February 2011 - Another Great Loss At The Car Park
February has been a month where I’ve had some high’s and low’s. I was keen to get back up the Car Park and have another crack at it. My first 24 hours of a 48 hour session sore me set up in the Steps Swim, the reason for this was on my last trip I sore a fish show in that area.
Now the Steps is a swim that I hadn’t fished before , so I wasn’t to sure on the spots. But I must admit it didn’t take to long too find two spots that I was more than happy with. It looked really good for this area with a pumping south-westerly into where I was set up. Well the night past with no action, which is no surprise for the Car Park. When I awoke in the morning I sat on the end of my bed chair and made myself the first brew of the day.
Whilst sitting there I noticed a coot dive about ten feet behind from where I was fishing. As I sat there watching and waiting for him to come up, when he finally did pop back up to the surface I noticed that he had a bait in his mouth and it wasn’t mine. Well that was it for me, there was no way I was sitting in a swim where someone else had put bait into. I wound the rods in and decided to have a walk around the lake. I decided to walk anti clockwise, I strolled past the back bay and out on to Trumptons. I stood there for a while just watching the water, I didn’t get a vibe for this swim either.
I then walked into waitingmans and straight away I got that feeling that this could be worth ago. It took about ten minutes to get all my kit moved into the swim, and about an hour and half later I had two rods fishing. Although nothing happened for the last 24 hour session, I still had that feeling that this was the area to have a serious go at. On the drive home I couldn’t stop thinking about my return and hoping that I could get back in waitingmans?
The following Friday sore me pull into the car park, and grab my water bottle and head straight round there. As I walked through the trees I could see that their was no one in there. I walked up to Trumptons and had a brew with Sean Leverett. I sat and had a chat with Sean for about half an hour than walked back to the van to collect the rest of my kit. I slowly got myself set up and tied on new cork ball pop ups on. It was at this point that I decided to have a little flick around to see what else I could find out there?
Although I was happy with the spots I had found ,I just wanted to see what else I could find. Well I ended up finding a really nice firm silt area where the lead really cracked down on, that will do for me. Yet again nothing happened the first night, but that day it was really a nice spring day. Nigel Sharp popped down for a brew and as we sat there watching the water their was bubbles coming up all in front of me.
Either a cluster of three and four or just large single ones coming up, as Nigel left he turned and said I expect a phone call in the morning to say you have had one. Well another night past with nothing doing, although I heard a couple in the night down my end of the lake.
I just couldn’t believe it not even a bleep, well it wasn’t long before I found myself slowly packing away yet again after another blank. Well on the drive home yet again I couldn’t wait to get back and have another crack at them. It was on the drive home that I got a call from Mad Martin to say the Dustbin had been found dead.
I was totally pissed off, now I’m not just saying it that fish has always been my favourite a typical Yateley carp. Well I got in and my wife Gina coped the brunt end of my tantrum. The four originals had now gone down to three and in honestly I didn’t know what to do?
Well after a stiff talking from Gina, Nigel Sharp and Keith Sykes about getting my arse back up there and catching one of the last three originals. The more I thought about it they were right, I had put a lot of effort in to learn the lake to walk away from it now. The following Friday sore me setting up again in waitingmans. Both rods were cast out with SS Range cork ball pop-up. Sean was set up on Trumptons so we had a bit of a social talking about the Dustbin and all the magnificent originals that have sadly gone now.
As we sat there talking and doing half a bottle of red wine each, it was nice to actually chill out for a night. Yateley is the type of lake that is quite intense and it takes its toll on you, where you don’t want to miss a thing.
At about ten past ten we decided to call it a night, I got back to my swim and got in the bag. I was just lying there looking at the rods when the left hand rod just melted off. I ran out in just my socks straight through the mud (sod it I thought I’ve got a bite).
As I picked the rod up the fish was kiting round in front of Trumptons. As I clamped down on it, it turned and started to head straight towards me. I could fill the line grating through an over hanging tree. The last thing I wanted was to lose this one after losing the one back in November.
It wasn’t long before Sean was at my side with the net, he thought that the take was his Coleman making a noise. I kept the pressure on and by doing so I felt the line ping free of the trees, what a relive I thought. As it wallowed there on the top Sean netted it first go and it was first blood as my first Yateley Carp was sitting in the bottom of my landing net. When me and Sean first looked the fish was lying on its side, and for a split second we thought it was The Baby Orange.
But as I lifted the net it up righted and I could tell by the width of it that it wasn’t as big as that. But I didn’t care I had a carp sitting in the bottom of my net, now Sean’s not won for chod rigs but even he couldn’t believe the hook hold on it.
As we lifted it up onto the scales it swung the needle round to 25lb 6 oz and I was well pleased. After a couple of shots I returned him back to the depths of the Car Park. I must have got to sleep about 3 o’clock that morning I was just buzzing.
So out good comes bad and I’m sure the Dustbin has made a lot of anglers happy over the years but for me it just wasn’t meant to be, Until next month keep catching them and be lucky.
Cheers and tight lines...
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