'The Dink' Finally Surrenders - By John Elmer
The season of 2009-2010 was quite a strange season for me. I was really fishing hard to try and catch 'Clover' and 'The Dink' from CEMEX’s Road Lake. Although the previous season had seen me end up top rod with over twenty bites, plus achieved my target fish in ‘Orange Spot’ at 37lb 12oz, now I had really started to turn my attention to the lakes two biggest residents: ‘Clover’ and 'The Dink’
During 2008/9 season, my Garlic And Black Pepper range had pretty much taken the place apart, so I saw no real need to change my bait for the coming campaign, so that’s what I started the season off with.
The start however was fairly slow for me, I just couldn’t seem to get off the mark. In fact I had to wait until July 12th to get my first bite, which turned out to be one of the Road Lake’s big girls in the shape of 'Clover' (See A two year wait – by John Elmer). As you can imagine at 42lb, I was well over the moon and the old faithful G&BP hadn’t let me down again, so it was one down one to go.
As the season rolled on I started to pick up more bites, notably in the shape of another thirty and one of the Road Lake trickiest A Team members, a fish known as ‘The Scattered Linear’ at over 35lb. So at this stage of the season I was more than happy with what I had caught, but there was something nigling away at me about my approach. I had received plenty of bites but so far, no sign of 'The Dink’.
Was I going to catch 'The Dink' on this bait or was a new approach required?
I carried on fishing right through the rest of the Autumn and Winter on the Garlic & Black Pepper, and did pick up a couple more bites. But it was over this time that I started to think that I needed a change of bait for the backend of the season. So as I had done with the Garlic and Black Pepper, I thought long and hard about what bait was required to specifically catch 'The Dink’. Over the many years that I had fished Sutton, I had always done well on really fishy bait, so it was down these lines that I started to think again.
PREPARING THE SECRET WEAPON
Now there are lots of baits that will generally catch you carp, but when it come to catching the big girls, sometimes it takes that little bit of tweaking to give you an edge. I wanted my new bait to still contain the extremely attractive Green Lipped Mussel extract, but I dropped the Garlic powder and instead added some Robin Red. In my mind, the bait was now starting to really take shape on how I wanted the final result to be.
Another secret additive that I knew the Road Lake carp loved, as it is also in the Garlic & Black Pepper boilies, was defiantly going to stay. I don’t know if people have forgotten this additive even exists or that they just don’t rate it, but I can assure you I most certainly do, so this secret weapon was staying in no matter what. I also dropped the Black Pepper Oil and replaced it with a pungent smelling fish oil.
Happy so far, it was just a case of thinking what flavour I wanted to add and I don’t think the word ‘Anchovy’ really needs too much of an introduction. So by combining this classic with the pungent fish Oil meant that the bait now had the lovely fishy aroma that I was looking for. I was over the moon with the result and confidence was soaring.
For the base mix, I opted for a blend of the finest fishmeals available as I felt this would not only create a highly digestible food source that would give the fish good nutritional balance but also good weight gain. The result was spot on and I was sure that my new secret weapon would be the key to the ‘Dink’ that had so far been missing.
Now that season and in particular the winter, just seemed to drag on forever and I was itching to use the new bait, but the weather just wasn’t right yet. It was over this time that I needed to think of a name and with thoughts of the Anchovy flavour and the fish oil, the name Aquatix just popped in to my head. When I put the two together the name Aquatix Anchovy sounded just right.
BACK ON THE BANK
If my memory serves me right it was coming up to the back end of March and time was running out! I was due to do a feature with Rob Maylin for Big Carp magazine and the spring weather was now starting to warm up nicely. I loaded the van up and was Road Lake bound, only this time I had a small bag of the Aquatix Anchovy with me.
When I arrived, I found just one other angler on the lake and he was set up in the Launch Swim. Rather than rush to get set up I took my time to have a good look round, but in the back of my mind I knew where I wanted to be and that was The Hump Swim. As I took a stroll round to the Hump Swim I had a peak in the snags, and to my surprise I could see three fish sat there. That was all I needed to see, I literally ran back to the van to grab my kit for a 48 hour session and I couldn’t wait to get set up.
Over the couple of years up on the Road Lake the Hump Swim was one of my favourite swims, I had been fortunate to have quite a few bites from this area of the lake and being a margin swim this was right up my street, so I knew exactly where I had to get the rod positioned to get a bite.
Once both rods were sorted I couldn’t help but creep back for another look into the snags and to my surprise the three carp was now eight carp, and one of these carp was my obsession, the mighty ‘Dink’. She looked massive compared to others that were around her. I was shaking at being so close.
I hoped my rig presentation was spot on, so I then climbed out on to the tree above where the rig had been placed and there sitting proudly on the bottom of the ledge was my 14mm Aquatix Anchovy snowman rig with 15 freebies. Perfect, trap set. It was game on!
An hour later, I walked back up to the snags for another look and peering into the clear water I could see another two fish had turned up to join the rest of the pack. I remember looking and thinking what was the chances of singling her out from the others?
As I sat watching the fish, I heard “Oi Oi” from a certain Mr Maylin. As he walked around to see me, he asked me what I was looking at. As he looked into the snags with me the first thing to pass Rob’s lips was “You need a gallon of maggots down there mate” but I was more than happy with my Aquatix Anchovy.
Rob and I headed up to my swim to start the interview. As we sat down Rob was getting his tape deck set up for the interview so I stuck the kettle on for a brew. I was telling him what a hard winter it had been, how I was burnt out physically and mentally and all my kit was knackered, but today felt different. The birds were singing, it was nice and warm and 'The Dink’ was in the area.
Well what happened next was just mental, Rob was just starting his introduction when my little Steve Neville buzzer went into melt down. I quickly ran down to the rod and as I picked it up noticed a mallard take off from where I was fishing. For a split second I thought the bird was the reason for the pick up, but all of a sudden the line kited away from the snag.
Now I swear on my life as the fish kited I caught a glimpse of the back and saw the scale pattern. Rob was standing at the front of the swim with me and I turned and said to him “It’s the Dink mate”. Rob’s reply was “Are you sure mate” and I replied, “Yes 100%”.
After a good ten minute battle, she popped up like she has done so many times when I have seen her sitting in the weed out in the pond, only this time she was attached to my line. There was no mistake it was her alright. Her width is so impressive.
As Rob lifted the net I looked at him and said “I told you mate”. He was just as blown away as I was and his first words were “I don’t believe you!”. The thing with Rob is, he has become quite a lucky mascot for me, when the last piece we done I ended up landing the 'Missing Starburst' at 36lb.
At last 'The Dink' was sitting in my net and as we lifted her up I could see my Anchovy snowman rig was well and truly imbedded in the bottom of the lip. With a fish like this weight is immaterial but when the needle swung round to 39lb 12oz, I was totally blown away.
After the photos, we returned her and watched her glide safely away in the depths of her ‘Road Lake’. Rob shook my hand and congratulated me on my capture, then we sat down and finished off the interview. As far as I was concerned it was job done.
I did manage another bite on the Anchovy but unfortunately the hook link parted, but to tell you the truth I didn’t care, I landed 'The Dink' and the one thing that did stand out was that tactical switch to the Aquatix Anchovy had well and truly done the trick, so I was well pleased with that.
Cheers and tight lines
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