The reasons for this are still baffling

Summer weather had finally showed its face with warm sunshine bringing the carp up on top to drift around seemingly aimlessly. When I arrived, one guy had been there all day chasing the carp around the lake continuously. Due to the algae colouring up the water it was hard to see much below the surface but even on the clearer areas of the lake it was plain to see the carp were not visiting the edges of the lake to feed at all. The reasons for this are still baffling. After walking round the lake several times I decided to patrol the far bank as several carp were showing there. I set up camp in a swim in the middle of this bank so I could move around in either direction with stalking gear. I put a bait on a gravel shelf close in near to this swim and then spent the next couple of hours trying to entice the carp to take a floater, without much luck. As evening approached I had the lake to myself so before making any final decisions, I walked round a couple more times, still no carp in the edge. After a brief visit by a couple of undesirable drunkards, one of the problems with warm summer evenings, I started to set up for the night in the swim I had half chosen and cast out one rod with a PVA bag out to a channel between the islands. I was still unsure of my actions, when from a swim a few yards up the bank I saw a big carp come out of the water, up to the wrist of its tail on the near side of a gravel bar near the far bank. This mirror looked like my obsession carp, the last one I wanted to catch in the lake. Even if it was the only other possible carp, it was a good fish so I immediately went back, wound the rod in again and moved. From this new swim I cast a PVA bag out to where the carp showed, the bottom was silty but clear of weed. The other rod I cast into the same channel between the islands where I had cast to from the first swim, again the bottom was clear.During the night I received several line bites on both rods, it was difficult to say where the fish were, as close-in weed meant the lines came off the back of these weedbeds out into the lake. Back leads were out, I wanted to land any carp I hooked, backleads just mean you are not in direct contact with the carp, especially if they go through weed as well and eventually the hook will pull out. Carp had rolled a couple of times by dawn and I had a sixth sense feeling that something was going to happen. Packing up time was fast approaching when the indicator on the rod to the bar rose quickly to the butt of the rod and stuck there, the line tight like cheesewire cutting across the lake. There was no further indication so I swept the rod back connecting with a solid weight. The line was caught in the edge of the weed close on my bank so I could not feel any life but when it pinged free there was a thump on the rod tip. The carp came in easy and in a few seconds it was in front of the weed on my side of the lake. It woke up a bit and charged up the margins once or twice before I forced it to the top. It was a large mirror so I wasted no more time and hauled it through the weed and into the net. My heart was in my mouth as it could well be my target mirror but on the mat I could see it was the other possible one. Uncaught so far this season though, so very welcome. The hook was only just in. I imagined it sitting out on the bottom of the bar, knowing it had made a mistake and shaking its head trying to free itself of the hook, it very nearly succeeded. It’s not always wise to wait for a screaming run. On the scales it went a very satisfying 32lb 14oz, well up on the weight I landed it at last season, and the season before, but it always looks a beast of a fish and did not look fat in anyway. Fit yes, but not fat. It was soon back in the water and, with a flick of its tail, was back into the depths. I packed up immediately and went off on my way. I was more than happy with that result so with the hot weather continuing I lingered at my other passion, sitting outside pubs, a little longer than usual a couple of days later – so it was well into the evening when I arrived back at the lake. Less carp showing this time and apparently none had been seen in the edge all day. I spent the next hour or two chatting to the bailiff about Thames carping amongst other things. It was nearly dark when I cast out two PVA bags from a swim that gave me access to the islands again. As opposed to the last session I received no line bites and no carp showed at all during the night. However come dawn I was optimistic again, dawn takes were becoming the norm over the last few weeks so I hovered over the rods. I ran some stuff back to the car to extend the amount of time the baits were in the water. A carp rolled right over one of the baits. I hovered some more. This time I was to be out of luck, within half-hour the feeling had passed and the lake looked dead again. I reluctantly wound in and went on my way off to work. I still have an urge to fish somewhere else for a few weeks but the car keeps bringing me back to this lake and the hope that my obsession mirror will be fall to my rods soon. With that in mind I will try and concentrate on the back of that bar until I catch it. History shows that 90% of the time, that is where it is caught from later in the season. Perhaps then it will be mine and I can move on fulfilled.

Have fun!