Chas with a 46.04 mirror caught on his recent “busman’s holiday”
For the first time in several years I found I had an opportunity to spend a few days in September fishing my own lake Vaux . I followed on from a week of low numbers of fish caught, apparently weather related because I noted that several other lakes were similarly affected. Temperatures rocketed during my stay and I decided to fish nights only with a limited number of rods, using my new ‘large carp’ tactics: the usual heavy lead set-up, the end tackle being a heavy boom section whipped to the hook section with 40-50mm braided hook lengths incorporating long shank Mugga hooks size 6 and 7 or just Mugga hooks, again size 6 and 7, tied KD style.
41.08
I targetted two spots in the lake and baited one with 25-35mm carp and trout pellets plus a scattering of 25-35mm boilies. For the other area I took a different approach. Roach and dace which I had caught in a feeding situation were humanely despatched and using a food processor were then incorporated into my method mix base of wheat and maize, instead of the usual tuna. In this way a very high oil content is released into the method mix. Because the roach and dace had been feeding when caught and then incorporated without delay into the mix, I was in addition trying to establish if there is an enzyme or some other trigger within the roach and dace which would spark a feeding response in the carp.
It took three days from putting the method mix into the lake before the carp started feeding, but then over a period of eight days I banked 35 carp including 4 x 40lb+, 21 x 30lb+, 9 x 20lb+ and 1 at 16lb – plus one 42lb catfish. Of the 21 thirties, 15 were over 35lb. 71% of the carp landed were over 30lb and with a total carp weight of 1145lb 4oz, I had an average weight of 32lb12oz. On one particular night I had two lots of doubles: 46lb4oz and 41lb8oz mirrors, followed by a 28lb common and a 37lb14oz mirror.
All the larger fish were taken over the method mix, the small ones over the carp and trout pellets. For me, this first trial was a big success.
Chas
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