first session 2014

First session of 2014

Saturday 11th January 2014

Old Mill Lakes

Hello again Guys and Girls hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year its time for new challenges and experiences for myself as some of you may know my target water this year is Old Mill at Market Rasen im after a new pb and hopfully my first 30+ carp I will also be fishing a few other waters but mainly concentrating on Old Mill.

Anyway onto the fishing I got down to the lake around 9 half 9 I wonted to get hear early to get the whole weekend at them, I was fishing with a mate of mine called Rick Preston another keen angler. We got all our gear onto the barrows and got up to the lake from the car park, after looking around the lake we both decided to fish the middle bank which sort of separates the new and old side Rick chose to fish the old side and I chose to fish into the new side near were I had "ARNIE" last time I was down hear. I managed to get both rods in by 10 o'clock, my left hand rod I was fishing a multi rig tied with 15lbs N-Trap a size 8 wide gape from Rc Tackle and a bright pink fruitella pop up on the hair I also scattered around 50 whole boilies on the spot I was fishing, my right hand rod I was using the ever faithful naked chod rig which I got the bite last time I was down, im also fishing it with a bright pink fruitella pop up and 50 or so boilies around the spot. The boilies im using this year are from bad boy baits which Paul Heseltine scouted me and asked weather I would like to join the team and happily I did, im using the Carribean boilie from the range and im looking forward to using there baits this year!. 

Carribean from badboy baits

     

After getting the rods in I got the bivvy up and everything else sorted out then got the kettle boiling away. I got a couple of liners about 15 mins after the right hand rod went out on the spot this was a good sign for myself means there is fish in the swim. I sat on that till about half 2 were I put another load of boilies over the top of my recasted rigs. 

The set-up

Nothing happened and darkness was coming in quick so I recasted and baited with a few more boilies by then darkness had fell and I took shelter indoors!. The weather had took a turn, the wind had dropped but the frost was setting in, the hours past and everything was quite. Around half 9 I had a screaming run only to find out that a swan had picked my line up bloody things! so I reeled that rod in and recasted back out onto the spot, after I had sunk the line and put the bobbin on I settled back into the bivvy and tryed to get some sleep.

Everything was quite through the night with the temp dropping to around -4, I woke around 7 with a loverly frost on the ground I recasted and got the kettle straight on.

    

A couple of lads had turned up and I was speaking to them they was only on a short day session, they dropped into the pegs next to us one lad was fishing zigs and straight away he was getting line bites this made me think the fish were in the area. I gave it half hour he was still getting liners so I decided to put a zig on around the 4ft mark and fish it into 7ft of water, couple of hours pasted still no joy Chris had been round and spoken to me he said have a move around and try to locate the fish so thats what i did!. I moved a couple of pegs down from Rick fishing to the old side just to try and locate the fish, I gave it about an hour in the peg not even a liner I was confident there wasn't anything in the area so again I moved around into the old side this time fishing from the disabled peg which is the other end of the lake to were I was fishing just to try get an indictaion into where the fish were. I gave it an hour or so still no joy I came back around to my original peg near were rick was fishing I went to see him he had decided to pack up and get off he had work tomorrow, im now staying another night as I have no work on Monday so happy days lets see if we can get a bite!. I helped him pack away and get off he left around half 2 3 o'clock after that I got back to my original peg and got the rods back out on the spots and another load of boilies over the top, I had decided to sit on that for the rest of the night and just hope for a bite. I introduced a little more bait just before dark not much just a little  to top the swim up.

The morning after the night before well.... I was getting liners through out the night but nothing came of it but as for the rain well it certainly chucked it down. I woke around 7 just before first light I had decided to take a walk around the lake so that's what I did stoping in a few different swims to try get on the fish and get a last minute bite as I was leaving around 9/10 o'clock after a couple of hours trying different swims nothing came of it so I decided to call it a day even tho I blanked im sure im a step closer to catching one however I have enjoyed it as always and cannot wait to get back!

Tightlines!    

Sun set on the 1st night

Christmas Special

Old Mill

The Swim!

Hello again guys and girls on this session I was back down at Old Mill, Market rasen. I was meant to be coming hear Christmas day for 3 nights but Chris the owner was going away as it was Christmas and all so I decided I would fish saturday the 21st till Christmas eve as I needed to get my time on the bank. 

 

I got to the lake around 11 I already had an idea of where I wonted to fish so I got the gear on the barrow and pushed it up to the lake, Birch was the lake I was targeting. As i got there nobody was in the peg I wonted to fish so straight away I got over there. I stood and looked out at the water for about 10 mins just to see if anything showed as with the strong wind pushing in I would expect it to be moving the fish about. Anyway after being stood there seeing nothing I still decided to get set up hear. I quickly got the bivvy up and everything set out inside, got the bank sticks in the ground and got all 3 rods together. I was fishing 3 rods for this session to try cover all areas. 

On the left hand rod I was using a naked chod rig with a size 8 barbless choddy tied by RC Tackle  for the bait I was using Mainlines Hi-visual fruit-tella pop ups, smell awesome and there a nice bright pink. I used the same set up on my middle rod but was casting it out into open water. On my 3rd rod the right hand rod I was using the maggot rig I have changed a few things since I last used it. Its tied with 15 lbs N-trap soft down to a size 8 curve also from Rc Tackle on the hair I have tied a micro swivel to attach the maggots to with a length of floss, I also put this in conjunction with a pva bag of dead maggots just so I knew there was some bait around my hook. I managed to get all 3 rods set up and out by half 12 so i sat back put kettle on and watched the water for a while. 

 

Pop ups I was using on the chods

 

I gave it about an hour before I gave all 3 rods a recast, my left hand rod I brought in abit closer and more to the left just in front of the small island. My middle rod back out in front out in open water and the right hand rod over to the right closer to the far margin.

 

 

The time passed I had made my dinner and had a brew and was just sorting things out before it got dark around 4 o'clock the bang my left hand rod ripped off I struck into it and my heart started racing I was into my first fish after 5 blanks my hard work had finally paid off!. I carefully played the fish it didn't feel massive but was putting up a good fight! and I didnt wont to loose it. As I got it closer I got the net in the water and I saw the fish for the first time it wasn't an Old Mill chunk but a little stocky common never the less it was a fish, I finally got it over the net and it was in!. As i was dealing with the fish in the net another angler came over and lent a hand he had brought his scales so wen I got the fish out the water we weighted him 10lbs bang on even tho it was small I was buzzing!. We did pictures for Chris's records the returned the fish safely back to the water and the rod went back out on the spot with a few more freebies around it. As i got settled back into the bivvy it was dark by now, i sent the pictures to Chris and he confirmed the fish was called "ARNIE" stocked 2 years ago it was out last year at 3lbs so in that year it had put on 7lbs been on a right much happy days!.

"ARNIE" 10lbs

After all that i got settled in for the night the wind was really picking up at one point I thought I might have got blown away! and the rain was smashing it down making it hard to get to sleep. it was a quite night on the fishing front only a couple of liner but i could quite easily of been the wind. I woke up around 7 got all 3 rods rebaited and cast back out!. I had breakfast a loverly fry up always sorts you out in the morning and a hot cuppa.

 

The hours went by and everything seemed very quite i was sat watching the water hadn't seen anything moving but the weather was taking a turn for the worse, It eventually got dark I had recast all 3 rods and baited up for the night it was hard to get them on the stop with the wind being so strong but we got there! all was quite through the night I woke early doors with the wind howling and rain pouring down I had spoke to a couple of other angler who had walked round they hadnt seen anything and everything was quite on the other side of the lake around dinner I rang the mother and she had informed me that the weather was meant to get worst on the monday night so with this in my head i decided to cut the session short and go home I was happy with what I had achieved finally got myself a fish even if it was small but hopefully next time I can bag one of the chunks!.

 

 Tighlines