Into the Valley

Pioneering? 

This is a series of articles I wrote for Fishing Magic back from  May 2006

Part 1

Set deep in a valley of the Lincolnshire Wolds, the Estate, which arable farmer and my new found friend George acquired some three years ago, are two spring fed trout lakes, a fattening (stew) pond, another lake and a small pond, both also spring fed.
As you do, I met George in the local, following one of our pub fishing club meetings.
He was running the trout lakes on a £17 a session ticket and was thinking, now he had settled in a bit, that the time had come to take a look at spreading his interests into coarse fishing.
So, he asked my advice, having been pointed in my direction by the landlord.
I was quick to advise, that being no expert, his best bet, if he was thinking of going professional, was to speak to the Environment Agency.
I told him of our club's experience, on our short lived lease, of another farm lake where the EA, free of charge, gave us a report and advice on that lake's contents and potential.
He felt at this time (because he didn't want too many people aware of his plans) that the fewer who knew, the better (taxman and cash in the back pocket came to my mind). Much to my delight, he asked me to fish the lake and the pond, primarily, to comment on the population.
Both the lake and the small pond, to his knowledge, certainly hadn't been fished for a number of years and he wasn't aware what fish existed within.

I arrived at the water at 5am, the light was just beginning to show on this early May morning and the dawn chorus of Canada geese and pheasant was all around. A Barn Owl was quartering the perimeter of the first trout lake, on what is the start of my adventure onto 'unfished' waters.
It became obvious to me immediately that the lake was teeming with small rudd and at least one carp of some proportion, it greeted me with an almighty crash, half way down the lake, as I settled in my chosen swim at the far end.
This lake is, I suppose, 100metres long by 30 wide. It has an island of about 5 metres round and 20 metres from the first bank. Obviously man made and perhaps 20/25 years old. Two of the banks are fishable, the first bank (south) across the width and, the nearside bank (west) by the grass roadway. The island is about 5 metres from the nearside bank.
There are old fishing stages in place, on three banks. The far bank (east) is tree lined, which with some work could be made accessible. The end bank (north), across its whole width, is a complete bed of reed, at present still brown but stretching from the bank, about three metres into the lake.
There are signs of a lily patch, just beginning to emerge to the front. A quick run around with my plummet showed an almost uniform depth of about 1.5m, no obvious shelf around the perimeter; well, at least the fishable perimeter.
I picked the swim at the far end, adjacent to the reed bed as my starting point. As I only had three hours available to me, I decided to sit it out in the one spot for the period.
My tackle is a Shimano Hyperloop 420 FA rod and, to match, a Super Aero 1000GT, loaded with 2.5lb Maxima straight through to a size 14 Drennan Super Specialist eyed hook.
I've chosen, because of a brisk northerly blowing across the front of me, to use a Pete Warren Middy alloy stick, carrying four no.4 dotted down with a No6 tell tale shot.
My bait, for today's short session was maggots and casters fished on the bottom, with hempseed for additional loose feed. Fished about two rod lengths out, close to the reeds.
It becomes very obvious to me from the off, that the tiny rudd were going to cause me trouble with casters and maggots, so it doesn't take me long to get out the Enterprise Tackle plastic casters.
I was soon into a better class of fish. An unmarked rudd of about 8oz, followed very closely by a few more of the same stamp and one roach, of equal size. I then started to get the finicky bites that I've learned to associate with crucian carp. Before long and following a few missed bites, a crucian of around the pound mark is in the net.
Again, a beautiful, unmarked fish that gave me quite a tussle and was followed in quick succession by four of its brothers, all fin perfect. So, the first hour done and things have gone quiet. I carried on feeding with my mixture of baits, the water continuing to foam with the tiny rudd and some bigger specimens.
On another day and in a different location I may have had a dabble with the rudd but I was determined to continue with testing the water.
So I waited patiently and before too long the float disappeared and I was into something somewhat larger that ran me straight towards the reed bed. My line and the fish parted company before it reached them.
I found, to my disgust, my line had busted at a shot. That will teach me not to bite my shots on the line. Yes I still do it, absent minded, me?
Quickly tackling up again, this time pinching my shot on the line, I cast to the same location, sat back and waited.
There are 30 Canada geese around this lake; yes I had time to count them. Their continuous squabbles, and mock fights, along with the monotonous drone of a diesel engine pump that supplies spring water from a stream to the stew pond and the sudden squawk of the cock pheasants around me all disturb the tranquillity that should surround this place.
Anyway, again I'm into a bigger fish and this time the hook pulls after a short tussle. The plastic casters were obviously acceptable to the inhabitants, except, that is, the tiny rudd that fiddle for a while then abandon them.
So, what am I hitting; carp, tench? I was soon to find out.
Whatever it was, it was giving me a fair run-around with my reel tension giving it line, so I tightened right up, I didn't want it to go into the reed bed.
It was a carp, a beautiful common of just under 10lb; it certainly put the rod to the test!
Ten to eight, one more cast and another lovely conditioned common carp, about 6lb.
Time for breakfast, must phone 'the Boss', to get the Crastor kipper from Waitrose in the grill. No signal, what more could I ask for?
Down in the valley all is quiet. Well, almost.
So, visit number one was over. A longer stint next time, maybe an evening session?

Part 2

I am not really a fair-weather fisherman, but a pet hate of mine is setting up whilst it's peeing down. So, my next visit to the valley was three weeks later, which turned out to be a dry sunny day, sat in the middle of our much reported drought!
Roll on the warm, dry days of summer.
So, so far, we've had rudd and roach to 8ozs, crucian carp to about a pound and common carp to about 10lb.
Arriving at the lake at 4pm and there is a substantial change all-round. The brown stems of the reeds are now bright green and spreading, the lily patch is somewhat larger, the goose population has expanded, with yellow tinted goslings all around and, the Canada's have been joined by eight Greylag geese.
I decided to tackle up in exactly the same way as my first visit and to fish the same method. Although I was concerned that if I got amongst the carp I could be outgunned on 2.5lb Maxima.
This time also, I didn't take along maggots or caster, just hemp seed and some BFW 3mm Elips pellets, left over from last seasons barbel fishing. I didn't feel feeding the hoards of rudd with maggots and casters served a great deal of purpose!
So, four hours of jiggling and adjusting, and wishing I'd bought with me some alternative baits (after all, with all this rain, the worms wouldn't have required a great deal of digging, would they?) not a bite, plenty of nibbles from the pesky rudd, but no decent bites.
Just after 8 o'clock I got my first bite, but guess what, it snapped me at the split shot after a short tussle.
Shortly after, having tackled up again, a lovely pale olive male tench of around 2lb succumbed to my plastic grub. My first of the year, and a tench from 'my' lake, great! In fact, as far as I can recall, my first since moving up to Lincolnshire in January 2003.
I am a big fan of tench and have not fished for them since moving away from the Milton Keynes AA waters and my PB of 6lb 13ozs. I live in hope, that some monsters lie within this lake, but who knows?
My next cast brings an instant take on the drop. I hit into something really powerful that I just cannot stop ……. It's gone, along with my float.
Make your mind up time Fred!
They've obviously come on the feed; do I continue with my lightweight approach and find myself outgunned or, do I switch tackle, at the risk of putting off everything but the carp? Assuming of course that is what has snapped me on my two visits.
Decision made, I have probably ninety minutes of good light left, so what do I have to lose? I decided to step up my gear, for I assumed that the fish may not have seen tackle for at least three years.
Out of my Double T sling, I pull my Midi Carp Reach Waggler rod, a prize from the match fishing related angling magazine, probably three years old now and rarely used. This rod has the ability, with the aid of a dolly section, to be used at 15, 17 or, 20 feet. I choose 15 feet, because from experience I know that at a longer length it becomes difficult to use my landing net. On top of that, I'm only fishing about 20ft out.
My reel is another Shimano, the Super Aero 4000R, freshly loaded this morning, with 4lb Maxima, just in case.
Suitably re tackled, I start again, but it's gone dead on me. The nagging doubts start to mount, but the signs of bottom feeding fish start again, so I wait, encouraged by the signals.
As I wait the diesel pump, for the trout fattening pool, fires into action, disturbing the tranquillity. Apart that is, from the robins, chaffinches and blackbirds singing their goodnight chorus. The things you have to put up with for the joy of fishing; it's tough. They're back, another straight under bite, a tough tussle and soon in the net, 6lbish of fin perfect common. These fish do give me a great fight for my money and, they certainly know where the reed bed is.
At 10 o'clock I can just about see my float and after six hours fishing it's enough for me. Slightly disappointed I pack up and wend my way home, dodging the dozy pheasants and the even dafter hare that runs along in front of me along the farm track.
As I sit at my keyboard writing this, I wonder if I'm going about this the right way, for a 'pioneer'.
I longed to catch a crucian again, just to see if they are true crucians, and to get some  opinions. My photographs taken at the first session downloaded from the camera OK, but I lost them when the system seized on me, having automatically deleted the pictures.
So, has toughening up my tackle thrown away my ability to catch the more wary species?
One thing for certain, I think I am more comfortable fishing from first light, rather than last light, so my next visit will certainly be at the crack of sparra's fart.

Part 3

It's 3:45am and I'm awoken by the Song Thrush serenade. He sits on my fence next to the bedroom window every morning, and starts up his now boring, dawn chorus.
So, I decide to get up and visit my lake for another four hour session. Yesterday was 23 degrees C, so summer's here and the rudd in my pond started spawning. I'll go and take advantage of them in the valley whilst they are busy on other things.
The dawn is very misty. Up here, they call it sea threat or, fret, or whatever. It got progressively thicker, as I drove down into the valley. I've decided to continue in what I consider to be the most fishy location, adjacent to the reed bed and lily patch. I'm fishing by 4:30am.
The rudd on the lake are not spawning, but I notice hoards of tiny fish in the margins, so something obviously has!
I'll step back a bit here. When I sorted my tackle out, after my last write up, I gave all the line a good going over, I wasn't happy with the breakages and thought that I may have an old brittle batch. Well, I don't know how long it has been in my tackle drawer!
It appeared OK, so thinking about the stepping up of tackle I had to do to allow for the carp, I decided to fish with a hook length of MAP Fluorotex 0.17mm. I also took out a box of Dynamite Swim Stim 6mm soft hook pellets.
Anyway, back to the fishing. I continue to use the plastic maggots and loose feed with hempseed, dead maggots, casters and the last of my BFW pellets.
On my first two visits to the water there had been quite a chop on, but this time the water surface is flat. I decide to use a straight 4 x No. 4 waggler and to lay on with an SSG shot about three inches from the hook.
One of the benefits of fishing this calm surface is that I was able to see fish bottom feeding, with groups of 5 or 6 small bubbles rising and groups of pin head size, almost fizzes and, occasionally, eruptions, as a fish ploughed it's way through the bottom.
My first fish is a 5lb 2ozs common, landed with no problem, within the first 15 minutes.
Then the nagging doubts started again as my hook length snapped, and then again above the float; an unstoppable fish that ploughed straight through the reed bed. There are obviously some big carp in the lake, as I've managed to handle fish to just under 10lb on the same gear.
As usual on my trips down I've gone with the bare necessities of tackle, in this case, the Midi rod and the 4000R. Do I move up to 7lb line or stick it out with 4lb? Decision made, straight through with 4lb, same method.
Start again, in the meantime, the fizzing is quite active around my loose feed, "maybe tench" I think to myself. Time to switch bait, and give the Swim Stim a try.
I brought these with me after reading a Jeff Woodhouse review of them, and decided to try them again. I wasn't happy using them, they didn't inspire any confidence in me that the bait was still actually on the hook after falling through the multitude of rudd.
Having reaffixed an SSG to the line I was fairly confident that with an underarm cast the pellet would reach the bottom safely two-rod lengths out. It did and I was very soon into a crucian, winkling out seven of the beauties in quick succession, all around the 1lb mark.
I was tested yet again with another bigger fish. Fortunately it swam in the opposite direction to the reeds, so, I was willing to give it a little more line. This common gave me a great tussle and, to my surprise, only weighed in at 8lb 12ozs!
All went quiet for a while; I think the last maniac carp had killed the swim off.
So, I waited, and listened to another Song Thrush, singing that same old tune, or had my thrush followed me, just to wind me up?
Nah.
The perpetual drone of the diesel pump continues with its freshening up of the trout fattening pond but the geese have gone very quiet. They are not on the lake but probably in the fields with their young.
I'm in again, into a crucian that is, and another four follow before I decide to call it a day.
Monthly meeting of the pub club tonight. I haven't seen George around since the last meeting. Perhaps, he'll be in tonight and I can buy him a pint and give him my initial report.
In the meantime I'll gather my thoughts for the next trip. I know there are a good head of fish so a change of approach is needed.
I think I may well step up the gear to find out what those unstoppable fish are and, perhaps, as Gary Knowles suggested to me at the Barbel Society Conference, to have a go for eels in case there are some in residence.
I'll be back!

Part 4


I suppose those of you still following this experience of mine think, "He's gone quiet; is he into some massive fish and not telling us, so that we can't send the scouts out?"
Well, no.
I've been down 3 or 4 times since the last update but, when it comes to discovering what lies beneath the surface, I'm still not quite certain.
I've tried stepping up my gear and used my 1.75 Barbel rod and hit into an immovable object - well it moved at first, stopped and I couldn't budge it, resulting in a hook pull! So I stepped up to my 2.75 rod and, no surprises, I was back to catching the normal stamp of fish.
So, to reiterate, this, so far, is what I've discovered in my lake:
Rudd, thousands of them, none so far above 8ozs.
Roach, not so many, up to 8ozs.
Crucian carp, plenty all around the pound mark, no more, no less!
Common/mirror carp, 8ozs to my best so far 10lb 14ozs.
One tench!
I am pretty certain there are, or is, a predator of some kind, although a legered sprat for eel went ignored for six hours. It marauds through the surface scattering the rudd in all directions, maybe a rogue trout from the ponds. No sign of perch.
During my other free time I've been down to the middle and tidal Trent, hunting out the barbel and chub. I've caught a few of each, but what is noticeable is that they all need a good feed. My most recent capture was a chub at 4lb 10ozs, it was longer and deeper than my PB of 6lb 12ozs but was very empty.
Roll on winter.
My latest visit to my lake yesterday (8th August), came about as a last minute thought. I'd been in the garden all day pottering backwards and forwards. So, at 6 o'clock, after asking the bosses permission I was off .
I packed up everything I thought I would need, and headed for the lake. On arrival, when I opening the hatchback I noticed that in my rush to get out (before the boss had time to answer) I'd left my bag of kit on the garage floor. So, I had my seat, landing net, rod, pellets and nothing else. No choice then, back home I had to go.
I sneaked in and out without being spotted, and was back at the lake in 15 minutes.
Whilst I had been planning my getaway, I had decided to float fish. So my kit was the Hyperloop 420FA, the SuperAero 4000 loaded with 8lb Suffix and a hook length of 4lb 1oz Fluorotec. Once again, because of the surface ripple and wind, I decided to use a wire stemmed stick float and finished it off with a size 12 Drennan Super Specialist.
My hook bait was to be the Enterprise plastic caster and maggot. There is no real way to get through the rudd with natural baits.
Loose feed was 3mm BFW pellets - the hemp seed was still frozen!
This feed certainly attracts the crucians and the commons, and I was soon into the usual size of fish, my first being a stunning fin perfect common of 9lb 4ozs.
I'll digress here for a moment, I've seen on this water, for the first time anywhere in my fishing life, on a few occasions, commons tail walking, if that's the right expression. Just rising out of the water with only their tail below, and moving along for some time. Too quick for my digital camera though; amazing power.
Anyway, back to the fishing, no break-offs this time, and my best common from the lake is fin perfect and weighing 10lb 14ozs, along with two at around 9lb which could have been twins. Also, a dozen or so crucian carp.
The dominant species is, apart from the rudd, common carp, I am certain there are bigger fish, but I'm not too interested in them at the moment.
I know there are more tench than the one I have caught; I've seen them porpoise. Perhaps they are being bullied by the carp?
No doubt a different ground bait is required before it's too late in the season. So, I'm going to think about this and try for them specifically on my next trip down.
I am also going to have a go for eels again, as soon as I can get a decent stock of lob worms.
Perhaps I should say that I haven't yet reported to George, the owner, in fact I've not seen him in the pub or by the Trout lakes, too busy with the harvest probably.
Oh yes, and the geese have reappeared out of the fields, they've had a great year by the looks of it, many, many youngsters and therefore more shit to slip on!

Part 5

It's Friday August 18th , the start of the Fishing Magic Species Race, and what better place to get me up and running, than by my lake in the valley.
We've decided to have skate and chips for dinner, so after discussing what we had planned for the rest of the day, a decision is made for an early dinner at 3o'clock, which as usual in our house, I will be cooking.
This would give me the opportunity to get to the lake at about 4 o'clock, and fish through until about 9pm. All through the day, on and off, very welcome rain had been falling. It was the good soaking type of rain which gave the garden a welcomed drenching. So part of our plan for the day, which involved the garden, was put on hold.
Anyway dinner time came and went, and in came the big clouds and the blackness descended. We had an almighty storm, which put paid to any idea I may have had, of going out at 4 o'clock. I wasn't going to be waving 14 feet of carbon fibre about in these conditions
At 5 o'clock I decided that it looked safe enough to go out and wave my wand around, so off I went. The lake was looking as serene as it always does, and now the sun was well and truly out, making it quite a warm, early evening.
Once again I had decided to float fish, but this time, with my Enterprise plastics as back up, I decided to try out Dynamite's Swimstim soft pellets. I also decided on a different swim, where the lake narrows at about halfway along it's length, near the island, and where a small lily patch lay, but with no reeds.
There was something about this swim that reminded me of somewhere else in my past, where I had many a good tenching session. So I was keyed up for this. A couple of hands full of BFW 3mm pellets were strategically placed and after a few attempts at hooking the soft pellets, I got the idea how it was done. This didn't give me a great deal of confidence though, as I suspected for a while, that they would not stay on the hook, especially as the rudd population would have other ideas too.
On my first cast I landed a rudd, maybe about an ounce and one point for my Species Race tally. Just in case this was my only rudd, the appropriate photograph was taken, and the fish then returned to the lake.
I quickly talked myself into moving my shot down the line to get the bait down quicker, which worked well. Believe it or not I landed a tench of 3lb. Two casts, and already two points! My firm belief that there was more than one tench in the lake was also justified.
By now the swim was fizzing. These pellets of BFW's certainly seem to be an attraction. I next landed a 12oz roach, my biggest so far from the lake and was very soon into a snotty, of no more than half a pound. 4 points. Then came the carp, a small common of about 2lb. Following this was a smashing Linear/Mirror of 6lb.
5 or 6 points? Same fish? Common carp? No doubt I would be put right at the final tally.
All went quiet for a while, after the truly mad tussle with the linear, but soon, after another good handful of the feeder pellets, the fizzing restarted. This time it was the tench that were in charge, and in very short time I had landed a further 7 of the beauties, ranging in size from a 1 pounder, up to the biggest at 4lb 15ozs. I wasn't going to call it 5lb, as it was one of those that hovered between on the scales.
As you can imagine I was well chuffed! The prospects for even better fish kept me plodding on.
Now comes the gripe. These so called soft shot from Dinsmore, well they're not. After struggling to get them on the line, without biting them shut, I was constantly having to replace them after each decent fish. And eventually this told, as my Fluorotec hook length parted through the constant wear and tear of shifting and putting on new shot. There must be a better way?! Bring back lead shot I say!
Anyway, a new hook length and on my way again. By this time darkness was setting in, and with 5 or 6 points in the bag, I was looking for the crucian to make a show, which of course they did. Two on the trot, one of 14ozs, the other a pound. This then followed by a few more of those slimy things, bream I think they're commonly called!
I wasn't putting up with them and besides, it was getting difficult to see the float, so it was off home for me.
Being well and truly pleased with my evening session, a celebration drink was called for, and as expected, a bottle of red was ready and waiting.
Ah, this is the life!
Roll on the next visit to my lake in the valley.

Part 6

What a grey miserable day it's turned out to be, sitting on the bank with a sprightly east/south easterly, whipping up the surface. Autumn is here and this is probably my last trip down, certainly as a pioneer, as the pub club has joined me.
Well, I've met up with George, at long last. As an arable farmer, it would appear to been a good late summer for him this year. No complaints thou, but it has been very busy. The weather's been good up here on the Wolds too.
I gave him my views on the lake and the fish contents, as I've found them, and he's off to think about it.
In the meantime I've asked him to allow the pub club to have a 'match', so as to see how the fishery reacts to numbers. Probably unfair I suppose, as we are now into autumn and perhaps not the best time for a real test.
He agrees, so we line it up for Sunday 15th October fishing 9am until 4pm. George says he'll try and get down for the weigh in.
My advice to him is that he should sell season tickets for the water, say £50 a year to people recommended by friends, that is initially our club, and friends of our club members. This would enable him to see how he likes the idea of people arriving at the lake at all times of day or night, or alternatively, only allowing dawn 'til dusk fishing, as with the trout lakes.
The water would effectively become self-policing, with only known fisherman in attendance. As for the stock, I feel that, although there are too many rudd and carp in the lake we should let it stay as it is for a year, and then get a consensus view from the members fishing.
As I mentioned in my earlier pieces, there are two trout lakes. George appears to be unhappy with these as they are fished on trust. That is anglers leave their day ticket money in the fisherman's hut and restricting themselves to two fish. He has become somewhat mistrusting, you can guess why, and just can't afford the time to police the lakes.
They could well be available for future expansion of the coarse fishing if he decides to expand into a full-blown fishery business.
We shall see.
Anyway back to the match! 8am Sunday morning, as usual only 9 of the 25 members show up!
 I identify the swims we should fish, and the draw takes place. I've given nobody clues on how to fish, save as to tell them of the rudd population, the size of the carp and generally, what else to expect.
By the way I didn't draw my swims. I've also insisted, expecting many good sized fish to be caught, that any fish appearing to be in the region of 3lb, should not be keep netted. With the benefit of hindsight this could have been a bad decision, as we don't obviously have a nets man, but the only coached match fisherman amongst the members, has the scales and weigh sling!
During the match our nets man has the call eight times, the first within 15 minutes. That was from old Doug, he's the old boy, who along with his elder brother Bob, turn up to every match rain or shine and sit there all day catching, or sometimes not, each with a ledger rod out with a worm or a chunk of cheddar!
Doug by the way, is in for the biggest fish trophy this season, and holds the all time club record for a mole! Caught when a cast of his, ended up on a far bank and his worm attracted the poor creature!
First decent fish to Doug, a common of 5lb 10ozs, as it turned out, his only fish.
To cut a long story short, the rudd had obviously lost interest in feeding, on what was a bit of an on/off day.
The 9 of us weighed in a total of only 76lb3ozs, the nets man winning with a total of 13lb 10ozs, despite his eight trips up and down the bank.
The biggest fish a 7lb 10ozs common carp, Bob's only fish. Two very nice tench at 4lb each, and a surprise chub that looked all of 2lb, but weighed in at 3lb2ozs. No crucians caught.
George did turn up for the weigh in, and was pleasantly surprised with the standard of the fish caught. As a country boy, he knew what the species were too.
I may well go down again this year, as I still have the small pond to test out. I will let you know if I do.
As well as that, I suppose I should also let you know how George wants to treat his fishery.
As far as the club goes, they want to go again. The variety of fish caught and the quality was commented upon, as the main reason.

'We don't want to just catch carp'