I mentioned a while back that it was my intention to fish over Christmas – well here I am. The weather forecast has been monitored over the last couple of weeks, but as the days grew closer to my planned session, and as the weather was not looking ideal, I have still decided to give it a go. After all, you can’t catch unless you’re fishing, and hopefully I will be rewarded for my efforts as a gesture of goodwill to all anglers on earth!

Driving over the dam at Sierra Brava through fog.

Flash loves running alongside me as I drive to my swim.

When cattle are present - he isn't allowed!

As I left my house yesterday morning, loaded to the hilt with tackle and Christmas fayre, I made my way to the lake through thick fog. Was this a good omen? I have just purchased four new tyres for my Navara and my Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx’s did me proud as I drove around the perimeter of the lake; sometimes through water-logged, deep, and muddy stretches of track. These tyres have incredible grip and are an aggressive looking model and not once did I have to drop into 4 wheel mode.

My Navara's Christmas present - 4 new tyres.

I have decided to fish a new swim. I could have gone to my usual spot at this time of year but as it is a Christmas trip, I figured I would add to the excitement of the session by fishing new territories. The swim itself is snag heaven and relatively shallow with fishing depths of 14-17ft out in front. I am hoping the forecast sunny days will bring fish to these wooded hides, and the margins will provide the odd passing shoal. At this time of year and with cold nights it’s all about windows of opportunities. Having a bait in the right place at the right time should see a carp on the bank.

Fully loaded complete with a Christmas Jamon!!

Seven ★ camping underway!

I could fish lightly and with a small bivvy but, as it’s a luxury session during a renowned period of festivity, I have decided to go all out. My colossus sits proud on the side of the lake filled with gadgets and technology to help the long nights pass me by. My Spanish friends in my village just can’t comprehend why on earth I would want to go fishing over Christmas. I know many anglers who would love to be on the bank right now and I know some who already are. If fishing is in your blood then you do it because you want to, not because you have to. My family is in the UK and I have a planned UK visit in July for a month so nipping back for turkey, socks, and a satsuma is something I just can’t afford to do with increased fuel/ferry prices. Having a dog also means I can’t fly. I could but it would mean leaving my companion behind – I couldn’t do that to him!

What a breathtaking view!

Fishing wise I am fishing to the visible trees in front of me. It is relatively medium range tactics ranging from 50 to 90 yards and I have prepared some ground-bait using maize flour, maize and tigers, with liquid attractor to increase the flavour notes. The water is cold and this is proper winter carp fishing. It can be tough going but I have a week’s session planned so I am hoping I can encourage some fish to my spots during that time. I saw fish rolling this morning. They were further out in amongst the snags so I have been given encouragement from those sightings.

One Jamon, one salivating Doberhuman, and fortunately one generous owner who is prepared to share the joy!

It leaves me to say Happy Christmas to one and all. Have a great day tomorrow, wherever you are.

Best Wishes

Jake Langley-Hobbs & Flash.

I woke this morning after another uneventful night, and to another identical dawn. I therefore decided to make the most of my time and packed up my equipment. I could sit it out, but looking at the weather forecast does nothing to get me excited. I have a great advantage in that the lake is on my doorstep and this means I can act on changes in the weather. I don’t mind trying in poor fishing weather but I also know when to throw in the towel, so that’s exactly what I did. However, the next two hours were spent doing a very useful job indeed – especially for my clients for the coming year?

At the moment the water levels are low. The level has started to rise a little but there is still another 4-5 metres required to be at the same level as January this year. This can happen very quickly and as an example, I left for the UK in December of last year. I returned a month later and the water had risen – 5m in height! When you consider the size of Sierra Brava that is an incredible amount of water and the majority of this influx comes from the river/canal system after prolonged and heavy rain. Taking all of these factors into consideration I have decided to act early, so after I packed up my gear I headed for several swims dotted around the lake.

As I said above Sierra Brava is a huge lake, but I have a few areas that I fish and take clients to. I can fish anywhere on the lake but I have my favourite spots and I also have my ‘quiet’ spots. Once the lake fills up, access becomes more tricky, and unless you have access into certain parts of land, which I do, then it is impossible to reach them. Many anglers try with normal cars and they get stuck, but in some cases you need more than a car, you need keys to open gates!

You would not want to fish this swim when the water levels are high - jagged rocks equals hazard and cut offs.

Once I arrived at the first swim I started to take photographs, showing what the lakebed looks like with the water levels low. I take these pictures lining up landscape markers so each photograph makes sense. When I have clients they can then look at these pictures and get an idea of what is in front of them. There are some really nasty areas around the lake which you would never want to fish in a million years. Tall sharp jagged rocks, trees, and other hazards can be a few yards in front of you, submerged by water once the levels increase, yet silently waiting. It is this knowledge that gives me a great advantage and I do this kind of thing for my clients so they get the best from their holiday.

Small branches can cause big problems.

I dragged this large branch out of harms way - look at the line on it.

Another activity I did was swim clearance. In some of my favourite areas there are lots of branches and stumps on the bottom. You are sure to lose some fish as the line will get trapped under a branch resulting in snagged line/tackle, and potentially lost carp. I have dragged these branches up to a safe distance, out of the water’s reach once it rises, knowing the swim will be clear when this event happens. One thing I have to say, is I cannot guarantee the swim will be 100% clear as when the water rises, new driftwood can arrive and existing driftwood can move, but in my mind’s eye, I can do no more. It only takes the smallest branch to cause big problems and I now have a dozen areas that are nice and clean, complete with photographs, matched up to landscape markers that you can see at night – a distant mountain range that is visible from most areas of the lake!

A nice hard patch loacted in a large mud-lined bay. I know where it is and how far from the bank in yards.

I am a guide. I want my clients to catch carp, and I don’t like it when I lose fish, and I always get disappointed for my clients when they lose fish. If you can try to prevent this by doing some of the above, then as a guide you should do it. It is the same as maintaining tackle and equipment, so clients are using quality gear in good condition. It is all part of my job, and if this post helps me secure an extra booking or two, then everyone benefits.

I will be back soon with another session, once the weather looks more favourable!

Thanks for reading my blog – your support, as always, is appreciated.

Jake Langley-Hobbs

I am all set up and waiting for action! It is about ten days since my last session finished and I have five nights planned for this trip. What lies in store? The weather is dramatically different compared to my last outing, and not perfect conditions in the eyes of a carp angler who likes to fish in the brunt of a storm. Clear, sunny days, easterly winds, and cold temperatures don’t exactly signal screaming bite alarms, but you can only try, and it beats sitting at home behind my laptop in my kitchen!

Five nights of blissful sunsets and hopefully some glorious carp!

Due to the climate change I am baiting on the side of caution. I am fishing with maize and tigers as my bed of bait with a light scattering of boilies. Carp love maize, carp love tigers, and I like the visual factor that maize offers. Many anglers use huge amounts in Sierra Brava; and although I don’t often rely on it as a hook bait, it is great for drawing in fish, and keeping them in your swim, until they start picking off boilies, then eventually your hook bait.

Have you heard of TOKS? It’s the on-line carp fishing competition where you enter your four biggest carp during the timeframe of each competition. It is free to enter which is one big plus point and there are some great prizes to win, for regional and overall winners. David Fort from the Czech Republic won the last world title with four carp amounting to an impressive 83+kgs. I have been on the panel of experts for the last couple of years, but the organiser of TOKS is in the process of adding me to his staff, and awarding me a title, yet to be confirmed. This now means I can enter TOKS. I am doing so to help promote the competition, and to be a role model for the Big Four International contest. I spoke to Ken Keene in America, yesterday evening, and I made it very clear to him that if I do happen to be lucky/jammy enough to win a prize, then I will donate it to a fishing charity of my choice.

Fully prepared with my TOKS badges which must be displayed in submitted carp pictures. These can be downloaded once you register. Print and your ready to go!

Check out the TOKS website if you are interested in having a go. The current competition runs from November 15th to February 16th. You can join on-line at anytime during these dates.

That’s it for tonight’s post.

Back tomorrow.

Jake Langley-Hobbs

I hope you all enjoyed your firework parties last night and everything went well and safely. They don’t seem to have such a celebration in Spain, but then they have enough fiesta’s to keep them happy! I have caught two more carp. The first was caught whilst I was cooking my dinner at 10pm last night and was a mid-double common. I unhooked it in the water’s edge, released him quickly, and returned to my dinner of chicken and potatoes! I actually cooked double portions of everything, as I can then use what I don’t eat the following day saving on gas and preparation. Speaking of gas, my gas fridge is so effective, my frozen chicken breasts I bought with me, are still in fact frozen. My model is made by Dometic and cost about 140 Euros.

The sun shining on Charley - my lucky mascot!

The second carp arrived at 5am this morning. This time an 18lb common was responsible. I recast the rod, topped it up with more spombs of boilies, and returned to my sleeping bag. Interestingly enough, both of these carp came from the rod that was yet to produce, and the second one was obviously after my clipped-up recast in the dark, showing the effectiveness of a night-time marker and a line-clip on your reel.

All of my fish have come at different times so there is no pattern emerging as of yet. I am only into my fourth day and I have another seven nights to go. That number could increase, depending on whether I think another night might benefit me, and if my food rations last that long!

I have no carp pictures to show you today so instead I have taken lots of shots of my bivvy set-up. Basically to show you all how I am functioning during this session. The colossus is a great bivvy, huge in size and space, and the large porch really is a great benefit to have. The inner door can be left open during rain, as it is only the porch entrance that gets wet and that’s no big deal. I am super prepared for this session and the longer it goes on, the more I am enjoying it. I know I am waiting for a big fish to give me the chance I came for. The fish I have caught to date, all five of them, are welcome, but not what I am here for. It wouldn’t surprise me if a mirror carp shows up soon, so watch this space.

I haven’t touched my rods at all and I am leaving them all till about 4pm when they will all be reeled in, checked, and recast, followed up by baiting up effectively. I may slightly decrease the amount of bait I am putting in tonight to see if it actually increases my catch rate.

Did you find Flash yesterday!

I have another ‘spot the dog’ photo today, and slightly harder than yesterday’s one. Did you find Flash in yesterday’s picture? If you scroll over the picture and double-click, it will enlarge to make him easier to find!

Sunday's Spot The Dog Puzzle!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I hope you like my selection of photos I have taken for you to look at.

Sunday is big-breakfast day!

My huge home for the session - Trakker's Colossus bivvy.

It's bigger than my SUV!

The cooking side of the porch.

The tackle/bait side of the porch.

Plenty of spare clothes and my personal item bivvy table.

Flash sleeps on an old Trakker Armo unhooking mat.

Or anywhere for that matter!

Original Peachskin sleeping bag cover protecting my Peachskin bag underneath. Both old, both well used, but very much loved for warmth and comfort.

The all important chair!

The back of my truck is great for storing wet items, rubbish etc...

This ariel means I can get 3G for my internet, without it I only get Edge which is a slower connection.

A white USB cable for the internet and a 240v power cable for my laptop. Both are fed into my bivvy.

A 12v-240v invertor working off a leisure battery to power/charge my laptop.

Fingers crossed for a couple of lovely carp shots in tomorrow’s posts.

Cheers

Jake & Flash.

I have just got home and unpacked all of my equipment from a quick 40 hour session at Sierra Brava. I only have the time to do short sessions for the next few months, so I have been keeping an eye on the weather to maximise my chances of a fish. It has been hot all summer with the occasional change in climate, and it is during these periods that you should try to capitalise on. A moody weather front was moving in so my plans were put into action.

Some areas of the lake are hazardous!!!

I originally planned to fish an area I had a lot of fish from last year when the water levels were down. Unfortunately access wasn’t possible, so I went and looked at another possibility. Not liking the look of what I saw, and knowing the southerly winds would be battering the other side of the lake, I drove to that location. The water level has dropped about 4-5m since May and now a new island was totally exposed. I drove onto it, and to a vantage point, so the welcome wind was blowing into my face and eagerly started to set up.

Pure Public Water Action!

With brisk winds pushing waves onto the shore, I whacked out the rods and followed this up with a few spombs of bait. I chose to fish 2 rods to tree tops sticking out of the water at a range of about 70 yards, and my other rod was cast to an Oak tree to my right, about 30 yards out. I fished this rod locked up, putting the rod at a right angle to my cast’s position, to allow slightly more give if I got a take, and to prevent a hook pull.

A close range rod fished to the tree in the photo.

The first night passed by uneventfully. In all honesty, I don’t think I expected any action, as at Brava, unless you are fishing a spot regularly, it can take the fish a while to find your bait at this time of year. However, you can often get lucky and catch within hours, and I remember back to my first few sessions last year; I think I caught a carp or two every night, for my first batch of short overnight sessions.

Flash will sleep anywhere!

Yesterday morning I woke to a calmer lake. The wind had died down in the last thirty minutes as I had been snoozing, so I quickly put out some more bait and recast the rods, ensuring they were tighter and positioned exactly where I wanted them. The winds soon picked up again, so I lay back on my bedchair, started a new book, and that was the plan for the day – relaxation!

The dark clouds moved in later on in the afternoon, as the forecast had predicted. Rain occasionally fell, but it was never heavy or persistent. At 8.00pm and after a fairly quiet day, I redid everything, as I was certain this would be the final night of my short session. Up until this point I still hadn’t heard or seen a single carp, which is quite unusual for Brava. I haven’t fished for 80 days so I don’t know how it has been fishing in the extremely hot months of July and August, but after briefly chatting to a few anglers the day before, who were all blanking, I doubt I have missed much, apart from cooking slowly in uncomfortable 40C heat!

I settled down for my last night. A chicken breast and white rice was cooked and quickly devoured, and after a few coffees and a bit of Facebook, I called it a night. The winds were strong all throughout the night, and I occasionally heard the pitter patter of light rain. I even had a visitor, a little mouse, who kept coming in my bivvy; so noticing there were a few grains of rice left in my saucepan, I put it outside, to let the furry fella have a midnight snack.

At 5.30am I got the sound I was hoping for. Two beeps signalled a take on the close in locked up rod. I donned my waders, knowing the rod tip would be arching towards the tree, and after carefully hobbling (I have bad feet at the moment) to my rod, I carefully unhooked it from the rod saver device, and immediately put the rod to my left-hand side to draw the fish away from danger. I expected more of a tug of war, but the fish came away quite easily. It didn’t do a great deal for the first five minutes, until it got in front of me, then it went ballistic. I backwound furiously to give it line, and after another couple of minutes had passed, I finally got a glimpse of a pale shape in the swell. I drew her towards the net, and then noticed to my delight that it was a mirror. My first carp in about three months and it turns out to be a stunning ‘royale’ as they are known in Spain. I caught this carp using two corked tiger nuts with a piece of yellow pop-up plastic, fished using the 360 rig. I fished over tigers, maize, and a few large boilies, which the carp was excreting on my unhooking matt!

Welcome back!

12.5kg/27lb Royale

I left the carp safely in the net in the water’s edge and quickly got the rod back out using my landscape marker in the dark – a distant oak tree on the far landscape. I heard a satisfying plop, I felt the lead down, and then got back to the business of weighing my prize; 27lbs or 12.5kg.

I put the fish in a retainer and slept for an hour. Once light had broken, I made some tea, and then got down to the joy of photographing and releasing the fish. My camera is playing up a bit at the moment (I keep getting an Error 99 message), but with a cool head, a remote control, and a few erases, we both got there!

My decision to pack up and return to my house was necessary. I have writing to do, I now go to the gym a few times a week, and I have been so hungry from working out, that I ate all of my food! Plus, I am more than happy with my carp of the session – who wouldn’t be!

Mindless Ignorance!

One sad thing I noted as I left the lake which made me really cross, was a huge pile of rubbish by a gate, left by so called anglers. Anglers leave this to be collected, I presume, by a rubbish cart? Why don’t you take it home and dispose of it yourselves? People wonder why anglers get themselves a bad name?  Just look at the picture – it is disgusting! Respect your countryside, as it is for everyone’s enjoyment, and not just for selfish, bone idle, and ignorant anglers.

Rant over – I have work to do.

Catch you soon.

Jake and Flash.

Many of you may have started to believe that I had given up fishing, or indeed, got lost in Spain; on the contrary. It simply gets ridiculously hot in Extremadura, and July and August are the hottest months of the year, with temperatures rising to 40 C. I endured two whole summers of hardcore angling in France and Italy, and after putting myself, and my dogs, through some very uncomfortable sessions, in soaring heat, I decided that I would not put myself through it all over again. If truth be told, I love the warm weather, but I would rather be sat by a swimming pool, or in the shade, or on a beach; and even though I have caught some big carp in hot weather, I really prefer to fish in Autumn, Winter, and the Spring.

It was for the above reasons that I took it upon myself to take a well-earned break for the summer. At the start of the year I was very busy setting up my guiding venture at Sierra Brava – a mammoth task in itself. Sadly, I have only had a handful of clients but they all had good results and over a 100 runs were shared between three separate bookings, resulting in over 70 carp landed, and four personal bests – which proves just how good the fishing is at Sierra Brava.

My yearly calendar will remain the same every year in Spain for clients wishing to book, and for my own personal fishing time. Sierra Brava is closed in April, but that month happens to coincide with my birthday, and Semana Santa (a Spanish fiesta celebrating Easter, for a whole week!), so the closure means I get a little time off to enjoy myself. I won’t take bookings either in July and August, for the reasons I mention above. ‘Vela’ is the name of another popular fiesta in Spain, and this occurs in August, which means I get another chance to let my hair down; when looking after clients on the bank is not a priority! You could say that the fiestas, weather, and my birthday are matched perfectly to my annual fishing calendar!

The fiestas in Spain are something of a tradition, dating back many years. The villages all throw their own fiestas, and they can last from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on the size of the village. They did have Bull Fighting in my village, but I don’t agree with this practice, so I didn’t attend! The community spirit in each village is quite amazing and the fiesta is for everyone, children and grandparents alike. The family unit in Spain does seem to be a very integral part of their lives, and I admire the value they put on the word ‘family’.

Now I have lived in Spain for almost a year, I have got used to their daily schedules. For example, due to the hot weather, the Spanish tend to get up very early for work, and will normally start at 6am or 7am. They finish earlier and go home for lunch, normally at 2 or 3pm.A siesta then follows, and then they appear from their homes for activities such as swimming in the municipal pool, before going home for their cena, or dinner as we call it, at 9-11pm. Then they often sit in the street, or go to bars at around midnight, and their day may finish at 2am, before going to bed, and getting up a few hours later for work. A strange day you may think, but it is all due to the very hot sun. The Spanish are much more intelligent when it comes to sun bathing. Basically they don’t do it, and certainly not like typical Brits abroad, who resemble pink lobsters after day one of their holiday! No – the Spanish sit in the shade because they understand how dangerous the sun can be for the skin.

It is now almost September and I can feel my fishing head beginning to twitch! The other day I went to Sierra Brava with my friend, and Flash, for a swim, and a small dose of sunshine. The water is swimming pool warm, and I even got Flash swimming – a rare feat in itself. The water levels are as they were last year when I arrived in September (down about 4m), and one of my missions over the next month, will be to get round the lake on my motorbike, and photograph all of the swims I take clients to, showing them roughly where the snags, trees, and other hazardous obstacles actually are, and need to take into consideration, when the water levels are high. My fishing is going to start very soon, I am preparing some tiger nuts and I will also be using Vital boilies that I had great success with last year. My break from fishing has done me the world of good to be honest. I didn’t burn myself out, instead I needed to settle into Spanish life, and make Spanish friends, and learn Spanish. I can now communicate to a certain level, and this means my quality of life in Spain can only blossom and grow. One of the things I have observed in Spain, especially In Extremadura, is you can not rely on one business for your income. I intend on setting up a small English school for the children in my village, as there is quite a demand for it. I just need to improve my Spanish a little bit more, and hopefully by Christmas, that will be up and running for a couple of days a week!

Finally, I did my first piece of 2011 official writing yesterday for TOKS. TOKS is an online carp fishing competition and it is free to enter. There are great prizes to win, and unlike a lot of the ‘big’ carp fishing competitions that take place, there really are no strings attached to TOKS. Have a look at the link, enter your details to receive your TOKS badge, and get out there, and take part. The competition does rely on honesty, as ‘you’ enter the true weight of each carp that you put forward. You can put four carp forward in each competition but, if any of the photographs of an entered carp look suspiciously underweight, then it is my job, along with eleven other ‘panel of expert’ anglers, to scrutinize and judge the pictures. We then decide if the carp’s weight is really true, and if it isn’t, then that particular carp is eliminated from the competition.

SIGN UP FOR TOKS NOW…..

I hope you have all caught some nice carp this year, and I will return soon, with some Sierra Brava captures to show you.

Cheers

Jake Langley-Hobbs & Flash

Following on from the last post: on the Saturday morning I decided to pack up and headed to a different part of the lake for the last twenty-four hours. This area is only accessible with a 4 x 4; due to the heavy rain in the past few weeks, and the fact that the water levels are very high. Tranquility beckoned as I drove the 20km or so to the other side of the lake, and I was greeted by the usual scene – an empty bay with no-one in sight. This is part of the appeal that Sierra Brava delivers, in that you can always find a quiet part of the lake at weekends; it just requires a little knowledge and effort, and it’s all part of the guiding service I will be offering.

The weather has certainly been a mixed bag the past few weeks. It has made the fishing slightly unpredictable but the results are still there to be had. As usual in fishing, and when fishing these big lakes, location is very important. The carp certainly aren’t that hard to catch when they are in front of you, and fortunately there are so many carp in Sierra Brava, you can pretty much guarantee that fish will swim past you quite regularly. The challenge of late has been whether to pick deep or shallow water, and having the confidence to fish at arm’s length. The first time I clapped eyes on this magnificent lake back in September, the inviting margins were the first thing I noted, I fished them from day one, caught from them on day one, so therefore I always have the utmost faith when fishing close in.

I soon had the rods out and settled back to continue with book number two of the session. The first one I read ‘The Partner’ had a slightly disappointing ending after wading through 385 pages; only due to the fact that the female character ‘Eva’ stitched up the main character ‘Patrick’, at the very end. It was a predictable twist that I hoped wasn’t coming – never trust a women!

Suddenly rain moved in from the west and it sounded like a torrential downpour was coming right towards me. Fortunately I had the sides folded up on my SLX, so in no time I pegged them down to prevent Flash, his bed, and my bed, getting soaked. I was confident of a fish after the rain, but instead had to wait till 6am the following morning for a mid-double common to tear off with one of my margin traps. I enjoyed the fight as dark turned to light, released the specimen back to his home, and returned to bed.

At 8am my long-range token effort took off. You may recall I have been launching small pop-ups with a pva stick into the horizon, and after losing one to a sneaky drop-back, and then having the hook pull on a possible second, this time everything went smoothly. My lead had released and I saw the fish appear on the surface about 90 yards out. Confident he was coming all the way to the net, I gently retrieved line until a perfectly formed mirror, with shoulders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, lay before me. This carp had not been on the steroids however, but similar to many of the young mirrors in Brava, he will be a cracking looking carp when he bulks out.

I called time on the session after my two morning captures and headed back to my base. With a demanding work schedule beckoning, I needed to start organising my trailer for my first clients, due out next week. Right from the beginning, my plan has always been to keep clients on the bank for the duration of their trip. With all my ordered equipment sitting in boxes, it was time to begin fitting out the trailer and that is exactly what I have been doing for the last four days – from dawn till dusk. The old technology teacher skills have been put to good practice, and I even think my head of department would be proud of my efforts!

My trailer now boasts gas fridges, hot water, water-tank and a shower system, gas stoves, and storage for cooking utensils. More importantly I can still get all the tackle for four anglers inside, with room to spare for angler’s personal belongings. The trailer has also been fitted with eight re-lined brake shoes, after discovering they were: ‘let’s just say a little worn.’ I can now confidently apply the hand brake without fear of the whole lot ending up in the lake!!

I have actually had a bit of a nightmare with brakes this year. Firstly my 4 x 4 had severely worn brake pads and a damaged disc as a result. A phone call to the garage I bought it from had them reaching for their cheque book, and new ones were duly dispatched and fitted. Then I had the issue with the trailer. Once again I called the seller and they agreed to contribute. (If you don’t ask you never get, and they can only say no I suppose!) The upside of course is my transport is all in tip-top condition, and safe; you will all be pleased to hear! How I made it down to Spain (2000km) in one piece is beyond me, and I thank my lucky stars I never had an accident, or worse still – injured or killed someone in the process? Finally my Suzuki 50cc scrambler bike (if you can call it that) is being prepared for sale. I decided I don’t need it anymore, so it is now sat in the mechanics, having a new kick-start fitted. What did he tell me today when I saw him? It needs new brake pads on the front wheel!! They do say it comes in threes…

Tomorrow I am off fishing I am pleased to report. The weather is looking consistent for the next couple of weeks, and I have been praying for some sunshine – my prayers have been answered and I can’t wait to get on the bank and set up.

I will be blogging from the bank.

Cheers

Jake & Flash.

Shortly after the rain started and darkness had fallen, the headlights from a vehicle lit up the bay. Not exactly known for their quiet approach, three Spanish lads appeared with great enthusiasm. “Buenas noches.” After enquiring if it was okay if they fished further along the bank, I explained that I was fishing to the island, half-reluctantly said yes, and off they popped. Car doors opened and slammed shut, and opened and slammed shut, the bivvy was assembled by three, with animated voices and torches, and possibly an instruction manual!

The car drove off only to appear moments later. It drove down the slope illuminating the whole bay, and trundled past me. The two remaining Spanish lads screamed in hot pursuit.”What have I let myself in for? There goes my peaceful night,” I thought, muttering as I took shelter from the ensuing pitter-patter from the rain.

The ritual bank-side fire was then assembled, branches were snapped from here and there, and loud cracks were followed by loud voices. Ever heard of watercraft? The roaring fire now lit up half the bankside. “At least I don’t need my 1 watt headtorch to read my book anymore!”

After two hours had passed I could tell the rods had been assembled, and they were about to be launched. I stood in the darkness watching, and as the first cast was executed, their was a long pause… followed by that unmistakable thud, right over my left hand rod! “So you are fishing in my swim then,” I quizzed the guy. He wound the rod in, and the cast was repeated. The splash sounded to hit exactly the same spot, so shaking my head, I carried on with my book; at least that was bringing me some relief!

The night was not one of sleep, and pleasant dreams. Nor was it one of screaming alarms and heavily plated carp. As I lay on my bedchair at 8.30am, with heavy eyes, and a temper ready to flare, I heard the sound of an alarm. I climbed into my boots, and watched as the Spaniard gave it his all. The hook pulled and his tackle, sporting a yellow bait just like mine, skimmed across the surface, right from the middle area of both of my rods. The rods I had carefully walked out yesterday to match my spod rod’s distance. The spomb that I had delivered accurately in cross winds to drop twenty or so loads of carefully prepared spod mix. “I will make a coffee,” I thought,”Then I will have a word!”

Now the boundaries have been set, and I have my swim back, I am confident I may have a fish to report in the morning. The two of them are actually both nice guys (we have shared a coffee and some food), but they weren’t really aware of the acceptable boundaries that most carp anglers know as carp fishing etiquette.

If you arrive after dark for example you set up quietly, you respect other anglers, you don’t cast into other people’s swims, and you don’t set up ten metres from the other persons bivvy. I admire the enthusiasm and regularity of the average Spanish carp angler; they put in the hours, they catch carp, and most are very friendly. Some just need to learn a few basic watercraft skills combined with what is acceptable, and what clearly isn’t, when fishing next to others; and I don’t mean that in a patronising or condescending manner. Many arrive in the hours of darkness which is never a good thing on any lake, complete with headlights blazing, and trailers clanking down the tracks. It is therefore a small wonder little gets caught at weekends, but of course, fish still end up on the bank.

Now my whinge is over I am going to make some tea, and relax as it falls dark. Who knows, maybe tomorrow morning I will have two more anglers set up ten metres to my right!!

With a smile

Jake & Flash

At eight-thirty yesterday evening I heard a carp roll down the left-hand margin. My rod placed in eight feet of water was near to where I heard the carp give away its presence. I heard another rolling sound, so I quickly slipped on my Wellington’s as the red led from my receivers lit up, and the tip subsequently whacked round. “What timing with the boots,” I thought, as I made a dash for the rod in question. As soon I was stood holding the rod however, I knew something was wrong. That terrible grating sensation came back up the line, and sure enough, it was probably caught on one of the many loose branches that adorn the margins at this time of year. This is one of the additional challenges that lay in store for anglers who fish when the water levels are at their maximum – the perils of driftwood!

One big branch = one lost carp.

I felt the fish pulling hard so occasionally I gave it a few turns of freedom. The fish didn’t feel particularly big or strong for that matter, so I started to gain line bringing the carp towards the snag. The line continued to grate, the fish pulled sharply a few times, and it was suddenly gone, leaving my hook embedded in the woody tangled mess. I put my rod down and donned my waders. In the darkness I waded out till my shockleader was back on my spool. I then applied pressure and the whole lot began to budge. Ever so slowly the big branch appeared from the depths, and there was my bright purple pop-up, hooked neatly on a small stem. The last time I was snagged I won the battle – this time I didn’t, and that’s the way it goes I guess.

Around nine o’clock the star’s twinkle was hidden by dirty clouds and the first drops of rain descended. It was comforting knowing the temperatures had dropped slightly and I lay there watching my isotopes in the dark. I was abruptly awoken at 3am by a single beep. The glare from the led illuminated the front of my swim as I waited for another burst – nothing. I needed to pee (!) so I nipped to the nearest bush and hopped back in the bag. Flash stuck his head out from underneath his cover on his bed as if to say “Do you mind mate, I am trying to sleep here!”

Thirty minutes later I had a liner on the margin rod from earlier. The three quick beeps had me into my boots in seconds and I studied the rod tip and checked the line was still in the clip on my SK3. Everything seemed in order so I returned to the bag again. Animal noises were in abundance last night; dogs, wild boar, otters, and a host of other park-life poachers. The otters are regular sightings at Brava and I see at least one every night. I remember a session last year when a family of otters were working the margins thirty yards along from my swim. It seemed the young were being trained by the parents and they had obviously just successfully executed a kill of some description judging by the splashing and fighting in the edge.

At seven-thirty I finally got the sound I was waiting for. A couple of beeps were followed by the thrill of the ripping baitrunner accompanied by my two receivers two-toned chorus. I was on the rod in seconds and immediately I felt the grating again. I continued to wind and suddenly the line pinged free. I wound down for what seemed like ages until I made contact, and the carp was actually right in front of me! It suddenly woke up but never left the shallow 18inch margins, instead preferring to do its battle, right here, and right now. There were a few tense moments as the carp almost tail-walked across the shallows to escape the net, but finally and with the help from my headtorch, she was mine – and what a beauty too!

I left the carp in the net and prepared the necessaries. I sat on my bed for a moment and took in the last few minutes. Deep down I felt I deserved that one. On the scales she read 14.75kg or 32.5lbs; I left her in the retainer, popped her back into the water, and got the kettle on whilst I prepared my camera equipment. There is nothing like photographing a nice common in the morning followed by a cup of PG tips!!

That will do for starters!

After the pics were done and she was duly returned I then made some breakfast. My boy Flash was given a long cigar-like rawhide chew to keep him occupied for twenty minutes(a normal dog would spend days eating it!), and I was just photographing him in full chew mode, when the margin rod signalled something was going on – another liner or a pick-up. I reeled in to find my fluro pop-up was not fully buoyant from the night before, so I changed it for a fresh one, filled a pva bag with some treats, and slung it all back into position; this was quickly followed by four spods of the margin mix for this particular rod!

OH YEAH!!

How is my new line faring? Well I got snagged earlier whilst reeling in one my rods. The 16lb held up fine and in fact the hook I was using, snapped first. I used to get snagged sometimes at Cassien whilst reeling in, and then would have to go out in the boat to try to free the hook or lead. Directly over the snag in the boat would allow a direct pull from above and quite often my hook would bend and free first, before any line breakage occurred – that’s what you call knot-confidence! Boats aren’t allowed at Brava so I always reel in quickly with the rod held high. If you get snagged then there is little you can do apart from waggle the rod around, walk in different directions to get another angle on everything, and then if all else fails – pull for a break. I hate losing tackle – not because I am tight, because there is already too much lying around on lake beds all over the world, and it really used to irritate me when I used to see anglers at Cassien pulling for a break, because they were too lazy to go out in their boat to free the end tackle, which to be honest, 99% of the time you get everything back.

Tuna - Frank W swears by it...

Tuna fish is an ingredient I am adding to my spod mix this session along with my other ‘bits’! The great thing about not having a bait sponsor anymore (and I don’t ever want one again)  is I am free to use whatever I want, and I no longer have to worry about saying the wrong thing. My spod mix is Vital based in that it has the SB-X boilies in it, but to this I have added some pellet, various Dynamite Baits liquid attractor, the tuna (Spanish!), and a few DB Mussel and Oyster boilies that I have to use up. Together it makes a fantastically fishy concoction that I am positive is helping me this session. The carp incidentally was caught on the snowman comprising a 24mm Vital SB-X bottom bait with a 15mm Mainline pineapple pop-up. This was fished with the blow-back rig using a long curved hook, and I placed a piece of shot behind the bottom bait to stop anything sliding on the hair, and to add some extra weight; so when the carp sucks it in, essentially it drops lower in the mouth making it harder to eject.

My fishy fish mix.

The rods have all been sorted for the next 24 hours and I have a feeling there is more to come. I said in a post a few days ago that the margins held the key when the levels are high, and it seems to be proving correct. However, if I do suffer from anymore losses due to branch snags, then I will definitely move swims tomorrow morning; only slightly further down the bank to my left, therefore still concentrating my efforts in this bay, where there do seem to be a few fish sheltering from the cold easterly, along with Flash and I, of course.

Cheers

Jake & Flash

As promised I have managed to get back on the lake and the rods are out. Waking early, I was soon showered; so after loading up my car, and then fueling myself with coffee and  donuts from Toni’s coffee-house; I set off with a short drive ahead of me, accompanied by Flash fidgeting on the back seat.

The cold front has still not passed and the weather forecast should just read “Carp anglers stay at home!” Carp don’t get caught sat at home though so after some consideration and a look at the lake on google I  plumped for a swim on the far east side of the lake so I am essentially out of the frosty wind. I have five clothing layers on and I still need to sit out of the wind as it has quite a bite to it. It almost rained earlier this afternoon which I prayed for when dark clouds smothered the blue skies but it sadly didn’t materialise.I have just checked the weather forecast again and I am positive there is a snowflake icon showing. There has been loads of snow in Barcelona, so it is hardly surprising really.

Despite the cold, I am in high spirits, I am glad to report! I have opted to bring some additional glugs/dips/liquids with me on this trip. I have crushed my baits and got them really soaked in whichever concoction I have chosen, and then accurately spodded a few token loads out. I am fishing two marginal rods in this fashion – one with a bright pop-up, and the other with a snowman offering. My roving rod has been whacked out with a single hookbait to an area where I often see fish bosh, early in the morning, but I could never reach the distance before. However, I loaded up my personal spools with Pro-Clear line yesterday evening and now I can!

My big LC runners got the 12lb treatment, and for my close range chuckers – the double handled Aero 8000 GTE’s(old school but I love em’); they were filled with 16lb. The diameter of this line is quite frightening to be honest. It is true test meaning it should break at the specified breaking strain. The 12lb has a diameter of 0.29mm and it reminds me of 4lb match line I used to use as a kid. Combined with a shockleader, my 4oz lead literally disappeared into the distance, and I think I can safely say that I achieved my longest ever cast a few hours ago! I am using a reliable lead-release method and should a take occur, the fish should come to the surface fairly quickly. After landing many carp with ‘no-stretch’ braid, and thicker 18-20lb mono, this range of line will certainly bring a new meaning to playing fish.

I have got all my lines marked up should I get a take in the night, and I have made a mental note of landmarks and casting points, which I check again as it gets dark to ensure I can still see them. On a positive note I have seen the odd fish crash in the distance, and in the large bay I am set up in, so in the next few hours I will find out if they are actually in the mood for some food!

Back tomorrow morning with an update.

Cheers

Jake & Flash.