January 2012 - An SS Surprise from the Road Lake
After receiving this write up from Baz Notcutt, I was quite literally blown away. I’ve got to know Baz a little bit over the last few months. Not only is he a nice bloke, he also knows how to catch a carp or two. When Baz decided to give the SS Range ago on my old haunt The Road Lake. I knew it would catch him a fish or two. I must admit though I didn’t think he would hit the ground running like he did.
I really enjoy reading these guest diary pieces, because these chaps are out there doing it. They love there fishing and have put total faith in using Scattered Baits. The Scattered Baits team has total belief in them. These are normal guys with normal jobs, their not sponsored they simply love carp fishing. So from the Scattered Baits team, thank you for your support it doesn’t go unnoticed. Receiving such comments as below is as rewarding to me as catching them myself, Cheers John Elmer.
Dear John
I thought I’d just drop you a line to let you know about my last 3 captures down the road lake. This season the road lake has been kind to me. Early in the season I banked digit at 36lb, a brace; orange spot 37lb and the dink 38lb, so yes I was buzzing. I’m fortunate that my job lets me occasionally fish 2 nights mid-week for 2 or 3 weeks on the trot but then if I’m not on a good part of my work rota I’m sometimes off the lake for 3 weeks. The bait I was using early in the season isn’t an all year bait, so around September I started to look at a bait to start applying for the colder months. I’d heard good things about Scattered Baits so invested in a few kilos Garlic & Black Pepper boilies also a few of the Sutton special SS Range.
Now I will admit that I very rarely use a bait as bright as the SS Range preferring to keep everything nice and subtle on the bottom but soon became aware that bright baits weren’t going into the road in any quantity. The next trip back on the road, a few kilos of the new bait and I managed to get into a swim where I had a few of my earlier captures from, so I was happy. The 1st night was uneventful with nothing visiting the bank.
Around mid-day on the 2nd day I sat looking at the water to the swim to my left, now this swim hadn’t done a fish all year, whether it’s the line lay that causes the problem I don’t know but fish would regularly show but nothing was getting caught. I got the marker out and had a few casts finding a little spot that just felt different from anything else in the swim. I checked the spot from both swims and it was bang on between the 2 swims. Now I must say the 14mm SS Range Cork Ball Pop-ups were holding up a size 6 chodda hook perfectly so after a few casts with the wicked rig I was well happy I was on the money, a couple of pouch fulls of 12mm baits and I was angling.
Later that day one of the bailiffs popped over for a cuppa and we had a good chat about the road, talking about the recent captures and about the ones that were getting away with it. Now we’ve all heard the term talking a fish on the bank..........well we had a chat about a fish called TPs, not the biggest in the pond by a fair way but it was a road lake fish and it hadn’t visited the bank for over 4 years last out at around 18lb I think. The bailiff made an impression on my tea rations and left wishing me all the best.
At 5am the left hand rod was away, after a real spirited fight a cracking looking carp lay in the bottom of the landing net, I recognised it straight away as TPs and it looked a bit bigger than 18lb. Properly nailed in the bottom lip with a bright orange boilie hanging there I must admit it did bring a smile to my face. A quick phone call to Roadkill who was fishing in the launch we soon had the fish on the mat and at 28lb I was well happy. Roadkill snapped away with the camera TPs deposited a orange mess on the unhooking mat, a rare one on a new bait...my confidence in the bait had gone up a level.
It wasn’t until the start of November that I could get back to the road lake, whilst laying around the pool in Cyprus I was getting the odd update as to what had been out, so the day after getting home from the family holiday I was back on the m25 heading for the road. After a couple of laps the lake, I decided on a swim with a bit of form for the colder months.
I must say the 12mm Sutton specials are lovely and soft and have a slight washed out look to them, and after crushing half a kilo and mixing with a bit of seed I was off to bait my spot from the opposite bank. 2 Sutton special pop-ups mounted on the wicked rig soon followed landing in the baited area. As what happened in the previous session the 1st night was quiet, but a few had showed short of where I was fishing but I was confident they were near-by and new the rig would be sitting pretty with the cork-pops.
At 8 that night the right hand rod which was locked up was away, though I was standing next to the rod the fish soon had me in trouble and had managed to reach some snags. After a few minutes and making now impression on getting the fish out I put the rod down, loosened the clutch ,and sat just holding the line. 5 minutes passed when all of a sudden the fish swam out, I soon was back in contact with the fish and with-in minutes another mirror lay in the bottom of my net. Again nailed in the bottom lip was a Sutton special. Up on the scales Patch weighed 29lb 8oz and after a few shots in the rain was soon back in the pond. 2 on the Sutton specials.......nice.
4 weeks passed and it was now December as i walked round the road lake, surprisingly the fish were very active in 1 particular area and were soon setting up home for another 48hr session. Both rods as before with the Sutton specials were out in the pond.....crumbed boilies and some dead maggots which had been prepared by my mate peter from Orpington tackle and bait were soon deposited over the top.
I had a bite with-in 3 hours but with-in moments whatever I was attached to came off. Landing on the spot 2nd cast and locking everything up, I just felt so confident. As I awoke in the morning I couldn’t believe I hadn’t had another take, the fish had been well active. Topping up the swim with some more crumb and 30 plus boilies I sat watching the water till it got dark then turned in for an early night. At 2am I was flying out of the sleeping bag to hit a single bleep, the rod arched round as I contacted with a very hard fighting fish.
This fish put up a real struggle in the margins and ended up wiping out my other rod, but was soon in the net after a little bit of bullying. There lay the big fully and at just over 31lb I was well happy. That night I rested the rods against a tree and had a lovely sleep.
So that’s it, not massive fish I will admit, but 3 road lake fish in 3 consecutive sessions on a proper winter bait. As I write this that was my last session, hopefully back on the road next week, 6 fish for 28 nights and I have dropped a few. Give the Sutton specials a go....confidence in a bag.
Be lucky
Barry 'Baz' Notcutt
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