John goes to Newlands for one night

Wednesday 15 April 2009

Arrived at 6.30am, it was a grey and miserable start to the day. The weather forecast was for rain and drizzle all day with heavy rain that night. The forecasters haven't been exactly spot on recently, so I might have a bit of leeway before the rain comes in. I just hope its not raining in the morning and that I can get my bivvy and stuff packed away before it gets too wet while I'm packing up!

First thing I set up is the bivvy. I've chosen the 2nd swim on the Roadbank side of the lake for various reasons: There's an Easterly wind forecast, rain is coming in and I saw people catch from here before. If it does start to tip it down at least I'll have somewhere to keep dry.

When that's done I cast out the rods. The LH rod is about 45yds out on a patch that felt slightly bumpy while I was using the marker float. Its a running rig set up with a KD rig on a 8-9" hooklink. Bait is Fusion Pop up topped with plastic corn. RH rod is a chod rig. I've caught a tench or two on this rig this season but not a carp. Maybe I'll get lucky this time! The popup is one from Steves own stock. He's made them himself and is still nurturing them to maturity! I'll be chucking this rod around a few places and use it as my roving rod. If I see a fish top, I'll throw this at it.

I also spodded out around 40-50 boilies around the LH rod, using 5-6 boilies in a spod and half filling with mixed size pellets. Not long after, a few fish topped over the bait but I think they may have been tench. They didn't pick up my bait anyway.

Later that evening, around 18.45, my LH rod tip whips around to the left and the bite alarm goes off. I pick it up and my first thought was that I'd missed it. Then I felt a slight tug on the rod. I knew it wasn't a carp but only a tench or bream. It turned out to be a smallish (4-5lbs)tench. This gave me confidence that the fish were feeding and that if the tench are feeding, the carp won't be far away.

Alas, I was wrong.

No fish that evening or night BUT, I did enjoy a lovely bottle of Pinot Noir. Very nice.

I go to sleep around 22.30 after listening to the football on the radio - Man U v Porto. Arsenal were also playing but they weren't on the radio. I wanted to listen to the Arsenal match instead. What's the point of having several sports stations if they only broadcast one team when they could have had one on each channel? I know, I know, money, politics, contract clauses and producer preference all involved. Makes you mad sometimes

I wake up at 00.30, not with my alarm in overdrive but my shoulders and knees giving me jip. I end up walking the road bank for awhile before getting my head down again at about 00.50. This happens twice more during the night and is becoming more and more common as I go fishing. It wasn't as painful this time but still sore enough to get me out of the bivvy. At least I could keep an eye on the water during the night!

Nothing stirs on the water until around 08.45 when my LH rod alarm goes off stutteringly. It seems to be a small carp and its putting up quite a scrap. I manage to land it easily enough but it turns out to be a 6lb 11oz tench. A good specimen even if I'm not trying to catch them!

Well, I pack up the bivvy and have most things packed away in the car by 07.45. Not long after though, it decides to rain. It had only been drizzle and light showers during the night, making a mockery of the weather forecasters predictions. They'll get it right one day. Luckily, I had my 50" brolly with me so up it went. I had my chair, table and tea making things under the brolly and the rest of my gear safely packed away. I never got wet!! Only my rods left to pack away now.

During a dry spell, I start to pack up the rods but half way through it rains. I don't even bother to put the rods or the rod rests in the bag, nor the bite alarms. I chuck everything in the back of the car and sort it out at home.

Until my next session,

Cya,

John