Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign
- Nigel Rainton
- Rainbow Trout
- Posts: 3338
- Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:07 pm
- 11
- Location: Dartmoor
- Contact:
Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign
My autumn carp campaign started last Monday. The cunning plan was to locate the carp, pre-bait every night at 6.00pm and have a day long session at the end of the week.
Not worth getting the car out, tin of luncheon meat in my pocket and I off I went. I found a few fish in a secluded corner, hidden by a rush bed and with a few yellowing lily pads. In went the meat. Cubes about 3/4". I repeated this process for a few days. The weather looked bad on Thursday which would keep everyone else off the lake. That would be 'The Day'.
Thursday saw me at the lake early (7.00am) which was just as well because another angler arrived before me. I parked the car and dumped my bag in my pre-baited swim as the other angler appeared ! Another minute and the Cunning Plan would have faltered.
On Wednesday evening I had cut a narrow slot in the rushes, wide enough for the rods but still giving cover. Thursday morning was not as forecast, the weather was lovely and there were loads of fish in the swim. I was very confident. After 3 hours I hadn't had a bite. Down came the rain. Then the wind strengthened and swung South East. It was quite warm.
Nothing happened until 2.30pm when the rain stopped and the float twitched. Line bite. I tried different shaped baits; round, cubes, flat. Nothing. I was using 6lb bs Fox Illusion Fluorocarbon and I thought its stiffness might be putting the fish off. I changed to Orvis 5lb bs Flourocarbon (which is a lot softer) but didn't feel very happy about such light line. I noticed a crimp in the line so I cut it out and started again. Then on the other rod I had an enormous tangle. I cut it out and started again. Nothing happened until 5.00pm when the other angler went home. I was feeling nervous about the light line and as it hadn't brought any more bites I switched back to the Fox.
As 6.00pm approached I was getting nervous, any second one of the floats was going to disappear. At 6.30pm I thought I would tidy some of my stuff away so that I could fish into the dusk as long as possible. No night fishing allowed. Black clouds were gathering. I stood in the rain watching my floats thinking that I was rapidly running out of time. Just as I started to look away I saw the right hand float slide under, so I picked up the Scottie and tightened. The clutch screamed and kept screaming for ages. Stupidly, I followed the fish along the bank without my net. I had to get in the water/rushes to navigate a small tree. In fact I had to do that twice. The fish had gone through three lily beds and the line was grating badly. I thought "I am going to lose this fish". I bent into the fish and dragged it back through the lily beds and got it into clear water. It made a strong run but I clamped right down and held on. The fish was on the surface but my net was 50 yards away, around 2 trees ! I squelched/waded back to my starting point. After a lot of messing about I finally got it in the net and bit the line. By now it was quite dark. I weighed the fish, a very long common and it registered 27lb exactly. I took a quick photo with my phone and then nursed the fish for 10 minutes, it swum off strongly. I was exhausted, soaked and very happy.
It was good that I changed back to the heavier line. I was pleased that I had not ignored the damaged line. The Scottie worked very hard. It dealt with a large carp and lily beds without a problem. Everything went according to plan :-)
Not worth getting the car out, tin of luncheon meat in my pocket and I off I went. I found a few fish in a secluded corner, hidden by a rush bed and with a few yellowing lily pads. In went the meat. Cubes about 3/4". I repeated this process for a few days. The weather looked bad on Thursday which would keep everyone else off the lake. That would be 'The Day'.
Thursday saw me at the lake early (7.00am) which was just as well because another angler arrived before me. I parked the car and dumped my bag in my pre-baited swim as the other angler appeared ! Another minute and the Cunning Plan would have faltered.
On Wednesday evening I had cut a narrow slot in the rushes, wide enough for the rods but still giving cover. Thursday morning was not as forecast, the weather was lovely and there were loads of fish in the swim. I was very confident. After 3 hours I hadn't had a bite. Down came the rain. Then the wind strengthened and swung South East. It was quite warm.
Nothing happened until 2.30pm when the rain stopped and the float twitched. Line bite. I tried different shaped baits; round, cubes, flat. Nothing. I was using 6lb bs Fox Illusion Fluorocarbon and I thought its stiffness might be putting the fish off. I changed to Orvis 5lb bs Flourocarbon (which is a lot softer) but didn't feel very happy about such light line. I noticed a crimp in the line so I cut it out and started again. Then on the other rod I had an enormous tangle. I cut it out and started again. Nothing happened until 5.00pm when the other angler went home. I was feeling nervous about the light line and as it hadn't brought any more bites I switched back to the Fox.
As 6.00pm approached I was getting nervous, any second one of the floats was going to disappear. At 6.30pm I thought I would tidy some of my stuff away so that I could fish into the dusk as long as possible. No night fishing allowed. Black clouds were gathering. I stood in the rain watching my floats thinking that I was rapidly running out of time. Just as I started to look away I saw the right hand float slide under, so I picked up the Scottie and tightened. The clutch screamed and kept screaming for ages. Stupidly, I followed the fish along the bank without my net. I had to get in the water/rushes to navigate a small tree. In fact I had to do that twice. The fish had gone through three lily beds and the line was grating badly. I thought "I am going to lose this fish". I bent into the fish and dragged it back through the lily beds and got it into clear water. It made a strong run but I clamped right down and held on. The fish was on the surface but my net was 50 yards away, around 2 trees ! I squelched/waded back to my starting point. After a lot of messing about I finally got it in the net and bit the line. By now it was quite dark. I weighed the fish, a very long common and it registered 27lb exactly. I took a quick photo with my phone and then nursed the fish for 10 minutes, it swum off strongly. I was exhausted, soaked and very happy.
It was good that I changed back to the heavier line. I was pleased that I had not ignored the damaged line. The Scottie worked very hard. It dealt with a large carp and lily beds without a problem. Everything went according to plan :-)
Last edited by Nigel Rainton on Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:50 pm, edited 4 times in total.
- NiceRoach
- Eel
- Posts: 2386
- Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:32 pm
- 11
Re: Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign
I enjoyed that great pictures, and insight into your day
niceroach
- Trevor
- Eel
- Posts: 2271
- Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2012 9:44 am
- 12
- Location: Oxfordshire
Re: Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign
What a fish!
I do like it when a cunning plan works
I do like it when a cunning plan works
- Mark
- Head Bailiff
- Posts: 21167
- Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:55 pm
- 12
- Location: Leicestershire
- Contact:
Re: Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign
Lovely write up and pictures SofaSurfer.
Mark (Administrator)
The most precious places in the English landscape are those secretive corners,
where you find only elder trees, nettles and dreams. (BB - Denys Watkins-Pitchford).
The most precious places in the English landscape are those secretive corners,
where you find only elder trees, nettles and dreams. (BB - Denys Watkins-Pitchford).
- MGs
- Pike
- Posts: 6417
- Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 2:24 pm
- 12
- Location: Cornwall
Re: Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign
Great stuff and a good result
Old car owners never die....they just rust away
- Danny Boy
- Arctic Char
- Posts: 1564
- Joined: Sat Jul 27, 2013 10:32 pm
- 10
- Location: Nottingham
Re: Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign
cracking,and what a lump.
well done sir
well done sir
I go fishing not to find myself...but to lose myself
- Scott
- Tench
- Posts: 2699
- Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2012 10:22 am
- 12
- Location: The Lake District
Re: Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign
I enjoyed that, I was rooting for you sir, glad you got your fish in the end, well earned.
Good to see a 'Scottie' in action, love these rods and refreshing to see a 'coarse' one in action as opposed to the fly rods I'm used to... ...
Good to see a 'Scottie' in action, love these rods and refreshing to see a 'coarse' one in action as opposed to the fly rods I'm used to... ...
- Nigel Rainton
- Rainbow Trout
- Posts: 3338
- Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:07 pm
- 11
- Location: Dartmoor
- Contact:
Re: Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign
I should have mentioned that I met Luke on Wednesday evening at the lake, the first TFF member I have seen, and also that Her Ladyship kindly bought sandwiches and a flask to the lake for my lunch. Waitress service, whatever next ?
Grayling,
They are fine rods, steely action, not as floppy as a MkIV and quite light in the hand. Just the job for big carp.
Grayling,
They are fine rods, steely action, not as floppy as a MkIV and quite light in the hand. Just the job for big carp.
- StalkingLuke
- Crucian Carp
- Posts: 973
- Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:17 am
- 12
- Location: Horsham, West Sussex
Re: Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign
That's a cracking carp well done and to sit and watch two stationary floats for near on twelve hours deserved such a reward.
It was nice to meet the other evening Nigel and thanks for the ongoing tips on what is a far from easy water, yet another great benefit of being a member of this wonderful forum.
Those Scottie rods look very nice, I've got a Scottie fly rod which is great but I've yet to add a proper cane carp rod to my armoury and one of these would be perfect I'm sure and match well to one of my 300's. Having handled a Chris Ball Allrounder that's the one I would most like, but with no available funds for tackle at the moment I dare not even look at how much one would set me back!
Good luck with the rest of your autumn campaign and hope to bump into you again down there sometime soon.
It was nice to meet the other evening Nigel and thanks for the ongoing tips on what is a far from easy water, yet another great benefit of being a member of this wonderful forum.
Those Scottie rods look very nice, I've got a Scottie fly rod which is great but I've yet to add a proper cane carp rod to my armoury and one of these would be perfect I'm sure and match well to one of my 300's. Having handled a Chris Ball Allrounder that's the one I would most like, but with no available funds for tackle at the moment I dare not even look at how much one would set me back!
Good luck with the rest of your autumn campaign and hope to bump into you again down there sometime soon.
Never test the depth of the water with both feet.