Mark ‘Brizzle’ Drake has gone and done it again! Following on from his capture of ‘Two Sides’ from Ringwood Roach Pit just before Christmas, he took advantage of the mild conditions earlier this week to catch ‘Yellow’, one of the pits most elusive and highly sought after residents.
Read on for another inspiring winter story from the Bristol hauler.
‘Following on from my capture leading up to Christmas I was desperate to get back and try and keep the momentum going and planned a trip for a few nights before New Year. Looking at the weather forecast it was none too inspiring for the days planned with winds N.E and night time temperatures dropping down to -5 and -7, but my mind was made up and I was going even if it was just to keep my eye in and keep the bait going in for that next window.
Both nights passed with not even a line flicker but I put to use one of the many fire pits dotted around the lake which gave much needed comfort and enabled me to sit up late into the night in hope something would give away their hidey-holes, but it wasn’t to be and my part had been played and the effort made.
The fire pit made the sub-zero Christmas trip more bearable
Now back on night shift for a week I kept my eyes glued to the weather and the news of the jet stream slightly changing and with it pulling down mild air and changing the wind direction, Bingo!! Temperatures were showing as high as 14s and dropping no lower than 8s on a night and I knew this was a big chance to reach my winter target of a Roach Pit 40+.
Finally my time had come and once again I made the drive down South and much to my amazement on arriving at the gates the car park was empty. Taking a good lazy walk around it was almost spring like with coots nesting and birds chirping in the trees and I even saw some sort of fly hatch going on in a sheltered bay and it was at this point I knew this was that window i’d been waiting for and a million miles from the sub-zero trip only six days before.
Settling back into my favoured area and with the weather looking so good I decided I would up the bait a bit more than usual and whether it was that carp anglers sixth sense kicking in I’m not sure but on emptying my 3 buckets over the side of the boat it felt so right even if it was early January. I sat back and enjoyed the conditions that afternoon heckling a few friends who were now back at work wishing they were on their chosen waters like me chasing their targets which no doubt will come back in my direction at some point over the season.
I decided late afternoon I would catch a few hours’ sleep ready for the evening, so with alarm set I drifted off dreaming the dream. I was awoken a few hours later by my left hand rod violently being pulled at the other end and it took me a few moments to realise I was in again, so much was the shock that I had only had my lines in the water less than three hours but the fight was now in full swing and it was very clear it was something special due to its heavy, progressive lunges into the deep water. With the fish starting to tire I was now able to slip my chesties on and wade out to the shelf’s edge giving no chance of a last ditch attempt to break my dreams.
As I lowered my net and the fish starting its ascent to the surface I could only gasp at what rose before me as there with the moonlight glistening off its big golden flanks and the unmistakable flat lobe on its tail and uncaught for over a year was “Yellow” or for the Essex contingent “Yella”!
Somehow I managed to keep my composure and soon my target was accomplished as I stared down in my net in awe of this famous creature which thankfully graced it first time of asking. I took a moment to reflect on what had just happened and what I had just achieved and once this was done I couldn’t resist and bellowed YELLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOWWWWWWWW as loud as I could even if I was the only person fishing I’m sure somebody would hear!!!
A few calls later I had help on hand and Yellow tipped the old wheel of fortune to 43lb 4oz, buzzing was not the word but all my hard work had finally paid off big time….
YELLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!
Once everybody had drifted off into the night I replace my rod back on the spot and shortly before first light the next morning I managed another bite in the shape of Fagburn at 31+ which unfortunately was a repeat capture but none the less it was another winter bite.
I would like to also take this opportunity to thank Andy Muir, Marcus Howarth and Scott for your impeccable photography skills and making this a very memorable moment and one I will never forget, and also everyone else who called or text and shared the moment it really underlined what a fantastic sport and passion we all share.
(S2 need not apply)…..
Brizzle.