Its been a while since i have had time to do a blog but i have been bobbing around on a plethora of boats mostly catching nothing and not really enjoying it. This weekend it was going be time spent at the lakes catching up with that huge list of jobs, i never get to complete the list as the grass keeps growing. First priority on Saturday was to go round the whole 6 acres checking the electric fence for overgrowth, the tester was indicating a huge drop in power and i was sure that brambles, branches and grass was to blame. This job was made considerably more difficult due to the fact that some idiot had taken the long reach pruners home, namely me. I now had to use a pair of ancient shears and hook, this lead to shredded hands and arms, but after an hour and a half the fence was clear.
With the first job complete it was time to get mower number 1 out of the shed and cut the inside track around the lakes, this generally takes a good hour but looks great when its complete.
With 2 jobs complete it was time to undertake the tricky one, the stock pond was hemorrhaging water fast in this dry spell. This pond was the head of the system and its height above the other lakes means it loses ground water especially as it isn't lined with clay. The water level was a meter down leaving just inches of water in the margins, fortunately there was a 25 foot hole in the middle where the 5 remaining stock carp hid.
It was paramount to get these remaining fish out and into the main lake, i keep it simple free lining a couple of grains of corn and a split shot. It was around 40 minutes before the line finally twitched and sure enough a Carp took the bait, a lovely linear around 5lb was netted and transferred, another job done.
With the pond spooked it wasn't worth trying for another of the remaining 4 fish, i would have another go tomorrow. I chucked in some bread in the Carp lake and had a walk round with my camera to capture some nice plant shots, it all seemed incredibly purple, with the Lilys, Thistle and the lovely Purple Loosestrife
I noticed a few bits of bread crust being slurped under by a solitary Carp so decided to go and try to catch it, got to have some perks. I crouched behind the rushes and lowered some of Warbutons finest onto the surface, the reeds shuddered as a fish pushed through them and instantly a vortex was created that dragged the bread downwards. I struck and hand my fingers burned on the rapidly departing line, the fish tried a knit one pearl one through the dense water vegetation. I managed to steer it clear and into the net, a lovely Common typical of our fish and despite there being 40 plus Mirrors the Commons still dominate the captures.
The final job of Saturday was to prepare next weeks fish food , i have been experimenting with the mixes and am finally satisfied with the end result, 20 kilo a week going in will get these fish where we want them. Sunday i had a Holsworthy Sea Anglers club meeting at 8pm and the plan was to go for a carvery with the family and get dropped off at the lakes in the afternoon, Chris would then pick me up and take me to the pub, sorted. Sunday was another warm day and i got to the lakes around 4.30pm and headed straight for mower number 2 to cut the rest of the site.
This new tractor and mower that Dad got is perfect for the job and eats the grass like a heard of rabid Frisians. With that task done i thought i would try my luck at the stock pond and i sat there for sometime waiting, i then decided to grab a snack from my bag, upon turning to face the rod i couldn't believe it was heading off down the bank towed by a carp. I lost this fish, the one second i looked away and i got punished, i dropped the freshly baited hook into the opposite side of the lake and consumed the crisps that cost me so dearly. Then the line tightened as another fish took, this time i didn't mess up and the fish was netted and moved, down to 3.
With no sign of Chris yet i decided to have another go in the carp lake but stuck with the freelined corn, this was taken pretty instantly and i landed yet another common carp.
I had my fix of Carp and really wanted a few Tench, i had chucked in a few handfuls of corn into a swim on the Tench lake earlier and after picking up the float rod from the cabin i went for a look. The swim was full of Tench with large silt patches and pin bubbles rising nicely, this shouldn't take long i thought.
It was probably 20 minutes before the first Tench found my hook bait and after a feisty battle the Tench spat the hook, the swim then went dead for a while and as i walked to the margin to add some bait a large Pike shot away from the side. No doubt this toothy trespasser had a detrimental effect on the Tench but maybe my even uglier face sent him packing as the swim began to bubble once more. Chris arrived fresh from the Chagstock festival and was just in time to net my first Tench, this female was long and lean clearly spawned out from the two separate spawning s they have had this summer.
The Tench were feeding all around us and i know there is a huge amount of natural food in the lake which probably explained why despite the float appearing to be in a Jacuzzi of bubbling fish the bites were very slow in coming. I managed another Tench before it was time to leave but i would have loved to keep fishing for them on such a cracking evening. Before leaving I spotted a gaggle of caterpillars in their wasp colored jerseys munching their way to adulthood, they reminded me of a voracious mini rugby team.
One of the jobs i didn't get around too was removing some of the lily's, it is high on the agenda as there are fewer and fewer gaps to fish in now, and Tench are experts in using them to their advantage.
Next weekend i am away at the National Anguilla Club fish-in so the next blog will be at least a fortnight away.
