Stewart Bloor

Field Tester

0

Not all carp anglers have the desire to spend hundreds of nights chasing one very elusive fish on a huge, low-density venue. On the other hand, not everyone wants to fish an overstocked hole in the ground, where you catch a fish every few minutes.

Now at this point let me explain that I'm not having any sort of dig whatsoever at either of the above scenarios, or indeed the anglers that choose to fish them. I'm merely stating that's how some anglers feel. This blog is dedicated to the carp angler who has limited time, yet wants a challenge. 

I fished a venue that isn't a 'runs water' and has a day-time only rule. Certainly at this time of the year, first light or the close of play are generally speaking the best options when night fishing is not on the menu. It was the latter that I opted for, as I set off from home, for a few hours up to dark. Although it was midweek, I was still surprised to have the place to myself. I must confess, that didn't trouble me!

On places I have been on previously, part of my homework is to pick a swim where I would like to spend the session. Obviously that may change on certain venues, but the smaller the place the less likely that is. As I was on my own Plan B didn't come into the equation, I was able to drop into my preferred swim. With overhanging trees either side of me, a gentle underarm swing saw the baits positioned under the branches. 

I threw out a few handfuls of Proactive Multimix pellets and loose boilies. On the left rod I fished 2x 10mm Ace lobworm boilies from the SBS Premium range. The other one saw a 16 mm Soluble Cranberry make its way out. For those interested in the details, this was from the Flumino F-Code family of baits.

The loose cranberry boilies were from the Eurostar range, which provides a quality bait at an affordable price. They obviously did the trick on attracting fish and giving them the confidence to feed, as that saw the first carp on the bank.

Highlighting the very fine line between 'success' and 'failure', this proved to be the only fish to put in an appearance. It still made me happy though. Not very happy and not ecstatic, just happy. If you watch the accompanying video, all will be explained!