Darrens Thoughts

  More Mobility and More Effort

I had arrived with 4 days fishing, my longest UK session for about 6 years. A quick walk around Clover Lake, and after looking for likely signs I settled in what I thought was my best bet for the night ahead. A couple of trial casts later I had found some spots I was happy with, followed by about 25 home made boilies round each rod.

Dusk was here, and I received a few liners, 2 hours later I had a quick take, with resulted in a 14lb 2oz common. Now a hot and bright dawn changed the atmosphere of the lake. What fish I spotted, were in two’s and three’s and high in the water, I had also left all my proper floater gear at home in Kent this session ( bad angling by me ) and it was beginning to look like they may spawn in the next few weeks or so, weather permitting. After a few cups of tea, I was surveying the water and a nice mid twenty swam careless under my rod tips, it was now mid morning when the right hand rod just on the bottom of the marginal shelf slowly rattled off, resulting in a nice common weighing 20lb 14oz common.

 That was it for this area, so I wound In, went to the car, got my bait making gear and carefully knocked up 2 x 4 egg mixes, with consisted of my own homemade top quality fishmeal base mix, with Salmon oil and low level flavours. All done and drying off on an old carp sack. Safely out of the reach of the swans and other birdlife.

Now I could have been lazy, and stayed put and ‘chucked ‘em back out’ but I sensed that this swim was not the swim to be in.

I went for a quick walk around Clover with the Polaroid’s. Great, found a small group of fish right in the edge, confident and occasionally up ending, including a nice dumpy linear, and a lovely fully scaled, both around 16-17lbs, the rest were commons.

I watched them for 15 minutes or so, and then went back to my swim. Bare essentials in the rucksack, landing net, 2 rods, and an unhooking m

Adrenaline was now knocking in, nearly there. I kept thinking 1 hour in the RIGHT Place is better than 48 hours in the wrong one. Quietly take the rucksack off, prepare well back from the edge, now the tricky bit – waiting for the window of opportunity for the fish to move off naturally without spooking, so I could lower the rigs in.

My left rod was under the bank, and the right hand rod about 2 feet out, both lines really limp off the tips, rods laid on the floor with the clutches loosened. I broke up a few boilies and bit by bit dropped them on the spot.

I had one fish up end on the spot in between the hook baits, but moved off. Minutes later, I had 4 fish start spawning up and over my lines, then came out of the water and one of the commons hit my rod tip lying in the grass on the bank and carried on.

Five minutes later, I had another 2 fish feeding on the spot, this time a couple of feet further out. Once they had moved off, I relowered the 2 rods on spot, slightly further out, I could see both hook baits clearly, check the line lay, slacken off, rods on the floor. Reposition myself out of sight and kept watching. I replaced a few more boilie bits to heighten the feeding reaction.

Next five fish came in, all feeding in an area no bigger than a metre square, all happily feeding, but only picking here and there. They moved off, then a lonely mirror came in, this looked good, went down over the right hand rod confident feeding, digging, really lunging forward searching out every morsel, then after about a minute, the mirror levelled up and slowly swam off, no stiff fins, or panic shown, I thought that was my best chance gone. Then out of the corner off my eye, the right hand limp line tightened up, and the clutch slowly peeled off. The 3.5oz lead held in place by a solar lead clip had done its job by the time the battle curve was on, and had fallen off, leaving the fish high in the water out of harm’s way , to plod around.

After a short fight I had it in the net, quietly resting. Whilst I got my Fiancée Veronica to wind her rods in, and pop round to take some pictures for me, I even had the ‘Queen of Clover’ (the big common) glide past my drawstring with the mirror still in it, and not even notice what had gone on moments earlier. The mirror weighing 22lb 4oz, a lovely dark back and cream belly fish. Total time since move to fish in net = 45 minutes.

I went back to my swim to think about my intimate capture, have a cuppa and relax. I still thought that I could get another bite somewhere, it was now clear that loads of bait, at this time, wouldn’t be required, just get on them. Positive thoughts were running through my mind, confidence.

Dusk was now approaching within 45 minutes, quick decision time; I had seen one fish top out, on the opposite bank, minutes passed, and then another fish. With the minimum of gear to pack up, myself and Veronica quickly moved and had rods out with the minimum of fuss and disturbance in the new swims. I’d seen 3 more shows over the rods over the next few hours, watching and listening and I was confident of a take as I got in the sleeping bag at 11:40pm, I zipped up halfway when the margin rod steamed off, after a slow 20 minute fight and nice fish was in the net.

Turn the torch on, and one stocky, wide mirror shone in the edge, looking a possible PB.I calmly got the mat, sling wet and zeroed, and camera ready before I got it out of the water.

Adrenaline pumping, the moment of truth, 30LB 1oz a new PB, was I chuffed, you bet!

But more importantly what was personally satisfying were the lessons learned along the way, I had caught them on my terms, being more mobile and putting in more effort. 24 hours, 3 different swims = 4 fish.

If everyone looks at their gear, do yourself a huge favour carry only the essential kit, most anglers carry too much gear, to be bothered to move when the opportunity arises.

Put the ‘maybe/ just in case stuff ', all those extra leads, any spare clothes, bits and pieces keep in a container in the car.

Lighten the load.

What do you really need to carry to catch a fish? Stop camping, start carping.

Carry less gear – catch more fish!!!

Check the local

weather report

for the Ecton Lakes Complex

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