The good, the bad and the Ghostie... 

Member, Steven Noel recently sent me a link to his blog which he written after a session on Lizzies. Thanks to Steven for his kind permission for me to reproduce it here....

I had planned a full day session on Lizzie's Lake in search of a few more winter cypry's, so at 5:00am on Sunday morning the alarm went off and I headed to the kitchen for a quick bite of breakfast before I loaded the car and set off on the 30 minute drive to the Kilworth Sticks Fishery.

The sun wasn't due to rise until just after 7:00am, I arrived at the fishery just before and was the first fisherman into the car park although I was sure Tudor wouldn't be far behind me. I got the gear out of the car and carried it up the bank into my chosen swim for the day, before I'd even started to get organised I saw the familiar shape of Tudor's Peugeot driving along the lane to the fishery car park, game on!

After a brief chat Tudor decided to fish a couple of swims to the right of my chosen spot and expectations were high on this blustery, chilly February morning. I tackled up the first rod with my favourite winter combo of Peperami and Sweetcorn and hooked on a PVA mesh bag of pellets, particles and corn, this I launched towards the island. To my surprise it landed right on the spot first cast, having dropped the rod onto the alarm I then set about getting the 2nd rod sorted. This rod went into the margins under some very carpy looking overhanging trees, once clipped up I dug out the Coleman stove and got on with preparing a brew for Tudor and myself, tea is as essential to fishing as bait in my opinion.

Within half an hour of getting the first brew sorted I had a stuttery take on the island rod, on lifting into it there was no resistance and when I retrieved the rig it came back tangled, gutted! I felt that the exposed braid hooklink was proving too supple for the distance I was casting to the island in such heavy cross winds and decided to tie up a slightly stiffer rig using GW Rig Solutions Multi Semi Stiff Coated Hooklink. As I was tying on my new rig Tudor was into his first fish, I walked around to his swim just as he landed a lovely and very pale 6lb Common, it was first blood to Tudor and a lovely little Common it was too. I soon had the rig back into position and settled down under the brolly to enjoy the day ahead.  After the aborted run on the tangled rig things went slowly for me, however Tudor was soon into carp number two and also lost a very pale tench to a hook pull just short of the net.

Although it was sheltered and warmer under the brolly it wasn't long before the soaked ground around my swim started to resemble a swap! The ground was so wet after Saturdays rain that no matter how little you tried to move around you soon churned up the bank making it very slippery under foot. 

It was now heading towards midday and although Tudor had landed another small Mirror I'd not had a bleep, I was convinced the rigs were fine, the spots good and my tactics sound, but worried about the hookbait especially with so many crayfish in the pool. I decided to check the island rod and was pleased I did as I discovered a very nibbled hookbait, old Ronnie and Reggie had been having a party! I put on a fresh hookbait, tied up a new PVA mesh bag and recast to the island. I'd love to say I hit the spot first time, but I didn't and needed two more attempts in the blustery crosswind, finally with the rod positioned it was time to put the kettle on for another brew. 

Around twenty minutes after recasting I had a couple of bleeps on the island rod, these were quickly followed by a screamer of a run and I was onto the rod and into my first fish of the day. My newly hooked quarry put up a cracking fight under the rod tip trying for the snaggy branches on both sides of my chosen swim, but I soon had things under control and a stunning little Ghost Carp swam into the folds of my waiting net. It was my first ever Ghostie and as such I had to weigh it, on the scales she went 8lb exactly but the weight was irrelevant, in the sun that had broken through she shone, a picture of gold and platinum hues and I simply had to have a trophy shot for posterity, luckily Tudor was on hand to do the honours and after a quick photo I slipped my prize back into the cold waters, hopefully we'll meet again in a few years. 

Once I'd got the island rod back out I settled down for...yes...a well earned cuppa.  

Around twenty minutes after recasting I had a couple of bleeps on the island rod, these were quickly followed by a screamer of a run and I was onto the rod and into my first fish of the day. My newly hooked quarry put up a cracking fight under the rod tip trying for the snaggy branches on both sides of my chosen swim, but I soon had things under control and a stunning little Ghost Carp swam into the folds of my waiting net. It was my first ever Ghostie and as such I had to weigh it, on the scales she went 8lb exactly but the weight was irrelevant, in the sun that had broken through she shone, a picture of gold and platinum hues and I simply had to have a trophy shot for posterity, luckily Tudor was on hand to do the honours and after a quick photo I slipped my prize back into the cold waters, hopefully we'll meet again in a few years. 

Once I'd got the island rod back out I settled down for...yes...a well earned cuppa.

Not long afterwards the wind picked up to the point I had to hang onto the brolly and with it came a tremendous downpour, however it was very short lived and we were soon greeted with a spectacular rainbow. Once again the action slowed up for both Tudor and myself, just last weekend I'd had four fish in under three hours but this day I'd had just the one in seven hours with Tudor having caught four and being broken off on what he felt was a decent fish to a snag on the island, it really was proving a difficult day. I felt with the sudden drop in temperature and the twenty four hours of cold rain going into the pool that it may have just put the fish off the feed and I mentioned this to Tudor who thought the same. We had checked the weather forecast earlier in the day thanks to the wonders of the iPhone and we were due very heavy rain by 5:00pm so agreed we'd call it a day around 3:30pm. At just after three I started to get my bits and pieces together at which point I received a stuttery take on the margin rod, I hit it and was rewarded with fresh air! On inspecting the rig there was a grain of hemp masking the hook point and preventing it from taking hold, gutted again!! To make matters worse as I repositioned the margin rod I discovered the baitrunner mechanism on my reel had failed, these are my favourite reels and the fact one was now broken was upsetting to say the least. In order to fish the recast rod I had to slacken off the front drag fully and forget the baitrunner function, I started to finish my packing slightly downhearted with the last ten minutes of lost fish and broken reel. 

Just as I was trying to fold away my brolly the margin rod with the now dodgy reel went into meltdown on a screamer! I quickly tightened the clutch as I lifted into an angry little carp, within a few minutes I had the bonus of a 5lb Common on the bank. By now the forecast rain was looming darkly in the overhead sky and I made the decision to get everything packed away, it was a decision which was probably a little too late in the making as within seconds of starting to pack down the heavens opened! Amazingly Tudor had the same problem having just caught and returned his biggest fish of the day an 8lb Common, we both met in the car park, soaked through but also very happy with a successful winter session. Car's loaded we both drove off along the fishery driveway and I'm sure Tudor would have been thinking the same as me as he headed home.....roll on the next session. 

If you would like to read any more of Stevens exploits then click the following link

http://lurcherflys.blogspot.co.uk