0 An Angler's Reflections
Rick Golder Diary Piece: Part 2
The first cast...
It was now April, and I was especially keen to crack on at the Essex syndicate, more so than ever that the weather was improving each week.
My first trip up there was around the middle of the month, and when I arrived, as I always do, I had a good walk around the whole lake. It was fairly quiet, but as I stood in one swim on the far bank, I heard the distinctive sound of a fish jumping clear of the water. It sounded well over towards the car park side, and as I stood and watched, another showed in the same sort of area. This was clearly in front of the first swim as you come in the gate, and to be honest one I’m not keen on at all. In fact, I’d only fished it once before, mainly due to the fact it is the most popular swim on the lake. Another showed as I was moving my gear in, so it made it an easy decision. Although I hadn’t fished the swim before, I had spent some time with my marker rod having a feel around, so I did have knowledge of a couple of areas. One I particularly liked was a lovely firm silty area at the back of a gravel bar about 60 yards out. I found this first cast, and wrapped up two of my rods to that distance. The first cast with a baited rig hit down too hard, so I knew I was landing on the gravel, and therefore slightly short. The next one went down with a duller, firm thud, and I knew I was perfectly in that silty trough. This was the beauty of using braid as a mainline, it was so precise, and gives far better feel than any monofilament. I was using the pukka fish with peach and sour cream, but as the water temperatures were coming up, I was now adding a few bits to boost it up. This was the advantage of a coarse fishmeal base, which the pukka fish is, in that it will draw in additives and oils far easier. I add salmon oil, the DNA booster liquid and powdered GLM to the baits while frozen, along with a good handful of rock salt, and then keep shaking and rolling them until they thawed. This really sucks it all in, and then 24 hours later its ready to use. I put these boosted baits out, and fished two pop ups on stiff hinge rigs over the top. I found a nice area in amongst some fresh weed growth out to my right to put my third rod. The resident coot population gave this spot away, as they would continuously dive on this area, and each time coming up with strands of bright green weed in their beaks. The following morning one of the rods in the silty trough was away, and I had an arm aching battle with a 31 lb mirror, that was nailed in the bottom lip. It was great to get a decent one in what was my first proper trip there that spring, and I added a low 20 lb common from the other spot the following morning before I left for home.
Back the following week...
I was back the following week, and had a plan from what I had witnessed the week before. I had seen several shows in a swim on the far bank, but I was sure that one of them was the lakes biggest, a massive dark mirror that had come out right up to the wrist of its tail, and I knew that fish had been caught from that swim in the past. I didn’t see much else on my walk round, so I stuck with the plan and went in the small swim I’d seen the shows the previous week. I knew this swim well, in fact I had 3 different spots stored in my phone notes, all of which I had caught from before. I wrapped the marker lead up and had a check that they were still there, before putting all 3 rods back on these areas. Within an hour I had a take on a pink strawberry and condensed milk pop up fished over the brown pukka fish bait. This one ripped off and kited hard to the right towards some snags along the bank, and in giving it nothing sadly the hook pulled. A couple of hours later I had another take and landed a cracking mid 20 mirror. It was all looking good, but unfortunately the lake became busy, and the fish moved off, as I received no more action at all.
Another three that trip...
It was early May now, and the next trip coincided with a big algae bloom on the lake, the water was a bright green, with no visibility at all. It didn’t look great to be honest, and after a good look round, bar one little bit of bubbling, I saw nothing promising at all. I went in the swim in which I had seen the only activity, and soon had my baits out. However, an hour later, I had seen half a dozen shows further down the bank in a completely different swim. With one more show, and within an hour of first setting up, I was on the move! A good move it was too, as a couple of hours later, I landed a cracking 33 lb mirror, which put up a tremendous battle. Once I had it up for photos it was obvious as to why, it had a massive paddle for a tail, clearly built for power. I had another three that trip, all 20 lb plus, and things were looking really good, and nice and early in the year too. I was increasing my baiting each visit, and the fish were clearly on it. The lack of weed in the lake meant the fish were especially mobile, and I had already had a few early bites, but only for the fish to move off again. I was hoping the weed would start coming through, as the lake always seemed to fish better then.
Overnight trips...
Due to a few commitments I started doing a few single local overnight trips to a water near to my house. It was good, as I could get down in the late afternoon and be home early the following morning, and not have the 1.5-hour drive to Essex! This went really well, and the first three bites I had were all over 30lb! These fish loved bait, and I’d arrive in the afternoon, and immediately put all of my bait out in one go, usually about 6 kilos. That seemed a lot for an overnight trip, but without many features, these fish needed a fair bit of bait to hold them. The lake was pretty deep, with areas down to 18 feet, and with no weed these fish fought so hard, I was often giving line at 100 yards on first picking up the rod on takes. It was a good test for my tackle, and I began to use the D rig again, a rig I haven’t used for a long time, but used to have great faith in. The hardest aspect of what is a very simple and easy rig, was finding a decent wafter hook bait. The DT ones were perfect, and sat up above the hook just off the bottom. This gave awesome hook holds, and is now one of my go to rigs every trip.
41lb another good result...
By July after a family holiday it was time to head back to the syndicate. After missing a few weeks, I was pleased to see the water had cleared, and the weed was really starting to flourish. There was no one there when I arrived, but I’d only got a few hundred yards around when I saw a mass of frothy bubbles in one swim, and as I watched a big mirror poked his head out in the middle of them. I raced back to get my gear and put a couple of singles out in the hope of not ruining my chances. That wasn’t easy, as it was weedy and I prayed for a drop, but casting blind it took me several attempts before I was happy. As the day wore on I saw less and less, and had a nagging doubt I’d messed it up, so just before dark I re did the rods properly. It was nice too, close in fishing where I could catapult out my free baits really accurately. The following morning just after first light I was away on my middle rod, and almost instantly it stuck in heavy weed. I knew the lead had gone, and slowly I managed to get it moving, until without knowing I still had anything attached, I netted a great big ball of weed. I had a feel down inside the net until I touched what felt like a tail, and was soon holding up a stunning black common of just under 30 lb. A couple of hours later the same rod was away again, however this one stayed high in the water and I was able to steer it over the weed, until it was about a rod length from the bank. I had already got a glimpse of a wide dark coloured fish, and my heart was in my mouth hoping it was the big one. As it was in the margin it suddenly dived deeply into a huge ball of weed, sending a patch of bubbles to the surface. It was stuck solid, and no amount of pressure could move it. I slackened off, debating whether to get the boat, until after a few minutes I could see the line picking up. This time it was moving, and as it came up I quickly pulled it over the outstretched net. It was indeed a big one, but not the one I had hoped, and at 41 lb another good result.
As we came into August, I began making plans for the forthcoming autumn, knowing that this is the time for my best chance of the fish I’m so desperate for.
I’ll let you know how I get on.
Rick Golder.
