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With around 10 years of river fishing , and only the odd trip carp fishing this season would see more of an effort to fish local waters for carp . I started by looking at the local ressys , and had a low double whilst having a little "before work" session with my mate Dazza who was moored on his boat close to the lake . I got there at first light , smashed them out as far as I could , and followed the "local knowledge" who told me that fishing to the reed line was a waste of time . Ignoring that , the rod nearest bent round and a nice dark one was netted , always stick to your own instinct sometimes . Although there was fish to be caught , the constant traffic of runners , birdwatchers , and walkers drove me mad , it was time to look elsewhere , but I will return one day . Other than the canal , which was one choice , I joined a local club water that had a restriction on night fish , but a small head of nice fish , and some other waters on the same ticket

Sunrise in the lock , and a canal carp on a brazil nut .

 I had a morning planed with Dazza and another mate Steve on the canal , where I was going to split the "before work" session between the canal and the new lake . I arrived just before the other two and dropped into a lock swim where the carp love to be before the boats muck it up . I flicked out one to the far bank , and lowered one in the edge with a Brazil nut hookbait , and just as I was going to sit back in the chair the close in rod ripped off, hardly after the stow bobbin had settled . A proper runaround in the lock see a lovely scaley mirror laying on the mat , I gave it another 30 mins then moved down the pound to fish with the others . After a couple of hours I moved to the lake for my first look , and other than the very odd mixer taken , and spooking a nice mirror in the edge it was very quiet . That was my first and last visit because for my birthday my family had chipped in , and through James had got me a syndicate ticket for a couple of lakes he was in , and that was my season sorted out !.

They could be anywhere

The first lake was a series of pits joined together which made a wild looking complex , real proper fishing , overgrown and flooded for much of the summer . The second lake was smaller , lots of trees surrounding it , with a better head of fish , with a couple of 30's , the best out to James at 37lb . So with my short sessions this is where I was to start . The fish loved to come very close in , as it was quiet deep , with a fair drop off , but it also meant the fish defiantly knew you were there , and slack lines were the order of the day . First couple of short sessions were a mare , with me pulling out of a couple of fish , including one off the top . Then it all clicked a bit , and the first fish at 24lb made me a bit happier . I had started using a new bait , special had rolled hookbaits , pellets soaked in a liquid , and sweetcorn added to the pellet bucket enough for a few hours . The whole package was exactly what I was looking for with the hookbaits being very soluble , as was the liquid the pellets were coated in , and a can of corn tipped in made it wet and sticky .

After some lost fish , the first goes in the net , a nice golden 24lb

James corner swim that served us so well .

One rainy morning I set up in a swim that James likes , where you cast across to the far tree line , in the shallowest corner of the lake , comparatively . Just down from this swim is a small gap in the trees that looked prime for an ambush , lowering a bait off the end of the rod . The rods went out , one in the gap , two across the corner , brolly up and time to rest . After a couple of fierce line bite the little gap rod melted off , but it was another disaster as the fish made off along the tree line , and the angle of pull eventually told , pulling out . I had got down to my pants ready to go out a bit , got up to my knackers when the fish came off , thank god . Sitting drying off one of the rods across the corner pulled tight , the stow bobbin fell off as I picked up the rod , and it was dragged flat as it piled off across the lake . It was an extended fight , pulling hard out in the deep water , in and out the net once , before it slipped in second go . It was obviously one of the two big fish , I checked James photos as it was the "Long fish" the fish he had had at 37lb . I gave him a quick call as I had no scales with me , he was shopping in Morrisons a few miles away, but in unbelievable time strolled round the lake to weigh and photograph the fish for me , fantastic that we had both caught that fantastic mirror .

My turn to hold her , the awesome "Long Fish"

The " Long fish " , awsome that we both had her .

I then had a purple patch , with some great fishing , with mirrors and commons over 20lb  . One capture stands out in my mind , showing that carp can get hard onto the baiting situation , the bait , and even when chaos is going on all round them . One eve me and James had a rare session together , as normal it was a 4 hour afternoon/eve session , as time is never on either of our sides , and iv still yet to do a night on theses lakes . I got there before James ( old family trick) , and chose a really tight swim , overhanging treeline either side were the spots as was most of the swims on this bank . I dropped a bait either side , left and right a rod length out , on the edge of the trees. Baited with some chopped boillies , and the pellet/corn combo that i knew they loved , and the soluble hookbaits that they picked out easy. James turned up and went two swims up to the right , and we sat in the middle for a social . He commented about how tight my swim was , and how id be lucky to get a fish out , as they would do me in the trees , but i was confident , and knew we both had a great chance of a fish . As we sat chatting the Delkim gave a few bleeps , and in a slippery rush i got to the rod to play in the most golden coloured Bream iv ever seen , and i cant moan about catching such a pearler of a fish . Rod was lowered back on the spot , accompanied by a hand full of pellet , and back to the seat chatting about what a carp would have done to me ! .10 mins later there was a delkim in meltdown , as we rushed to my rods i could hear James laughing , but the fish had piled strait out pulling hard into the deep water . A ten minute fight in the little gap of a swim see what looked like a twenty netted , chaos in the swim James put the rods back on the rest as they had got in the way a bit , and I hoisted the dark mirror onto the mat . Just as I lifted the net clear of the water James let out a shout , and grabbed the remaining rod as the clutch was screaming with another take ! , and the fish gave it the beans with James playing it left and right with the first fish lowered back in the water to rest as i went next door to get his net . Somehow on my return to the swim James net got a fair rip in it ( brambles) , but the fish was bundled in .The swim looked like a bomb had gone off , 2 nets resting , rods all over the place , but what amazed us is that the second fish had fed on a spot 10ft from the place where he had netted my mirror !, and showed how it wanted the combo of bait , feeding on with us causing a commotion  above its head , mad , and just one of some great action for both of us .

Two nets , chaos , but so much laughter

20lb+

James , the net ripping mirror .

The big complex of pits was calling me , but local knowlage told me that my little short sessions might not suit the low stock big pit situation , but there was some narrower bits where the 3 lake join that seem to have fish in at some points as they move through. After another good evening session where i had 3 commons to just over 20lb it was time to have a dabble for a few trips . After a quick look in a few swims along the chanel between the lakes , and the top end of the pit ( ball buster of a walk) i settled into a nice wide swim giving me a few options to fish to , and a chance to use my newly perchased 50inch net , why we all dont use nets this size i dont know as they are so much easier , especially when your on your own . Baits left and right , and one across towards the willow opposite all went down with a nice drop , and the pellet/corn/chops went out , with the hand rolled hookbasits on all 3. After a couple of hours peace where i caught up with things reading a carpworld mag the stow lifted slightly twice , line bites on the middle rod , before pulling tight and the rod bouncing in the rest . The fight was fierce , but fairly short with no room to let it get a head of stream up , it rolled into the new net !, always a nice feeling . Weighted in at 21lb , and i was bloody chuffed

First from the snaggy big pit , and its a pearler !

The next chance of a fish came one evening when Sue joined me for a few hours . We walked up the lake to find James who was in a swim up the top end , quick chat in a fantastic looking swim that i did have a couple of short goes in , but blanked , before we went back to an even tighter swim for the evening . As we set up a carp swerled in front of us , and crashed to our right in a mass of willows . Sue ran down the bank , but come back saying that we could not get at them , so we settled into a lovely swim all but a bit of a hit and hold one . Baiting as before all i had to do was swing the rods into place , and after a hour the middle rod that was close to a willow bush was away , and its was hanging on time , real hanging on . The rod absorbed all the lunges, Sue then slipped the net under another dark old warrior , and commented how lovely the net was ! ( and how she missed it in France ) . The fish weighted in at 23lb , and was my last fish from the big pit , as other than another little session I moved back to the smaller lake to try and sort out how to catch in the winter .

Hit and hold , and hold on I did !

Dark old warrior

The smaller lake is a fairly deep lake , it looks prime for a zig , but James reconed a maggot attack would be better , so my first colder ( although mildish) trip see 3 pints on white maggots spombed out at 10 wraps ( 40 yds) and the hookbaits accuratly dropped on the spot all fished tight together , two rods on the bottom , and one on a zig at 8 ft . I was begining to doubt the aproach , but after 3 hours and one recast of each rod to put a freash pva bag of maggots out there a fish rolled over the rigs . 5 mins later a low double common gave a silly little bite , and i was expecting a bream , but was suprised when the clutch gave line . I returned the fish , and was just txting James when the other rod was away and a nice scally golden mirror ripped off , so I text him a pic of that , and he phoned strait away , giving it to me that the maggots caught !, I could not argue as the rod was away with another smaller mirror , happy i did not recast

Maggot muncher .

With winter now on us things going to get tougher , with the lakes going very clear , clear enough not only to see my zig rig popped up in 8 ft of water , but the leaves on the bottom at that depth ! , the ticket runs out in april so we will see the year out on these lovely waters .