Posts Tagged ‘jake langley-hobbs’

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Back Home But Not For Long!

May 9, 2012

Good Afternoon.

It always feels nice to return home from a successful session. It was also refreshing to walk into a clean and tidy house. Since giving up the cigarettes, and in particular during the first week, I went on a cleaning frenzy at home. I needed something to do with my hands after all! I sometimes woke at 5am unable to get back to sleep, so I would get up and clean! What strange creatures we are at times…

My final carp. A pretty mirror weighing 23lbs exactly.

All in all I had a really good session at Sierra Brava. I finished up with 19 fish in total from 24 takes, losing five to hook pulls – two during the fight, and three immediately after doing the hard work and stopping the fish in its tracks. It’s always nice when you can let a fish run, but when you are fishing two yards from danger – the brakes need to be applied. These are the rules of engagement. Winning the struggle is half the battle, and getting them in from there, is the other part of the equation. No-one likes to suffer from a hook pull, especially after waiting hours for a take, but they happen. You just have to imagine it was a small fish, and get back on the horse, so to speak.

My eighteenth carp was caught not long after finishing last night’s blog. A really spectacular common was caught on my right hand rod,   its colour and shape being the reason why. The fish probably weighed no more than 15lbs but I really wish I took a picture now. A Spanish lad showed me a picture of a common last week, and it was the same strain. Almost tench like in colour, perfectly formed scales, dark fins, and heavy shoulders with a deep frame. If I catch another, I will definately photograph it for the blog.

Take time – certainly works for me.

At 3am as the moon rose to the take position, I received a take! After a good fight a pretty mirror could be seen on the surface, and shortly afterwards it was looking at me from my landing net. I got the rod back out, spombed some more bait to the cast, and then took some self takes of the 23lb fish. I also photographed the moon to show you its position. I have had takes on three nights running when the moon has been at the same height. I have also heard other people having takes at the same time, whilst I have been playing my fish, so something certainly makes them go on the feed.

At 7am Craig appeared in my doorway. He took his stove and coffee, asked me if I wanted a cup, to which I replied no, and then rolled over to return to sleep. Minutes later my right hand rod was away, so I leapt out of bed and was on it in seconds. Could this be carp number twenty? After a short tussle I turned the fish, and disengaged the baitrunner, then the hook pulled – better luck next time!

I have had my big-bait offerings on all the rods for the last three nights, and suffered three hook pulls in that time, but I have also caught some better sized fish than average. From my own point of view, I would rather have fewer runs, and bigger fish, than get pestered by smaller fish throughout the day and night. What’s a small fish in my eyes – anything under twenty pounds. When you use bigger baits, you sometimes get a knock on the rod tip as the line tightens, then falls back, which I am convinced are smaller fish trying to get the baits into their mouth, bolting, the bait comes free, and they aren’t hooked. I have caught smaller fish using the big-bait theory, so it isn’t completely foolproof, but I am sure the majority of the hook-pulls are smaller fish that just aren’t hooked properly.

To finish with three 17kg+ fish, a 14kg+, 13kg+, three 12kg+ fish and two 11kg+ fish in the session, plus eight smaller fish is an excellent result from Sierra Brava. Stupidly I forgot to print out my TOKS sheet before leaving the house last week, and had I entered my four biggest fish from this session, I would currently be the World Leader overall with a weight of 66.65kg. I must remember to take my sheet next time!

I am now home for a day or so and then I am heading back to the lake on Friday with a client for the weekend. This is a specially tailored package I have put together for my client at his request. He is English, and lives in Malaga. He is driving up to my village and we are heading off on Friday morning for two nights fishing. Not only will he get tuition and full guidance, but I will be fishing with him, so he will also learn from watching me. I don’t generally fish with clients as a rule, but this weekend, as I said, is a specially tailored package which I happy to do for anyone interested.

I will be back with the blog soon. Thanks for reading.

Cheers

Jake Langley-Hobbs

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Two Fine Commons.

May 8, 2012

Good Evening.

I have had some great mirrors this session and I already mentioned that Craig caught a 36lb common yesterday evening. I have also been after a well sized common this session,but in fishing it doesn’t always work like that! I love fishing when the moon is in the waxing/full/waning stages, and this session has been no different. I find the time when takes arrive can be quite dependent on where the moon is in the sky, and I have noted this on several occasions.

On the eve of the full moon I caught a 25lb common. This fish was caught at approximately 2am and the moon was a quarter of the way across the sky. I find this a good time to start receiving action. Last night I was hoping for more action and it arrived, bang on cue at approximately 2am again. The moon appears in a different position in the sky every night. Once the moon is full it appears from the east after it gets dark. This appearance happens later and later each night, until the moon becomes a new moon and the phase begins all over again. Obviously I have fished more moon phases, than most other anglers on this planet, so I have noticed patterns emerging over the years.

Last night’s take was savage. The power felt from the fish was extreme to say the least, and I had to move to my left and apply side-strain to get the carp to kite away from danger. I was huffing and puffing as the fish pulled harder and harder, with my hand on the spool, and occasionally a small burst of line was pulled off the tightened baitrunner. Only when I felt the carp had eased did I disengage the baitrunner, and gradually reeled line onto the spool. It was intense!

The fish started to come towards me but not without a stubborn show of defiance. Now the fish was in front and away from danger, I allowed the fish to take line off the drag, and it did this on several occasions. I drew the fish closer, and it aggressively pulled the rod tip repeatedly down. I felt in control as I watched the rod tip from the glow of the moon, and then I caught a glimpse of the carp. I could see it was long, and I knew it was powerful, and I was pretty sure it was big too!

The fight seemed to go on for an eternity, and I estimate the battle lasted a good fifteen minutes. I finally drew the fish into the net, and let out a sigh of relief. Most other folk were asleep, or out at late night drinking dens, or in some countries with different time-zones, people were having their lunch. I was stood in the margins of Sierra Brava, looking down at my second largest common carp, I have so far caught at Sierra Brava.

My second largest common carp from Sierra Brava.

 

The thing I am enjoying so much about my fishing at Sierra Brava is the way I am slowly achieving my goals and bettering my weights. I certainly did it differently at Cassien when my second carp caught was 55lbs. I think a 55lb+ carp will be caught by myself, one day from here, but I am working jolly hard for them. That’s how it should be, certainly in my book. Paso a paso!

I had a proper fight on my hands with this one.

37lb 8oz was the weight of the fish and as Craig was sleeping and his rods were out of the water, I let him sleep and put the fish in a retainer. At 6am I had a take on another rod, and after dealing with a small common, Craig and I did the pictures of the large common. A cracking looking fish, I am sure you will all agree.

Craig’s 36lb common yesterday evening, was also a fine-looking carp. His carp however, was literally bursting at the seams, unlike mine; so the pictures were done very quickly, and the carp was released. Craig rarely smiles in his fish pictures by the way!

36lb common from Sierra Brava.

 

I have had another common today which was around the mid-double mark, and apart from that, my rods sporting the big-bait offerings have remained untouched. The thing I like about fishing with a large offering, is it means many of the smaller fish, can’t actually get the bait in their mouths, so you don’t get so many takes, but avoid the smaller fish. My plan certainly seems to be working with the number of better sized carp I have caught during this session.

I will write tomorrow’s final account from my house, as tonight is the final night of the session.

Cheers

Jake Langley-Hobbs

 

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Another Awesome Mirror to Gaze At!

May 7, 2012

Good Evening.

It is all kicking off at Sierra Brava! The fish have started spawning in and around the bay I am set up in, but fish are still feeding I am glad to say. Last night saw the full moon and what a big moon it turned out to be! I caught a welcome 25lb common at 3am and that was all the action that came my way during the night.

A morning run arrived at 9am as I read my book. A good scrap was put up by a mid double common, so after releasing him back to the water, I set about getting some breakfast. I am starting to run low on food supplies so tinned fish and tinned fruit was the order of the day; followed by two fried egg sandwiches!!

Craig Reed (a guide at Orellana) informed me he was coming down to Brava and wanted to fish alongside me. “Get yourself down here mate,” I replied on the telephone. Just before 4am I had a take as Craig was due to arrive. I had started to hear fish sounds that resembled the sound of spawning carp; on the other side of the bay. I was wondering if this was going to put them off feeding, when the take came on my nearest rod.

I was on it like a shot and like this morning’s smaller common, it quickly kited to my right. I watched the fish as it kited all the way into the margin, and boiled on the surface in shallow water. I could see it was another smallish sized carp, so I thought I would enjoy the ensuing fight as it unfolded. I could hear a vehicle approaching which I presumed would be Craig, as the carp then decided to kite back into deeper water. I was just watching my rod tip, and wasn’t forcing the issue or applying unnecessary pressure, when the hook just pulled. Nevermind!

Craig arrived and got about setting up. He was to fish to my right. It wasn’t long after I had cooked dinner for both of us (after my earlier bacon sandwich, and steak for lunch!), when he had a take within seconds of casting out. He was literally just allowing the line to sink when the rod was literally wrenched from his grasp. It wasn’t long before a good common lay in the net, after first being determined to tangle one of Craig’s other lines! Turning up and catching a 36lb common within a couple of hours can’t be bad going, and I will post the pictures tomorrow as they are on Craig’s camera.

Fish were absolutely everywhere. Hurling themselves clean from the water, head and shouldering, rolling, all over mine and Craig’s spots too, as well as being all over the bay area. It looked like carp broth! I tried to read but the anticipation was too much. I looked at Craig and we both just laughed at the activity going on in front of us. I was about to say that it wasn’t looking like they were interested in feeding, only chasing each other, when Craig’s other rod was away. He played a small common to the net which confirmed they still were on the munch, albeit slightly distracted by spawning rituals.

A rod I had put out at 11am this morning with a generous sized bait offering was suddenly away. The take was slow and the fish hadn’t even taken line off the baitrunner. I picked the rod up and it just felt like a dead weight. It was moving but felt lifeless at the same time. Not once did it turn left or right but instead just came closer and closer. I was still unsure whether I was playing a good fish or a crafty carp, and then I saw the carp break the surface. “I think this one might need a picture mate,” I said to Craig watching from his swim.

Finally I got the creature in the net after what ended up being a slow and protracted fight. I guessed it was upper thirties once I saw its frame, and this was confirmed when I carried her to the mat. Craig did the honours with the camera, after the scales had confirmed a weight of 38lb 8oz. My fourth 30lb+ mirror of the session, out of fourteen carp landed (including the repeat capture), with two more nights to go!

38lb 8oz – an absolute brute of a carp!

Stunning scale pattern and typical of the Sierra Brava mirrors.

I will leave you with the pictures and will be back tomorrow with another post from Sierra Brava.

Cheers

Jake Langley-Hobbs

 

 

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