Dave Robinson ventured into the unknown last weekend on a large Fenland pit. On his first trip Dave’s pioneering spirit was well rewarded with a couple of show stoppers. Brilliant angling Dave, this is what it is all about!
The 4 a.m. ripper!
‘Knowing full well what weather we were expecting on Friday night (3/7/15) I headed to the Lea Valley in search of a big common. When I arrived, it was apparent that I wasn’t the only one who fancied their chances under the huge moon. Not being a very social person, I soon left the valley and headed two hours north to the heart of the fens.
Because of the stormy conditions due I headed for a venue I had never fished before. I thought as its a random session anyway and I didn’t have any targets as such I would go and experience the storm on a 50 acre unfished wind swept gravel pit.
Having only seen two different carp in there during the spring I didn’t have anything to go on what so ever. I baited the area in the margin where I had seen one of the small commons two months previously. During the day I kept checking my pile of particle on the big pit and each time I was amazed to find it completely polished. I was adamant I was getting cleared out by swans when my back was turned, but that could not have been further from the truth…
As the evening draw to a close I loaded my barrow in my mates swim on a local club lake some two or so miles from the venue. By 10.30pm, I had made the horrendous mission through tractor ruts, over banks infested with stingers, and finally made it to the spot I had been priming for the last six hours.
As the moon rose I lowered two 4″ supple rigs with size 4 Big-Ts and long hairs. I fished large hookbaits as I had remembered seeing tench rolling at range whilst mooching in the spring.
After switching on my alarms I crept back up the bank to start setting up my brolly before I got caught up in what the weather lady called a “horrific storm.” As I sat behind my rods in silence knowing that I have the best part of seven hours to make it count I kept saying to myself “imagine if this, imagine if that.” The chance of a carp that has never seen a hook really does get me going.
With the weather on the horizon and the full moon slowly fading out behind the clouds I was charged up big time. I know from past experience just how easy fish that are not pressured by any anglers can be to catch. I could feel the storm coming and see the flashes in the distance from across the fen. Just as the rained started one of my rods melted off, it was clear to see that whatever was on the end was not impressed with the 5oz lead he had just connected with. The fish took over 60 yards of line before I began to gain it back again. I could feel light head shaking so I new it wasn’t the monster I had been “imagining” but it was still a carp from a lake that nobody knows anything about.
‘I noticed common scales’
As the fish surfaced I noticed common scales before it rolled into the net. I thought it was one of the two males I had seen in the spring but, it turned out to be a good twenty. I was over the moon with this capture, it’s mouth was like nothing I had seen before.
By this time I was charged up and thought anything is possible. I quickly got another rig in position and split a 1kg bag of corn over the lip of the marginal shelf. I got back under my brolly rubbing my hands together, over the moon with what I had caught.
Little did I know I was just about to have my mind completely blown by a fish like no other. 4am arrived, the weather had just past over when that same rod got ripped off the alarm and I was into another powerful angry carp. After a twenty minute battle I finally managed to net a huge ball of weed at full stretch. Before long I revealed my prize and I was lost for words’.
‘Lost for words’