Steve Arnold
Well-known member
Weather forecast said 35c for this afternoon, so I was down the river for a pre-lunch short session. Picked the "Garden Swim" as I had decided it had great potential.
I cast a boilie and a half bait on a bolt rig about 80 yds downriver near the bend and in the shade. Needed a pike rod and 4ozs for that, but I was sure the were good fish lying there (in my dreams anyway!)
My second rod was a lighter feeder rod with a single boilie, that was cast upstream where I had caught a few barbel previously.
By the time I had sat down the heavy outfit was screaming line out. Picked up the rod and the fish was still travelling at speed towards the river bend, no way to follow on the bank! Grabbed the landing net and slid down the bank to follow the fish in the river. Fortunately the fish (had to be a carp!) decided to swim back upriver. We met when I was chest deep on the outside of the weedbed! Netted a good double and walked (almost swam) back to base.
Fortunately I had emptied my pockets before taking the plunge, and now grabbed my phone camera after unhooking a lovely fully scaled river carp....
That carp never left the river and I gently guided it back to deeper water.
Before my next cast I walked back to the car to get my weigh sling and scales. Never expecting to get another carp.....but just in case!
About forty minutes later a re-run of the first adrenaline hit resulted in a bigger carp that went almost twenty pounds....19.5 lbs and the scales simply would not go further to make a "20".....
Stayed another hour but that was it, greedy to hope for more.
Great viewpoint on the way home....
Is France Heaven, am I dreaming? You just have to love this place!
I cast a boilie and a half bait on a bolt rig about 80 yds downriver near the bend and in the shade. Needed a pike rod and 4ozs for that, but I was sure the were good fish lying there (in my dreams anyway!)
My second rod was a lighter feeder rod with a single boilie, that was cast upstream where I had caught a few barbel previously.
By the time I had sat down the heavy outfit was screaming line out. Picked up the rod and the fish was still travelling at speed towards the river bend, no way to follow on the bank! Grabbed the landing net and slid down the bank to follow the fish in the river. Fortunately the fish (had to be a carp!) decided to swim back upriver. We met when I was chest deep on the outside of the weedbed! Netted a good double and walked (almost swam) back to base.
Fortunately I had emptied my pockets before taking the plunge, and now grabbed my phone camera after unhooking a lovely fully scaled river carp....
That carp never left the river and I gently guided it back to deeper water.
Before my next cast I walked back to the car to get my weigh sling and scales. Never expecting to get another carp.....but just in case!
About forty minutes later a re-run of the first adrenaline hit resulted in a bigger carp that went almost twenty pounds....19.5 lbs and the scales simply would not go further to make a "20".....
Stayed another hour but that was it, greedy to hope for more.
Great viewpoint on the way home....
Is France Heaven, am I dreaming? You just have to love this place!
