Dave Springall couldn’t resist the recent mild, low pressure conditions and got off to a great start to the New Year on his current target water, good angling mate!
‘After spending every waking moment working to pay for the much needed renovations on our new family home it was finally time for me to get back in pursuit of another local big common, and to resume where I had left off on my last trip in late October last year. My first effort turned out to be a write off on new year’s eve when I left the house only to be greeted by a flat battery not only in my van but my car too and by the time the AA had turned up late and finished fitting new batteries it was way too dark and late to get the rods out.
I managed to finally get to the lake to find superb conditions a few days later and plotted up on showing fish in a familiar swim. After a quiet night in big winds and low pressure I received a violent take at first light on my middle rod, the only rod with a few baits round it as the other two were left just fished on singles and shortly after a very small common was in the net. Knowing other carp wouldn’t be far away four hours or so later a very finicky pick up occurred on the same recast and re-baited middle rod and I have to admit that I thought it was one of the many bream that reside in this particular lake.
As it turned out I was far from right and shortly after a cracking 28lb 14oz common was sulking in the bottom of the net. Nice to get a couple of bites on my first trip in ten weeks and in January too.
Both bites came to crimped chod rigs comprising size 5 Stiff Riggers, 25lb Bristle Filament and size 11 High Performance ring swivels fished running on 7ft of ESP weedy green leadcore and 1oz leads cast at 50 yards range. Glugged Mainline Clockwork Orange pop ups over a light scattering of Cell freebies seemed to do the trick’.