The Evolution Of A Campaign

Climbing the ladder: I pretty much started my serious?carp angling at the Nunnery complex in Norfolk, fishing on Bob’s and E Lake first. Later, I worked my way up and onto the other syndicate venues, fishing the historic West Stow. Finally though, I was offered a ticket for the popular D Lake by the team at Norfolk & Suffolk Fisheries, where the county’s oldest and finest carp reside. It’s a water that I dreamt of fishing since joining the syndicate back in my early teenage years, growing up seeing countless photos and hearing the stories from members who’d caught some of the aforementioned fish… June the 16th couldn’t come around soon enough!

Section 1: Starting from scratch

As with any new venue, background research and gaining as much knowledge as possible is vital: that small piece of information could be the edge that gets you that first bite. I had picked up bits and bobs over the years from talking to the anglers on D whilst I was spending my time down on Bob’s and E, and from reading a couple of features that were shot at the lake. I gained a good idea of the the approach the other guys used and what worked for them.

Looking down one side of the stunning D Lake

Boilies are a massive part of the D Lake fishes’ diet with most of the guys, who like me, have to fit their angling in around working full-time. Turning up for an overnighter and simply introducing a few pouches of bait can give you an effective patch for the fish to home in on, without the hassle of spodding and causing too much disturbance to the swim in such limited time. Along with the large numbers of boilies, NS Fisheries also have a great feeding regime which sees regular introduction of a high protein pellet, giving the fish all the nutrition they need to grow and to stay in great condition.

Previous success from Bob’s and E Lake

With D being only seven- to eight-acres in size and with a large island that can be fished from four separate pegs, I soon discovered the fish love cruising around the margins - as do most carp. Google Maps is a big advantage when it comes to learning the topography of the lake, and D is full of features including a long, thick bar which runs through the middle, and a large plateau. Both of these can be clearly seen from the satellite image, which gives a rough idea of possible patrol routes and areas the fish may hold up in. All this information was stored in my notes on my phone and I investigated further when I got down to the venue.
Being late May, with the Nunnery still honouring a traditional close season, there was no fishing for another month or so after my ticket came through. I still visited the lake regularly, hoping to spot a few of the 70-odd carp that reside there. It was also good to get a feel for the swims and what winds push into which banks for future reference; anything to give me a few extra pieces of the puzzle before June 16th, was invaluable.

Opening night and I was buzzing!

Section 2: The start of the season: June 16th

Thursday, June 16th finally arrived… a day off work before the draw, which was scheduled for 6pm. My lunch break was spent re-spooling and ensuring I had every item of tackle in the van I might possible require, along with plenty of bait, just in case I needed it. I was heading into the season on a mission: a mission I wanted to be able to look back on and think, ‘I did everything I possibly could to make the most of’.

Cutting it fine, I arrived with just a few minutes to spare before the draw got underway and was greeted by nine other anglers. Although ten anglers may seem a lot for the lake, it’s quite used to the pressure all year round so nobody was too fazed; we were more glad that we all knew we would get a swim. Unfortunately, I had no time to have a lap or two to decide on what pegs took my liking, but as luck would have it, I came last out of the bag… normally a bad thing, but on this occasion I was quite glad as it meant I had a couple of hours to pick between the two remaining pegs.

With one of the swims being quite tight and cut off by anglers either side, it was a fairly easy decision for me to set-up in a swim called The Plateau. With the sun beaming down all day and, as the name suggests, the peg controlling a large plateau - one of the shallowest areas of the lake - I would’ve been happy setting up there had I been drawn first out of the hat, with it being so busy.

I couldn’t quite believe it! Peddles at a new PB

42lb 6oz: my first UK 40lb fish

As with most small lakes, the fish quickly moved away as soon as everyone else got to their pegs and started leading around, spodding and baiting up. I just sat back, and in what felt like no time at all, I spotted the odd show slap-bang on the plateau. I didn’t care how deep the area was, and I wasn’t too fussed about the lakebed either. It was obviously weedy but with polarised glasses I could see clearer spots and knew with the rigs I was using, if I got a half decent drop with a light lead they would sit effectively - and hopefully with the minimal disturbance the fish would stay put.

The whistle went, my rigs were prepared and I was ready to rock and roll, but I decided to hold out whilst the other anglers got their rods sorted and then flicked mine out once all the disturbance had died down. Around 9:30 my baits were on the dance floor, all with a firm drop on areas the fish had regularly visited over the last few hours.

Just as I got the kettle on, my middle rod pulled up and line started ticking off the spool. A swan spooked right off the area where the rod was positioned, but as I swore in anger, believing it had wiped me out, I spotted my line cutting through the water in the opposite direction. As I bent into the fish, I started shaking like a leaf, just knowing what I could potentially be attached too. The battle was long and the fish stayed deep, finding two weedbeds and a marginal snag along the way, but after 20 minutes or so she was sulking in my net… I’ve never felt so relieved in my life!

The angler from next-door instantly recognised the unit as a fish called Pebbles; normally around the thirty-eight/thirty-nine pounds mark, he couldn’t believe how big she looked and called it a forty-pounder… almost certainly a personal best! Once a few of the other lads fishing nearby ventured into the peg and the fish had spent a few minutes recovering, we hoisted her out and weighed her in at 42lb 6oz: my first UK 40lb fish!

Another fish in the bag from the special venue

Section 3: The night after

Safe to say I got very little sleep that night and was up at the crack of dawn. There were still fish in the area and I sat back and watched as they cruised through the weed before my right-hand alarm then signalled another take. Unfortunately the fish managed to shed the hook as it ploughed through a weedbed; it was just one of those things that happen in fishing. I packed up and headed to work buzzing!

Desperately wanting to get back down the lake, my highly-understanding boss let me knock off early and much to my surprise, The Plateau was still free. There was plenty of fish activity in the peg; it was a no-brainer for me to drop back in and get my baits back out.

Peering into the net, I was speechless

Although the main aim was to try and get another D Lake carp under my belt, a barbecue and few beers were in order, to celebrate my PB! A couple of burgers later I headed back to see if there was much happening and then as I was about to answer a call of nature, the same rod I’d caught on the previous night melted away… almost 24hrs to the minute after my bite the previous night!

With the water being so warm at that time of year, the fish were full of life and this one gave me a right battering before gliding into the depths of my net. A glorious 29lb 14oz common was enough to send me to sleep very tired, but chuffed to have another fish in the bag from the special venue.

I’d call it a successful few nights!

The next morning came around in no time, and after catching 24hrs after my first bite, I was confident of another morning take, so sat by my rods in anticipation, not wanting to give the fish time to become weeded should one slip up. An hour or so passed and a strange occurrence on the right-hand rod was enough for me to lift the rod off the rest before the fish woke up and pulled the rod around. This time the battle was scatty and the fish came in on the surface the whole way. I could tell it wasn’t massive, but another carp nonetheless.

Peering into the net, I was speechless! Quite possibly the best-looking mirror I had ever caught - even if it was only a mid-double - lay there; it was a corker and a perfect example of when size is irrelevant.

Being a weekend and having no plans for the Saturday morning, I held out until bite time had passed before going home in desperate need of a shower!

I gave them some bait that night

Section 4: Back on the overnighters

A week with the lads in Tenerife and then it was back to business. I had three weeks before I was off jet-setting again and couldn’t stop thinking about being down the lake. It had fished its nuts off while I was away with another of the A-Team being caught, but having a lot of work to catch up on, I was limited to overnighters. On a few occasions I didn’t even fish: if the lake was busy or I simply couldn’t get near the fish. I was content just being there for a few hours to stay in touch with the water and get a feeling for what was going on.

With the lake being quite busy, it also gave me the chance to fish a few different pegs, and to get a better idea of the topography of the lakebed. I was able to find several interesting spots, spots that would certainly be worth investigating further if I decided to fish the pegs in the future.

From the second I set-up, everything just felt so right

The fishing slowed up a tad, but as the lake was still busy, it seemed the guys who were able to fish longer sessions and able to move onto active fish, were having more success. The venue’s unwritten rule is that whoever turns up at the lake first, has first choice of the pegs available, so there is no running round with buckets? trying to race people to get on the fish.

Jigsaw at 36lb 10oz. Result

Section 5: The weekend

The few nights I’d fished over the past few weeks turned out to be pretty uneventful and I knew that to be in with the best chance possible, I’d need to get a longer session in to have more chance of getting on the fish at some point during my time at the lake. I had one more weekend before going away and with no football or work commitments holding me back, it was the perfect opportunity for me to get 48hrs on the bank, something that I very rarely have the chance to enjoy.

As with most fisheries on a Friday evening, it was fairly busy. I still had a few swims to choose from though, and whilst the weather was spot-on for a particular corner of the lake, I couldn’t get near it so I opted to set up on the back of the wind. As I barrowed my gear into the peg, a chunky ghostie cruised through, one of my target fish, so I was more than happy to give it a night and see what happened. However, deep down I still wanted to be on the end of the warm southerly wind.

I instantly knew it was the sort after Double Row, a big Norfolk scaly I’d been seeing pictures of for years

The morning came and the bobbins remained motionless with the peg seemingly devoid of life. I got the rods in and headed over to the far end, in the hope someone in one of the pegs my gut was telling me to move to, would be leaving soon. As luck would have it, one of the anglers was starting to pack up after a three-night session, so I nipped back and chucked everything into a heap on my barrow like the world would end if I didn’t get over there soon enough!

From the second I set-up, everything just felt so right: the rods went out a treat, I introduced a good half-a-bucket of my chosen boilie and things were looking spot-on; it really was then just a waiting game. Aware that this particular area of the lake was well known for morning bites, I felt no urge to work the swim or try to keep on my toes as usual, something told me to sit back and leave the rest to the carp gods.

For the record she went 38lb 1oz

My final morning came around in no time at all, and although the rods were sitting untouched, I just had to hold out for a little bit longer in the hope of some action. As I sat with my mate in the peg next-door, my right-hand rod went into meltdown. A crazy battle ensued and after weeding me up and wiping out all three rods to the angler to my right, finally there was a chunky carp in my net… almost certainly a personal best common. We recognised the fish as one called Jigsaw, for its unique scale pattern on one side and she tipped the scales at 36lb 10oz. Result!

I started to pack down as I had already stayed longer than planned, but once my brolly was in the bag, the middle rod - fished on the same spot as the right-hand rod - pulled up tight before line started ticking off the spool… just minutes after slipping back one of the best commons in the lake, I was in again!

This one felt a lot less powerful, but put up a very deep, slow and wallowing fight. With a misty rain trickling onto the lake, the other anglers had retreated to their shelters and with the fish being buried in a ball of weed, I just managed to land my second carp of the morning from the special venue. Peeling the weed out of my net, I got more and more nervous, before a beast of a mirror appeared. Instantly I knew it was the sort after Double Row, a big Norfolk scaly I’d been seeing pictures of for years! It was a fish I dearly wanted to have the pleasure of catching and to add it to my tally for the season so early, I was made up. Size again, really is irrelevant when they look like that, but for the record she went 38lb 1oz.

I couldn’t believe my luck and travelled all the way home grinning like a five-year-old at Christmas!