This week I decided to continue where I left off from last week, fishing to the first island over a decent bed of bait. The weather was less favourable, plenty of sun was forecast and the south-westerly winds that had prevailed all summer had been replaced by a north-westerly. Now generally when this occurs I get on the south bank because its bag up time when this happens but on this lake the south bank is closed off at the moment due to the road works. This has had the effect of making that area a safe zone where the carp can hole up out of reach of anglers. The islands are on the perimeter of this area and a place they obviously are going to move into or through.
So the large bed of bait was there to pull them in and hold them long enough to get a few. It worked and the first 24 hours saw two bites come my way, but then the next day the sun came out and more importantly the north-westerly switched to a north easterly.
From rolling fish every few minutes in the safe zone to just the odd one told me that something was afoot and the fish had moved. Unfortunately for me I couldn't move because there were no swims available, so I stayed put and decided to see it through.
The next morning bought another bite but I had already decided to leave early as it was clear things had gone very quiet.
The lake is split into two with a wide channel connecting them and for most of the time the bulk of the fish are in the main area of the lake with the safe zone and the islands. However I was also fully aware that the fish in this lake like to follow a wind and so the north easterly would in my mind have the effect of pushing the fish into the other area of the lake, the bay. So when I got back to the car around noon I went for a walk along the south side of this bay where we can go. There in the margin in less than two feet of water were three carp, I legged it back to the car!
I stashed the night kit and took everything else. By the time I got back the fish had disappeared so I placed a bait where they were and another further along the south bank to my right. Around 4:30 PM the carp began to roll in the bay and I got out my third rod. Two rods, the left and the middle were positioned 30 yards out 20 yards apart, at the bottom of the marginal slope. Ultra-Sharp Grippers with 12mm Crazy Nut Snail popups and a handful of 12mm Crazy Nut boilies on each. The right hand rod was left up the margin to my right with the same setup. Time for something to eat and to settle back.
For the next hour I sat with one of the members talking and watching the fish roll in front of us. One fish rolled over the middle rod and then five minutes later over the left. The rolling continued and we both agreed it was when the rolling stopped that a bite might be on the cards. At 6:30 PM the rolling quietened down, at 7:00 PM the middle rod which I had predicted would be the one (I'd tossed it onto a rolling fish) burned off with this 26.12lb beast on the end.
It's always good to hit a solid wall of resistance when you pick up the rod :-)