Kev Hewitt had a great session on Orchid Lake just before Christmas, resulting in a brace of thirties. The mild low pressure conditions were perfect for a mid-winter feed up and here Kev tells how it happened:
All I Want For Christmas is… a brace of thirties!
2013 was a manic year for me. For the most part things were going great however it wasn’t all plain sailing. During a practice session for the word champs with the England team in Portugal I damaged my back and had to rush back to undergo spinal surgery. The thought of autumn angling was enough motivation for me to keep working hard in the swimming pool and my rehabilitation couldn’t have gone any better. I was back out on the bank by October and catching again from the off. In fact During October I fished Oxlease, Bluebell and Milton Abbas catching seven fish over 30Lb during three weekends.
I took a break from carp fishing for around five weeks in late November choosing to fish the rivers for some roach and perch. It wasn’t until the week before Xmas that I saw a big low pressure system coming in bringing strong southerly winds yet temperatures remaining in double figures. You really couldn’t ask for better winter conditions for carp fishing. So at last minute I decided to sneak a 48 hour session on Orchid, packing up on Xmas eve.
I arrived early Sunday morning and the lake was quite busy but luckily a good number of anglers were due to pack up so I had plenty of choice. I started off by having a wonder round the lake looking for any signs of fish showing. As with any time of year, just seeing one or two shows can make all the difference. Unfortunately on this occasion I didn’t see anything positive to go on.
Now I did originally put some tackle into the Top Dug out and fancied the fish would get on the end of the wind but with 60mph gusts and heavy rain forecast I have to admit I rather chickened out. The snag swim next door was producing fish but was already taken so I decided to fish off the back of the wind on the road bank. Russell was in Powelleys and had a low 20 during the night so I thought that will do.
I set up next door in the Drum and with the wind off my back baiting up was going to be a doddle. I got a cracking drop and clean drag back with my ESP marker rod at 85 yards casting straight out before dispatching 15-20 spombs of 10mm Equinox mixed with a few pints of red maggots. The combination had worked well for me in previous sessions so I decided to try it on Orchid. The boilies have a distinctive attraction to them which is different to other baits out there. To me the equinox smells slightly fruity/spicy and is red in colour.
During the winter I often use a boilie and maggot combination, the boilie gives off significant food signals and a substantial meal whilst the maggot keeps them grubbing around for longer. I think the combination works well because the equinox is not overly hard and is very digestible as are maggots in winter. It is important to offer baits that the carp can digest easily, particularly in winter when their digestive system slows down substantially. The only thing to be aware of with Orchid is the bream. You don’t want to overdo it with the maggots and risk getting breamed out by the big shoals that can get on you even in winter.
With the bait spombed accurately on the spot I cast three identical rigs out over the bait in around 9 foot of water. The rig is one I have been doing well on all year with a little adaptation. I used 7 inches of ESP two tone in 25Lb for a semi stiff boom section attached to an ESP short readymade chod rig. To this I attached a 10mm equinox pop up tipped with two ESP Buoyant Bloodworm red maggots.
The rods were out in the afternoon and as the darkness approached one stuck his head out right over the bait. Over the last 30 mins before dark another five fish showed in front of me, a few of which were only 60 yards out in front. I couldn’t have gone into the night feeling any more confident.
I awoke early morning a little disappointed that nothing had occurred. Over the first few hours of light the wind really picked up and the storm was brewing. A little after 9.30am and my left hander signalled a twitchy take. The fish kited left and Ten minutes later I had a lovely 32Lb 14oz mirror in the bottom of the net, one called Sally.
The wind was horrendous and had turned to a southerly side wind which made getting the rod back out a difficult task. With the wind being so strong I upped the lead size to a 4.5oz lead and got the rig on the spot second attempt. I always use 10Lb ESP Synchro with a shock leader for all my long range work but no shock leaders are allowed on Orchid. When this is the case I always switch to ESP Synchro in 15Lb. Even the higher breaking strains are nice and supple for casting and relatively thin diameter for its breaking strain. The 15Lb is plenty strong enough to absorb the shock of casting heavy leads without the use of a shock leader.
Just 30 mins later the same rod was away again, this time with a lovely scaly low twenty. The rest of the afternoon was quiet and the wind gained even more momentum. It was now impossible to recast or bait up. Trees were blowing down and there was a national weather warning. It was a struggle to sleep during the night with the bivvy rocking. The rain was relentless and there was lots of local flooding and power cuts.
Just before first light my middle rod burst into life signalling a steady take. I got my waterproofs on before attempting to get out in the storm and hit the rod. I could barely feel anything as the wind was so strong and even with a carp on the end there was a huge bow in the line. I was not only battling a big angry carp but battling the elements too. Luckily everything went to plan and I was soon looking at a mid thirty in the bottom of the net. Onto the scales and the needle settled on 35Lb 14oz. A brace of stormy winter 30’s and it was Christmas Eve too! Unfortunately I had to be in work for 9am so quickly packed up before Marsh arrived to do the photos and identified the fish as one called Angie. I slipped her back thanking her for the most amazing Xmas present and battled through the floods to get to work.
