It was time for a summer revisit

Stories had been circulating that the original carp had packed on weight and several new 25lb plus fish were in there together with a handful of 30lbers. It was time for a summer revisit. I arrived a couple of days into the season and found the lake fairly quiet, a quick look in the catch book revealed just one reported 20lber had come out opening weekend. After the trudge down the hill at last the first glimpse of the lake glinted through the trees in the bright sun. My first impression was the weed; it was already on the surface across most of this part of the lake. I started walking down one bank but looking across the lake I could see it would be a better bet on the other side.The walk round was hard work but I was soon looking at several carp milling their way through the weed. I was pleased to see there was little Canadian Pondweed just the stringy weed that grows to the surface then produces little flowers. I’m not sure what it is called but it is not a fish loosing weed generally so I was pleased, it was just a matter of finding a clear channel or hole. As I watched several carp were visiting a hole in the weed so that was one spot to try, the other rod I decided to cast 40 yards to the side of an island. I introduced a large bed of trout pellets into the hole and fished a stringer and loose bait out to the island.As the sun began to lose its intensity so the lake began to liven up and several carp rolled, and head and shouldered around where I was fishing. Just on dusk the rod in the hole gave a short take but that was all, I struck and a small bow wave showed, a liner or a missed take? I was fishing leadcore leaders to get the line flat in the vacinity of the bait but with having to fish over marginal weed with lines high it was still difficult. I recast with a PVA bag and sat back again enjoying the peace and quiet, so different to the M25 that surround the gravel pits I have been fishing for the last few years.Just after dark at last I had a decent take on the rod in the hole again and connected with a good fish. It charged off through the weed but thankfully did not do too much and was soon rolling around just beyond the marginal weed. In the half light I could see its head was up so took my chance and hauled it through the weed and into the net. Peering into the net I could see it was a good carp, not huge but a good start. It was in fact a common carp spinning the scales round to 16lb 11oz. A very nice welcome back present. It was a thick set fish and quite young but too big, I guessed, for one of the many stock fish that had been introduced into the lake over the last couple of years. I had a good look at it and, expecting bigger and better things, slipped it back without the hassle of a night time photo, a decision I immediately regretted as it was a handsome fish in perfect condition.The rest of the night was very quiet and apart from a short take on the island rod at dawn there was no more action. A couple of days later I was back and although the sun was still shining there was a nice breeze blowing into the same area of the lake, so thinking about it, I settled for an area a bit further up where there was a larger area of clear water. With weed on both margins in the lake I was in effect fishing a large central channel, like Redmire in fact! I positioned a bait on the far side and one on the near side. I again baited heavily with trout pellets on both rods. The far rod was soon in action and I landed a 6lb 5oz bream; a nice fish but not quite what I was after. When, an hour later, I landed another one of 6lb 12oz I was less pleased. A further two bream of 7lb 6oz and 6lb 10oz followed before midnight. Five years ago there were no bream in the lake, these could be a problem. Finally after midnight I had a fast take on the near rod and after a good scrap netted a small common carp that looked around 9lb. I was a bit tired because of the bream so I did not weigh it and just slipped it back. At dawn again a bream turned up to the far rod, again over 7lb, I was glad to leave.I returned the following afternoon to the same spot but chose to fish the far rod in a small channel in the weed up to the right. Carp were visiting this spot a lot, so instead of putting trout pellets in, I introduced hemp and particles. This change of tactics seemed to work as just before dark I landed a lovely fat 6lb 4oz tench, a big fish for the water. An hour later the same rod was away and after a good scrap I netted a long wildie shaped common of 7lb 8oz. This I was sure was a fish I had been watching over the baits in the evening and had thought was a bigger fish due to its length but I could see it had no depth.The night itself produced a couple of bream, one to each rod, so I was not rid of them completely but both were a lot smaller than the shoal I had obviously attracted the night before. Then, just after dawn, the rod in the channel powered off and I connected with a carp that fought really well, charging up and down in and out of weed beds. Again I chose my moment and hauled it through the marginal weed and into the net. It was another common and looked a little smaller than the 9lb one I had returned unweighed the night before. I decided to weigh it and was amazed to find it actually weighed 10lb 14oz, so the 9lber was probably in fact around 12lb. These were certainly stock fish, thick set and round like barrels, and they had really grown well as they went in only 2 years ago at 4lb odd.So ended a good steady return to the lake, I just need to get amongst the original commons and mirrors now.

Have fun!