Geoff reckons that people actually read these diaries

Knowing this is a good time I pulled the stops out and got down the lake three nights during the past week. The first session was on a mild cloudy day, a stiff westerly wind was blowing down the lake during the day but by the time I arrived its effect had left the surface of the water. A quick walk around revealed most of the carp were at the end of the lake that the wind had been blowing into so after considering the options, I set up in the swim that I had been successful in the week before. This time, considering the wind and the fact that the lake was quiet, I cast a PVA bag of goodies out 60 yards to the gap between the islands, this is really in front of another swim on the far bank but as I say, there was no else around so it was not affecting anyone. The other rod I cast to a spot I know so well that I will keep a little quiet about. Geoff reckons that people actually read these diaries!Another member did turn up later but he went to the other end of the lake so I did not need to reconsider my tactics. As the mild night proceeded the carp were very active around the special spot, carp crashing over and over in the same spot, just a few yards away from my PVA bag. As midnight came and went the movement of the carp got less and less and my fitful sleep periods got longer and longer. Suddenly the buzzer screamed from the rod that had been cast the 60 yards out, the line pouring off the baitrunner. Leaping off the bedchair I was on it seconds. The rod arched over to full compression. In the blackness I had no idea where the carp was and to be honest the cast was so ambitious that one wrong move from the carp would have put it round one of three or four horrendous snags. Luck was on my side so it seemed though, as it did not appear to be going left or right. I think it was in fact in weed as I was able to pump in a heavy weight. Occasionally I had to be careful as the grating of the weed on the line gave that horrid thud, thud, thud and inch by inch the mass of weed moved its way down the line to the carps head. As the weight became nearer I could feel the carp trying to surge away as it thumped the rod tip down occasionally. A few yards out there was a set of pads, the carp was somewhere directly the other side of those, I put even more pressure on and the carp rolled on top, just a couple of feet to the left of those pads. A few paces to my left meant I could get sidestrain on to avoid the carp sensing freedom in the pads and finally it was my side of danger. Now all I needed was the net, where was that net? The answer was, leaning up on a tree a few yards behind me. With the carp somewhere in the margins I took some paces backwards letting it have some line and grabbed the net. Throwing the net into the water I wound down to the carp again. At this point I thought that action had cost me the carp because all I was connected to out there in the gloom was a mass of black stinking dead and dying weed that the carp had dived down into when I gave it some slack. I tried to bend the rod so I could see the carp but the weed was too heavy. By passing the rod behind me onto the bank I grabbed the line, the mass of weed now right in the edge, at that point I was convinced the carp was gone. Holding the line I found the torch and shone it into the water but I could see no recognisable feature, just black smelly weed. I found the leadcore leader so I knew the hook was no more that four foot away. Reaching down into the water to my relief I felt a solid weight in the weed, the carp was still there. Now I somehow pulled the whole lot manually over the net and grabbing the arms of the net I shuffled it all in. A carpís head now showed up by the spreader block but I could not do much else. The leadcore and hooklink were taught in the weed, the weight of carp and weed was too much to lift and everytime I lowered the landing net back into the water so I could go and get a sling to pass the carp in to, the net sank which meant the carp could have waddled off and escaped. Finally I managed to tear enough weed out of the net and free the line so I could unhook the carp. I still had no idea what carp it was, nor how big, over 20lb but how much over was in doubt. I hauled the whole lot onto the bank without damaging the fish and put it all on the mat. Now it was easier to separate carp from weed but before I revealed its head I quickly got the weigh sling. I wetted it, rolled the carp into it and zipped it up. Grabbing a storm rod I pushed it into the bank and lowered the carp in the sling back into the water. Now both the carp and I could have a well earned rest.I sorted the rig out from the weed, I was pleased to see the breakaway lead had worked again, if it had been unable to come off the carp would have been lost for sure. There was a load of weed in the net so I threw it all up behind the swim, it was better out than in the lake. With the torch and scales ready I retrieved the carp and unzipped the sling. The only idea I had of the carp was the sight of a slightly tatty tail, one carp came to mind but a glance in the darkness at its eyes seemed to reveal it was not him. However now with the torch, indeed it was the carp I’d thought it was, not a target fish but was I happy to see it. The scales, after deduction, read a lovely 24lb 5oz mirror. There was no need for photos, I had plenty of this warrior from previous captures, the time was 3am and daylight would only appear after I was at work in four hours time. So after having a good look at it I lowered it back into the lake and it tore off at breakneck speed. The rig was in a mess and the torch batteries were getting low so I did not bother to recast, in 2 hours I would be packing up. An hour later a screaming buzzer from the other end of the lake sounded, they were having it that night. The rest of the week was just as eventful, Iíll continue next time.

Have fun!