Sharpes 'The Carp' autumn campaign

[Nigel Rainton]

Luke,

Thanks. It is very windy at the moment and it's from the south west, I might pop up there again for a short session this evening :-)

[StalkingLuke]

Best of luck if you do, certainly feels like a good fishing day.
Sadly I will be working until dusk.

[Dave Burr]

A great write up and result.

[Julian]

Excellent write-up and a superb hefty carp - well worth the effort involved

[TemeLAD]

Great write up and great result

[Nobby]

I enjoyed reading that!

I'm surprised to read that all that pre-baiting didn't work...there were fish in the swim after all.

Perhaps next time two baits so that that on the day you might have a choice to offer them that they are already use to? I'd go for sweetcorn....or maybe maggots.

I don't especially think of meat as a carp bait......though one pond I used to fish a great deal only ever produced carp to meat.......they might not come out for 6 months, but when they did it was only ever to meat.

[Beresford]

Fabulous. It looks huge.

[Kingfisher]

That was a smashing read Sofasurfer, glad you got the fish in in the end. What a fish too.

[Aitch]

A cracking write up and a cracking carp... .

[Nigel Rainton]

Nobby,

Sweet corn has been used too much and in very large quantities at this lake. I have watched the carp patrolling the margins and as soon as they come across sweet corn, they torpedo off into the depths. I agree with you about a substitute bait. I had bought two large bags of frozen prawns and I intended to take them with me. On Thursday morning, I got the bags out of the freezer, had second thoughts and put them back. Prawn curry tonight !

I left the prawns behind because didn't want too many variables on Thursday. All day I fished a 3/4" cube of luncheon meat on Rod 1. This was my 'baseline' set up. On Rod 2 I changed the shape of the bait, the distance between the float (self cocking crystal waggler) and hook and the hook size. I recast both rods every hour with new bait. I fished close to the lilies, in the middle of the channel and close to the far bank. All these changes made no difference, the fish was caught on Rod 1. The owner of the lake advised maggots but I never have confidence in small baits for big fish. I know that is illogical but for me, confidence is everything.

I should be at the lake again this evening, conditions are perfect. However, I have just spent 6 hours looking after my grandsons (aged 1 and 2) and I am exhausted. Wine, curry, sleep. The carp can wait.