A Wintery Day At Shruggs.

After arriving slightly late (2 Hours) due to oversleeping i found that Dave was tackling up beside me before i had set up. i managed as usual to jinx the weather, setting up it was quite warm and sunny but by 11am the snow and sleet showers were becoming more frequent.My bait for the day was my 12mm home made boilies, this was a session to try them, Dave went with pop ups a foot off the deck on chod rigs.

2 of my baits on a size 6 mugga.

We sat all day watching the fish sunbathing out over the sunken lilly bed in the middle of the pond as is the norm at this time of year. We waited all day in the freezing cold and it was cold the northerly wind made sure of that. Dave got the first action of the afternoon at about 4pm which resulted in a small common of around 5 lb which fell to his pop up approach.

He also caught the next carp another pretty little common this time about 9lb, again this fell to the zig style pop up. At this point my home made bottoms had only managed a couple of the resident bream (gutted). So i decided to put a pop up on my right hand rod, 20mins later away it went again a pretty little common.

Dave with his bigger common. Me and my last minute screamer.

Please excuse the blank expression on my face, by that time i couldn't feel my fingers or toes.

I think my bream bashing boilies will catch carp, it just seemed that the fish preferred the single, visual pop up on the day. it may be that its still a bit early and cold to start feeding a food source into the lake but i shall try again if we get i nice patch of weather might try and sneak a short session in between shifts at work, preferably an evening if i can. At this time of year when the Lillys are still submerged it is possible to predict when the fish will come , by this i can maximize my short sessions by fishing while the fish are having it. A take is practically guaranteed between 4pm and dark. When the pigeons fly in to roost in the trees it is time to get everything ready for a fish, as proved yesterday as all 3 carp came between 4pm and dark.

I learnt a valuable lesson, whist it would of been nice to catch a carp on my own bait there is always next time, fish on the tactics that are going to catch the fish.

tight lines

nige