TonyM
|
One Giant Step....Never done anything like this before, so bare with me lol
Having spent the last 4 years fishing the likes of Horton church lake and Carthagena, and being very fortunate in having some cracking fish, along with a few targets as well, I felt this year was time to take the plunge, so from fishing on waters between 7 and 14 acres I suicidaly gained a ticket on a new syndicate on a water, or should that be ocean of a mere 120 acres!!!!, but the best is still to come, to our knowledge, having seen them in the water, and lucky enough to see the captures, there are only 12 fish we know of....ranging from low 30 to big 40's.... I keep thinking I must be mad, but iv'e had enough of the busy circuit waters, turning up after work on a Friday night about 8pm, and getting stuck in no carp corner, with no chance of a move till Sunday...thanks..But no thanks! It’s just not for me anymore.
The decision to move on to this mass expanse of water came about from a couple of strokes of luck..Firstly, catching my 2 targets from carthagena, the peach at 28lb in January, then the mint common at 38 on the opening night this year. Happy does not really do justice to how good I felt.
The Peach 28lb
The Mint 38lb 14oz
The second stroke of luck, came about from me actually finding a bait that ticks all the boxes that I look for in a bait, I took the plunge and contacted dean at UCN, after a few e mails, I was crawling along the M25 to meet maple with my first 20k of spicezyme, a normal 20 minute journey turned into a 2hr trip back! Bloody M25!!! Now Ive always changed baits, blimey, if it’s a boilie, and its available in frozen, ive used it, In the words of jerry Hammond, you’re a nutter keeping on changing m8, but that’s what I was like, as far as im concerned, if I find em, and there half interested in feeding, and I watch them long enough, with out rushing in and dropping a rig on there heads, ive always felt confident in catching my prey, it’s the way I like to fish, something that id forgotton all about 3 years ago, when I was on horton and I jumped on the bandwagon of filling a spot in with 5 kilo of hemp and a few boilies, now a few lads caught, and caught well, me, well I did 91 blank nights! Lesson learnt, stick to what you know, and you’ll be ok in the end, I’d been using a very soft bait since the winter and was doing really well, so after some enquiries, and some homework on the internet, I decide on the UCN, Yes I know you told me ages ago Mr Howard to get on it, but I’m stubborn…note to self, listen to steve when he says get on something.
Armed with a few kilo, after filling up my brothers freezer, I was on my way back to carthagena for another overnighter before work. Back in my favourite swim, I quickly found my spots, launched 2 hookbaits into the night air, Thud!!! Lovelly jubbly, on the money. A few baits were scattered around with the catty, and I retired to the bivvy, a really good westerly was blowing straight at me, the first good wind for at least a fortnight, so I went to sleep with a stupid grin on my face, new bait, new wind, the carp don’t stand a chance! 2am an absolute one toner resulted in a cracking old common that went 26lb, superb!
After a quick re bait the rig was under armed to a margin spot, not back where I’d just had the fish from, the reason for this was that the remaining rod was only about 10yds away from the take spot, I’ve always fished like this, and if I do get a fish in the night, that rod then goes back onto a new spot, it may have cost me multiple catches, but I know for sure I’ve had a few by doing this as well.
2 massive bream of nearly 12lb turned up shortly afterwards, one of each spot, so I decided in the rain at 3am, that I would put both rods out on there original spots, 4.30am a slow take, the result was a repeat of a lovely scaley fish, at just under 20, and just as I was packing up, as usual I was late!, I was away again, this one went mental, from start to Finnish, big powerful surges, followed by sitting in the weed, not wanting to budge..Bloody thing! Any way, eventually she came within 20yrds of the bank, it looked like a mid 20 common, then it did something I have never seen before, and jumped, and I mean jumped straight into the reed bed next to me, I just burst out laughing….then the hook pulled! Blast!! Or words to that effect.
first one on the UCN!
SO after a good night on the new bait, I was ready to tackle the big pit
So at 120acres, and hardly any fish, it is going to be a proper challenge, no boating allowed, no wading oh yeah did I mention no parking, the nearest place to park is a good 20 minutes to the edge of the water, and u don’t want to fish here, why, cos it’s about 30 foot deep!
30 foot deep!!!
I set out on Friday 27th all keen, and ready to start the challenge, at 7.30pm soaked in sweat I was beginning to think I was mad, well I knew I was, but hey ho, just think if I manage to nail one of them Mirrors, confidence restored, I was on the march, well not a march, but a crawl really, I don’t do walking!
30 minutes later and I’m a 3rd of the way round, big south westerly blowing straight at me, this’ll do for me I thought, I can sit up all night and just watch the water, now in theory, and its been written many times, I should have approached this water totally differently, what I should have done, and I still might, is just keep walking, and walking with a marker and do all the work then, but oh no not me, when I do something, I do tend to do it wrong at the start, plus, if I was walking round with just a marker, and I saw a fish, I would have no tackle on me to land it, ever the optimist me.
First Night Home
So the swim was found, and my home for the night was found, I fell to the floor, Id like to say, and jazz it all up a bit and say that I deposited the marker into the bloo abyss and began markering, but that would be lying…I was KNACKERED!!!!! So after a lovely soothing 1/2 litre of ice, Id left the Evian bottle in the freezer a bit too long, but god did it taste sweet now.. just one more fag, and I’ll cast out…. 30 minutes later, I’m ready to go, wind the marker up, line up with the tree, that is about a mile away, and whack! A pretty impressive cast of 130yds, how can I be so accurate u ask, well I’d left the line in the clip from when I was on stanstead abbotts the week before, and we know that that particular spot is bang on 130yds, ooops, must remember to check next time. Pop the float up, which took an age, well another fag anyway, wind it back down again, I felt the lead, then began to find an accurate depth….26 feet…what the….never mind I thought, and began dragging the marker back, till I found something carpy….22 feet..sod this!….this went on for nearly a hr and a half..Then luck! A lovely hump, only 10 foot deep, with 18’s and 20’s all round…carpy!
Rods out..time for tea!
A few marginal snags
2 rods, baited with the criticals Dean had rolled me, gluged in the E, god it bloody stinks! Were dispatched the 95yds, donk from the left rod, donk from the second…splendid, that’ll do…I sat there for a minute feeling very confident…I know, what a plum, I mean, first night on, 1 spot, 95yds out, in 120 acres. What chance did I have, none really, it was getting late, and I’d been cut to pieces by the thorns and brambles that grow everywhere on this pit, I didn’t sleep at all that night, I was major buzzing, then it happened! At 6.45am The neville bleeped, the bobin pulled up tight, and the line pulled out of the clip, I jumped up and struck, and all went solid…but alas a carp wasn’t responsible….just a massive moving weed bed, that was the size of my 307 peugot… I didn’t re cast the rod, instead I took a few pictures, and made a few notes. It was now 7am, I wanted to be away by 9, then back over at 12 to walk about, and hopefully stumble across a carp.
Gin Clear Water
My first night on this magical place had been and gone, I was cut to pieces, I’d smoked far too many fags, drunk nearly a whole box of twinnings, and my spare emergency jaffa cakes had taken a hit, and none of them survived, god I love them! But I knew I’d be back, there wasn’t another sole on that first night, just little old me, all on my own, just me and my dreams of lovelly old carp…. The date was the 28th of June, and the games had begun…COME ON AV ITTTTT!!!!!!
I'll Be Back!
|
JAFFA
|
Great write up Tony and some stunning pics fella. Good luck on the new water and good choice for bait buddy  
kind regards Jeff
|
The Carpinator
|
wicked write up and pics
|
neil_hubber
|
keep this up Tony it should be compulsive reading mate...
91 nights  
|
NOSEY WIFE
|
What a cracking read nice one tony well done a superb write up and pics 
|
bigkipper
|
that was a good read tony, i enjoyed that mate.
|
maple
|
nice one tony ,i look forword to reading about your new adventure
|
Ghost
|
Reading about waters and dreams like this are the best!
|
TonyM
|
many thanks for all yoour kind remarks, should have been back down last week, but my car decided to throw a apanner in the works and go and die on me, but alls not lost, new car arriving soon and I'll be back angling again....watch out carp...I'm coming for you!!!!
|
Nat
|
Great write up and some cracking photos - well done
|
Mrmoo
|
Hurry up,i wanna read some more geezer!!!!!!! 
|
neil_hubber
|
you lost interest tony? you were making me think about starting a little blog...
|
Ghost
|
Soon as I seen this thread light up.. so did i !!
I was expecting to read more of your adventure, and cannot wait!!
Please Tony, what’s the latest? 
Hope you back on the road and back on the bank. ?
|
TonyM
|
Havn't been back to the ocean yet, There was a lot of people drop there tickets this year, so all the new members are very keen at the minute, So i will leave it with them and go back when it's quiet.
As for my own angling, Ive been away to wavney valley for a fortnight with my kids, write up to come soon, but for now Ive turned my efforts back onto Stanstead Abbotts, 2 overnighters, reccie missions really, and Ive lost a good un, and landed a lovelly 24lb common this morning, again write up and pics to come soon....all fish coming to UCN bait..they love it!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|