13/10/2025 - Roving for Carp
Pulling back the curtains this morning I notice a cloudy sky with no wind, even the leaves on the trees were motionless. I thought to myself "It's a good day for roach fishing but also roving around for carp" After a shower, I had some breakfast a bowl of Fruit and nut Muesli, followed by a slice of buttered toast and two mugs of tea. I then made a cheese and tomato sandwich, then collected the bits and pieces I would need through the day. After an hour's drive I was dropped off at an old estate lake, after a thirty-minute walk across a meadow to a wood, walking through the trees it was so peaceful, the ground was covered in hazel nuts and acorns with plenty of brambles to negotiate I arrived at the track leading to the water. It was around 1100 hrs, There wasn't any life on the water apart from some coots along with a pair of moorhens, dead leaves littered the water surface, apart from an occasional dragon fly. I made my way along the western bank to an area of water lilies. After pushing my way through Himalayan balsam and nettles I found a small grassy area I could use as my base for the day. My plan was to rove about all around the water, looking for carp. The water contained perch roach rudd bream tench, if I'm lucky I might spot an occasional pike. I was very surprised how quiet it was, apart from a wren flitting between two reed beds, there was no other sign of bird life.
My tackle today was quite simple an 11-foot bamboo rod, in fact it was originally a 13-foot Sharps salmon rod, I got David Crain the man who makes excellent cane float tubes also Mr Crabtree style of landing nets, who was the late Bernard Venables MBE When David handed over the rod his words were "Martin if you sell the rod please give me first offer" My answer was "The rod will belong to you" It was matched with a centre pin reel hold some sixty yards of 12lb bs line to which I attached a size 4 barbless hook. That completed my tackle set up. In my shoulder bag, I had a loaf of bread, box of hooks, catapult and forceps' My landing net completed what I needed, my camera was tucked inside my jacket if I was lucky if I needed it. I'd go about a hundred yards, when I spotted a slight bow wave some ten yards from some over hand branches of a horse chest nut tree, loaded with conkers, the ground was also littered with these prized objects, shiny brown and bright on the dark earth, it was a schoolboys dream of my youth, when we had conker competitions in the playground at lunch time.
Back to the bow wave, the fish was moving in, using my catapult I fired a bit of crust, some feet in front of the fish, soon I got my first glimpse of my quarry. A good size common carp, my luck was in, the fish turned, then nudged the bread, before moving slowly away, suddenly it appeared then pushed the crust, causing a swirl of water before it disappeared again, within seconds it was back, it slowly moved forward, opened its mouth at the same time sucking in the bread, at the same time slowly submerging, the line moved, I set the hook into an angry and powerful fish as it ripped line of the reel, for some minutes it was give and take, occasionally it dived into some reeds but the power of rod reel and line, soon had it back into open water, but not for long, twice it got in the water lilies, but both times I literally dragged it out by brute force and balanced tackle, eventually I had within a few feet of the net on three occasions' each time, I was forced to give some line, eventually he was mine a fine double figure carp.
In the next couple of hours, I had six more carp of similar size, either on crust or flake. I then had a quiet spell; it was time for lunch. Setting up the Jet boiler, within a couple of minutes I had boiling water for my tea, I've said it on many occasions if you want an item for boiling water go for the Jet boiler. I've had mine for some fifteen plus years; I was given it on a visit to Oregon, where I was steelhead fishing. Sitting on a fallen tree I enjoyed my tomato sandwich with fresh brew. It had been a very exciting session.
Lunch break over, I once again carried on slowly moving around the wate looking for the carp, eventually I come to a bay with reed mace, often called bullrushes by mistake, also there were several patches of lilies, where a steam flowed into the lake. Several carp could be seen dotted about, I catapulted in a dozen or more bits of crust, some in the lilies, others in open water, some quite close to where a bush had fallen in. I then sat quietly on an old tree stump watching for some action. After perhaps fifteen minutes, as if whistle had been sounded, all the fish were within minutes swirling at, and taking bits of bread, it was quite amazing at the behaviour.
For the next three hours I never moved from this spot, I caught another seven good commons all of similar size to the one pictured, on one occasion, after I'd caught and retuned a fish, within minutes I was hooked up to another fish. It felt very heavy, it was a long slow dogged fight, several time it was in the lilies and reeds, each time using all the power of balanced tackle, also I feel I have more chance with a centre pin reel, than a fixed spool reel in these conditions. I would drag the fish into open water, then it was back in another reed bed or lilies, This contest seemed to drag on and on with no end in sight. Suddenly all went slack, the hook had pulled free. I must admit I was very disappointed to lose what I felt might have been a twenty pound plus fish.
Back to the News List
