I didn't manage to get out on the first day of the river season as I was at work but I was out on the second. I'd spent the previous week looking for places to start and this seemed a likely spot.
I was due up at 4AM but I couldn't sleep past 3:30AM and so I got up and just went fishing I was that excited by it all. I love the dawn and especially opening my front door to one, loading up the car for a day spent fishing and driving off full of anticipation. Each day I go is a new challenge and I have the option to fish wherever I choose, it's a freedom I love I have to be honest.
Fishing any river (and I have fished and caught carp from four now) comes with it's problems and mostly they are similar. On a river like the Great Ouse it's boat traffic and flow which affect you most and I have some initial ideas on that but that's all for later, for now I am happy to report that I managed my first Great Ouse carp. All fins and anger it gave me a blistering run out of the blue at 11:00AM and a memorable scrap using as much of the river as it could.
I was simply ecstatic at getting my first carp from this river and it bodes well for the season to come.
Rig was my standard 10 inches of 20lb mainline with a size 8 Ultra Sharp from Specialist Sharpened hooks and an 18mm Crazy nut boilie. Each spot was baited up with a kilo of 18mm Crazy Nut boilies from Retro baits.