From Float To Quivertip

A week off work allowed a few extra sessions this month. Firstly, at Robin Wood near Swakestone. I settled on Lake 3, peg 19 with the Avon Quivertip rod and Daiwa 1050 reel.

As the fake corn did the trick before, I started with that on a light leger. The wind was blowing towards me, so I cast to the right, hoping the fish would follow the wind.

Two anglers set up on the opposite bank, both fishing the bomb, and I noticed they weren't using any loose feed, but they regularly moved their baits around to find the fish.

The first Carp to grace my net was a nice common, after about half an hour fishing, and was a welcome sight as the clouds started to clear and the sun made an appearance.

The anglers opposite, the wind behind them, caught fish in the sheltered margins and by lunchtime they'd both caught three or four. I moved my bait to find fish and noticed the wind dropping.

I decided to change bait for a tiger nut boilie which I shaved down once on the hair rig. After a cast a few rod lengths out, within a few seconds the line went tight and moved into the middle of the lake. I was in again. Another Carp, this time a Mirror Carp.

The afternoon wore on, and as my fishing went slowly, I watched the anglers opposite continue to move their baits around. By the end of the afternoon they'd both landed several Carp each. Maybe I was missing a trick.

The next session, during a week off work, was back at Longford Fishery near Ashbourne. I decided to fish the big lake as I'd never fished it and there were plenty of pegs to choose from.

I set up my Avon Quivertip rod and Daiwa 1050 reel with legered fake corn again as I thought this setup would do well here. It didn't. There was a lot of debris on the bottom, so I reached into my Carp bait bag and went with another modern bait, the pop-up, as they get such rave reviews on commercials.

Nothing happened, and after a few hours watching anglers on either side of me catching, I decided to go on the float and fish a few rod lengths out with a piece of real corn. Bingo! A Bream, not very big but very welcome and saving me from a blank.

Not long after, I decided to pack up. Some anglers had been fishing with pellets and dead reds.

The final session that week began quite early, for me anyway. Back at Robin Wood Fishery on Lake 3, the wind was blowing into the corner; I chose peg 12. With just one angler opposite, I set up the Avon Quivertip rod, this time with my Mitchell 410 reel. I fished with red maggots, and was straight into the Roach on a size 14 hook.

Happily catching the Roach, I noticed the angler opposite was catching Carp, fishing his pole a few rod lengths out and in the margins.

I did see a few Carp on the top and swimming in the corner I was fishing, but I was quite happy catching the fin-perfect Roach on a light legered maggot. The Roach continued to take the maggots as the sunny day passed by, and another angler joined the one opposite. He also started to catch good-sized Carp in the margins.

I heard them talking about the different-sized pellets they were using, expanders and cat food. I did have some bloodworm pellets in my bag for Carp fishing, and I found a few pellet bands. Was this the day that banded pellets might work for me?

Yes! Not long after casting, the rod tip twitched and the 410 purred as only a Mitchell reel can, and I was into something bigger than a Roach. Although I had enjoyed catching Roach, I was grateful for a bend in the rod and a purr from the reel. It wasn't long before the welcome Mirror Carp slipped into my net.

After a quick photo, I looked at my watch and noticed another day's fishing had come to an end. I slipped the Carp back and watched it swim to the depths, and put my rod and reel away. Happy on the warmest day of the year so far, with Spring temperatures reaching 19 degrees, I wondered what the summer would bring.