Mr Average Angler At Sway Lakes

I will not name them all as I have limited space, but I owe a big thank you and will always be in the debt of Chub, Brummie, Carp Angler and Professor Marsden. They are all great anglers and good company to boot.

The first PB at 2lb 1oz

All the anglers I have met have excellent skills and do not hesitate in volunteering advice. I cannot claim to be as good an angler as them, being very average indeed. The only real asset I have got is enthusiasm, which is plentiful. If I only make one observation and pass on one piece of advice it is, to think. All these men are thinking anglers. By that I mean they think before they fish and they think about areas that have not gone to plan or indeed have gone wrong. They think, they change and if the change does not work they think again and so on.

Personally, I do not have the time to camp out in one swim or one venue for days or weeks on end. I fish for fun and I enjoy my sport. My fellow anglers who have met me will hopefully agree with me that I enjoy myself and always fish with a smile on my face, and when I catch a decent fish I have a grin bigger than a Cheshire cat. Miserable I am not and I cannot understand people who never seem to smile when they catch a whacker. Fishing is fun. Work in general is a pain, so smile when you’re out with a rod in your hand.

Due to limited time I therefore pick my venues according to the fish I wish to target. I don’t want to keep going back to the same old places that do not produce the goods. I think it’s far better travelling around, trying different and new venues and catching, hopefully, that fish of a lifetime.

Back to Sway

I decided to go back to Sway lakes in the New Forest to hopefully catch some of the large roach that inhabit this water. Now let me say that Sway is not an easy water regardless of what you might have heard. It’s pressurised and as a result the fish can be cagey. It’s not a case of turning up, cast in and catch lots of big roach. It’s a case of hard work and a lot of thinking

I arrived at the water at approximately 06.30. It was very cold, clear and bright and there had been a heavy overnight frost (Rik, so much for not having frost down on the south coast!) not ideal conditions, but I was going to make the best of it as it’s a bloody long drive from Cheshire.

Waggler, hemp and caster

My plan of attack was to use hemp and caster. After talking to Carp Angler (Rik) the day before and to the owner’s son on the morning I was fishing, it was apparent the roach groups had split into two. One lot had made their way down to the shallower end with spawning on their minds, the other group was dispersed and could be found in most areas in the deeper part of the lake. I say deeper, but it was still only 4 foot. I set out my stall to fish the deeper area with one rod only, waggler style.

I baited up with a pint of hemp and a pint of casters. This I was sure would get one or two redfins interested. There are quite a few small rudd in Sway. I thought that if I did not get it right I would be pestered all day with them, so I decided to spray maggots on a regular basis to draw them away from the baited area. Also if the Roach had not read the script I was sure the feeding smaller fish would attract the attentions of a big stripy and I could then change my plan of attack.

Double caster hookbait

I baited up with double caster on a size 16 hook, cast in, and waited. And waited and waited. I was flicking in about a dozen casters and a good pinch of hemp on a regular basis. After an hour or so I had an enquiry, nothing much but an enquiry all the same. Time for a change – size 16 hook with single caster. Again an enquiry but no definite bite. Go lighter I thought, so down to a size 20 again with single caster.

A bite quickly followed. Steady Stu, this is it the fish you have been waiting for, I told myself. As soon as I felt the fish I knew it was a roach. It surfaced and I thought, “bloody hell, what a massive roach.” Or words to that effect. Then I got all those doubts we all get when we hook a good fish – will the hook hold? Will the roach slip the hook? Don’t, please god, don’t let it shed the hook. After a short time my prize was in the net. I have not got the words to describe how I felt. Shaking like a leaf I unhooked and weighed it.

The second PB at 2lb 8oz

2lb 1oz a PB, I slipped her back did a lap of honour and started the text messages flying.

After about an hour I cast in again. Another bite, strike and I am into a big roach again. This time when it surfaced my heart was in my mouth and it missed a thousand beats. This coupled with the adrenalin rush had me shaking and gasping for air. This roach looked bloody enormous. After what seemed an eternity I safely netted her. She was in fantastic and immaculate condition. It went 2lb 8oz, yet another PB!

Well I was now in state of pure elation. The mobile services must love me as I was texting and calling everyone.

After a further lap of honour (twice), I slowly packed up. How could I better what I had already achieved?

The long drive home was so short it was unbelievable and I still have the smile on my face today.

Fishing is great, in fact, it is pure magic.