The 32lb 10oz mirror which got Kev’s short session off on a roll!
Kev Hewitt has been back to Linear – this time Hardwick Smiths – and had another eventful trip. Perfect preparation and swim choice proving key once again!
‘Time on the back has been a little more hard to come by for me this year. With my daughter Daisy reaching 6 months I have done well to get out as much as I have done, all be it mainly short sessions, overnighters or 24 hours. Obviously working 5 days a week and the birth of our first child, time on the bank was always going to be difficult. However I have really enjoyed my short session fishing this year and have really got amongst the carp. I have managed 4 nights on Orchid landing 8 fish to 39lb, 3 nights on manor for 33 fish to 32lb and 2 nights on Hardwick landing 14 fish including a couple of thirties amongst other fish. In fact in those 9 nights I have landed 55 carp including 7 thirties which is a pretty hefty return for my time. Yes I can’t deny that my luck has been in so far this year but I am also a great believer in making your own luck.
First things first I decided with limited time to target venues with numbers of fish in that offer a realistic opportunity of a bite or two on a quick session. There are loads of day ticket venues out there that tick the box so I always keep my options open.
The Lo Pro is perfect for short sessions – Kev’s set up.
This week was a classic example. I turned up to Linear Fisheries with 20 hours to go at. My target was Manor but nearly every peg was taken and after a quick lap, no one was packing up. I had a look across at St.Johns and was faced with a similar scenario. So I ventured across the road to take a look at Hardwick which was very busy too. Whilst walking round the road bank I noticed a guy on the opposite bank packing up so I headed round for a chat. He had managed a low 20 in the night and whist chatting to him I saw 2 show in front. That was all I needed, a swim with a couple of fish in front. Smiths side was chocolate brown and there was clearly a lot of fish in there but the area of coloured water was full with anglers so I dropped in after the guy on the Hardwick spit swim. I had fished the swim before and checked my diary for the spots and after a couple of casts I knew the spot was nice and clear.
20 spombs…
The spod rod was out straight away and in went 20 Spomb’s of my ‘take anywhere’ reliable mix of hemp, 10mm live system and sweetcorn.
Preparation is key..
On short sessions it is always vital to be prepared. I already had fresh rigs attached to my rods and all hookbaits were already prepped and attached to hook ring swivels. I would say within 25 minutes of being in the swim I had 3 rods on the spot with a couple of kilos of bait over the top. The traps were set super quick and up went the Lo Pro brolly. Rig wise, all 3 were on the Ronnie rig with my trusty super sharp size 6 ESP curve Shanx hooks.
The wheel of fortune
I was settled for about an hour when the right hander slowly melted off under a tight clutch. The fish hit the surface straight away and bow waved along the top away from me. It felt a good fish throughout the fight and that was confirmed when I slipped her big frame over the net cord. Onto the scales and the needle spun straight past the magical 30lb mark and settled on 32b 10oz. That will do nicely.
I never saw another fish show in front of the the rest of the day but nicked another bite in the afternoon from an upper double scaly one and re spodded with another 15 Spomb’s before darkness.
The night was quiet but I did manage a 18lb common off the bait before packing up at 6.30am.
With good preparation, short sessions can really be worth the extra effort and the satisfaction of the rewards are much greater’.