Winter Carping - Turf Croft Farm
Martin Noble
Turf Croft Farm Lake is located in the heart of the New Forest & is horseshoe-shaped with features such as islands, lily pads and
margins. A well-sheltered lake, that offers well spaced swims to give the angler
the best of seclusion, the surrounding area is a haven of flora and fauna!
The lake was hand dug in 1896 varies in depths of 4-6ft deep & is well stocked with King Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Common Carp, Crucian
Carp, Rudd, Roach, & Tench
I arrived at sunrise and quietly had a walk round to see what I could see, I could instantly see fish moving in the island margins as well as my own margins so it wasn't long before I picked a spot & had my gear set up. As the lake isn't all that deep is was really important to be silent as possible for the slightest noise would spook!
Carp are not fond of lots of bait during the colder months so I kept baiting to a minimum using only small stringers or very small PVA mesh bags of Quest Baits Mixed Pellet mixed with fresh sweetcorn & for hooked bait hair rigged 10mm pellet tipped with pop-up corn fished on a KD rig critically balanced. This was presented on a standard lead clip set up, fished with slack lines.
One rod was cast about a foot off the island margin under some over hanging rhododendron bushes, the second rod was put on my own margin, I was able to guide my rod right under some over hanging bushes & just let the bait drop into position perfectly! Now that I was set I could sit quietly back, watch the water & enjoy the Mandarin Ducks which had landed on the lake shortly after I arrived!
I could see fish slowing moving around the island margins so knew it was only a matter of time before Id get a take! First run came about 10.30am, not a monster but very welcome this time of year, a nice little mirror!
Rods cast back out with fresh bait & small PVA bags it was time for a cuppa & sit back ready for the next bite! A little Dunnock was seemed to be enjoying some
free snacks of the corn and pellet I put down for him, this time of year when the temperatures drop birds need a little helping hand!
A few hours had passed & I could see a couple of fishing right down in my own margin right on top of my hooked bait! They were fairly wary & came & went several times before finally my rod went tearing off! Another mirror slightly bigger at 14lb 12oz, again not a monsters but nice to catch either way!
It remained fairly quiet for the rest of the day, but something I always do whether its summer or not is put a few floating dog biscuits out, its always worth a try! As dusk was starting to creep in I heard that distinctive sucking of a carp taking something off the surface!
The dog biscuits had gradually blown into a small bay & I could see a carp coming out from the over hanging bushes slowing picking them off! Within second I had my Stalking rod out with a pellet band & a couple of dog biscuits. I quietly got into a good position and gently got my bait out a few inches from the over hanging bushes. Now it was just a waiting game! I could see it was a ghost carp & it kept coming in & out picking off one bait at a time of the freebies chucked in.
With the light fading fast I was running out of time but eventually it took my hooked bait & was hooked! After a strong battle I managed to land a beautiful linear mirror just over 11lbs. With the lack of light & the brightness of the fish it played havoc with my camera settings so the shots not brilliant but it just goes to show its always worth trying different methods even if you think they wouldn't work in the colder months!
With the light now pretty much gone & my hands freezing cold it was time to call it a day! An enjoyable day for the time of year & weather conditions! It was nice just to get a feel for the water as Ive only fished it once before & look forward to giving it another go for the slightly larger carp as they reach up to 30lb +
Martin Noble - Noble's Fishing
