I did two one

I did two one-night sessions and neither were very inspiring. Both were in fact, days when the lake was packed out. Both then, you will not be surprised to hear, were complete blanks for me. Too busy for the carp to get in the edge and too busy for the carp to feed confidently at night. So with the lack of things to inform you about I’ll wander off down memory lane to relive far more interesting sessions. The year was 1983, the lake was Hollybush Lane Lake, Pit 5 in Surrey. To those who do not know or remember this pit I will describe it. It was around 6 acres, I say was because progress has nibbled away at its edges over the years. It was a long gravel pit split up by long islands running its length, these islands were in fact gravel bars that were above the water edge. So long were these islands, that the lake was in effect split into several long lakes and the ends of the islands that the carp used to move from one part to another were the hotspots. This much was obvious to all that ventured there. It was a great stalking water as lily pads dotted the edges of the islands and shallow plateaux The carp were numerous and were all around the 15 to 20lb mark, except for a few mid 20lbers. What they lacked in weight however they made up for in beauty, they were mostly linears or heavily scaled mirrors and all fought like crazy. I discovered the lake because in April of 1983 I had moved to the Avondale housing estate next to the lake. So close was the lake to my house that when fishing the west bank of the lake I could see my house behind me. Unfortunately there was a railway line between the lake and it, so what should have been a 100 yard stroll from house to lake was in fact a half mile drive or walk. To drive there was daft as I did not want to night fish the lake and to leave the car in the car park by Pit 3, which was a day ticket water, meant no tyres or windows on return. Did I mention that Aldershot was not far away?! So the carp were easy to find but, it turned out, not that easy to catch, not on bog standard baits and approach anyway. I had moved from the glorious Colne Valley and had spent my previous six or seven years at the hardest carp waters life could throw, Fox Pool and Harefield. I had discovered a few tricks of the trade along the way, the hair rig was obviously the most dramatic of those little edges. By 1983 though, everyone was on the hair so this was not an edge. Surface fishing was still not practised by many and for a while my Meow Mix baited rigs sorted the men from the boys as I found considerable success with some lovely mirrors up to 21lb, getting a take off the bottom though was getting tricky.During August I had a break and went off to Spain for a holiday. Whilst there, despite being there for sun and sex I still found time to look at a few lakes and rivers. On one of these I found a local doing rather well with the carp on a particle bait. Totally different to most Spaniards at the time who lobbed out a huge lump of paste as far as their sea beachcaster would allow. This guy was fishing in a very English way, baiting up spots in the edge with these particles. Upon chatting to him I found they were a root nut grown locally, in a cross Spanish/English garbled conversation I found they would be called Tiger Nuts in England and were probably available in the ethnic Asian food shops. Back home that meant another trip to that wonderful corner of England, Southall. I had been there three years before on the chase of American Peanuts after finding at Harefield that my monkey nuts were useless compared to the results of the gods there who were on ‘the nut’. I eventually tracked down a supply of American Peanuts when I found a large sack outside a shop in Southall with a sign pushed in to its content saying, ‘US Big Nuts’. Now, I know that all Americans are indeed big nuts, and conceited with it, I did not need to be told this but I soon found that here in fact were the nuts I needed. Harefield and Rodney Meadow felt the full force of my discovery over the next three years, those were the days! Back to growlers! Again, after a long search up and down Southall High Street I eventually found what I was looking for. I managed to find the best way of preparing and presenting them and spent the next two months at Pit 5 piling in my new bait. The carp loved them and the results followed. It became a matter of how many rather than how big. Catches of 8 to 10 carp in a morning were common with all the carp looking and gorgeous and un-caught. It was a great autumns fishing, the winter was slower but just as good. The following year I moved on to the syndicate Pit 4 next door with some success. A couple of famous anglers moved onto Pit 5 in 1985 using tiger nuts as they had just hit the market and did exceptionally well also. I remember talking to Chris (big hint) and he said he was amazed how quick the carp were on their newly introduced growlers when they had not been used before. The light went on when I told him of my exploits in ’83. They still had to be caught though so, good angling! How come though most of Andy and yours were 20’s though Chris when mine were mid doubles!? Anyway there you have it. A little lesson, nothing is new in carp angling, you just need to get on it quick! Back to carp catching next week I hope, unless there is no petrol in the garages! Can you get a bedchair and three rods in a quiver on a pushbike!?

Have fun!