It’s a lovely little spot, hidden away in the countryside, where rapturous birdsong is normally the only noise. I had two rods made up; a MKIV Avon to fish down the side, on the bottom, just in case the weather turned, and the MKIV carp with a DAM reel to cast out my floating bait.
I soon found some carp and they were indeed on the surface.
They were more cagey than I’d expected and I had to move around a little more than I’d hoped, working out their movements and anticipating how to get a proper take without spooking them. Despite their wildness (or because of it?) they could see the line. Eventually a flash of inspiration and a change of bait led to a fish ‘on’...
and a delightful long powerful common carp. I think Bernard would have enjoyed that.
You might just make out Bernard’s float above the carps’ flank by the reel.
And the successful bait? I’ll save that for next time but let’s just say it was a touch continental and I hope we can still get it next summer. A little more experimentation needed.
Ooh la la...
Looking forward to hearing more on your new surface bait 
