front of the bush. So many times that it became second nature, even in the pitch black. Pulling the lead back into the tiny depression and feeling it come to rest gave you the feeling that everything was right - and ready for action.
Open water in Winter...
The ‘other’ rod could go anywhere, usually dependant on the time of year. In summer the pad line immediately in front could usually offer a chance, but again, it was always a predictable chuck for any person dropping into the swim. Most of the time I’d pitch the rod further right, getting it just round the edge of the pads and into the channel behind that divided two sets of pads and formed part of a popular patrol route. Time and time again during hot lazy summer afternoons you’d see the backs of countless lumps break the surface, glistening as the sun bounced of twitching dorsals. A lovely sight but ideally you wanted them on the bottom a few feet below where your bait was! Surface fishing in this area of the lake was by no means impossible, but required an extraordinary amount of effort for very little in return. The pond weed and pads saw to that.
With the pads gone, winter gave access to much more on the right hand rod, and there were countless features (if you knew where to look) unavailable during the warmer months. The root tubers were still there during winter, but the trick as soon as they started to die back was to fish just into where the pad line would have been, which put you in clear water neatly between the Canadian pond weed and tubers. This is where sketches, images and a good memory for what it looked like in the summer paid dividends!
The Warrior; one of my first and most memorable off the Rodie
The Rodie was also a social swim. There are some on the lake that people would have to make a trek to reach, but anybody visiting the water or walking up the field would pass the Rodie. This never really bothered me as my bush rod was always well around the front of the bush, and it was always nice to chat to others on the lake, old faces or new, the kettle was always on.
I’ve been lucky enough to have many fish grace my net on the Rodie, but if there’s one capture that stands above the rest, it would be the session that gave me my first two fish off the water. Having failed to connect with anything during my first summer season on there, I stuck at it right through the winter months too, it was a steep (and cold!) learning curve, but though sheer dogged persistence, and no small amount of luck, I finally managed to bag a fish in the middle of January! A stunning twenty known as Crinkle Tail, one of the true northern gems (not to mention Leney originals) that inhabit the lake. I’ll never forget the feeling of satisfaction I had when I banked that fish after all those months of having nothing. I’d questioned my sanity countless times up until that point, and then once I’d done it, I went and did it again just a few hours later! Another upper twenty original in the shape of The Warrior. Busses!
My fondest other memory of the swim was a period in time rather than a particular session or capture. It was many years ago when I started getting into short midweek overnighters to try and attack the place when it was quieter on the bank. Twice a week I would arrive after work, fish, and then head straight off to work again the next morning. There was one year where I kept up a sustained period of two nights a week for a couple of months, always fishing the same pre-baited spots on the Rodie. The results were fantastic, and by and large I had the place to myself. After a while it felt that my life away from the water was just those bits that got in the way of actually being on the water. The Top Pool could have a habit of drawing you in like that. It spooked some people completely, but to me it was like home, and for that period in my fishing, the Rodie Bush was like my favorite comfy chair.
One of my mid-week campaign fish off the Rodie, every one added to its appeal
What I remember most of all was the thinking I did in that swim. It was a point in my fishing when I really started to understand what watercraft was all about, and what a properly formed strategy could achieve when and if you really went for it.
Like most swims, it’s changed a bit over the years, but never once have I been able to walk straight past it without having a quick look around to see if there’s anything lurking. As well as serving up my first fish, if memory serves it also gifted me my last. The sweet irony being that after ten years trying to get the better of this magical water and it’s inhabitants (and believing I had done so), my final fish was a mid-twenty mirror that I’d never once before set eyes on!
Though as I say… anything’s possible in the Rodie Bush.
Julian Grattidge
June 2009
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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