Charman’s Challenge – MBK Pump
Station Pond.
Date – Friday March 21st
2014
Venue fact file –
Pump station Pond, Longmoor Road,
Greatham, Hants GU33 6AP
Tickets Adult £10-00, OAP and
juniors £7-00 available from Grayshott Tackle GU26 6HJ. Tel - 01428
606122. (season tickets available)
Stock – A good mixed fishery
with great silver fish sport and some large perch and carp.
Conditions – Atmospherics
dropping slightly from 1007mb, wind increasing to 16mph from the
south west, sunny with odd shower late on and temp rising from 5
degrees to 12.
I first acquainted
myself with Pump Station many years ago when it was controlled by
Oakhanger Angling Club. I was a keen match angler back then and
remember the long walk down the windy lane from the car park that,
back then was situated next to the road. It was never an easy venue;
however my most memorable match was when I caught all three golden
orfe that lived there, in successive casts, a catch that helped me
win the match.
Unfortunately OAC
lost the venue around the same time that the A3, that now runs close
by, was being constructed, and due to this the lake’s bottom was
breached, leading to the water draining away. The army that owned the
lake at the time also used the lake for different activities and it
was one of these events that polluted the lake and the stock lost.
Many years past
and with my match days coming to an end I left OAC and joined Farnham
and during this period MBK took over the lakes control. Three years
ago I returned to compile a feature for TCF, it fell on a day of wind
and rain and with the feature based on silver fish and waggler
fishing and having to hold onto a spinning brolly, have to say that
although I caught plenty of fish, it wasn’t a session that I
enjoyed.
Now though, being
able to compile these articles around my strong points, I’ve
decided to return with its larger residents on my mind, namely perch
and carp, and with a love for float fishing and knowing just how
effective prawns are, I’ve decided that the margins will be my
first point of attack. I have also bought with me some short carp
rods that will be ideal for a change of tactic later on in the day if
my preferred method fails.
The forecast for
the day ahead was that it would stay relatively dry, yet on route the
heavens opened unloading a shed load of hail that soon had me
realising that winter is far from over. Couple this with heavy
overnight rain and a temperature of just 5 degrees I knew that the
fishing would be far from easy.
My girlfriend’s
father was already set up by the time I arrived and by now the clouds
had disappeared and with the sun illuminating the venue I have to say
that Pump Station has to be one of the prettiest day ticket venues I
know. Surrounded by tall old pine trees, silhouetted against the calm
water the air is filled with a woody aroma and the water colour, as I
remembered it, a peaty colour.
Kenny and daughter
Kendra who controls the fishing had pointed myself in the direction
of the first few swims nearest the car park and had informed me to
feed some small micro pellets in the margins which I did in three
areas. This would allow myself to rotate these, hopefully taking a
fish from each before topping up with pellet and prawns and moving
on. Tackle couldn’t be simpler, a Preston 13ft Carbonactive rod
teamed up with a Shimano 4000 size reel loaded with 6lb HydroFlo and
at the business end all I was to use was a 4x14 pole float, one with
quite a thick tip which was connected in three placed to the main
line before a 5.14lb Reflo hooklink was attached loop to loop style
onto which two number six shot added along with a Korum size 12
barbless hook.
The wind hadn’t
decided which way it was going to blow and unfortunately the fish
were also undecided whether to feed or not as the first two swims
failed to show any signs. Using a large plummet I quickly found the
depth of the third swim and placed a whole prawn onto the hook before
lowering this right over the primed area. Targeting the margins each
area was no more than two feet deep and soon after lowering the prawn
in the float started to move from side to side, similar to that of
crucian fishing. A small dip then a short solid strike saw the rod
blank bend over and the clutch scream. With the carp well out in open
water and doing everything it could to avoid the bottom of my landing
net I originally thought that a double was the culprit, yet
embarrassingly the fish weighed no more than four pound but what it
lacked in weight, it certainly made up for in looks, what a stunner!
The next hour past without incident, well apart from Mick being
trashed by a monster of the deep and I was forced to drop into a swim
on one of the other lakes, Spectacle. This proved that the fish were
feeding as a couple of hard fighting commons soon found the bottom of
the net, yet today was all about trying to catch a big carp on light
balanced kit and the main lake was were I needed to be.
The two
unproductive swims remained fishless yet the third, where I’d taken
the first one showed signs that carp were once again around. Dropping
the float in position I watched as a large common surfaced and
cheekily sucked a leaf that lay right next too the float before
dropping down and within the blink of an eye the rod arched over as
the water exploded with a big carp heading out once again into the
centre of the lake. Fully expecting a big common to surface I was
surprised to see a big scaly double figured mirror to show some five
minutes later. It was the size of fish that I had come for, however
the common that showed was far bigger so after priming each swim
again I went for a walk to see if I could spot any bigger fish only
to find most of the lakes population at the dam end sunning
themselves. Mick mentioned that this was familiar behaviour and that
they would slowly make their way down to the shallow end as the day
progresses and that’s exactly what they did, yet not on the side
that we were fishing.
Moving round I
baited up the forth swim along the left hand bank, one that I
remember as being the best in my days of match fishing and soon after
lowering a prawn the float dipped, disappeared and again the clutch
sounded yet this was only a small carp, around three pounds. Chancing
a second cast I soon found myself locked in battle with a real zoo
creature and after five minutes was convinced that it must be hooked
in the tail due to its sheer power but it didn’t feel foul hooked
and slowly but surely progress was made before what had to be the
cheeky common from earlier slide over the drawstring. Unfortunately
the digital scales that I had chanced on using again failed to work
so I had to borrow a set from another angler and although not the
most accurate the dial swung past sixteen, slightly less than what I
had estimated, but still a great fish to take on such basic, balanced
kit.
After the capture
of the cheeky common the lake came alive. All the carp had shifted
from the dam end of the lake and moved to the bank that backs onto
the Spectacle Lake an area that I settled and come 6pm when I called
it a day another twenty or more carp had graced my net. With the carp
lifting in the water I had to make one adjustment and with floating
baits banned finally took the majority of fish fishing a prawn two
inches under the pole float. None surpassed the common in weight,
although on a number of occasions a big ghosty common almost made a
mistake, but all were absolute stunners, mostly heavily plated
mirrors with the odd long dark common for variety. I was hoping that
one of the lakes big perch would show but today the carp were
ravenous, just waking up from their winter slumber and eager to build
up some lost reserves.
Pump Station is a
beautiful venue with some stunning carp, certainly a water where
purist tactics outscore modern approaches and if like me you love
fishing at close quarters, almost stalking your quarry then I highly
recommend this tiny and rewarding venue.
Image 1 – Id forgotten just how
beautiful Pump Station is.
Image 2 – Bait, nice and simple.
Image 3 – Terminal tackle, basic but
strong.
Image 4 – Each swim is plummeted
before fishing.
Image 5 – It took a while but then
this gorgeous double turned up.
Image 6 – Playing each fish on
balanced tackle is great fun.
Image 7 – This common has to be one
of the biggest in the lake.
Image 8 – Every one was like a wood
carving.
With Frensham
Great Pond also closing for the traditional close season my campaign
sessions have also come to a close. To be honest the rudd captures
took a turn for the worse during March, proof that a constantly
changing wind effects Frensham more than any other factor. I did
publicise my captures within the Anglers Mail and out of respect for
another anglers left it to the last minute. I also kept quiet as the
last thing I wanted was for other anglers to follow suit and spoil
the peace and quiet I found on the venue this season. A previous blog
described this campaign but in short my brother and I landed just
short of a hundred rudd over 1lb 7oz with around 50% of these being
over 2lb, the best weighed 2lb 11oz. Don’t think things were easy
as my only overnight session of the campaign totalled fifteen hours
during which time the temperature dropped to -3.5 and my only bite
came at 1.30am from a rudd weighing 2lb 2oz. Feeding periods were
very short, maybe twenty minutes or so and the most rudd I caught in
any one session was five!
The predator
season also came to a rewarding end, not for me but a lucky customer
who wanted to catch his first ever sizable zander which he did at Old
Bury Hill on the final evening in style with one weighing 11lb 6oz.
One enjoyable
session was with the Tight Lines crew when I visited Court Farm
Fishery in Berkshire. Fishing the Specimen lake and using simple
float tactics in the margins and prawn on the hook I was constantly
beaten up by carp to around 14lb along with catching a early season
tench plus a couple of pound plus roach.
April is in my
mind the best angling month of the year so make the most of it and
get out their as everything is waking up and looking for a meal.
