George West
A combination of a new job and the
start of the footy season meant limited time was available to me for carp
fishing. As much as I was itching to get out, it just wasn’t happening, so when
Christmas came around with the prospect of 2 weeks off, fishing was all I could
think about.
The first session took place just
after Christmas at my local club water. Having never fished this lake in the
winter before, I wasn’t too sure what to expect but with textbook weather
forecast for the time of year, I felt reasonably confident. I opted to bait
fairly lightly, so just half a kilo of MC Nut was catapulted out to the zones.
The first night soon drew in, as it often does
in the winter and with that, a fishless night followed. I was up at first light
looking for signs of fish and I eventually found a couple of fish making some
pads twitch a few swims down to my left.
I quickly grabbed myself a handful of MC nut and chucked some chopped and whole baits into the pads.
Almost instantly, pin prick bubbles started to surface where I put the bait.
Understandably my confidence rocketed as I rushed back to my swim and retrieved
a rod.
A 16mm linch special was hastily tied onto a multi rig and after
flicking a few more baits into the pads to half spook the fish off; I dropped
the rig bang on the mark. I was up a tree watching these two fish circling the
spot when one dropped down and then seconds later, the Neville was away. It was
hit and hold once connected with the fish, as I was fishing tight up against
the pads. Luckily the dead pads broke away and it wasn’t long before a much
needed carp was sulking at the bottom of my net. I weighed it in at just over
19lb and recognised it as one of the originals so I was off to a decent start
to the holidays.
I decided to move the rest of my gear
down to the swim I had just caught from, hoping there would be a few more
about. I quickly set up in the fading light and put one rod back into the pads
and another down to my left in a silty area. Again the night was uneventful but
just as my mate Lawrence turned up at first light, my left hand rod wacked
round and I lifted into another fish.
The fight was savage and it was a good 15
minutes before a dark, scaley mirror was seen twisting and turning in the gin
clear margins. It looked like a proper one so I was relieved when it rolled
over the net cord. We were both totally in awe with the colours and scale
pattern of this fish, as it was arguably one of the nicest fish I’ve caught.
Weight really was irrelevant with this one, so we took a few snaps and slipped
him back. Well happy!
I packed up soon after, well happy
with the result of my first session in a few months.
Still buzzing from the previous trip,
I was soon making plans for another. It was again to another club water but on
a different ticket to the last one. I knew this lake had good winter form and
the fish in there are real stunners, so I was looking forward to it!
Although
only a day session was planned, I still felt confident.
The lake itself is shallow and silty
and usually responds well to mild weather, which definitely seemed to be the
case on this session. I set up next to some snags that looked like an obvious
fish holding area and it wasn’t long before a couple of dark shapes were seen
gliding in and out of them. Light leads and long hooklinks were flicked out
into the deep silt, tight to the snags. One with a Linch Special and the other
a yellow pb, followed by a few handful of MC Nut
Everything was locked up solid and
after only an hour, a savage take occurred and a big bow wave could be seen
kiting away from the snags in the shallow water. Lukcily the fish went straight
into open water and after a lively 5 minutes, she wallowed into the waiting
net. The fish was a typical mirror from the lake, nice and dark and in mint
condition. It looked to be one of the bigger ones in there as well and at 26 lb
7 this proved to be the case.
A decent start but the action didn’t
stop there, as the other rod tore off while I was doing the photos for the one
I’d just landed. Another chunky mirror soon laid in the folds of my net. The
orange bellied mirror weighed in at 22lb 6 to cap off a fine winter brace. Soon after this the ducks moved in and ruined
any chance of another so it was time to pack up and starting planning for the
next session!
The next session was planned on the
same lake but this time for a night. My mate Oz was coming down as well, so a
chance of a social and a few fish looked promising. Again I opted for the same
area near the snags, as I was sure they would still be there. My thoughts were
proved right as a few hours later my first common of the winter was having its
pictures taken. The chestnut coloured common weighed in at just under 20.
Three more fish followed during the
night up to 21+, which capped off a quality couple of sessions fishing before
the dreaded return to work. The mild weather definitely helped things but a
combination of MC Nut and bright pop ups made things that much easier.
George West - Noble's Fishing
