A Forty, 3 x 30's, 2 x 20's And A Double - All From One Overnighter!

First and foremost, I apologise for missing last month’s issue. Unfortunately, pretty much every venue I had in my sights on was shut, given that fish were spawning after a spell of blisteringly hot weather. Given the time constraints and the circumstances, it just wasn’t feasible to try and get a piece done—sorry Joe!

Friend or foe?
Manor Farm, like most of Linear Fisheries’ waters, has been on my radar for quite a while, and one of its most desirable residents, Kempy’s Linear, is an incredible fish, one that has had plenty of the best anglers after it for some time. With the other lakes being a little moody bite-wise, I recognised a great opportunity to angle for Manor Farm’s famous linear. ‘Manor’ has a reputation for being one of the trickiest waters on the complex, and it is, I feel, completely justified. My approaches have been tried and tested on all the waters, though, and so I hoped to get into a familiar peg, with Lady Luck for company, as I chanced my arm for this rather special carp. 

With the usual ritual of early morning coffee and drive to the venue out of the way, I pulled into the car park to be greeted by four cars on the gate in front of me. I knew the fishery had been busy, and this was no surprise, but I thought I’d at least be first on the gate, given the time I’d set off. My luck was in, though, as a quick word with the anglers waiting revealed that they were all heading for the Brasenose Lakes—this obviously suited me down to the ground! If people followed me in, I’d at least be the first to walk around Manor, and first to see what was available and who might be leaving. By the time the gates opened, there was in excess of twenty cars lined up, so I made sure my bucket was handy for when we got the nod.

A quick jump across to the other car park saw me then heading off at pace. By this time it was evident that most anglers were awake, and up and about, so I’d be able to start asking a few how they were getting on. No sooner had I got to the first swim than I noticed a lad on the opposite side bent into a fish. I needed no more time, and headed over immediately to give him a hand. It turned out to be a lovely fish, and as luck would have it, its captor was leaving later that afternoon. The area the swim commanded was one I’d had in mind, and the capture confirmed that I should at least be in the fishes’ vicinity. With the peg’s occupant not leaving until 5 p.m. at the earliest, however, I was left with some time to fill.

We had a few coffees and chatted for an hour or so before I left. I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded the company, but I thought it best to leave him to it, whilst I wandered off in search of chocolate and fizzy-drink delights! 

With the swim secured, I didn’t need to worry about where I’d be, but that didn’t stop me having a few hours on the decking overlooking the lake with another coffee from the on-site shop, hatching a plan for the session ahead. There are only so many coffees I can sink and chocolate bars I can down, before I get itchy feet, and I thought there’d be no harm in having a drive across the road to look at other possible options on the Brasenose side, just in case there was a vacant and inviting swim there. That’s the beauty of Linear: people moan about how busy it is, but there’s quite a high turnover of anglers, given its size. It’s always worth doing a lap or two, and keeping a close eye on the other lakes. You’ll soon find people following trends if there’s a big hit of fish on a certain lake, so it can actually work in your favour, if you’re looking to target other lakes on site. 

TOP TIPS FOR LINEAR 
Maker’s 3 Tips From His Manor Session 

1. Have plenty of patience
Whilst you might be at linear, Manor deserves a different type of respect, especially when carp like Kempy’s are so notoriously tricky to catch.

2. Used in the right way
Don’t be scared to use natural baits, but use them in the right way and ensure your application is correct, to get the very best from them.

3. Stay confident 
Relax, fish to your strengths, and don’t stray from what you’re confident in doing. Illusion D-Rigs with three on a spot may have been features of this session, but there was no consistent topping up of the area, as I knew the fish needed time to move in and feed at their own pace.

Ready to rock!
The short drive around confirmed that things weren’t too great in terms of choice. The early start was beginning to creep up on me, and I could hear the golden arches calling my name! After queuing, eating my food, and returning to Linear, it was almost time to unload the kit and get round to the swim. 

With the barrow loaded and me ready to rock, I pulled into the swim just as the angler was winding in his last rod, and I wasted no time in getting everything set up once he’d left. The hours between arriving in the morning and getting to the point of setting up seemed like an eternity. Despite my keenness, however, I knew I couldn’t go at it like a bull in a china shop. Manor is known for its pockets of weed, and from previous experiences in the swim, I remembered roughly where they were. With my spod and marker rod in hand, I had a little flick about with a light lead, as I tried to find a clearing amongst the weed.

I tend to fish Manor slightly differently to how I might approach the other lakes on Linear. I knew deep down that my chances of moving would be very slim, and that on Manor, the bait-and-wait tactic is usually a better option than starting with just a few Spombs’ worth of bait, before topping up with more. With a clear spot found, I mixed a full bucket of Krill Active, bloodworm, hemp and corn, to ensure that I had a very bitty mix. I guess the downside of using a mix like this on Manor, is the abundance of tench, and so I just hoped that the carp would take an interest in my small-food-bait approach first.

With the spot found, I clipped the rods and got them out tight to the spot, and it was then time to get the bait out. As mentioned, it really did feel like an eternity from my arrival to this point, and when I think about it, it was… almost 14hrs after setting off, I was just preparing to bait up! When people talk about going the extra mile and putting in the effort, this is all a prime example. Now, I’m really not looking to blow my own trumpet, but to ensure that you have the best possible chance of catching, these are the things I do as standard, and that way I can blame only myself if I am late, and don’t give myself the best opportunities when fishing.

With the rods out and the bait on the spot, it was time to turn in. As I’d planned doing just the one night, I hoped that the choice of swim was right, and that the baiting approach would work. After another hit of Cherry Coke and chocolate, I think my body gave me a good telling off, as I soon found myself hiding in the sleeping bag with terrible heartburn—certainly not a great advert for the diet!

Carp are important, but sleep is life!

I was in the bag for only an hour or so before the liners started—I initially thought a tench was hanging itself! I then dozed off again before being woken up by a one-toner from the right-hand rod, the fish responsible being a pretty mirror. The light was just fading, and I had enough time to re-wrap the rod and get it back on the spot for the evening ahead. I’d just slipped the fish back and re-cast it to the fringes of the spot, though, when the left-hand rod was away! I was desperate to get the rods back on the area, but the fish had other ideas, the carp I was playing not wanting to give itself up easily. Things came to a stalemate at one point, with the fish holding tight in a thick weedbed out in front. This gave me no other option than to start pulling it towards me, letting the rod take the strain whilst I hoped everything held. It was approaching 11 p.m., and by the time the tug of war ended, I had a definite 30lb-plus mirror in my net.

I’d had a great start to the evening, but I was wishing ever so slightly that it could have waited until first light, having allowed me some rest and a catch-up with my sleep! As you’ll see from my timeline, I managed a few more during the night, but I’d had enough, and I said to myself that as soon as each of the rods had had a bite, or moved if the fish kited on a take, I’d leave them until the morning—I really did need some kip! A little catfish even paid me a visit, which really did set the tone!

Crawling back into the bag after a flurry of bites—from all manner of species!—I set my alarm for first light. I then managed to oversleep, of course, and before I knew it, the sun was beaming into the bivvy and it was 20-plus degrees outside, despite it still being fairly early. First things first: more bait was needed. I’d evidently been cleared out by everything that had come across the spot, so I prepped enough bait for the remaining few hours, to hopefully maximise my chances out in front. The fish had clearly responded to the sun, as a few backs and the odd dorsal fin were beginning to appear over the area. This didn’t bother me too much, though, as the area was quite shallow. I knew that with a decent ‘sighter’ on the deck, some wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of having a nosey at the bar, so to speak. 

It’s not over until the fat lady sings!
With plans changing and the clock ticking, I packed away the majority of my gear, getting it out of the way whilst doing some product-shooting, and filming with Finley from Monster Particles to show how I use bloodworm in my mix. On waters like Manor, where carp can be very picky, they often prefer a mix of smaller items like crumb and natural bloodworm. On its own, bloodworm is obviously very light, which is why I prefer to combine it with boilie crumb. The moisture of the bloodworm combines perfectly with the crumb in a mulch-like consistency, and it ensures that at least 90 per cent of the bait lands perfectly where you’ve Spombed it, instead of it all drifting away.

With my time almost done, the right-hand rod gave a few bleeps before the line started to trickle off at a steady pace. As the fish responsible surfaced in open water, I saw a row of linear scales, and I’m not going to lie, I thought this was it! After what felt like an age, the fish eventually made its way into the net. Unfortunately, it wasn’t ‘the one’, but rather a fish called the Other Linear. It may not have been the ultimate prize, but it was another thirty, and another known fish!

With the pictures sorted, only half an hour of the session remained. It had already been a successful one, despite me not really having to work the swim, and my adopting more of a bait-and-wait approach. Clearly, though, what I’d done had proved effective in my pursuit of the more wary carp in Manor. The action wasn’t over, though, and I waited no more than another quarter of an hour for another bite. Instantly, the fish took line, as it fought hard from the off. As it came ever closer, I recognised it as the Pretty One, yet another of Manor’s finest! In under 24hrs, I’d managed a forty, three thirties, two twenties and a double. Most would consider my session an overnighter, and I’ll take that all day long!

Next time, I hope you’ll be able to join me on my syndicate water. Perhaps I’ll get a few more days ahead of myself, and I can pull it off for the camera! Until then…