Mikes Coarse trip

Mike tried the far end of our local pond, where we never really fish, and had a productive day....

A hot spring day, official temp got to 23c but it was probably warmer than that. A gentle breeze was pushing a few ripples straight into this area. Approach was simple, Greys prodigy 1lb 8oz tip, with stonze set up for roach as a margin rod. Harrisons 1lb 6oz Avon with centre pin lift biting just on the shelf in front.
Prodigy in the margin, no feeder mix, a few small boillies as loose feed, within 5 minutes an 11.5 carp started the day well.

It was followed within 30 minutes with a second fish in around 9lb. Both fell to small strawberry boillies. It still seems the bait of the moment.

Next fish on same set up on same spot. A lovely 1lb 10oz roach pure and in great condition.


Exactly the same spot produced two other fish later in the day, a superb roach with a little mouth deformity probably from mishandling when young, weighing 2lb.


Final fish from that area a lovely young tench around 2.5lb, A good sign indeed, but no piccy.

Ground bait was crushed hemp and halibut mix 50/50 with red blood worm. Slightly pink light coloured.

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Lift biting out in front with corn produced two 4oz roach and 5 skimmers to about 1lb.
That area was baited with a few small balls of mix pellet and corn.

Slurping carp in the margin under the tree tempted me to see what the centre pin could do.
I got smashed up under wood work in the margin. Could have been a big (and I mean big) tench. Only saw its tail. I could be wrong but if it was a tench it was in the 6 to 7lb range.
That swim went dead, so changed to the island. You have to get really close in and I soon got caught up and that was the end of one rig.
The Avon was very under gunned for where i was using it . The tree roots and snags cost me two fish.

The day ended with a fine mirror of around 8lb just as the light was fading. the centre pin in a scrap sounds absolutely fab. It was a lovely way to catch a fish. The rod lying on the bank, a piece of crust on a size 10 lowered in off the rod tip a few cm out from the bank. Followed by the scream of the ratchet and the Avon looped all the way over. Yates would be proud.

Notably at the end I put in the left over bread as slices . If I had stayed into darkness several fish could have been taken from open water. They were slurping away like crazy, but only at the full slices, not the small pieces.