Retracing my steps, I worked my way over to the sailing club access track

My first stop was the fallen tree where I had fished the night before, I clambered in behind the tree but in the sunlit water there was not a fish to see. I walked up beyond the car park and looked into a spot that had produced a few fish to a mate over the years, the water looked clear and inviting, the clear patch in perhaps 10-foot of water was plain to see. No fish were present though and anyway it was on the edge of the out of bounds and having just got my permit back it was too risky. Retracing my steps, I worked my way over to the sailing club access track. The sun was beating down, still hot for May, if the carp were anywhere they would be along this track milling in and out of the various snags and bushes that adorned the bank. I crept up to one of the tiny gaps in the trees, yes, there they were, three broad backed mirrors, their backs catching the sunlight as they lazily swam around. I fired out a few mixers beyond them; the light drift would bring them back towards the carp and me. One of the carp turned and slowly sipped one in as it drifted past. Quickly I baited up the already set up stalking rod and flicked out a freelined double pre soaked bait. It landed with a plop a few yards beyond the main group of mixers. This seemed to put the carp at a heightened sense of awareness that not all was at it should be as over the next hour only one more mixer was actually taken, many were swirled at including the hookbait but not actually taken. On reflection I should have let them get their heads down, or up, first but never mind. I fired out some more freebies and left them to it. Round on the road bank there were few swims that gave any chance of stalking so I left these until I reached the deep snaggy corner. The carp often lay up in here and as there was shallower water nearby, the corner was a sort of stopping off point for them. Upon arrival I was pleased to see that the swim was very overgrown. Perhaps few had realised its potential over the years I had been absent. The carp though still seemed to remember because within half hour of me putting a bed of trout pellets and chopped boilies onto a gravel shelf, two fish were in there feeding. As they swam off on their circuit I flicked a bait in and set the rod well back. From behind the bush that was hiding my presence from the carp I fired out some mixers further out to see if anything would come up. It was boiling hot in this little hidey hole as the sun beat down, summer was it seemed, continuing for one more day. The swim gave a splendid view of virtually the whole lake and looking down its length the true size of it could be appreciated, no wonder it’s got a reputation as a heartbreak pit. The fish are still fish though and can be caught but there is no short-cut to effort and time unfortunately. Time slipped past and before I knew it a couple of hours had vanished. Nothing had come up for the mixers, not even a rudd, the carp had returned for a little feed over the gravel though and finally the buzzer screamed as a carp shot off down the snaggy margins. Before I knew what was going on the carp had put a large tree and a snaggy underwater bush between it and me. The fight therefore was not as it should have been; more a struggle of wits as the carp managed to get into new snags after I had extracted it from the last one. I had seen the carp once as it rolled on top by a large sunken branch, enough to see it was a mirror, but of what size I had few ideas. Eventually all came to a stop and after a while I could feel no life through the line. I pulled hard followed by letting the line go slack but nothing happened and eventually after a hard pull the rig pinged back. The hook was still there, slightly straightened so I guess the carp had managed to transfer the hook onto a branch, how do they do that? Recovering my composure I continued round the lake looking into every likely looking place but nothing was there to be seen. Eventually I reached a large bay that the carp liked to get in to. However, two guys were fishing there, four lines each strung out across the bay, no carp in their right mind would be going in there today. Retracing my steps I looked into the corner again but all was devoid of life. The carp were still milling around the access road so I fired some more mixers out, within seconds the lakes birdlife were there, so I guessed where the last lot of mixers I fired out last time went. The carp did not get a look in, poor things. I looked at my watch, time had flown and it was well into the afternoon already, time to go. I drove out of the gate looking forward to a return. Unfortunately on my way to the next session another car decided to plough into the side of mine, nothing to do with the driver I guess, so I had to sort that mess out instead. With no car the next session would be opening night on the Colne Valley pit. Could be an interesting summer.

Have fun!