Ross ‘Chumney-Warner’ Bancroft has had exceptional year so far after really putting the effort in on a tricky Berkshire club lake in pursuit of a potential 50lb’er. Ross’ hard work and versatility has been well rewarded, resulting in the capture of some absolutely stunning and much sought after carp, on a variety of methods. As a result Ross is ‘top rod’ by some distance. Well done mate, it’s only a matter of time before the biggun slips up!
After a personally successful but frustrating 2010 on a Berkshire club lake, this year I was determined to do better and get amongst some of the more elusive mirrors the lake holds. Last year was frustrating in that I was getting bites, but they were always commons in the twenty pound bracket with the exception of one 30lb common and a 26.14 mirror known as “2 scale”. Every time I hooked something that felt a bit better the carp gods were against me and they came adrift for a variety of different reasons.
By the time the lakes finally defrosted in January I was desperate to get out and found myself fishing with half the lake frozen over. Despite being on fish on several occasions through February and trying all I could to get a bite it wasn’t to be and I think the first two fish that came out were on the last weekend of the month so I wasn’t too disillusioned and plodded on. At this point I was convinced zigs were the way forward and despite having never caught on them before after speaking with several zig masters I was mega confident in my set up. In mid march I finally broke my duck for the year and managed two fish on the zigs in one night, 12lb and 14lb cricket bat commons. After that the lake started throwing up fish but it became apparent that zigs were not the one. They were getting caught on single pop ups and after a lot of abuse about my fluff chucking antics I realised I had to get on board and go down the single hookbait route.
With everyone fishing chod rigs I decided to be a little bit different and fish stiff hinged rigs on proper spots instead of just launching them in to areas and the first night produced a hard fighting common of twenty three pounds. I continued moving round the lake and was rewarded with a fish known as “the toad” at 27.04. After that fish the lake really was kind to me and a couple of days later I caught another mirror known as the “thick wristed” at 31.12 on a work night.
A few days later I was back down for the April bank holiday/royal wedding and had 11 nights ahead of me. I was gutted to find 20 anglers on when I arrived and I really was in a strop, I eventually settled in to one of the two swims left available purely because it offered me a social with two good mates. I figured I would just do my rods as best I could and wait it out until it quietened down so I could move in to a better swim when the chance presented itself. I went to bed with no confidence at all but was awoken by a screamer at dawn and after a short and strange fight was rewarded with one of the lakes real gems called “crop tail linear” at 36.04.
The following morning I lost two fish in a very short space of time and swore to take revenge on the lake the next day. Again the next morning after an epic battle I caught an absolutely stunning carp called “cluster” at 33.12 and I was over the moon. The session ended up being unbelievable with commons of 19.12, 23, 28 and 30.15 all falling to the hinged rigs. I had two more fish by June the 16th one of which was a repeat capture of a stunning common at 26.12 and the other was the first fish I’ve managed to stalk from the edge, a common of 30lb on the nose. Since the end of the spring season my luck has stayed with me and I’ve banked two stocky`s at 24.15 and 22lb as well as a couple more cricket bat commons on the stiff links and managed another of the lakes mirrors called “popeye” at 31.13 from the edge.
Rigs
Hinged stiff links consisting of ESP choddy silt leadcore, ESP helicopter rig sleeves and beads, size 11 Uni-Link swivels, size 11 swivels, oval rig rings, mk11 size 5 stiff riggers and 20lb bristle filament for the hooking section with 15lb bristle for the boom section.
Zig rigs made using a 8 foot 15lb mono hooklink with ESP ejector lead clips, 5oz leads and flies tied on size 10 ESP Curve-Shanx.
Stalking rig tied with size 8 ESP Big-T’s, Double Ring swivels, 15lb Sinklink and choddy silt leadcore fished drop off inline style with 4oz flat pear leads.