Finally! - 13th April

After a two week break from all things fishing due to wedding planning and my Stag Do in Budapest (awesome trip – see Ricky about pictures of me in a Wonder Woman outfit!!!!), it was time to hit the banks again. I decided to make the most of a short day session over the Easter Holidays, although Ricky couldn’t make it down for this one. I say short day session because I realised last thing the night before that I hadn’t got my rod license sorted and the post office didn’t open until 9! That scuppered my plans for an early start and so I didn’t get down to Pit 2 until about ten. The swim that I had in mind, the dug-outs, was taken but as there was a nice wind blowing into the other side of the lake, I wasn’t too disheartened. I followed the wind and ended up in the far corner of the pit and with nobody else fishing that side of the island, I dumped my gear and had a quick mooch around. The wind was very strong and the water choppy so locating fish was quite tricky. Normally if the carp are down that end of the lake, you can find them under the branches of the trees and bushes, but I couldn’t see a thing in the windswept lake. That wasn’t a problem as the Frimley residents always have a habit of tucking themselves away and not showing themselves, unless its hot and they’re on the surface. I opted for a swim that gave me access to several hotspots and with no-one else around, I had even more places to cast while that end of the pit was mine.

The wind was really chuffing its best and setting up was certainly interesting! I got my three rods out, all into pukka spots and all first time casts too – that’s definitely good for me! I had two margin rods and the third was fished just off a bush opposite me, in a small gap. I had a chopped up boilie on one margin rod and pellet on the other two – a bait that I was going to be trying more this season. Now that I had three rods at my disposal, experimentation was the order of the day. As no doubt I’ve mentioned before, the carp gods haven’t been the kindest to me as I didn’t land one carp from Pit 2 last season – with several definite carp lost. I had carp from other lakes and France, but it just didn’t happen at Frimley – even with Ricky and my other fishing mates catching all around me. I had Bream, Tench and some chunky Crucians, but no sight of those gorgeous golden commons that I so often saw on the bank! So I decided to change my methods, opting for different baits and tactics until I broke the Hex hanging over my head. Would today be the day that saw my confidence shoot up again? With all three rods perfectly positioned, I set the STI up cos the wind was blowing me sideways and I needed some shelter. Plus the cloudy overcast day was looking like it might thrown some rain down at me. Jack (1790) came round to see me and we had a chat about all things carpy and he informed me that he’d had the mirror known as Cluster/Starburst/Swiss Roll at 26lb+ from the swim I was in. That was one of mine and Ricky’s target fish for the season and for him to take that fish as his first ever carp from Frimley was an exceptional feat, especially as a schoolboy – well done fella. I saw his pics and it was a magnificent fish. With that in my mind, my anticipation was high and I felt certain something would happen today for me.

And it did – about one o clock! I was on the phone to my fiancé when my middle rod screamed off! An absolute one toner! That’s a noise I hadn’t heard in a while and I dropped the phone and was on it straight away. This was the rod just off the bush on the other side of the lake and it had snags either side of it. As I struck I felt the rod arc over and the thump of something heavy on the other end. This was no tench! The fish kited to the right, away from the main snags and I saw it top in open water – superb, so I slowly pumped it into the middle of the lake. I was so nervous about losing this carp; if the hook pulled or it came off I think I would’ve been sick. As I played it nearer and nearer to the bank, the fish came more and more alive and started to give me some grief on my 1 3/4lb Sabre! Long, surging dives near the net meant I had to get its head up and try and get some air into it. I could see the fish now and it was a common, albeit not a very big one. I couldn’t have cared less to be honest – if it had been a 2lb baby, I would’ve been over the moon! Watching the vortex’s as it swirled in front of me really hit home and I knew I really needed to land this one. I eventually tired it out and slipped the net under what looked like an immaculate specimen. I was shaking like a shitting dog as I stood there punching the air and shouting ‘Yes, Yes, YEEEEESSS’ to myself! I must’ve looked like a right chump if anyone was looking, but having just broken the Frimley hoodoo, I was ecstatic! I unhooked her in the net as it was just nicked in the lower lip, perfect, and hoisted the fish onto the unhooking mat where I got the sling and scales ready. With the scales already zero’ed, the needle swung round to 15lb 8oz. The weight was irrelevant to me – the fish was. It was such a perfect common, not a scale out of place and no flaws that I could see. I took a few snaps and slipped her back, where she glided off into the depths. That was it – you couldn’t wipe the grin off my face! As I recast that rod and placed it bang on the money again, I was chuckling to myself like a loony! I rang my better half and explained why I’d just hung up on her; she was over the moon for me especially after a year of me coming home dejected and moaning! Then I rang Ricky who was equally as chuffed for me – he knew how much a fish meant to me, especially for my confidence! It may seem to someone who catches all the time, that I’m getting a little too excited about a mid double carp. But for anyone that’s blanked on a lake for as long as I have, they’ll understand the significance of finally landing a carp, no matter what the size!

Now I was content. I settled down to wait for any further action. About an hour later, the same rod started to scream off again, but this time a duck had found my bait and promptly dropped it. Once my heart had stopped trying to break free from my rib cage, I recast that rod again and sat back. The rest of the day slinked by with no more events and for once, I packed up with a smile on my chops! The rain that was threatening itself, even held off until I got in the car so someone up there was on my side today! The curse has ended and I was once again, amongst the Frimley carp. With my fish today and Ricky’s previous carp, may this be the start of a good year for us on Pit 2. Roll on the next session…..