Southampton based hauler David Meek has been having a consistent run this summer, catching some lovely carp along the way. In his own unique style Dave brings us right up to date with news of his latest trip earlier this week:
‘I’m enjoying myself at the moment, and the change in venue has been just what I needed. Getting the chance to catch some lovely looking carp.
However I have been losing quite a few. Something I am not used to. Apparently its par for the course from what I hear from the regulars. But I am not happy with that. And I’m constantly looking for ways to get over it. My current solution is an inline lead fished drop off combined with a new prototype beaked point pattern from E-S-P.
So with that change my latest session started.
A large oily slick on the surface over the baited spot
I got three rods out really nice, with drops so crisp that if a musical note was sounded it would be a chiming high e. I then set about putting a large amount of bait out. As the seed fluttered down from the opened spomb I could only imagine what the bottom looked like as all the sugars, starches and salts rained down in heavy gloopy chariots, like a meteorite shower over the milky way. Well that’s how I imagined it, as I am certainly not going to be the latest angler to buy a underwater camera and disturb the mystery for myself.
Happy with the heavy bait up, I visualised a pack of carp visiting the area and getting more excited than an Essex lad buying his first Range Rover.
I rose in the morning at the crack of eight thirty. Staring accusingly at the lake wondering why I hadn’t caught anything. A little doubt entered my mind about the 15k of particles that I put out the afternoon before. But I reminded myself that I am not fishing for 7 fish, theres a lot in here and it’s worked for me before and I was hopeful that it work again. Over an hour passed and I was aware of a whizzing sound. I had only gone and forgotten that I’d turned off the receiver to stop the niggling false bleeps I was getting.
The long common
A long snake like carp smashed the rippling surface, as I had lost three the trip before I was a little doubtful of whether I would land it or not. The lead had come off and most of the fight was done in the upper layers. Soon a long common was nestled in my mesh. I unhooked her in the edge, then went about retying a rig and marking the rod out. Two pieces of maize and fresh hook link and it was back out to the area.
After we had done some photos of the fish, we were all sat around, when all of a sudden Hadley alerted me to the fact that my middle rod was away. I’d only forgotten to turn the receiver back on! This fish did the same sort of thing and after a bit of ‘I pull it pulls’ a nice solid mirror was lying in the net.
Everyone disappeared and I set about redoing the rods and putting another bucket out. Through the night I could hear the fish sloshing out in the inky darkness.
‘as the darkness changed to light…’
As the darkness changed to light the middle rod was away. Another ‘I pull, it pulls’ ensued and I was soon peering down at a lovely coloured male.
Lovely times