Mark’s first Walthamstow carp
Mark Boyle enjoyed a lovely day at Walthamstow reservoirs last week, here’s how he got on:
‘After just two hours sleep from the night before I found myself making my way along the London back roads to the famous ressies is search of my first Walthamstow warrior.
It’s a place I’ve dreamed of having a proper dabble at and only ever visiting the place on a couple social nights with friends I was desperate to get back and have a proper go.
After the usual ritual of loading the barrows, paying for the day tickets I soon found myself and good friend Stu marching our barrows round the famous complex waiting for something to stick its head out. We started off on the no.2 and I got lucky within half hour of casting out and nabbed my first carp in the shape of a lovely little mirror which was a welcome break from the 9 commons I’d had from other waters over the last couple of weeks. It fell to a snowman rig comprising a size 7 Cryogen Gripper and Tungsten Loaded hooklink.
Things died quickly on the carp front with the baking hot weather we decided to go for a wander round other the lakes in search of some more action and after four hours walking in the baking hot sun and not seeing so much as a roach fart we found ourselves back where we started.
We hadn’t seen anything in the way of carp for hours when Stu decided to go for a walk up the other end of the no.2 and saw a couple jump behind the island and with only just an hour to go before we had to be off and out of the gates before they were locked we quickly got our stuff on the barrows and off we went.
The last minute warrior!
By this time we were burnt to a crisp and it was absolutely tipping it down. Sat in my new swim I must have seen about 25 carp go over my long rod and was pulling my hair out wondering why I hadn’t been picked up!! Soaked and desperate I slashed another road out in the area and within minutes it was away. It swam so fast towards me I was sure it was off until it exploded and charged into the snag to my right but was quite easily turned away once it got there.
This time, in the bottom of my net lay a proper old Walthamstow warrior, just what I was after!!! All the hard work and walking had finally paid off right at the death! . This one was caught on a hinged stiff rig with a size 5 Cryogen Stiff Rigger and Tungsten Loaded boom.
Carp hooked, netted and photographed all in 11 minutess and we were legging it up the track to the gate!’