Solar Team Member Ignace de Roecks latest diary piece continued
Autumn can not longer be far away. Here and there the leaves of the trees begin to change shape. The nights get longer and the mornings feel much colder. There is already a noticeable difference between the outside and the water temperature. The water feels so much warmer that you would almost get the urge to jump into it. This change does not go unnoticed by our friends mr carp. They are starting to instinctively take in more food to save a good reserve for the upcoming cold period. It’s up to us fishermen to adjust our feeding strategies. The latter goes hand in hand with how many anglers are involved in that particular period. Personally, I am trying to gather as much information as possible in this coming period in all sorts of what’s going on at the waterfront. How busy is or will it be, how much bait will be launched and last but not least what about the catches? Has fish been caught and where? On a difficult and awkward water such as the Heikant syndicate, every connecting point is of gold value. But the best thing to get a good picture of what's going on is always to experience it with your own feeling by making the lines wet.
A two day session was recently scheduled with a very good friend and solar member Bart Machielsen. The intention was that we would descend to a 7-hectare water with a more than well-present population of carp. But the blood crawls where it can't go. First we choose to start a day session at Heikant before we continue to the other water. Since Bart also has a permit there, this is all the more tempting. Finally, that large common carp is still on top of my most wanted list. Our expectations are not too high since we are going to fish here instant. At the Heikant syndicate, the rig presentation is, in my own opinion, one of the decisive factors. In combination with good bait, you have the best cards to guide a fish into the net. As expected, the morning went very rough. There is a lot of sun that day, little to no wind and zero activity. The conditions are far from good but shortly in the afternoon the redeeming bite came. It is my left handed rod that is drawn in a parabolic curve. I soon feel that my opponent is not too large , but once in the landing net we see what a beautiful mirror it really is. The carp is put away for a while in the recovery sling because the rod must be back in position as soon as possible. We'll take photos later. The fishing rod in question is just lying on the supports or the indicator sticks to the carbon, again. Now it is Bart's turn to engage in a similar fight as his predecessor. Unfortunately, this fish is lost just before the landing net. This is also the last achievement of the day and we decide to travel on to our other destination.
A few weeks later, Bart and I decide to return to the syndicate and this time we will both be much better prepared. We just had a very successful UK Solar social behind us at the Elphicks Fishery complex North lake. We all manage to catch a few very nice carps and experienced an incredible time among good friends. More about this another time. Once we arrived at the Heikant syndicate, we were both lucky that there was virtually no soul to be found. That way we could do our thing completely as we wanted. We decided to each sit separately on a central location swim, opposite to each other. This way we can keep an eye on the water as much as possible. Even better if one of us succeeds in catching fish, we can conclude where the carp are. Pretty soon Bart manages to catch a 20 pound mirror. Later in the afternoon the same senario is repeated. It is clear that the carps are more inclined to be on the other side of my chosen swim. After a quiet fishless night, I decide to relocate in the late morning. I will take place at a swim 100 meters away from where Bart sits. All rods are accurately positioned. Bart manages to catch some nice fish in the late afternoon up to 33lb. Myself also succeed in decorating a bite. What a relief it is to be rewarded for moving swims. It took already 10 minutes before I get a first look at my opponent. My heart passes a few beats when a large common carp appears at the surface. The thoughts wander to the one conscious common that is at No. 1 on the list. With the heartbeat in my throat, I have to try to keep my head cool. The verdict will fall if the fish slides over the net cord. Everything goes as it should and I quickly come to the conclusion that it is not my target common but another good specimen. The unster remains just below the 40lb line. Unfortunately I have to go home. There are social obligations on the agenda that I cannot get away from. On the other hand, I will be back tomorrow morning.
As planned, I arrive early in the morning at the appointment. Bart has stayed on post and not without success. Upon arrival at his swim, I can immediately act as a photographer. This is a nice result and gives the citizen courage. Once arrived at my swim, the rods cannot engage quickly enough. The Red Herring wafters fly towards the horizon at the desired location. The confidence is sky high in this balanced hook bait. The confirmation comes a few hours later in the shape of common and a mirror carp. Again, both have been tough battles and the fish are fighting for every inch. Two mid thirties are written in my notebook. I can look back on a successful session with 3 carps that Ill had never embraced before. The search for my holy grail is still yet to be continued.