However the truth is often not what it seems

Okay, so we have four or five waters on the short list of where we want to fish. We will have some information about the stock of fish from literature we have obtained or from talking to people in tackle shops or wherever. However the worst thing we can do is take other peoples word for the stock in a water. All clubs and especially day ticket waters will give a rosy view of what is swimming around in their waters. They are bound to because they want you and me to give them money to fish there. However the truth is often not what it seems. Clubs especially will quote the club records when stating the size of fish. For example, ‘carp to 38lb’. Straight away that statement would make me suspicious, the stated weight is exact, 38lb. To me, that would be a weight plucked out of thin air from some unsubstantiated capture sometime in the past or from an exaggerated estimate. If it said ‘carp to 38lb 3oz’ then I would sit up and take notice. That is a weight that has been properly stated from a capture and probably witnessed and put forward for the club record, probably winning a trophy in the process.Many years ago, a friend and I decided for the first time to do some close-season fishing, this was when the close season was in place everywhere, and we decided to go to Cornwall, as Cornwall had no close season. We scoured the possible waters and found one that had seemingly all we wanted. We could book our place on the lake and would have a guaranteed swim for the night; in fact we were informed that only six people were allowed to fish at night at any one time. An important thing given the lake was only 2 acres. Also the literature said the lake held ‘carp to 36lb’, ideal. We booked a three night session. When we arrived no one else was on the lake so we found two good swims and put up our bivvies to save our spots before going to find the owner. All went okay and after just an hours fishing we had both caught a couple of low double figure fish. The next morning we woke to other anglers arriving, a party of six from the Midlands. Already the lake was crowded but as only six of us were fishing the night that was okay. However we found that they too were booked in for the night, so that made 8. We accepted this as a bit of extra money making from the owner and we went off to the bar for something to eat and drink. We said to the owner it was getting busy with the eight of us and were surprised when he said that the lake was “just half full”, taking it as a Cornish joke. However back at the lake we found another six anglers setting up for the night. There were not enough swims so some bivvies were inches apart, fishing gaps between trees. Chatting to someone who had been there before, we found that the biggest carp in the lake was in fact around 22lb and the ‘36lb’ fish was just a figment of imagination and a way of getting anglers there. We packed up straight away and left. Fortunately we had not parted with any money, and drove back to Farlows Lake for some ‘any method trout fishing’ and had an enjoyable two more days. That story shows that you should never believe what you are told. Always see the size of the fish for yourself before making plans to fish for imaginary ones. Look around your target lake several times throughout the close season on sunny days and look for the fish you are fishing for. Put floaters out, this will bring the carp into better view, plus you will be able to see their reaction. Watch their behaviour both on top and by being quiet in the edges. Fish that are not fished for in the close season are surprisingly open about their behaviour and will show in the edge a lot and not be spooked, rest assured though that it will all change when the season starts! You should be able to get a good idea about the size of fish and their condition by being quiet and just watching them. Put some bait in the edge and see if they eat it, even the hardest-fished-for carp will, if you are quiet, start feeding in the edge after just a couple of trips. Of course the sight of a bit of bait may spook them completely, but at least then you know how hard the fishing may be and you can make a considered judgement as to whether this is the sort of water you want to fish. Look at the banks as well, what are the swims like? Are they well worn or are they grassy, are they large and made for bivvies or are they small and overgrown? This will give you an idea as to the pressure the water receives – again, important if you are planning short trips and you may always find full time anglers fishing, especially on small lakes. Regretfully, these days an important factor for me when looking at a new water is security. Is there a car park that can be locked up and is the lake itself secure? These days tackle thefts and car vandalism needs to be taken into account. Also, what is the car park like? Are there large ruts that means it turns into a quagmire in times of heavy rain and is therefore unusable? Once all these things have been weighed up and thought about on all the waters on our short list, then we can fill in the application form and send off our money. Then it’s a matter of planning for the season ahead, next week I’ll look at finding out more about the lake and what is below the water.

Have fun!