Another one!

New lake

Although I haven't really fathomed the depths of the lake in the valley, I've been introduced to another.
I got a call from the farmer asking if I wanted to fish another lake(is pigs arse pork?)
So I said yes please,so he gave me directions and said meet my farmer mate "here"

8pm

Arriving at 8pm  I was introduced to my new lake. It looks to be about 100 yards long by 50 wide, so about the size of a football pitch.

The lake is a "reservoir" dug out by the farmer about ten years ago, it has two islands about half way down and around the centre of the lake.
It has been stocked with carp,tench, roach,  rudd ,bream & crucian and has been fished,although only occasionally.

The place is again in a valley and spring fed not too many miles away loads of geese, both Canada and greylag,all appear to have large broods as do the mallard and coots. The only other bird life I can hear are woodies, with the occasional unrecognisable call,so my binoculars will be part of my kit. I could have sworn I heard quail too!!
No rods with me but I decided if I woke up early I would pop down at dawn for a couple of hours.

That is what I did.
I woke up about 5:15 this morning and found it a cracking looking morning. Said see you about 8o'clock to Pauline, had a quick swig of orange juice, tackle in the motor and off down the road for a couple of hours.
Reached the lane down to the lake, and followed three hares down the track, them weaving from side to side for some distance before they left one by one into the wheat fields on both sides of the track.

Arriving at the lake I disturbed a good few geese and chose the swim at this end of the fishery.

6am (BGE)

I tackled up my 14 foot Shimano Match rod with a 1000size reel filled with Maxima 4lb bs, decided on a size 12 Pallatrax barbless and thought that a couple of handfuls of dead maggot that I remembered to get out of the freezer last night, would be a good starting point.About 4 feet deep here.
Two deaduns on the hook and straight away a small perch.
Plenty of roach and rudd later all small, I put on the Sonu Tiger hookers and was straight away into a small carp, another 3 of those and a hook pull from something a bit bigger!

All about this size

Snotty!

Is it safe?

I switched to plastic maggot which again put me in touch with the small rudd but then had a small skimmer. All the time the wheat field opposite was spilling out it's overnighters with geese and mallard families coming out into the warming air and the light, feeling somewhat safer no doubt from the dark night spent in the cover.

Time for breakfast

So two hours didn't tell me a great deal, I think I prefer the dusk anyway, so another visit, probably next week now, as we have a busy weekend,starting tonight with a pub quiz.

Getting to like this fishing on the doorstep lark!

Out again


Another trip down into the valley.
I set myself up at the other end of the lake where it narrows to an island, with the sole purpose of trying to catch some of the crucian. So I used my 11 foot 1.3 RW Youngs barbel rod, to deal with the carp and my Purist ll for the fun.
 A stubby quill float and a 2AA shot about 6 inches from a size 10.Fished about a rod length from my bank
I stuck to bread flake on the basis that any worrying to the bread would be minimal as it went straight down.
Fed hempseed  and just took it as it came.

 Caught loads of roach, rudd, a couple of small tench & four crucian all about the same size, just under a pound, so none to any great size. I picked up a good few commons up to about 6lb, this was the smallest about 4lb I suppose !
Stayed until about 9:30, no hares about though, perhaps my headlights kept them in the fields tonight.
Enjoyed that!



Don't think I've mentioned it before, but after threatening to do it for some years, I recently joined The Campaign for Real Ale just to see what it's all about and because I like proper beer!
They must have told Mick the landlord of the White Hart, as he was being a bit nicer than his usual self...still not bought me a pint though, so I'll have to prompt him about the village pub of the year vote!!



Joke

Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams and Elton John were walking over a bridge.
Kylie trips, and gets her head jammed between the railings.Without a sideways glance,         Robbie pulls aside her G-String, and bonks her senseless! He stands back and tells Elton, "Your turn!"Elton bursts into tears.What's up?" asks Robbie. 

Elton sobs, "My head won't fit through the railings!"

Tic toc
http://www.asriran.com/files/fa/news/1389/8/16/155486_922.swf

Oh bugger!!

And again


Ventured down to my lake for about 3 hours, and fished a different swim.
Thought I would try little pieces of bread flake, even though there are farsands of little rudd, the idea to get it down to the bottom as quickly as possible.
The first 3 bites were good fish, but each one ended with a hook pull, my Shimano 14 foot match rod may need to be beefed up too. Anyway, I upped the hook and bait size and immediately landed a carp of nine and a half pounds. (9:9 on the scales)
It had brilliant golden fins and tail, and this is where the oh bugger comes in, my camera wasn't in the bag, and it wasn't in the car. Then I remembered it's in the office batteries recharged and forgotten!!
Still no problem, I fished on, switching from flake to hookers, I think they're Sonubaits Lion something or other. I bought them at the weekend for the Aces v's Chavs match. No, I remember(quick Google check) Tiger Fish, don't ask me what they have in them but they work fine.
Some cracking fish all about the six pound mark, mostly natural commons and a couple of mirrors.
Will somebody remind me to take the camera when I'm next down ...please!
Oh yes one bream about 3lb.
Driving back through the wooded valley road, I tagged so many hares. I've never seen so many in such close proximity, they just kept running in front ,stopping looking back, running again, then darting off into the fields.
Now, this lake is a good way downhill and as I came over the rise I saw tonights moon, straight in front of me. I thought Christ what is that? And almost immediately knew exactly what it was, classic full silver moon beaming down on me. It made me feel good to be out.
 I'll see if I get much sleep tonight, I've been waking up at about 4am for the last few days, instead of a fitfull couple or three hours, I may well get up and wander down to my valley.

How big is yours ?

BFW

You have been banned for the following reason:
By agreement of the BFW Team

Date the ban will be lifted: Never

I was gazing through the above site as I do on a fairly regular basis, looking for a decent thread to follow, and came across one in particular where the question was whats your pb barbel ?
It was all going ok until the tarnished fox came on board and started spouting his, how great I am bit, and what I've caught, he completely changed the subject.
By the way, I'm told on good authority he was spouting off to the barmaid at a certain barbel function and was told to quieten it down a bit by the podium! This was after he stood up and fired off half a dozen scripted questions and then gave all the answers and buggered off to the bar.
He likes the sound of his own voice does the grey fox.
Now I don't know Geoff Blakesley from Adam, but I like the cut of his jib. He obviously can see through the  shit that surrounds the man..
Ol' fox thought I had goaded him into it. Not me ol'son, I warned you that there are plenty with tales to tell.
I'm the fat bearded one by the way, that's his new name for me, I don't know, kids today!!
Anyway, then we see Napoleon come charging in with his "ban him" stuff, that's about all he ever puts into that site, and then has the cheek to start calling for people to be banned.
He, the one who was banned from Fishing Magic, and was childish enough to try and get back in....he tried 22 times in fact, using all sorts of names.
You know those annoying little dogs you get, the ones that shag peoples legs, he sort of reminds me of them. I hope the sheep are ok up by the Trent?

HPS

A bit old now but saved for that rainy day.
Before Napoleon swanned off on one of his trips to Spain to his new house, no doubt purchased out of other peoples waste, he handed the keys to the fishery over for good.Well he thought he had.
Whilst the cat was away though, all hell broke loose leading to the private forum being shut down by their benefactor. The wolves were at each others throats, no doubt a power struggle.
I heard that Napoleon is now back in charge, with the threat to cut the dissenters fishing off ! It may have already been done? No doubt my source will confirm.

By the way Tony, did you get EA approval to move the fish from the pond over the road ?