Posts Tagged ‘bivvy’

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Specchi…taculor!!

May 13, 2010

Good Morning!

Specchi is the Italian for mirrors and it seems a very fitting title to today’s post. I have been very lucky and have caught three stunning mirrors this week and the third little peach of a mirror was caught last night. At 12.5kg she is not the biggest mirror I have caught by a long way, but what a picture she is! The tiny pearl like scales near her tail are very beautiful and I was chuffed to bits when I peered into my net in the torrential rain! The rain is the real problem at the moment but not for the fishing. The rise in level is great, but the nightmare scenario we are now faced with, is we are running out of ground – we are literally being flooded out!

I moved both my bivvies back a few yards very early this morning. One bivvy already had water creeping underneath and my other was close to the edge. I have been very impressed with my Armo as the groundsheet has remained dry for the whole time I have been here. It is just as well as the dogs beds are on the floor, on top of an old sleeping bag cover; and it is my dogs that I am obviously most concerned about. They are both outside now as I write this as the sun has peaked out for a while; however, it is not fun for my dogs when they are confined to a bivvy all day.

I have now moved up to 28 carp in total. Five more have been caught since the (make that 29 in total…I have just caught another amazing looking mirror – a heavily scaled long specimen..he must have seen me typing the blog, and obviously wanted to be included too! I will have to post the pictures later, once again.) great mirror was captured yesterday morning. I think with the amount of mirrors that seem to be cropping up, they have obviously moved into the bay in groups to spawn. There is a really good chance of a big mirror before I finish the session and still a good chance of a big common. The commons I am catching are all in the 15-30lb bracket and I have caught so many recently that I am actually bored of taking pictures of them. I ask them where their mother is, they get blown a kiss, and are released quickly from the boat.

The deciding factor will be whether or not the session will have to end prematurely and we have to leave because of the serious water problems, but at the moment whilst the sun is out, and it is not raining, all seems rather good. The water level is still rising though, and yesterday there was so much water moving through the lake, it was like fishing in a river. The debris was horrendous and I was back and forth in the boat all night clearing it off my lines. I resorted to heavy rocks as lead substitutes, in order to get a piano wire, tight line, on the way back in the boat. Otherwise you ended up with a massive bow from the flow, and then huge amounts of debris would catch on the line, which inevitably will drag your rig out of place. With the heavy rocks there is no way on earth they will move, you just end up with a huge bend in the rod tip, as the debris starts to slowly cling to the braid. It is jolly hard work but this is what you must do in order to carry on fishing. I have been in similar situations before and can cope fine with it, the only problem I have is my boat motor is not working well. I have borrowed another from a friend and his does not work well either. I came up with a solution and I have both in the boat to get the desired power…I have a twin turbo boat! I have decided that I am going to invest in a Minn Kota when I get the funds available as they do seem to have the best reputation for reliablity. I have seen a 70lbs thrust version which uses two 12v batteries and I am considering this model.

That is all for today. I have some tidying up to do, and as all three rods are in the water, there may be some more carp to be had today…fingers crossed!

Ain't she pretty!

Self-takes in the rain are never easy!

I could do with a platform on stilts!

It now looks rather different from yesterday's rod shot!

It takes a bit of practice to control both at once, but I have learnt quickly!

Cheers

Jake and the dogs

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Posted in The Italian Job! | 1 Comment »

I am the Vermin Slayer!!

April 28, 2010

Good Evening.

There have been no more carp caught since the gorgeous thirty pounder yesterday afternoon. I have a funny feeling I am experiencing a repeat performance of the weekend’s vanishing events, and after Monday night’s, and yesterday’s heavy rain, and moody weather, the fish probably exited the bay at some point yesterday. The sun has been shining with enthusiasm today and I am sure the carp will return. The fish clearly seem to be in spawning mode at the moment and I am sure they are being dictated by the delicate changes in water temperature.

Where are you carp?

From time to time I look at my stats on the website to see how my traffic is doing, and to see exactly where this traffic is coming from. I find this very interesting and occasionally I will click on the links and see what is at the other end – so to speak! I have noticed in the last two days a few visitors arriving from this Italian carp fishing forum www.passionecarpfishing.it and it seems I have upset a few people. I don’t normally pay any attention to forums but this one had to get a mention!

http://ilmercatinosenzaregole.forumup.it/viewtopic.php?t=15542&mforum=ilmercatinosenzaregole

I don’t speak Italian but I have a translator on my PC, and I kind of got the gist of the thread that had been posted about me; and I have to say it made me laugh – a lot! It was about the mouse photo I posted yesterday, and how cruel and unkind I was to do such a thing!!

"You tell them Dad!"

I am now going to defend my actions. I don’t have to, but I will anyway, as I think I am more than justified in what I do and for the following reasons. Firstly…I am sorry, but mice and rats are vermin. Let’s get this point mentioned straight away! Someone mentioned on the forum that it is okay to kill them when they enter your house. Well I live on the bank most of the time and for very long periods, and when I am fishing my bivvies become my houses, and if mice enter, then they face my traps that I set. In my opinion it is exactly the same thing. I may be at one with nature and you must expect these things to happen, but my bivvies are my personal space and I don’t like my personal space being invaded. Also consider this for one minute whilst you’re reading this sat at your computer in your dwelling. Your lovely house and the manicured ground it stands on; what do you think lived on that sacred ground before it was bulldozed for your luxury accommodation? Mice I expect, and in their hundreds and thousands!

A hole caused by a mouse!

I am a professional angler and I guess you could call me a survival expert. I have very expensive equipment to look after and protect, and if mice start entering on a regular basis, then things slowly get destroyed and before you know it they end up living in bags and luggage. Last time I left Italy in 2008 and headed to Germany, I accidentally took a mouse with me. It was dead when I eventually found it, a month later inside a pocket compartment of a green rucksack! The stowaway got his comeuppance!

Another vermin killer!

I bet half the whingers on the forum have never even undertaken a long carp fishing session in their lives. If you ever do, and you manage to get out from behind your PC’s, and stop cyber carp fishing, you will soon notice the little scurry of feet at night, and droppings and urine on your equipment in the morning, if you don’t prevent or eliminate them in some way. If that is how you want to live when you fish, then that is up to you quite frankly. Personally I would rather kill them if they come in my bivvies, or go near my cooking equipment. They are unhygienic and I don’t want myself or my two kids (Charley and Flash) to pick up any unwanted germs.

Caused by a mouse...

Good old gaffer tape!

I would like to assume or at least hope that all of the moaners on the forum are actually fisherman! How do you fish by the way – with hooks of course. I mean come on! Get a grip will you! Fishing is hardly the most compassionate of sports is it. We trick fish into picking up a bait, we then drag them in, whilst they have a metal hook imbedded in their mouths…and you are whinging about me killing a few mice, because they keep trying to eat my dog’s food for example! Whilst I am on my trip I will continue to kill mice and rats wherever I go, and I take great pride in my job – I am the international vermin slayer. So far I have probably eradicated over 200 mice and about ten ‘small dog’ sized rats!! ! Rats spread diseases such as leptospirosis, and mice, quite frankly, aren’t much better. We aren’t talking about some fluffy pet shop hamster or gerbil which you buy for your child. Mice and rats are vermin and here is a dictionary description of that word:

1.noxious, objectionable, or disgusting animals collectively, esp. those of small size that appear commonly and are difficult to control, as flies, lice, bedbugs, cockroaches, mice, and rats.

The thing that really made me laugh the most, was how negative the whole thread was. There wasn’t one mention of the beautiful carp – you should all be ashamed of yourselves, and if that is the only way you can criticise me, it’s pathetic. Get a life or better still – GO FISHING!

I am prepared for vermin in all shapes and sizes!

My blog or website is a platform to tell my story, and to inform readers of what I have to go through and put up with, and of course the good bits – like when I catch carp or meet certain characters. Vermin is one of the pitfalls of long stay angling, and if a few more anglers now take mouse traps with them when they go, then that makes me very happy as I am doing my job well. I don’t have to publish certain pictures but then that would not be a realistic view of what I am doing. Life isn’t always a bed of roses and you deal with things, as and when they happen, and how you see fit. I use traps and that’s that – like it or lump it, and if you don’t like it – go and look at someones elses blog, there are plenty more to choose from. I am not in a popularity contest, my goal is to catch carp, I will continue my quest for another three years, and unfortunately that will mean more dead vermin.  Setting a trap in a house, is no different to setting a trap in a bivvy, so stop being such hypocrites.

I have my own bin which minimises vermin attraction!

That's lovely isn't it!

Whenever I leave a lake, and in particular my swim at the end of my session, I always leave it clean and tidy, I often clear up other peoples rubbish before I begin, I even have my own plastic bin for christ’s sake, which works by not attracting mice to black bin bags left on the floor, and I do respect wildlife and nature. There is a stone building at the back of my swim which has been used as a dumping ground for rubbish. The rubbish has clearly been left by carp anglers, and judging by the Moretti beer case, Italian ones I might add. One thing I have observed when fishing in Italy is how the Romanians seem to get blamed for all the problems at lakes – rubbish, violence etc… I heard on the grapevine that a fight took place a few days ago between some Italian anglers and some Czech anglers over a swim at Pusiano. What’s all that about! It seems none of us are perfect after all!

I decided to treat myself!

My friend Pippo arrived today so I could nip to the local Tigros shop to get some supplies for the last few days. I fetched all my rods in before I went and left him in charge of the dogs. On returning I put my stuff away, we opened a couple of beers, as I am getting to the end of the session and I felt like I deserved one, and then I started getting the rods in position again. I had done two and was taking the third one out when  a boat appeared in the distance. It was the local Polenzia and the Guardia. It was an educational visit on all accounts and although I was rumbled for fishing too long (I was caught red-handed at my 550m spot, and they have those snazzy binoculars which read distances!), and for going out in my boat too early to place my rods before it was dusk; they were very pleasant about it and just gave me a fine! You don’t get a warning in Italy – just a fine. It’s no big deal, I can take it on the chin, and as I am coming to the end of my session it just gives me more material to write about. They even asked for my blog details so they could have a read later. Cheers guys – hope you like it!

That’s all for tonight.

Yours truly

Jake and the dogs!

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Posted in The Italian Job! | 13 Comments »

Yorkshire Tea, Sunshine, and Mosquitoes in March!

March 23, 2010

Good Evening.

What a welcome sight I was greeted by this morning upon climbing out of bed. The sun was desperately trying to burn through the clouds and I could see patches of blue developing. The dogs came out to see the phenomenon taking place and in half and hour it looked like we were all going to be treated to some fine weather. I could be anywhere really, hidden away in the woods with my dogs, and I am very happy in my own little world; the sun however has been missed and I beckoned it on with outstretched arms. I hope he comes back tomorrow!

I had another visitor today and this was from an English chap who lives about 50km away. We have spoken a couple of times in the past week or so and I informed him I would be setting up my stall at a lake not too far away from his location. The meeting was arranged and he promised to come armed with a treat – tea bags and strong Yorkshire ones at that. Buying English tea bags in France at the big supermarkets is fairly straightforward but astronomically expensive. I remember buying some from a LeClerc store in Montauroux last year and they had the English retail price tag on them which read 75 pence. I was charged three and a half Euros which for forty PG tips is a right rip off. Buying tea bags in Italy is proving difficult. I have been enjoying my strong coffee but, you can take the Englishman out of the UK, but you can’t take the tea out of an Englishman. The first cup of proper tea I have had since the end of last year tasted excellent! Cheers Jon!

Sorted!!

Jon stayed for a few hours, I cooked him some lunch, and we chatted about the carp scene in Italy and about some of the problems he and I have encountered. These aren’t serious problems but more administrative issues and complications in purchasing tickets etc. As an example, on one public lake the limited number of swims are managed by three separate towns who control the swims separately. In order to fish you must call each provincial office, find out which swim is free and do this with each town. Once you have booked a swim, you then get a signed form faxed to you from the local mayor. I said before Italy is not as straightforward as France’s public lakes and it seems I wasn’t wrong. However it is worth the effort, so do not let the minor complications put you off paying Italy a visit. Some lakes are certainly more straightforward than others and you will just have to see when you get here.

Jon gets the doggy treatment as Charley explains the meaning of life!

After I had whizzed Jon back to the mainland in my boat, I decided to go and do a 72 hour check on the rods. More of a peace of mind check really, after the initial 24 hour check last Saturday. Two of the rods were fine, but one rod had one of the two 20mm pop-ups missing. Quite possibly a crayfish having a nibble. The crayfish must be starting to wake up from their winter slumber and I will have to now check the rods every 72 hours just to be on the safe side. The water has actually come to life today and I have seen fish topping and plenty of bubbles in the shallows. The bubbles could easily be gas so I won’t get too excited about them, but I did see some patches moving in a directional line, which had to be feeding fish of some description. If the warm weather continues for a few days then I really do think it will be a matter of time before one of the rods rattles off. It could even happen tonight!

Canadian pond weed off the small hump spot.

I spent this evening repairing my mossie door on my large two-man bivvy. Why you may ask? Surely it is too early for mossies? No it isn’t and this morning I was woken at 6am by a buzzing by my ear. This evening as I stitched the door up (where my dog Flash incidentally ripped a hole in it trying to get out during my New Year session) I noticed a large, fat, fly. The fly in fact was a large, fat, mossie, filled with the blood of one of my dogs. I noticed a few other blood suckers waiting their turn, so I swished them out of the bivvy and hurriedly finished off my sewing task. I know from past experience that this lake can be horrible for mossies, but that was in July of 2008. The problem with this lake is the fact it is pretty much still water and not fed by a large river that enters and exits the lake. The lake is also reed lined and there is plenty of stagnant water and thick mud; the perfect breeding ground for hatching bloodworm. Being prepared I have my repellent, however today’s selection of biting guests were probably down to the sun which has certainly bought a few out from the woodwork so to speak. I can’t stand the little critters though and my dogs are sitting targets for them. It does mean I get bitten less, but it is unpleasant for Charley and Flash who can’t flick them off. The door is now mended though so we are fully protected at night.

Speaking of bivvies I will soon be getting my hands on Trakkers‘ monster mansion – the Colossus. This has been in the pipeline for some time and it will hit the shops at the end of April. If you like your long sessions, you need plenty of living space, and you like a little luxury, then this is the bivvy for you, and it is certainly the choice shelter for me and the dogs!

The Big Game Knot

I posted a picture yesterday of a knot I use for the Safezone leaders to prevent damage to the eye of the leader. Here it is in more detail.

A damaged Safezone leader.

Tie a large loop in your mainline or shock leader.

Thread the loop through the small leader eye and slide it down to the knot of your loop.

Now pass the loose end of the Safezone leader ten times through the open loop.

Wet and pull together to form a well bedded knot that should look like the one in the picture!

I would like to add that I only use this knot when using the Korda hybrid lead clip that is permanently attached to the leader or the lead release method using an inline lead such as the method shown below. A lead clip that is pushed into a swivel and sometimes slides on the leader after a take is not suitable for this knot, as the lead clip won’t pass over it. Always check and use lead clips responsibly, so a fish is not left towing a lead around if you suffer a breakage.

A great and very simple lead release method when fishing to snags.

That’s all for tonight. (A short post as usual!)

Cheers

Jake and the dogs.

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Posted in The Italian Job! | 12 Comments »

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