Within half-hour I was sitting back on the bedchair far more confident

I did one session at the lake early in the week on another sunny day, those lucky enough to get down during the day, i.e. unemployed or on swervy long term sick, had found the secret I found last season, get the place to yourself and the carp will respond. It was not worth me doing that again this season with only one carp I wanted to catch in the whole lake, so I was putting up with busier times and enjoying the less pressured scenario almost as much. No more rushing down there terrified someone else would find the carp feeding on the little margin spots that you had so carefully prepared over the weeks. No more time thinking you had better not bait too many spots just in case someone else turned up and found carp feeding on a spot you had just left. No, it was a more relaxed attitude, turn up when you like, have a wander round and have a chat, if you saw carp then fine, if not, well find a comfy swim for the night. Chuck a couple of baits out and get a good nights kip Well, not quite as chuck it and chance it as that, but it may have seemed that way to some who were somewhat annoyed when the carp kept coming my way. Years of knowledge of the lake and its inhabitants were the answer and there is no substitute to that. Next season I am looking forward to fishing lakes that have no pedigree and no pressure, and still have 30lb carp in. In short, get out of the Colne Valley and out of the rat race that carp fishing has become.On my arrival the lake was packed by both carp and pleasure anglers, so I settled for a swim from where I could put a bait in the edge and try a little floater fishing. I saw no carp in the edge over the next few hours and the ones on top had been hammered earlier in the day by one of those swervy sick anglers I mentioned earlier. At dusk I moved up to a swim near where a couple of carp showed themselves but I was not confident so only chucked out one rod. As darkness fell a pleasure angler finally vacated my favourite swim, so as soon as his car door slammed I was in there. Within half-hour I was sitting back on the bedchair far more confident. I donít know why though, as the five of us on the lake that night did not have a touch. In the morning I was glad to leave, knowing I had over a week away from the place. I would be back though with my drive for that last elusive mirror still firing as hot as ever. The rest of the week was delightful, three days fishing at Beaver Farm Fisheries, in Sussex, day fishing, stalking some smaller but just as lovely fish. The weather was kind – clear blue skies and hot sunshine, excellent. The first day was spent on one of the lakes building up a swim near some lilies with hemp and corn using bread over the top. The carp were visible just the other side of the pads lying up in the reeds, the problem was to tempt them out. By mid afternoon I had taken a sprinkling of nice tench and crucians but as the sun began to lose its strength, in the space of twenty minutes I took three lovely carp. Two commons of 13lb odd and a lovely ghost mirror of 16lb 2oz, all on 5lb line floatfishing with a small self-cocking float, size 12 hook baited with breadflake and best of all, on a centrepin!. Now that is carp fishing!The next day was just as hot when I arrived at 8am. Today I was going to catch myself a grass carp, so I drove to the bottom of the fishery and to my delight there they were, in a corner where I had found them the day before, four grassies all around the 10lb mark. They were still a little unsure, as the sun was not quite hot enough yet for a floater, so I stalked round the weedy margins baiting some spots with hemp and bread and waited for the bubbles to appear. After an hour one spot was bubbling well so I set up with centrepin again and used two fly fishing sightbobs as indication with a BB shot four inches from the size 10 hook baited with two redworms and gently dropped the bait into the middle of the bubbles. Ten minutes later the sight bobs gently quivered before ever so slowly moved off down the margins. The strike was sure and the water erupted as a carp felt the cold steel. The fight was fantastic on the light line and centrepin – after five minutes or so I netted a lovely perfect common carp of 14lb odd. The sun was now well up so before any one else turned up I went back to the grassies. They were still there sunning themselves. Everyone else tries for the carp using mixers, so that was one thing I would not be using. Instead I set up with a fixed spool reel, 6lb line and fixed a small pike float two foot from a size six hook baited with a piece of bread about three times the size of a matchbox. This was cast out to the centre of the lake well away from the ghost carp. Within seconds the rudd were on it and before long bigger shapes could be seen swirling at the bread. Over the next three hours I landed half a dozen nice carp, commons and mirrors on this method up to 16lb but the grass carp remained elusive. They had moved out to see the fun but were taking just the small bits of bread broken off by the carp. By mid afternoon it was too hot for anything so I left my gear and went for a stroll for a couple of hours. As the sun began to lower in the sky I returned and flicked a small bit of bread out on the hook and threw in a couple of larger pieces out on their own. The rudd were there again but this time, after half-hour, what took my bait was not a normal carp but my target grass carp. The fight was fantastic, like a torpedo, and it took a full fifteen minutes to subdue it. On the bank it was perfect, it was one of the smaller ones going three ounces below 8lb but it was what I had wanted on that day, I was ecstatic.The last day I spent with a mate on the easy lake that is meant to be full of small fish, tench and crucians, in a little match, floatfished baits, centrepin again, 2lb bs line. We both found though that there were common carp in there as well, only up to 2lb or so but on that tackle it was great. We both finished the day with around 80 fish or so, tench, crucians and carp with a few rudd thrown in. We declared the day a draw and retired to the pub. A fantastic three days in glorious summer weather. Next week its back to the bigger carp, will it be just as enjoyable!?

Have fun!