I was convinced that it was April and the 1st at that as the sun shone then it rained, then it blew, then the sun shone and I was mighty glad I had put up my brolly from the off!
I arrived at the large shallow Mere at around 8.30 picked a peg I hadn't previously tried and set up. I cast out the carp rod with a boilie as bait and set the rod down on the buzzer. I catapulted some boilies into the general vicinity of where my hook bait was and poured a coffee.
I then set up my feeder rod with a mesh feeder and a prawn hair rigged on a 20" hooklink as the hook bait. Oh did I not say that I was after perch after my limited success last time out! Nothing happened despite recasting regularly on either rod until 2.09 pm
Being a sad b*****d I like The Archers and had missed the first 6 minutes or so of last nights episode so I tuned in . At the point where I had caught up the buzzer started to chirrup and line was being taken so I picked up the carp rod and knew I was into a decent fish! It turned out to be a 11lb common. I looked at my feeder rod to see if it was likely to get in the way only to see the tip swing round as a solid bite developed. " gosh fancy that " I said or words to that effect!
You wait 5 hours with not a nibble and then ,like buses, two come at once. Despite my dislocated fingers I landed the carp, weighed it, returned it to the water and reeled in the feeder rod. This was the result;
A PB roach of 1lb 3oz!:wh
Bizarrely there then followed 5 more carp from 10 to 12lb all on the feeder rod and all on prawn !
The carp rod produced nothing more.
I must admit that the playing of the carp on my feeder rod( a Hardy Marksman) was infinitely more fun than on the carp rod ! The bend in the rod and the feel it gave was fun and really enjoyable. The carp rod just winched in the solitary carp without fuss and effort but without soul and what I would describe as the real pleasure of catching a fish. I suspect it may come into its own with carp over 20lb but I am not impressed! It may well be consigned to the garage!
My ground bait was a mixture of crumb, spammed something or other, with left over corn and bits of spam. To this delicious melange I added chopped prawn and the water from the packet of prawns. I will not try and replicate it as I was just using up bits!
Feel free to try it!
All in all a lovely day despite the rain! I plan to return tomorrow but with different tactics! Watch this space