Wes has had another succesful spring on Solar Baits here he is with the run down.
Fore-season 2021
Per usual end off februari my head starts spinning and my hands start itching to get the rods out off the shed where I left them a couple of months ago. As the weather is still cold and no sightings of fish to be seen, I just sit a bit longer on my hands and wait on the moment till I finally can spot some fish. Halfway March I finally saw 2 shows in quick succession which was my sign to start trickling in a handfull of bait 3 times a week. On the distance spot I used the old and trusty clubmix boilies and on my margin spot I used the since last year re-leased Tunamino & E12 boilies all-in 20mm. My notes from last year showed me that my first carp landed was on the 21st of March, but this time it looked like I’d had to wait that little bit longer this year. I started fishing the odd night In March, using a different variety of the solar perfect pop ups tied on a ronnie-rig in the hope convincing a carp to pick up the single hookbait. Well, I’d had to wait till the 4th off April before my margin rod let out a couple off bleeps in the middle off the night. I was pretty convinced that I had hooked a bream as the fight was just non excistent. I simply reeled in what was on the other end of my line and netted it. Looking in my landingnet I saw a rather nice mirror sulking not knowing what just had happened. The carp was still covered in leeches which I’d all took off, weighed it and immediatly took pictures so it could swim away without to much off a hassle. Finally after my 7th session I’d openend my 2021 account with a 16kg mirror. April would treath me with 5 other captures, biggest off the bunch a lovely plumpy mirror off 18.6kg. Two carp were taken on the margin spot and the other 3 on the distance spot. As we all know the weather plays a big part for waken up the carp but this time the weather did us nor the carp any good! On the 30th off April I’d landed early morning a small stockie common, it would have been the perfect wintercapture as just everything was frozen solid…incredible. The lake’s inhabitants just behave different too…the lake looks simply death, almost no movement under or above the surface. I’d even have to spot my first ducklings at the end off April, normally the first litter is already out and mooching on all the little flies on the surface…not this year as the month off April was even declared as the coldest month ever in 35 years…enough said! Meantime we’re already May and the weather just keeps throwing everything at us except the much needed warm rays off sun. We’d received a couple off warm days early May which resulted immediatly for me in 4 captures over the weekend and made things look really hopefull, but it wasn’t to be. These few days had definitely woken up the carp and big displays could be seen early morning which gave us the anglers hope again. Meantime carp do get caught around the lake, but it is pretty hard going. Two swims on the whole lake deliver every 24h some carp but the other swims just look devoid off carp. To make it even worse, after blanking a couple off more nights I’d finally received early evening a take out off the blue on my distance spot. After a more then hard fight the carp snagged me up and with a bit off patience, luck and pulling it finally came free only to pull the hook out in the margin…I thought I was going to explode! I’m pretty well convinced that fish had made my so far difficult fore season into better! Oh well, you win and you lose some, but I’d rather catch’em all! Honestly, I’m starting to get a bit scared about the carps health if this weather just continious. We’ve been working on the stock for years and it would be a nightmare if we would lose some due this cold weather. We’ve already found 3 carp death, which happens every year but the signs just aren’t right. I keep my fingers crossed, pray for warm weather and it all turns good in the end. Honestly, I can’t really complain fishing wise, I think I’m rather spoiled from previous seasons. We just keep going and hope for a good few more carp before they eventualy leave the area and are going to spawn.
Regards
Wes