Three quick bites for Mark

Bristol legend Mark Drake had a memorable session on the CWA Fisheries Roach Pit in the Vale of Ringwood recently. Careful observation and precise bait application paid off in style and after a tough year, Mark was rewarded in style.

 

I arrived at the lake around midday Monday and opted to park up near the shallows as the forecast was to be quite warm and thought I would stand a good chance of seeing a few in the usual snags and bays soaking it up. After climbing a few trees and checking all the normal hidey holes I was amazed that no carp were visible so I continued my walk along the leafy paths up to a small bay where I had been spotting a few fish recently, but just as I turned the corner I bumped into a friend of mine Jade who had got down late Sunday night which was an added bonus as after my long drive I was gasping for a brew.

After sitting and watching out over the shallows for an hour chewing the fat with Jade it was clear the fish were no longer held up in numbers in the large weed beds that had built up out in the middle.  They had spent a lot of August and early September here so it was encouraging that maybe they had finally decided to venture back into open water to start their Autumn feed-up.

After a good hour and not seeing any carp activity I finally reached the tower which gives you a massive vantage point covering the main body of open water and with the winds due to switch West/South-West I was sure they wouldn’t be far and after an hour or so one finally gave itself away across the far side of the lake sending coots scattering in all directions as it shuffled to its wrist indicating it packed some girth and pinpointed my next stop.

After the long trek round to area where I seen the activity I perched myself upon the picnic bench situated on the high bank and scanned for any more signs and I didn’t have to wait long as once again a good mirror slipped out exactly in the same place as the last. After scanning the area for about another hour I didn’t see any more shows but I could clearly pick out some aggressive bubbling in the light breeze that had picked up and a slight milky cloud was now visible.

With a few nights to hand I was in no rush to get sorted so I opted to get the boat and don the life jacket and polaroid’s and check out the area and see if I could get a quick peek at the area of interest. As I approached the area using the thick weed beds as cover I was able to get a good look at the spot which was very coloured.

I knew that this particular swim had been raked clear a few weeks prior and uncovered some fresh new areas. As the water cleared I was able to locate exactly the bottom they were interested in and I guess maybe no more than a rod length from the freshly opened up gravel patch that had been raked was a silt area no bigger than a dust-bin lid. As I led there peering over the side I watched a decent fish I guess around low 30s swim straight over the glowing gravel and tip up right on the money and now a plan was hatched.

Knowing this spot was very tight I had to make sure I was going to be bang on the dinner table so a quick trip back to shore and a rummage through my bits bag to find a ESP Mini  Marker which was perfect for lodging in the fringe of the weed and pinpointing the spot with minimal disturbance.

Now with the fish located and the spot sorted rod clipped up and marked on the spot I decided that only one rod would be fished in order to keep lines to a minimum and also there was some heavy weed beds between me and the area giving me a much better chance of a pick-up and landing it should the chance occur.

With everything now sorted I waited for the sun to go down before I made my trip back to the spot to apply some offerings and using my little marker in the weed I was able to carefully drop a few balls of groundbait laced with chopped and whole tigers right on the dance floor and with my rod already clipped up I was able to cast the short distance and place a single brazil bang on.

I awoke the next morning much to my amazement without so much as a beep but as the morning wore on the activity built and the bubbling once again started right over my hook bait and then finally I was away and after a hard battle I slipped the net under a scaley mirror which was one I really wanted and known as “ The Baby Fully” a truly stunning carp.

With photos done and hookbait back on the spot I sat back with a brew well chuffed and felt confident of more action. It wasn’t until the next day again around lunch time that my second chance came and after another hard fought battle a fish known as “The Black Spot Common” graced the net.

Buzzing with my second capture and once again pictures done and a brew to celebrate I made the decision to boat back out and give the spot another hit of my groundbait mix ready for the afternoon and evening but before I reached shore I heard a good fish crash out and looking back over my shoulder it had come out right where I just topped up the spot leaving a big patch of fizz as it re-entered and I remember chuckling to myself and saying as I walked back up the steps to my brolly “Your Next”. Sure enough just like the afternoon before the feeding got more aggressive as they ripped the spot to bits as I sat on my hands willing my buzzer to sing again, and it wasn’t long before once again I was in and an epic boat battle was on and I was being pulled from one weed bed to the next as a powerful fish towed me around until finally the game was over and a big long mirror rolled in the net.

Boating back to shore I wondered what fish it was as it was not one I had seen, but once on the bank and a few texts later it was confirmed as “The Long Fish” which doesn’t grace the bank too often. Once again my good old friend “Crofty” did the honours with the photography and the tea had now been replaced by a cheeky cider or two to celebrate. Three bites in roughly 20hrs angling really goes to show how fine the lines are between success and failure and how key good observation and application can be.

Components used were : KD rigs comprising of Size 4 ESP Curve Shanx, tied to the new prototype 25lb  Tungsten Coated Hooklink in black, and Ejector lead clips and new Leadcore through to 15lb Syncro XT.