Now there may well be many people in Spain cursing the fact that the sunny weather seems to have finished, and the cold, damp season has arrived – not me! It is now great fishing weather and although it might not be comfortable conditions, you would be a fool not to get out there! Many people in my village looked at me with shocked eyes! “You are going fishing now!”

Great fishing conditions!

My plan is to do a ten-day session. This will actually be my longest session since July of last year, when I undertook my last session at Pusiano in Italy. I have been meaning to do a long one for sometime, but it is all down to planning and timing. I have the full moon phase occurring whilst I am here, plus the weather is spot on, so my timing could be perfect.

I have had two carp so far. Both commons and both weighed 20.5lbs. I had them both in the daylight hours of this morning; one at 7.30am and the other at 10.30am. A great start to the day you might say.

7.30am - 20.5lbs.

10.30am - 20.5lbs.

I didn’t have a great start to my session yesterday, as after setting up my home, I then got hit by extremely strong winds. They hit my Colossus head on and ripped the overwrap part out of the ground completely. Flash was inside and looked slightly concerned as I held onto the inner shell with all my strength until the freak winds had passed. It looked like a bomb had gone off, and equipment was all over the place. I keep pva in a watertight bucket which got blown across one of the bays, so after securing the bivvy back into the ground, Flash and I took a stroll to recover it!

Ripped off by the force of the winds.

The rods, once picked up off the ground, were inspected and then rigged up. I soon had them in their respective positions, by which time I was starving! I have bought an enormous amount of food with me for my ten-day trip as it is not possible to leave for supplies, nor do I want to. I am not a lover of tinned/packet food, so I have bought my gas fridge with me to keep my fresh food – fresh! What you take with you on a long session is up to you of course; however, in wet conditions it is essential that you eat well in order to keep energy levels high. I am also back into the gym these days(!) so my food requirement at the moment is more protein than anything else, so chicken, tuna, and eggs will be eaten daily, along with rice, potatoes and bread for some complex carbohydrates for sustained energy. Fruit, vegetables, juice, and cereal bars provide my sugars, and as I am fishing, my treat each morning will be a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich!!!

A gas fridge is essential for a long session if you want to eat fresh food. And the laptop is always with me!

I am giving the carp a good diet too! Vital baits OR-O, and SB-X boilies are being fished on two rods, whilst my third rod is sporting tiger nut baits, along with maize. I prepared all of this in the days leading up to my session, so it is all fresh. In total I have about 60-70 kilos of boilies along with about 30 kilos of particle. A lot you might ask? Not really! The fish have not really been feeding much throughout the hot summer, and I now expect them to get their heads down with eagerness! Plus, there is a huge head of carp in Sierra Brava, so I am expecting to use a lot of bait, especially once they get going!

Unfortunately I am not in perfect health at the moment. I have a bad injury in my right arm from the gym! This means I am fairly restricted in my abilities as my right arm is not up to full strength. It is not until you go fishing that you suddenly realise how much you use your main arm for. I now can’t use a throwing stick, and my casting has to be done very carefully, especially with my spod rod. It is a muscular injury which can take weeks to recover properly, and they can be damaged again, very easily, in this healing period. I have packets of painkillers to help me through, but happily at Sierra Brava, the fish can be caught yards from the bank, so I have restricted all of my rods to a 50 yard range, and so far it seems to be working, along with the painkillers!

I will be back tomorrow with another post.

Cheers

Jake Langley-Hobbs

I have received confirmation that my Colossus is on its way from the UK. A new house for my dogs and I in time for my next session. Trakker’s shelters have impressed me to date and I first saw the Colossus last October in France when it was being filmed for some promotional footage. I liked what I saw, but as always, until you slip it on your own foot for size (so to speak), you never quite know how good it is going to be. Size wise I am sure it will be big enough, but it is the other aspects I am interested in; how quick it is to erect, how strong is it in high winds, what is the ventilation like, is the integrated groundsheet impermeable etc… Oh and will it keep the mossies at bay! I will find out in due course…

My little break so far has been very worthwhile. I have emailed two finished articles off to relevant publications, and sorted out all of my washing. My dogs beds also need some attention as they have started to reek a little; a culmination of a stay in a dog kennel, long sessions, and little time in between for washing beds! My equipment is also reaching the stage where a thorough overhaul and general maintenance is needed, and the only way to carry this out is to take time out and spend a careful week going through all of your kit with a fine tooth comb. How many times have you noticed something is broken, only to arrive for a session and discover the broken item is… oops… still broken!

France is calling after my next session and I will be making the long journey back to my Gigantica base. I won’t be doing any fishing as the place is fully booked till the end of November, plus I caught my fish from there last year. I will however be sorting through all of my equipment, and also doing a little research on some French waters to fish on my way down to Spain – my winter destination for 2010/2011. What! Did you think I was undertaking another long, cold, and bleak winter carp fishing… never again!

I came to Italy to try to better my common carp record caught in Italy in 2008. I haven’t managed it yet, but I still have one final two-week session to go. It may be the fairy tale ending I am searching for. If I don’t manage it, it matters not, as it means I have to keep trying elsewhere. Spain could be the obvious place to do it?

I have however enjoyed the Italian experience and after a slow start, I have speeded up and caught very well during the last couple of months. The real big fish have been missing, but if I am really honest, I am not too bothered about that – I would rather just be catching carp these days and the lump will come if it’s really meant to be. I have realised there is no point stressing if the big fish aren’t coming as it does not make them suddenly appear in your net, and fishing for long sessions certainly does not guarantee a big fish either. Sometimes a little luck is needed and I have lost fish whilst I have fished in Italy…Who is to say that one of them wasn’t a 30kg common?

My next blog will come from the side of a lake on Sunday the 20th of June. I hope you join me for my final session in Italy.

Ciao

Jake and the dogs.

On Saturday morning I am finishing the session and it can’t come quick enough! I am still trying to catch something big, I am still catching carp albeit small commons, and we are still getting bitten by the tigers! Watching my dogs running round in circles avoiding horse flies during the day is not a pleasant sight for me, and it is not fair on them to put them through anymore of this ordeal. Fortunately I have another session planned on the 20th of June which isn’t too far away and I have been informed by my fishing partner that the mossie problem is not too bad at that lake – thank god! In fact we have been planning this session for several months now, our place on the lake was booked weeks ago, and there has even been some prebaiting. It is another public lake, and currently carp fishing is not allowed on there till the 20th of June, so our swim is safe and the baiting plan will not be to no avail. This could be my last session in Italy for 2010 as the journey seems to be coming to a natural end, and I think some new scenery is required for new motivation.

Last night saw two more commons in my net and the previous night was not a good one for carp landed. One carp was landed but three were unfortunately lost. One loss was one of those typical scenarios when it all goes wrong. I have been running to the rods following early morning takes, after being woken from my sleep, and all has gone smoothly. This take occurred at 9pm, I was in my waders, and was quickly on the rod. My captive back lead got tangled up, nothing went according to plan, and the fish dropped the hook in the reeds. Two savage takes then came at 2 and 3am. Each take resulted in the shockleader breaking before I even got to the rods. What an earth was going on? The final take came on my long-range rod, and after finding the fish buried in the pads, a small common was netted and released. The earlier two takes were probably my big fish, and they were lost in an instance! Fishing can sometimes be such a cruel mistress!

Seriously...why don't you just move into my bivvy!

Today saw the usual flotilla of day-time Italian anglers. There are a few ‘old’ locals who dabble at the small stuff in their beautiful old boats, and one such couple decided today that they would anchor their boat on the edge of the pads exactly where I am fishing. I showed them my rods and the direction the lines were pointing in, and the old women proceeded to cackle like a witch. I felt like rowing out and depositing 50kg of boilies in their boat, complete with chilli hemp and tiger nuts for good measure!

"Thin crust and extra salami please!"

I heard an awful shrieking sound coming from the reeds earlier. I could see a large ugly rat chomping into a live Jeremy Fisher – a frog. I shot at the rat with my CO2 BB gun which sent the rodent fleeing; the frog sadly didn’t make it though! I then heard another sound getting closer this evening as a plane suddenly appeared into view and proceeded to land on the water in front of our swim – pizza delivery is very quick in Italy.

That’s all for tonight.

Jake and the dogs.

As I sit swatting with one hand, and typing with the other, a strong coffee I am drinking will have to wake me from the drowsy afternoon nap I have just had. The temperatures are rising in Italy and I sometimes find the easiest way to deal with the heat is to sleep in the shade. A few hours here and there make up for the night-time activity I am receiving, and as the days are not productive from 9am-5pm, it does pass the time a little. I am writing tonight’s post a little earlier than usual, as in a few minutes my friend is arriving to take me to the supermarket to get some much needed supplies. I have been surviving on basics since I started fishing (apart from one good bbq) and I need to buy and eat something other than pasta with pesto! I am craving a bar of chocolate actually!

Last night's theatre!

Last night’s action started in the hours of darkness at 2am. This take came from my hotspot area on the corner of the pads and the fight that followed was fairly straightforward. When I netted the common out in the boat I could see why the carp had not put up more of a display of strength at the start, as it looked rather deformed; cute nonetheless, so I slipped him into a sack till dawn broke. My friend could sleep through a bomb going off, and as he had to attend work today, and had slept through the commotion, I figured I would do some self-takes once the mossies had buggered off!

My funny shaped common.

After placing the rod back in position I was not surprised when it took off again after the light broke at 4.30am. This time the carp’s strength was more like I expected and it pulled very hard indeed. After ten seconds of battle the rod was pulled forwards and the hook pulled. A small scale returned on the hook from a common carp and this was the tale of the one that got away!

A proper corker!

I heard my friend get up at 6.30am to wind in his rods for the day before leaving for work. No sooner had he gone, another rod placed by the pads signalled a take. A reed fight took place as I drew the fish closer to me and eventually the fish decided to change direction and head out into open water. I could see the beautiful markings of a mirror carp and a stunner at that, so when I pulled the carp into my Sonik landing net, I was delighted to secure the first alternative carp of the session. Oddly enough the beautiful markings only adorned one side and it was this flank that got the picture treatement once I had sorted out my tripod and camera.The common was also photographed and the time was now just after 7am. I got the rods back in place and hoped I might tempt one more before the day really began, but it was not to be. I am very confident I may have another couple, or even three tonight, and once I return from the shops, the rods will go back out, a few kilos of crab & Crayfish boilies will line the length of the lily pad fringes, and another exciting night will beckon.

I set up the shot wearing my mossie protection!!

I thought I would just add a little more tonight after returning from the shops. I have now put out the rods and have just experienced the worst plague of mosquitos in my entire life! It really is not a pleasant experience and although we are using spray, coils, repellent, and other gadgets, they are making no difference to the annoying insects. I am walking two of my rods out to the pads and as you can imagine the watery journey in my waders is a terrible affair. I have to constantly flick them off my hands and wrists, and they are literally dive bombing us, as we both try to undertake any activity. Who said carp fishing is relaxing! Fingers crossed a big carp will grace my net in the next few days and I am sure the bites and unpleasantness will soon be forgotten about…buzzz..buzzz…splat!!

Come back tomorrow to see how I get on carp-wise!

Jake and the dogs.

I thought I would write one more post before I leave for the UK tomorrow evening. A few twists and turns happened in the last twenty-four hours at the lake and I feel I must tell you what happened as it was amusing, yet it caused a great deal of problems. You may remember I said I was going to stop fishing in my last post and just enjoy my final night at the lake. I still had two rods in the water so I decided I may as well leave them where they were to see what happened. This is what happened!

We even had our own ducks for company!

I explained earlier in the week that my mate had to go off to work every day as he works in a garage. It was a shame for him because he missed the morning feeding period, and most mornings when he got up to reel in his rods, I was out in the boat playing a carp. I am sure it was rather frustrating for him, knowing he would be at work, and I would either be sleeping or hauling – both beat working! Chesa incidentally had managed to catch twelve carp during the session and I was really hoping he would catch a few more on the last night. Only time would tell.

I began clearing up and had a take!

I had begun to have a clear up during the afternoon when one of my rods took off. It was the 20kg rod so I had a good tug of war before taking to the boat. I noticed the wind had begun to pick up a little before the take, and I had to drop my anchor to keep me steady, once I neared the fish. The carp put up an amazing fight and I was relieved when I glided the golden creature into my net. The increasing chop made netting it quite difficult but I took advantage of the tiring carp and the swell, and steered it on the surface into my waiting net. As I returned to shore my friend had just arrived. “Everytime I arrive or go, you are in that boat with a carp,” he laughed! “Get the rods out mate, this wind is going to get them on the munch big time,” I shouted back!

Kite surfing winds!

Now I should explain here that my friend is much younger than me. He is a nice lad, he has a good heart, he speaks good English, but he talks far too much! He would strongly agree with that statement by the way. He has grown up by the lake and loves his fishing and has been undertaking the sport for about four years. On a recent trip to Morocco’s Bin El Quidane he managed to catch 15 carp to 22kg, and in fact caught the biggest carp in his group of Italian anglers. He is a fairly competent angler but he would catch more if he heeded some advice and stopped nattering all the time! I am sure any Italians reading this, who know the guy, are probably laughing and nodding their heads in agreement.

Rather than get his rods out immediately, he started telling me about the morning at work etc… “Chesa, get your rods out!” By the time he had got two out, which took him two hours, the wind had now picked up to epic proportions. It was now unsafe to go out in the boat, and in a way I was relieved for myself, as it did mean my session had come to a premature, but welcome end. I knew it was the type of wind that wasn’t going to die down, and although my friend kept hoping it would, I told him it wasn’t, and he should feel lucky that he at least had two rods out in the water. “If you get a take, you will have to play the carp from the land,” I said. “So be prepared.”

I had to carefully play it from the bank!

Take to the water...

Pick the right moment...

And somehow get it in the net!!!

The final carp of an incredible week's fishing!

Just as it was getting dark, my final rod registered a take. I played the fish very carefully and much to my surprise the carp fortunately did not kite to the left or right. I manage to guide it all the way across the bay, and then had to jump into the choppy water in the deep margins, in my waders, and get the fish into the net. It was tricky but reminded me of a time when I was playing a 49lb leather at Cassien in very similar windy conditions. I had to angle the net against the direction of the strong winds, and allow the carp to float in on the top. It worked, and I was pleased with the final outcome of a carp caught in conditions when you would certainly expect to lose them. Once again I think my pilot float helped keep the line away from the many snags in the bay. Incredibly out of all the fish I caught I only lost four carp. Two were down to hook pulls and two were from takes whilst I was out in the boat, and the fish managed to drop the hook, before I had any chance. This really proves how effective my pilot float idea was.

The wind was now at what I would class gale force. No boats, no fishing, take cover in a safe place away from trees, and watch out for flying objects. The wind continued all night and in the morning, if anything, was getting stronger. We now had a serious and annoying problem. Packing up and getting our equipment to our vehicles was going to be a logistical nightmare. The distance from the swim to the vans was over two hundred yards. The water was too dangerous to even consider a boat trip, and the wind was also against us – we had to go right, the winds were blowing left! I told my friend to get a wheelbarrow from home and we would have to take all the stuff by hand and in the barrow (don’t forget we had several massive lorry batteries). We had no other choice and it was going to take ages. To make matters worse, with the waterlogged ground, and all the flood debris, littering the ground between ourselves and our vans, travelling the distance was a complete headache. The wheel of the barrow kept sinking in the mud, getting stuck in debris, and as we were both exhausted from the very demanding week, it was a final ‘kick in the teeth’ that we could have done without. The lake had the last laugh for sure, as we started packing up at 9am and we got home,a mile away, at 5pm. I ate some food and then fell asleep within minutes on the settee in my studio flat, and woke up at 8pm this morning with a dog lying on top of me!

Despite the final drama that has to go down in history as my best ever week’s fishing. There was certainly nothing easy about the tough conditions, continuous rain, and rising water, and I am sure many people would have given up and gone home (as most people on the lake actually did). My stubborn will, and sheer fight to the end got me the carp I have been trying to get since I arrived in Italy last year. It is not a personal best common, but it has to rate as my most deserving common, and the multitude of marvellous mirrors I landed, just made the week an unforgettable one in my eyes. Why did I catch so many? I was obviously in the best part of the lake where the fish were holding up. The actual fishing itself wasn’t that difficult. I wasn’t using an echo sounder, I was just casually dropping my rig a couple of metres from the reeds, but the timing was impeccable. The fish clearly liked the bait I was using, but hand on heart, I don’t think the bait mattered too much this week. The carp were going crazy and scoffing anything in their wake. To put it bluntly they were being suicidal!

They just could not resist it!

I will see you all again very soon. I will be fishing again, starting on the 30th of May. Make a note in your diaries, or better still, if you haven’t registered to the RSS feed, do so now, as you will be automatically notified when I post the next blog, or alternatively follow me on Twitter which also informs you of new posts, and brings you short live statements, during my sessions.

Cheers

Jake and the dogs.