Good Morning.
After a very windy night and another dramatic turn to the weather, it was decided this morning that we would end the session. Safety was the main reason, as it was obvious that is was no longer sensible to venture out in the boat. As the winds picked up yesterday evening I instructed Danilo that if either of us had a carp in the night, it was imperative, that we both went out in the boat as a safeguard. I have fished in very strong conditions before and it does not bother me as it will usually pass, however, this was supposed to be a friendly session and there was no point going over the top for the sake of a carp.
Danilo had the first run of the night and I was ready in the boat as he appeared from his bivvy dressed in his thermal gear. I had already put on my gloves, and after a few false starts from the petrol engine, we cruised out to the carp in very choppy water. A good fight took place, and I kept moving the boat so the fish was coming towards us in the swell. This makes netting a fish easier in strong weather and it is better to have the boat behind the carp, as the boat will always move quicker than the tired carp. What I am trying to say is: if the wind is blowing from the North, position the boat, side on to the South, and play the carp in front of you pointing to the North. You sometimes have to manoeuvre the boat a little, but when the fish is ready, it is much easier to net. There is nothing worse than having a boat out of control, a carp flopping around in the swell, as you try to net it when you are cold and exhausted. I sometimes net my fish from the tail end after a long fight, and it is quite easy to scoop the net underneath the fish, but you have to time it right and a short landing net handle is very beneficial in this situation.
I netted Danilo’s common when I finally got the chance and there was a moment of jubilation as it transpired that the fight was over. I love fishing with another angler when there is that joint feeling of ‘just being fisherman’! I was happy for Danilo, as he needed this carp to catch up, and it was another reminder of what a good session we have had and how well we have worked together. We have a good chemistry despite the language barrier, and we both love catching carp – it’s that simple. We both love catching big carp too, but this session has been the perfect tonic in preparation for what lies ahead for both of us in the next few months. When I get round to writing my first book, Danilo will play a part as a guest writer as he is a great angler; he really does think like a carp. After my five years comes to an end, I would like to have five contributors from five different countries, each with a story to tell and the history or moment that we first met. I have met some great people and so many carp anglers on my travels, from so many different countries. I have also met a few assholes that I hope I never meet again! Ultimately apart from my story I would love my book to capture the camaraderie of some of the characters I have met, and as Danilo was featured in my second chapter of ‘No fixed Abode’ and has been mentioned several times afterwards, I think many readers will understand who he is, and why he will be a contributor. It’s in print now, I can’t go back on my word!!
In fact the other night we were both looking through some of our pictures and I showed him my first 20kg+ common carp from Cassien. “You catch Chardonnay?” were his words. Danilo caught Chardonnay in May of 2009 and I went down to Aviron to celebrate the capture. Imagine my shock and surprise when he pointed out that the black common weighing 21.5kg that I caught one year before, was in fact Chardonnay. I have caught Chardonnay and I never realised it. I had three French men and four Germans present during the photos and because the fish was so black, I don’t think anyone clocked that it was in fact the most famous common in Cassien – Chardonnay!
What do you know...It's Chardonnay!!
Almost two years on, it matters not, as I caught that fish when I was on a big roll, in the month of May of 2008, during my first long session carp fishing in Europe, at Lac de St. Cassien. I caught 42 carp that month, but I do have a distinct memory of that particular capture at 1.30am. I recast my rod because I suddenly had a hunch that something was amiss. Ten minutes later I had a mental run – turns out it was Chardonnay returning from the reserve, completely spawned out. He gave me a hardcore scrap, I played him from the bank, stood in my waders, and I remember seeing this angry black common thrashing the water to a foam!
Danilo’s choppy water common weighed 10.1kg and it pulled him back into the proceedings a little. I was glad he had caught and it fired me up to catch one myself. Finally I had a few beeps on my ATT a few hours later at about 5.30am and I could see my bobbin hanging low. I clambered quickly into my Nordic gear and went out to the rod, as the bobbin shot back up to the underneath of the rod. I wound down, leant back, felt a thump, flicked the backlead of the line, and made my way to the boat. I called Danilo loudly through the howling wind, and he soon arrived in the boat and we made our way out to my reflective bottle marker. All was solid when we arrived at the point of contact, and we were being rocked about violently, by the stong winds and the surging swell. I tried to instruct Danilo to move the boat to a better position when I felt the hook suddenly pull. I think I was more gutted because it was so cold and it would have been better to return to the swim, freezing, but with a carp. I immediately dropped the rod back onto my spot and we returned to the bank and disappeared into our shelters.
At around 9am Danilo’s alarm beeped. It beeped again and he was onto the rod. I pulled my boots on, slid on my life jacket, and jumped into the boat. It was now intensive and the water had an angry feel to it. Danilo’s line was snagged as we motored out towards his marker and suddenly his line went slack. Two fish lost, probably due to the high winds, more than inexperience, and we decided at that point to call it a day because it wasn’t safe for the boat and we did not want to lose anymore carp.
If we were both fishing for another week or so, then there would be no problem sitting it out, but as we both have separate plans to fish afterwards at other lakes, it was felt that it was the wise decision to pack up and get off the lake. Fortunately, the rain held off, and we were able to pack up in extremely strong winds, with the occasional ray of sunshine. The drama wasn’t over though; I had to get my van towed out of the mud, before I could load up my van, and then it was a case of driving carefully along a dirt track, loading up the van, and hitting the Autostrada with a 210km drive back to my base. Packing up took five hours. Driving home took two!
The final results of the competition are as follows. Danilo caught eight carp and finished with 64.3 kg. I caught thirteen carp and ended up with a total of 86.1kg. I do think the change from pop ups to bottom baits made the difference and I also think my two bait stringers helped me catch more in the mud we were fishing in. Most of my carp were hooked smack in the middle of the bottom lip – confident feeding!
Before the week-long competition started, we had probably caught about 20 carp; in the end we landed about 40 carp in two weeks. The big ones eluded us, but it was great fun. It was satisfying to know you could expect a run or two in the night, and possibly one or three in the morning spell. Size is always my goal, as is Danilo’s, but sometimes just catching carp is more enjoyable and it takes you back to your roots. When any of us started carp fishing I do hope the excitement of that first run will always stick in your mind. When I first started carp fishing in 1988 I was happy catching carp. For the second year, only double figure carp had a picture taken, and an upper double really got the heart going and that was a catch that made you buzz till your next session. A twenty – now that was magic!
I have decided that for the next week I am going to try to claw back some of my memories from the past, and even though I won’t be actually fishing, I will still write a blog each day. It will be a week of carp fishing memories – just for a change. I won’t be fishing for a week, as my planned lake, the one that was frozen in Feb, has now had much snow in the last 48 hours. I will stay at my base, catch up on plenty of writing and other work, and prepare for the next big session, which will last at least six weeks.
Cheers for now.
Jake and the dogs.
