Well we are finally into June, that cross over of spring into summer. The weather consistently getting warmer.
I should officially start by welcoming you to my short session diaries. This will be a monthly blog covering my sessions. A lot of my fishing is based around short sessions, unfortunately in peak times too. Like a lot of us I have a full time job, a family at home and a lot of commitments. So I have to make the most of the short time I have on the bank.
Sunday the 2nd June - I started the month with a day session on a local day ticket water. The lake had been fishing poorly the last few days with the last carp being 4 days prior. The pressure was 1027, temperatures soaring to mid 20s. I took to the end of the lake where there’s a reed lined bank and two little coves within the reeds. Casting my faithful German rig compromising of a size 6 claw, kicker, bait swivel and hook bead with a match the hatch wafter into each cove, with a handful of boilies over each. A simple but deadly tactic. It wasn’t long before my alarm was sounding and the reeds ruptured. After a long battle a chunky mirror came into my net. We still haven’t had any spawning in the North at this point, the carp are ready but the weather has been very inconsistent, 20° one day and 9° the next.
I got some photos of my capture, not weighing it with it being so hot before quickly slipping it back. Got the rod straight back out.
Over the next 3 hours the carp were cruising the surface, jumping making them selves really known, I was just about to reel in and put zigs on and the same rod burst into life again! Dove straight into the reeds then started swimming towards me, at one point I thought I’d lost it, it swam about a rod length in front of me before zipping back out into the lake, after a good battle finally into the net. Another very welcome capture. I got my rod back out. But the lake went very quiet after that. Given the previous days form I was extremely happy with the 2 I had caught.
Sunday 9th of June - this is a bit of a special session for me, I’ve been rekindling my relationship with my dad lately so we organised a day out to one of my carp waters. I don’t think he was too impressed walking to the furthest end of the lake when waiting for a double knee replacement! But if that’s where the carp are then needs must, sorry dad! It was an odd day weather wise cold, wet windy and then next minute flat calm and hot before getting horrible again. A few hours in my dad shouted I’m in! Safe to say I almost lost it in a 42” net.
Quite impressed it took a 15mm wafter. The lake being predominately silty and the weed growth well on its way, I’ve moved away from bottom baits and noticed a bit of chod coming back on the hook with my German rigs too. There is clear spots however the carp like the safety and coverage of more choddy areas on this lake so I’ve been trialling with pops ups. Early afternoon I had a very slow take my line moving slowly rod tip just bending inch by inch, after a long fight it resulted in a lovely mirror.
I used the Snide size 6 claw hook with a extended D.
It’s not a presentation I’ve used often but it allows the pop up to travel way past the hook allowing more hooking potential and combined with the aggressive nature of the claw it just gives me more confidence over other pop up presentations.
Tuesday 18th June – finally a session on the park lake, my club ticket came last week and I’ve dying to get a session on here. I don’t know much about this lake, I’ve seen a handful of photos some over 10 years old, some lovely scaley mirrors but other than that it’s going to be a journey of discovery.
I started my session doing a lap before deciding on the narrowest part of the lake, there was plenty of bubbling, swirling, and saw two carp crash. Its only shallow about 3-4 foot and quite weedy. I found a few semi presentable spots and put a very slow sinking pop up on a size 6 claw with some subtle braid on a long hooklink with a pouch full of boilies over the top. After about an hour I just had a feeling I had to do something different the carp were showing themselves, but not feeding so I changed over to some zigs again with a claw and a trimmed down pop up that I had just dipped in some glug and had it so it was about 3 inches under the surface. I moved the rods to the edge of the weed bed, only an underarm cast this time. A short while after my alarm sounded into action, line peeling off the reel and I was in, a short weed ball battle later it was in the net. What a way to start a new lake. After this capture the winds picked up and became a bit of a wet grey day but I'm happy with the start of the park lake sessions.
Sunday 23rd June – got to be honest I’ve not stopped thinking about this little park lake, what else could be in there? Its only been 5 days since my last session down here but first chance I got I was back. Arriving at about 6am lapping the lake there’s a good bit of chop making it difficult to spot any signs of fish, but with a few swirls deep in the weed bed close to where I was last time I set up there.
With it being so early in the day, not seeing fish up in the water yet I decided to start on the bottom flicking pop up rigs out with size 6 curves, kickers and fairly subtle braid with a little mesh bag to the reed line to my left, the other rod towards a feeding platform same method. It wasn’t long before my left rod screamed into life, tip bent round.. played it for about 10 seconds, gutted. All I had to show was a big ball of weed and empty leadclip. About half an hour after my right hand rod jumped into life fish zipping around lots of commotion, got half way in and hook pull. What is going on? Up until this point I had been using a curve pattern hook, something I used to use a lot of but since joining snide I’ve become a total claw convert! So I decided to tie up the same rig but using the claw. About half an hour after my right hand rod screams off once again, I thought it could’ve been a bream but it was this little guy!
Just confirms everything to me how good the claws actually are at hooking and staying in. It started to get uncomfortably hot after this reaching 25° with nowhere to shelter from the sun. Having a wander round the lake found a large shoal of carp some look to be 25lb+ tried drifting some floating bread but they were having none of it, until next time.
Saturday 29th June - The past week we have had extreme temperatures, extreme pressure and overall its just been uncomfortable! The last 2 days, well its been cold and windy! I decided to go back to the park lake, I really want to crack this place, I’ve seen the dark figures beneath the surface, it’s only a matter of time before one is in my net. Arriving at the lake a little before 6am you’d think there was no fish there. Working on likely looking spots I decided to set up same area as last time found two very clean spots, one against reeds, the other in front of a feeding platform. Opting for the claws on my German rigs I felt confident and a scoop of bait over each. The first few hours passing motionless before my reed rod burst into life, picked it up and gridlocked straight into the weed. After some trying, gone, that weed is savage! About an after my right hand rod bleeped, stopped bleep.. bleep.. dropped back, oh no bream, reeled in and this little guy was there.
Has my luck run out? On my way back home I ran through all scenarios, what can I do to crack this lake, fish loses, the weed, small carp.
Follow along next month for July’s short sessions diaries.
Follow @snide_tackle and myself @laurasfishing for lots of fishing content through the month
Thanks!
Laura
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