Another Dave
Well-known member
Simon,do you use the rod to negate bikes etc,rather than the pole or is it just personal preference?
I find a bankstick through the spokes usually does the trick.
Simon,do you use the rod to negate bikes etc,rather than the pole or is it just personal preference?
I duly turned up at my still water this morning at 8am with the gauge showing -1 degree in the car. Quite a heavy frost in the Chilterns, so a bit of scraping necessary...
Conditions looked pretty good with barely a breath of wind and I tackled up in record time whilst my fingers were still able to deal with No 8 shot. As it turned out I could have taken an hour or more as I sat watching a motionless float. At 10 am I decide on a drastic change of tactics to fishing a waggler slightly over depth, followed by fishing on a very slow drop in 8' of water. Still nothing...
At 11am I had a very tentative bite and I wasn't sure what to expect when I struck, but I wasn't left wondering for long as everything just went solid and I knew straight away I was attached to a carp. It didn't 'fight ' as such, nor did it go screaming off, but it sort of wallowed around, keeping the 11' Ultralight in a very tight curve. Some 5/10 mins later I was able to get it to the surface where it almost swam into the 16" landing net, which was just as well as I thought I would have a real problem.
It was a very pretty common of some 7/8lbs and although not what I was after, it was most welcome, particularly as i was using one of the new wagglers I'd finished only last week (bait a single red maggot on a 20 hook)
I wish I could say I caught a few roach, but on that score I blanked. I cannot remember the last time i suffered on of these, but I have the feeling I may be in line for a few more over the next couple of weeks if it doesn't warm up!
I might try again mid week................
ps The Ulralight rod at 11' is an absolute beauty. Dead right for fine roach fishing but (sort of) capable when faced with a fish such as the carp I had today. At one time it was truly bent to an amazing curve ( as it has done several time in the past) but it did the job.....
Thank you John but the smaller of the two was a minter, just me that wrecked the foto !Tried to post a like Mick but there was no like button on my screen. Lovely fish.