Good Evening.
The wind really picked up this morning, and as I write this evening’s post the calm has just been restored. The sun has just dipped behind the mountains in front of us, the sky is a fabulous icy blue colour, and as evening’s go, it is a treat! About ninety minutes ago I got off the mark with a pretty common and it now almost seems like I never left Italy – normal service has been resumed!
Normal service has been resumed!
My friend had a take early this morning which he lost due to a hooklink break. He had a second chance a few hours later and successfully landed that one. His common was about the same size as mine. We are now fishing sides, me to the left, and he is on the right. As I wasn’t fishing last night he took advantage and placed a rod to the left where I had introduced the bait last night. It came as no surprise that the carp was excreting red crab and crayfish boilie all over the mat as he unhooked his prize. I was delighted he caught one, but equally pleased by what I saw. I couldn’t get the rods out quick enough.
Crab & Crayfish boilies - it's an onslaught!
It seemed that the carp had stopped eating for the rest of the day, so I wound in the two rods that I placed earlier and checked them both. I had prepared my third and went and dropped them back in position. I am fishing them all at close range and along the margin, and it is actually possible to walk two of them out in my waders. I had done these two and then took to the boat to drop the final rod next to the lilies. As I prepared to drop the rod I heard a few beeps from my alarm and my middle rod was going berserk in the pod. I motored back, picked up the rod, and did battle with my first carp from a new water. It was most gratifying to draw it into the net!
The carp took a liking to one of my green pop-ups that I am fishing alongside Dynamite Baits CarpTec boilies. I am certain Dynamite don’t yet have a dedicated pop-up to match this range so I am using the fluro pop-ups that I have so much faith in. The combo seems to work. I am also using the bright orange monster crab to mix things up colour-wise!
Bite me!
The bonus of the strong winds today, meant the mossies weren’t able to stick around. They are back now in full force and as you can see from my picture, I am wearing my net again. It is the only way to survive!
Catch you tomorrow.
Jake and the dogs!
I went off into the night and landed a scrappy little common. It was a carp at least and I was confident of more. The same rod signalled a drop back at around 4am. I wound down and the sneaky bugger had swam forwards into a snaggy area about 10 metres in front of my drop position. The rod was pulled forwards a little as the carp obviously saw his chance to shed the hook and that is what happened. I don’t however think it was that big. It is funny actually how the smaller fish seem to pull harder than the bigger fish at range. Take the Koi I caught the other day for example. At 550m range it actually pulled me forwards and you would swear you had a fifty pounder on the other end. I guess it is the braided line and the fact it has no stretch, you feel every reaction very quickly.
