Undergunned on the "wrong" lake

Ok, I lied. I didn't mean to, but when a couple of weeks ago I posted that I'd fished for the final time before my trip to America I hadn't forseen that the possibility would open up for one last opportunistic trip. This morning, accompanied by Louie, the lad from church who I'd taken fishing for the first time ever three weeks ago (see "Doing it for charid-ee"), and who subsequently blew a whole ton of pocket money setting himself up with fishing tackle, I arrived at the Estate Lake only to be greeted (for the second time this year) by locked gates. After a few minutes waiting around we decided to "cut our losses", as we only had four hours in which to fish, and head for a "commercial" fishery a few miles up the road. The only problem was that we'd severely pared down what tackle we'd brought with us, I'd left my rod holdall at home, and all we had were two poles and light elastics on a water full of decent carp- baitwise, we had a pint and a half of maggots between us, and so we were less than ideally prepared for the water we ended up on.

 We found a nice sheltered corner of the lake, with the sun on the water and some nice cover provided by a couple of overhanging trees and flicked out a couple of light pole rigs with size 18 hooks baited with double maggot.

 

Bites followed immediately, with hordes of tiny perch attacking the bait as soon as it hit the water.

 

 

 

The bites came and went with bursts of activity followed by periods when the swim went quiet, and the ubiquitous perch were augnmented by the occasional better rudd. By the end of the session we'd caught around 40 fish between us, but all of a smaller stamp than we would have anticipated had the Estate lake opened its doors for us to target its crucians. The occasional carp crashed or rolled, but of the half a dozen carp anglers on the lake we only saw one land a fish. If we'd had the fortune to hook one the outcome would have been uncertain on the light tackle we were utilising. If we'd known we'd end up here rather than the Estate Lake we'd have come armed with carp rods, baitrunners, method feeders and PVA bags - maybe next time.

 

The rain that had threatened all morning mercifully held off, and we were treated to several visits from the lake owner's chickens, who have the run of the place, and devour angler's bait with carefree abandon. I've only fished this lake a couple of times previously, but it's environs are pleasant, and the carp potential for future trips is enticing. In all, a pleasant, though unspectacular way to sign off from English angling before tangling with (hopefully bigger) specimens in the USA...... five days and I'll be in Georgia, six days and Ill be fishing in South Carolina....... watch this space!