Back for revenge

Friday 1^st June.

Image 1 – Mel with a big grass carp.

Image 2 – Not the prettiest fish, but a personal best.

During the week of extremely hot weather, regular Mel Smethurst had booked me for a days guiding. His target was too beat his grass carp best that stood at around 8lb and after watching an angler catch a few at Badshot Lea Big Pond the previous week, as well as myself taking g one earlier in the week, felt relatively confident.

Setting up so that the main body of water to the western end could be explored, Mel took his bait boat loaded with particles out, depositing a peanut over the top. I fished next door, adamant that l could compete by spombing and casting, yet apart from a bream that feel of before netting we surrendered and accepted defeat.

I knew that our tactics were spot on and told Mel to get back to the lake as soon as the weather changed and this is duly did.

The following Friday, he was back, and took my advise to target the same area, only this time from the railway bank. Conditions were far better and not long after dropping his first load, the alarm screamed and he found himself holding a big grass carp, an eighteen pounder. My mobile rang, and as l was only minutes from the venue popped down to take a few photos. Back in the office and around two hours later, the phone rang again. It was Mel again and this time he was telling me how he had bettered the first one, this time with a grassy of 20lb 12oz.

It just goes to show that if the fish aren’t feeding, then you won’t catch them. If you know you’re tactics work, then have faith in them, and if you know the reason why things aren’t happening then take note as another day can be so different.

Well done Mel!

Here are a few words Mel sent me the following day…

'Another record breaking day'. Two personal best Grass carp - my previous biggest caught in 2004 - says it all about the skill of my mentor.

 A session with Duncan never fails to push me up the learning curve.  

One of the angling greats, Richard Walker, said many years ago that it's often the small details that make the difference between success and failure.

Duncan has amassed an encyclopedic knowledge of small details in his stellar angling career which have served me well in my PB quests.

Thanks Duncan for your continued guidance and friendship."

Weekly report starting 26th May

Duncan Charman’s Weekly Report – Week Starting May 26th 2012

Image 1 – Massive, but not records. 

Image 2 - The silvers were quiet, but the crucians were rampant.

Firstly l have to apologise for the alterations of my website blog. Apple that used to host my angling website decided not to host anymore, so I’ve had to transfer to another company, hence for the changes. Hopefully from now on there won’t be anymore glitches.

I’m not really sure where my time is going at the moment; however l am aware that l need to make some radical changes as well as having a good holiday. The book writing is sapping me, not just of time, but energy, however l am working relentlessly to get the text completed and the images organised so that l can get them of before my break. Whether l do this or not we will have to wait and see.

Looking at my diary of the week, the website alterations took up one day, book writing two, a feature for Tight Lines one as did a Korum product meeting. That makes five, and as l don’t fish on weekends, due to wedding photography, you can see why lm frustrated.

What makes things worse is when l look in the weeklies l see massive fish being caught and just want to be part of it!

So as you can see, my only day with rod in hand was whilst filming for Tight Lines. With the British record silver bream falling a week or so ago, l was sent on a mission to Mill Farm Fishery to see if l could catch a monster. However, after having a chat with Keith and not really wanting to fish the Specimen Lake, where the bigger silvers are, behind buzzers and bobbins using heli-rigs, agreed that l could do some proper fishing. Setting up on Mill Pond, l initially set about getting some bait down on the bottom. I did this using a bait dropper, as loose feed only attracts carp, not really what you want to hook on delicate hooklinks. Using a 15ft rod and pole float set up l dropped in, using an 6mm Sonubaits hooker pellet, only to be bent into a fish moments later. It was a crucian and over the next hour around a dozen more followed. Things then went quiet before hoards of tiny silvers bream invaded the swim. Trying to get a bait to the bottom was impossible, so l had to move to deeper water.

The new swim bought some rest bite, yet carp were now the problem, however in between these the odd better silver came. Four hours later, it was once again the crucians that moved in and by packing up time it was one a chuck. The odd silver fell, but my biggest was no more than a pound. Enjoyable fishing thou, and as much as l would have loved to have stayed on, l knew my time was needed proof reading.

The Korum product meeting was as productive as ever, however it was the specialist rods that stole the show. The team of consultants, some while ago, asked if certain rods be designed for specific jobs. Leaving this to the production team we were finally handed some samples, and my god they are good. There are a few tweaks needed, then the next step is for us consultants to take them out and put them through there paces. I can’t wait!

By the way, the massive, suspected brown goldfish that l caught a few weeks back was identified as a common carp, f1, brown goldfish hybrid. If this flies over your head, then you’re not the only one!

The Tight Lines show goes out on Friday 8^th June when l will also be appearing within the – Sky Sports 3 at 7pm.

Weekly report starting 19th May

Working overtime.

Image 1 – I had to work overtime for this 17lb 1oz grass carp.

Image 2 – Not what l expected to place in my landing net.

Image 3 – Sonubaits PVA friendly Hemp ‘N’ Crushed Tigers.

Image 4 – Korum Rapid Melt PVA System, quick and easy to use.

Last week l was fortunate to spend the day with some of Farnham Anglings Societies top anglers whilst making some video coverage for the clubs website. Fishing for carp was one of the clubs up and coming young all-round anglers, Jimmy Loten and along side him was well respected carp angler Dave Benton. The clubs Hon Secretary Ian Gray was given the difficult job of catching catfish whilst the Treasurer of the club, Peter Hooper was dealt the task of catching grass carp and the pest controller for the day was myself.

Although the day was a great success with most tasks covered it was Peter Hooper that stole the show, landing at least four grass carp in just a few hours, the biggest a mid twenty. All the time he was doing so, l kept a close eye on just how he was catching. Using a bait boat (something lm not a greater lover off) l watched as he literally took the lake apart, using a particle approach and peanuts as bait. He was as keen to see what l was doing, as over the course of a few hours l managed to keep the bream coming, finally compiling a weight of around 70lb.

A rare blank early the following week at Westhampnett was due to numerous factors. One was that l became preoccupied with numerous carp up in the upper layers, which weren’t interested in feeding, probably getting ready to spawn and by the time l realised this l was out of position and unable to move as the waste disposal gate had closed which left me on the back of the wind. Another factor was that the river Lavant was in full flow for the first time in over a year and was pouring into the lake rising the water level some six inches overnight.

Later in the week l had a couple of days booked in the company of my good friend John Dunsford from Coarse and Match Monthly. The days were booked to compile a group of specimen tips and product reviews, however when l mentioned that l was going to cast a couple of rods out for grass carp, Gareth Purnell at head office decided to set the task of me catching a grassie. Thanks, not the easiest task in the world and when the day dawned hot, humid and with a northerly wind l knew l was up against it.

Arriving at around 8am l had a quick look around the lake, finally setting up on what’s called the Railway bank, one that’s never been that kind in the past. My tactic was to specimen fish match style, in this l mean, using a specimen set up, peanuts on the hook and baiting up using a small Spomb on a little and often basis along with casting regularly with a small PVA bag attached to the hook containing Sonubaits Hemp ‘N’ Crushed Tigers. With the temperatures reaching the high twenties, a north west wind and the carp going into spawning mode l spent the best part of twelve hours working the swim before resting the baiting routine overnight, recommencing this come first light. It was far from easy going with numerous bream invading the swim but finally the bite l was waiting for came, albeit twenty five hours later!

 If you want to see exactly what an all-rounder goes through in his quest to land his desired fish, then you need to tune into Coarse and Match fishing monthly and keep an eye out for my ‘In Session’ campaigns. If you think anglings easy then, think again!