Daiwa Fishing Tackle and Fishing Equipment
Monday, 27 February 2012
The best places for sea fishing in East of England, Part Two
When I arrived, I thought to myself how much the beach has changed since I was here last. The groynes used to be uncovered with the sea running by them, but now they are all but buried, and during low water they are 50 yards away from the edge of the sea. Still, this would fare well for the summertime as lots of holiday-makers visit here for the high quality of the beach and will get a surprise when they see how big it has become.
The main reason for the sand accumulating here is the new outer-harbour at Yarmouth, which just out hundreds of meters and has changed the flow of the tide for a large part of the coast. Some beaches have lost ground whereas others have gained – it is the laws of nature, plus a helping hand from man on this occasion.
I unpacked my sea fishing equipment, my sea fishing rod and my other sea fishing tackle. It was a whiting onslaught once again, only they were a much better size than at Sea Palling. Every cast produced a fish, plus a shed load of weed. Nevertheless, I stuck it out until my arms were hurting with having to haul in several pounds of weed a cast. I decided enough was enough, so I cut the trip short and spent the rest of the day working out a third plan.
Back at the beach house in Sea Palling, I knew that my last chance would be to have a crack at night because daytime had certainly been a failure. But the dilemma was where to go. It was late afternoon as I downed the dregs of a large scotch while pondering my options. As I was putting on my sea fishing clothing it dawned on me that the warming snifter had in fact made my decisions for me. There was no way I could get behind the wheel in search of new pastures – so it was back onto Sea Palling Beach.
As fate would have it, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I unpacked my fishing equipment and my sea fishing rod. The tide turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The tide was well on its way down, darkness was only an hour or so away and suddenly I had the feeling that I was going to catch a cod.
I set up my sea fishing equipment at the same place where I had started my fishing experience, actually, my footprints were still in the sand and so were the marking from my sea fishing rod pod. The first cast produced a codling of about 2lb to prove my gut instincts were spot-on. This came just before low water and I was made up. I now had a good while before the tide turned and started to push again. I knew I could catch some whiting in this slack water period, so I played with the three-hook flapper again to keep myself amused. After lots of the pesky little whiting, the tide began to move once more, so I sent out my sea fishing tackle to just beyond the sand bar. This cast produced another codling of identical size, making me imagine there could be a reasonable one lurking offshore, but even if my assumptions were right, the whiting returned with a vengeance, pecking at every bait I cast in. but I didn’t care because I had achieved my goal.
After a couple of hours I decided to try live bait tactic again, but no more codling appeared, which made me wonder whether the whiting were keeping the cod off the bait, or if the two fish I had beached had been lost. Still, it was just a great feeling being home again like the old days when I lived by the sea. I had enjoyed three days of sand, sea and fishing. Also, the pair of codling had been hard fished for, which made the catch all the more satisfying.
It was becoming cold, damp and I had my fun. My sea fishing clothing kept me warm throughout the night but the time has come. There was also a drop of whisky left waiting in the house. A perfect way to end a satisfying trip.
The best places for sea fishing in East of England, Part One
Sea Palling is a charming little coastal village very popular with so many tourists as well as fishermen. This village lies between Waxham and Eccles –On-Sea and has always been under the threat from sea and had a bit of a violent history.
Part of Sea Palling disappeared under the waves together with its church and the large estate of Gelham Hall. One of the earliest accounts was written by John of Oxendes, a monk at nearby St. Benet's Abbey, in which he relates the destruction brought by the great storm of 1287" .. the sea, agitated by the violence of the wind, burst through its accustomed limits, occupying towns, fields and other places adjacent to the coast .... it suffocated and drowned men and women sleeping in their beds, with infants in their cradles .... and it tore up houses from their foundations, with all they contained and threw them into the sea with irrevocable damage".
Several more incursions occurred over the centuries and by 1604 the neighbouring village had also lost 56 houses and over 900 acres of land. Just 3 years later Sea Palling's defences were breached one more time as well as the neighbouring Waxham was flooded in 1655 and 1741 also taking away the first local sea fishing tackle uk shop. Lack of proper maintenance of the dunes led to continuous breaches and it was not until the 19th century that a programme of sea defence work was started. The great storm of 31 January 1953 took the lives of 7 Sea Palling villagers - part of the 100 who perished in Norfolk alone. (A memorial plaque is in St Margaret's Church). Following this tragedy the sea wall was extended in 1986 and in 1995 the Environment Agency undertook a multi-million pound project erecting nine barrier reefs.
I have always found the sea angling easy at Sea Palling and I hoped that this time was also going to be a nice experience for me. Last time I was here, I remember standing on top of a sand dune totally captivated by the sight of massive waves surged over the 12 feet high concrete defence wall. It was an incredible spectacle to witness. It was a one-off experience but one I may yet relive as sea levels rise.
My latest trip was a three-day stint and I arrived at my haven armed with some cracking bait bought from the Angling Direct sea fishing tackle UK in Norwich, Norfolk. The shop supplied me with some massive gutted black lug – the size of which I haven’t seen in ages, along with some common lug and unwashed squid. These baits are perfect for cod along the East Anglia coast. It is hard to come by a good sea fishing shops in UK, this is why I like Angling Direct they always have a good selection of products and helpful staff. I also like to get my sea fishing tackle online.
For this session my plan is to fish an afternoon session followed by two days at the shoreline. Hopefully all this effort should result in a good size cod being caught.
The trick to success when sea fishing is to find the right casting place, and this is precisely what I like about Sea Palling as its full of such places.
I have used the same routine here ever since I first cast a line of its beach. I park up and immediately rush over the sand dune to observe the sea conditions, as well as looking for the position of any sand bars by spotting waves becoming bigger as they pass over the shallower water and the holes will show as calm, flat areas. I can also gauge the stage at which the tide is at without referring to a tide time line. I soon found what I was after – the end of a sand bar leading into a hole where sea fishing tackle would certainly gather. This was where I would fish.
Previously I have caught on all stages of the tide here, although I do prefer the second half of the flood until the second half of the receding tide, so I would start my quest straight away and get my sea fishing rods unpacked.
For some unknown to me reason, I always seen to set up my sea fishing gear here faster than anywhere else. Maybe it’s because I feel really focused when I am here.
When sea fishing, I like to start as far out as possible to find the deeper water. In order to achieve great distance I use a single clipped-down paternoster with 3/0 hooks, loaded with black lug, and a flat-back lead to tow it out. A Daiwa 7th turbo, loaded with 15lb Ultima Powertseel and 80lb shock-leader, strapped to a couple of Century Tip Tornado Super Sport sea fishing rods, made my life easy to achieve this distance.
I had a second sea rod ready for close-range sea fishing, in a gulley on the inside of the sand bar, which had a three-hook flapper baited with common lug to search out any smaller stuff. To assist me, I used size one hooks as a pyramid lead from Gareth’s Weights. These sinkers are great in slow to medium tide runs, as they can hold out sufficiently and can also be easily moved, by raising the rod tip or cranking the reel handle, when it can trot for a bit then settle again. This is ideal for covering plenty of ground. You can probably find them in any of your local sea fishing shops or you can get find them in any sea fishing tackle online shop.
The long range sea rod was showing no signs of movement, but the close one suddenly started to rattle pretty much straight away. I knew this was a whiting, although I was hoping it might just be a dab as I fancied a one of those for my diner. But when a double shot of whiting broke surface I feared the worst. It was a nice sight, but I really wanted something bigger. With these little fellas in abundance my one hope was that large cod would be homing in to feed on them. That is when I noticed the long rod’s tip twitch – defiantly a whiting - so I left it out there as live bait.
Sadly nothing took the live bait and, after an hour or so, I decided it was time to reel in. the hooked whiting was fine and swam away; unaware it had been the unwilling bait for much larger prey.
Meanwhile, the three-hook setup had got me dozens of pin whiting. The tide had turned and way on its way out, which meant I would give it at least three more hours, maybe the better fish might show on the ebb.
But only whiting were interested in my offering, so it was time to call it a day. Instinct told me that the codling simply weren’t here, so contingency plan was in order.
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
Anglers guide to Norfolk carp lakes, Part 3
The next week the wind was due to blow southerly which would be perfect for fishing in the other corner of the lake. I decided to stock up on some cheap fishing tackle and go down to the lake the day before I was going to fish just to put down a couple of kilograms of boilies in the margin. When I turned up the next day after work, the wind was blowing in there nicely and the bait was completely gone. I flicked my rod out to silty spot that was two rod length out at the bottom of the marginal shelf, baiting with one kilogram of carp fishing tackle.
The rod was down for less than an hour when it tore off. I slid down the bank and picked it up; it was bending right round the rest. The fish didn’t really do much, just a few short, fast runs before rolling on the surface, where I could see it was a good-sized common. I left it in the net and rang Dave who promised to come down to take pictures. Some 15 minutes after Dave turned up with his fancy camera and started to take pictures. We took the fish out of water and weighted it. It was the Big Common, in immaculate condition, and weighing 39lb 14oz.
During the week leading up to my annual leave I started priming up a second spot in that swim. About 20 yards to the left there were a couple of humps and over the course of the week I baited a couple of times with some cheap fishing tackle. I knew that no-one had fished there before because it was impossible to cast.
The day I fished it I removed the branches that prevented casting. I arrived at first light and had my carp rods out by 8am. The wind was blowing a hooligan and I took shelter under my fishing brolly. The air felt quite dump so it was a good job I had my diem clothing on to keep me warm. I drifted off to sleep, waking to a screaming take from the new spot. The rain was pelting down at this point, but this fish fought doggedly, staying deep and ensuring that I got pretty wet. Slipping the net under it I could see that it was a big, chunky mirror, definitely not the 28 pounder caught last year. I rang Dave and he came over to take the photos. On lifting the net out of the water I couldn’t believe how heavy it was. The big mirror weighed in at 41lb 10oz. Incredible.
The next day the weather improved, turning warm and sunny. At least it gave me an opportunity to dry up my fishing gear and my diem clothing. I looked at the water and could see that the bait had all been eaten. I baited the water again with some carp and sea fishing tackle again and settled down for another night. I had to be up early to go to work the next day. With five minutes until I really had to be off I dragged myself out of bed. I couldn’t see the rods from my bed chair and as I went to reel in I noticed that the left-hand rod had been pulled off the buzzer. The line was still in the rest. Fishing round to the left, the rod must have jumped off on the take. I picked it up and the line was going out into the lake towards a weed bed 40yards out. It felt solid initially, but as I applied a bit more pressure I felt a kick from the fish as it popped out of the weed. I played it in the bright morning sunshine and a few yards out I could see that it was the one that I wanted – the one with the very distinctive tail. I could hardly believe how lucky I was to catch him. I safely netted this beauty, but did not have much time to celebrate as I was running really late for work. I had to quickly pack up my gear and started to make a move.
The next week my leave had started and I was going to go back down to the lake for three days. So I got my gear ready, stocked up on some carp fishing tackle, wore my best diem clothing and left. I had fish all over me, but they just cruised over the bait, reluctant to go down. They were obviously wary and I think that area had blown.
On the last morning I saw a fish jump in the far corner of the lake. I had been keeping the sea and carp fishing tackle going in there so I went to investigate. From the tree I could see the Big Common and a Crinkle Tail. They were going down and eating the tackle before swimming 20 yards out and then returning for more. I have seen that on a number of occasions on different lakes, where fish do not show over the spot they are feeding on. I filled in the area with a bucket of hemp, about three kilograms of boilies and some other cheap tackle before leaving.
Two days later I was back for another three days session. I turned up at dusk and got my rod out on the spot that I had baited heavily. A couple of fish rolled closely by in the night and once again I was woken in the morning by the sound of my bite alarm screaming. It was another Big Common. It fought hard. I knew it was going to be over 40 lb. And it was. 40lb 02oz. It was stunning.
That was the last time I fished in that lake. Five bites in ten nights was a pretty good result and I knew that I would probably just keep catching the same once over again, so it is time to leave them carp in peace.
The rod was down for less than an hour when it tore off. I slid down the bank and picked it up; it was bending right round the rest. The fish didn’t really do much, just a few short, fast runs before rolling on the surface, where I could see it was a good-sized common. I left it in the net and rang Dave who promised to come down to take pictures. Some 15 minutes after Dave turned up with his fancy camera and started to take pictures. We took the fish out of water and weighted it. It was the Big Common, in immaculate condition, and weighing 39lb 14oz.
During the week leading up to my annual leave I started priming up a second spot in that swim. About 20 yards to the left there were a couple of humps and over the course of the week I baited a couple of times with some cheap fishing tackle. I knew that no-one had fished there before because it was impossible to cast.
The day I fished it I removed the branches that prevented casting. I arrived at first light and had my carp rods out by 8am. The wind was blowing a hooligan and I took shelter under my fishing brolly. The air felt quite dump so it was a good job I had my diem clothing on to keep me warm. I drifted off to sleep, waking to a screaming take from the new spot. The rain was pelting down at this point, but this fish fought doggedly, staying deep and ensuring that I got pretty wet. Slipping the net under it I could see that it was a big, chunky mirror, definitely not the 28 pounder caught last year. I rang Dave and he came over to take the photos. On lifting the net out of the water I couldn’t believe how heavy it was. The big mirror weighed in at 41lb 10oz. Incredible.
The next day the weather improved, turning warm and sunny. At least it gave me an opportunity to dry up my fishing gear and my diem clothing. I looked at the water and could see that the bait had all been eaten. I baited the water again with some carp and sea fishing tackle again and settled down for another night. I had to be up early to go to work the next day. With five minutes until I really had to be off I dragged myself out of bed. I couldn’t see the rods from my bed chair and as I went to reel in I noticed that the left-hand rod had been pulled off the buzzer. The line was still in the rest. Fishing round to the left, the rod must have jumped off on the take. I picked it up and the line was going out into the lake towards a weed bed 40yards out. It felt solid initially, but as I applied a bit more pressure I felt a kick from the fish as it popped out of the weed. I played it in the bright morning sunshine and a few yards out I could see that it was the one that I wanted – the one with the very distinctive tail. I could hardly believe how lucky I was to catch him. I safely netted this beauty, but did not have much time to celebrate as I was running really late for work. I had to quickly pack up my gear and started to make a move.
The next week my leave had started and I was going to go back down to the lake for three days. So I got my gear ready, stocked up on some carp fishing tackle, wore my best diem clothing and left. I had fish all over me, but they just cruised over the bait, reluctant to go down. They were obviously wary and I think that area had blown.
On the last morning I saw a fish jump in the far corner of the lake. I had been keeping the sea and carp fishing tackle going in there so I went to investigate. From the tree I could see the Big Common and a Crinkle Tail. They were going down and eating the tackle before swimming 20 yards out and then returning for more. I have seen that on a number of occasions on different lakes, where fish do not show over the spot they are feeding on. I filled in the area with a bucket of hemp, about three kilograms of boilies and some other cheap tackle before leaving.
Two days later I was back for another three days session. I turned up at dusk and got my rod out on the spot that I had baited heavily. A couple of fish rolled closely by in the night and once again I was woken in the morning by the sound of my bite alarm screaming. It was another Big Common. It fought hard. I knew it was going to be over 40 lb. And it was. 40lb 02oz. It was stunning.
That was the last time I fished in that lake. Five bites in ten nights was a pretty good result and I knew that I would probably just keep catching the same once over again, so it is time to leave them carp in peace.
Anglers guide to Norfolk carp lakes, Part 2
The time came to February 1st. The weather was forecast to go over the 12 degrees during the day. That morning, at the first light, I went over to the lake. Even though the sun was out, I could still feel a hint of frost in the morning air. It is going to take me a while to worm up. I have taken my fishing bivvy and my winter sleeping bag with me to keep me warm and my fishing umbrella just in case it is going to rain.
Once I got to the lake, I spent the morning walking around, climbed a few trees and watched the water. At around mid-day it finally started to get warmer. The wind had also picked up and was blowing into the area where we had seen the large fish in the autumn. Somehow I knew that the fish would eventually turn up there, so I sat up a tree with a decent view and waited. I could see a small, clear area in the weed just off the reed line. I had some boilies in my pocket and some left overs bits of my sea fishing tackle so I dropped a handful on that spot hopping that I would see if any fish would show up to feed. I sat there for a couple of hours without seeing any fish. Rather disappointed, I decided to do another lap of the lake and maybe then unpack my carp rods and may be start setting up my fishing bivvy for the night.
When I returned and climbed back up the tree, within 10 minutes an orange coloured fish loomed into the baited area. Not long after, two more fish came in and one of them defiantly went down. It came up off the bottom and, as it swam towards me, I could see its white lips moving as it chewed my boilies and leftover bits of my sea fishing tackle. This was looking good for a bite. I started to get my carp rods unpacked. So all I need to do now is set up my bivvy and get my umbrella out and I will be good to go.
My kit is out and fully set up. Armed with my carp rods I squeezed myself in the trees. The swim was really tight and I had to wade out to cast. I flicked the rod out a few times but it was solid weed. I knew that there was a small, clear spot and finally the lead cracked down, right next to a single reed stem. This made a handy marker for baiting up. Despite the slight warmth of the day, it went really cold that night – well down to freezing. Because the lake is out of the way I made a small fire to keep myself warm and cook my dinner. It was really very pleasant, a type of angling that I enjoy more and more. I went to bed happy but not overly confident of action.
I woke to the sound of the buzzer of my bite alarm. My carp rods was placed in the margins and I had to run through deep mud and water to get to it. I picked it up and played the fish, which didn’t fight particularly hard. I wasn’t even sure that it was a carp at first. It rolled at the net and I saw a flash of scales. Not knowing what else was in there, apart from the commons, I was certain that it was the fish which I had earlier seen feeding on the bait. I called Dave and asked him to come over and take some picture of me and the fish. I waded out where I had staked out the net and rolled up the mesh to lift it out. At this point I hadn’t really looked at the fish, and as I lifted it I realised that it was bigger than I first thought. I will never forget that first look at it on the mat. Both Dave and I were blown away – it looked absolutely prehistoric. It was the most gorgeous, scaly carp, the like of which are not generally found in Norfolk. Weighing 33 lb 8oz, it was not the biggest carp that I had ever caught, but who cares when they look like that.
I had work the next day. But decided to do another night and pack up early in the morning. After all, my fishing bivvy and my sleeping bag kept me really warm so I will have no trouble staying another night.
That night there was a mixture of rain, sleet and snow. It is a good job that I was not travelling light. I had to get out a couple of time to check on my bite alarm so it was a good job I had my fishing umbrella with me in such terrible weather. At first light I decided to start packing up my kit. The water and the air felt absolutely freezing. Joking aside, my feet were so cold that I really thought I might get frostbite. The only thing around me that was dry was sleeping bag. So I took it off the bed chair and put my feet inside it to keep them worm. I looked at my watch and realised that it was time to go.
Once I got to the lake, I spent the morning walking around, climbed a few trees and watched the water. At around mid-day it finally started to get warmer. The wind had also picked up and was blowing into the area where we had seen the large fish in the autumn. Somehow I knew that the fish would eventually turn up there, so I sat up a tree with a decent view and waited. I could see a small, clear area in the weed just off the reed line. I had some boilies in my pocket and some left overs bits of my sea fishing tackle so I dropped a handful on that spot hopping that I would see if any fish would show up to feed. I sat there for a couple of hours without seeing any fish. Rather disappointed, I decided to do another lap of the lake and maybe then unpack my carp rods and may be start setting up my fishing bivvy for the night.
When I returned and climbed back up the tree, within 10 minutes an orange coloured fish loomed into the baited area. Not long after, two more fish came in and one of them defiantly went down. It came up off the bottom and, as it swam towards me, I could see its white lips moving as it chewed my boilies and leftover bits of my sea fishing tackle. This was looking good for a bite. I started to get my carp rods unpacked. So all I need to do now is set up my bivvy and get my umbrella out and I will be good to go.
My kit is out and fully set up. Armed with my carp rods I squeezed myself in the trees. The swim was really tight and I had to wade out to cast. I flicked the rod out a few times but it was solid weed. I knew that there was a small, clear spot and finally the lead cracked down, right next to a single reed stem. This made a handy marker for baiting up. Despite the slight warmth of the day, it went really cold that night – well down to freezing. Because the lake is out of the way I made a small fire to keep myself warm and cook my dinner. It was really very pleasant, a type of angling that I enjoy more and more. I went to bed happy but not overly confident of action.
I woke to the sound of the buzzer of my bite alarm. My carp rods was placed in the margins and I had to run through deep mud and water to get to it. I picked it up and played the fish, which didn’t fight particularly hard. I wasn’t even sure that it was a carp at first. It rolled at the net and I saw a flash of scales. Not knowing what else was in there, apart from the commons, I was certain that it was the fish which I had earlier seen feeding on the bait. I called Dave and asked him to come over and take some picture of me and the fish. I waded out where I had staked out the net and rolled up the mesh to lift it out. At this point I hadn’t really looked at the fish, and as I lifted it I realised that it was bigger than I first thought. I will never forget that first look at it on the mat. Both Dave and I were blown away – it looked absolutely prehistoric. It was the most gorgeous, scaly carp, the like of which are not generally found in Norfolk. Weighing 33 lb 8oz, it was not the biggest carp that I had ever caught, but who cares when they look like that.
I had work the next day. But decided to do another night and pack up early in the morning. After all, my fishing bivvy and my sleeping bag kept me really warm so I will have no trouble staying another night.
That night there was a mixture of rain, sleet and snow. It is a good job that I was not travelling light. I had to get out a couple of time to check on my bite alarm so it was a good job I had my fishing umbrella with me in such terrible weather. At first light I decided to start packing up my kit. The water and the air felt absolutely freezing. Joking aside, my feet were so cold that I really thought I might get frostbite. The only thing around me that was dry was sleeping bag. So I took it off the bed chair and put my feet inside it to keep them worm. I looked at my watch and realised that it was time to go.
Anglers guide to Norfolk carp lakes, Part 1
Every carp angler is dreaming of finding an unfished pit containing uncaught carp. Do they really exist? After finishing on the Felthorpe Lake for a long while I started looking around Norfolk for a quieter pit. I really enjoy lakes where the stock is a bit of a mystery, and always wanted to find a nice place which did not see many anglers, the kind of place which is rarely talked about.
This lake came to my attention through a recommendation from a very good friend, Dave, who works for a fishing fishing tackle wholesale shop. He overheard one of his customers talking about this charming little lake in the south corner of Norfolk which was very quiet and untouched by anglers. After a long talk and some discount on fishing tackle, Dave found out the exact location of this lake and we decided to go investigate.
Not being open to fishing, the lake was overgrown without any proper swims. In order not to draw attention to it we would have to be discreet. We have walked around it a few times and thought that it looked carpy. Dave had seen a couple of fish there which got him very intrigued. He decided to stock up on some carp fishing tackle at his wholesale shop and have a go for them fish the following weekend.
The weather was quite good. The days were still warm but the night were just starting to get a little bit chilly. He did a single night at the lake in his waterline nerus beach shelter and caught a 28 lb mirror. However, what was most interesting was that he had seen eight fish that day. He recognised the one that he had caught and it looked liked it was the smallest of the bunch. He decided to give it a proper go again the following weekend and I left him to it, planning to start fishing myself in spring 2012.
A couple of month had passed. On a hot day in October 2011 we had a good mooch around the lake and climbed a few trees. The lake was not particularly snaggy, but there was one spot that caught the sun in the afternoon. Peering through the crystal clean water there was a couple of cleaner looking spots on the bottom among the prolific weed growth. As we made our way a bit further round, we stumbled across carp sunning themselves in a whole in the weed – two commons and a mirror. All three were lumps, the smallest one of three looked to be at least 35 lb. The largest, a common, looked to be around a 40 lb mark.
Dave stocked up on some carp fishing tackle at his fishing tackle wholesale shop and again did a couple of nights at the lake later that week. All went well as he duly banked a brace of commons. He rang and asked me to come over and take some photos. When I turned up, he was sitting in his waterline nerus beach shelter with a huge grin on his face. He had a good session. The first carp was huge - probably just under 38 lb. But the one that impressed me the most was the smaller of the two, which was 36 lb. It had a small head and fins and was a silvery blue colour with a very distinctive tail. At that point I was thinking that it was going to be my target for the spring. I was not bothers by the fact that there were only going to be a handful of carp in the lake and was very confident that armed with good carp fishing tackle I would have a good chance of catching the one a wanted. I decided to do a couple of day sessions, mainly to plump around and open up a couple areas from which to fish.
Come January, my campaign began early. We weather was surprisingly warm for this time of years so I decided to give the lake a try. Armed with some discount fishing tackle I got on January sale at Dave's fishing tackle wholesale store I was ready for action. But before I could even start I had to prep the area with some bait.
I had arranged my work schedule so that I had enough time to do what I had to do. About 3 times a week I was putting the bait in my rucksack, drive to the lake, park up in the residential area and jog over a couple of field, all before work. Initially, I didn’t bait the lake in any particular area. I was spreading boilies in all the corners and out into the lake. I just wanted the fish to get a taste for the bait. I did this three times a week, giving out between 1 and 2 kilograms of boilies at the time. It is a good job that I stocked up on that discount fishing tackle at Dave's tackle shop as I was going through a lot of stuff. A couple of weeks later, I decided to target two main spots at either end of the lake. One at the end of the south-westerly wind and the other on the easterly. The first was the corner where Dave caught the fish last time, and the other is where we had seen the big fish sunbathing last year. I began to put hemp out to try and clear the spots as both were in the margins surrounded by thick weed and pretty visible. I wanted to be able to see what was going on. This baiting went on for about a month, and although I had not seen any fish yet, the spots were being cleaned. My first session was planned for February 1st. I hope for some good weather.
This lake came to my attention through a recommendation from a very good friend, Dave, who works for a fishing fishing tackle wholesale shop. He overheard one of his customers talking about this charming little lake in the south corner of Norfolk which was very quiet and untouched by anglers. After a long talk and some discount on fishing tackle, Dave found out the exact location of this lake and we decided to go investigate.
Not being open to fishing, the lake was overgrown without any proper swims. In order not to draw attention to it we would have to be discreet. We have walked around it a few times and thought that it looked carpy. Dave had seen a couple of fish there which got him very intrigued. He decided to stock up on some carp fishing tackle at his wholesale shop and have a go for them fish the following weekend.
The weather was quite good. The days were still warm but the night were just starting to get a little bit chilly. He did a single night at the lake in his waterline nerus beach shelter and caught a 28 lb mirror. However, what was most interesting was that he had seen eight fish that day. He recognised the one that he had caught and it looked liked it was the smallest of the bunch. He decided to give it a proper go again the following weekend and I left him to it, planning to start fishing myself in spring 2012.
A couple of month had passed. On a hot day in October 2011 we had a good mooch around the lake and climbed a few trees. The lake was not particularly snaggy, but there was one spot that caught the sun in the afternoon. Peering through the crystal clean water there was a couple of cleaner looking spots on the bottom among the prolific weed growth. As we made our way a bit further round, we stumbled across carp sunning themselves in a whole in the weed – two commons and a mirror. All three were lumps, the smallest one of three looked to be at least 35 lb. The largest, a common, looked to be around a 40 lb mark.
Dave stocked up on some carp fishing tackle at his fishing tackle wholesale shop and again did a couple of nights at the lake later that week. All went well as he duly banked a brace of commons. He rang and asked me to come over and take some photos. When I turned up, he was sitting in his waterline nerus beach shelter with a huge grin on his face. He had a good session. The first carp was huge - probably just under 38 lb. But the one that impressed me the most was the smaller of the two, which was 36 lb. It had a small head and fins and was a silvery blue colour with a very distinctive tail. At that point I was thinking that it was going to be my target for the spring. I was not bothers by the fact that there were only going to be a handful of carp in the lake and was very confident that armed with good carp fishing tackle I would have a good chance of catching the one a wanted. I decided to do a couple of day sessions, mainly to plump around and open up a couple areas from which to fish.
Come January, my campaign began early. We weather was surprisingly warm for this time of years so I decided to give the lake a try. Armed with some discount fishing tackle I got on January sale at Dave's fishing tackle wholesale store I was ready for action. But before I could even start I had to prep the area with some bait.
I had arranged my work schedule so that I had enough time to do what I had to do. About 3 times a week I was putting the bait in my rucksack, drive to the lake, park up in the residential area and jog over a couple of field, all before work. Initially, I didn’t bait the lake in any particular area. I was spreading boilies in all the corners and out into the lake. I just wanted the fish to get a taste for the bait. I did this three times a week, giving out between 1 and 2 kilograms of boilies at the time. It is a good job that I stocked up on that discount fishing tackle at Dave's tackle shop as I was going through a lot of stuff. A couple of weeks later, I decided to target two main spots at either end of the lake. One at the end of the south-westerly wind and the other on the easterly. The first was the corner where Dave caught the fish last time, and the other is where we had seen the big fish sunbathing last year. I began to put hemp out to try and clear the spots as both were in the margins surrounded by thick weed and pretty visible. I wanted to be able to see what was going on. This baiting went on for about a month, and although I had not seen any fish yet, the spots were being cleaned. My first session was planned for February 1st. I hope for some good weather.
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