It was like Last of the Summer Wine meets Dad’s Army as per usual but we all had a lot of fun – and most of us caught some fish for a change.
This was our second club trip to the venue, the first trip being late last summer when everything went wrong as usual and only two carp were caught – one of about 14lb to Neil Depledge and the other a high twenty to Chris Plumb. Pretty poor really for a venue that usually produces the goods. (Korda filmed much of their famous underwater carp footage here)
This year’s trip was a much better one fish-wise. Our first trip had had us all a bit befuddled due to the thick weed we’d encountered. This year’s trip was so much earlier in the year that we didn’t have that problem. We also had a secret weapon – a contour map of the lake bottom that Neil had managed to procure for a mere £4.50. This proved to be very interesting reading and helped us a great deal. If you are thinking of visiting the Blue Pool, don’t leave home without one.
We had just two nights on the venue. The first day was a very social occasion. As evening fell we all descended on Tim’s swim. He fed us a generous portion of gumbo each and also provided the cabaret by hooking and landing a carp of 23lb+ as we finished our meals. He had to eat his food cold but I don’t think he was too bothered. Tim finished the trip with another low twenty and a 14lb mirror. The second evening a BBQ at the island swim fed all who wanted it a 5lb trout – courtesy of my trip to Draycote reservoir a couple of weeks ago. Krzysztof (who we all suspect of eastern European ancestry for some reason) backed out and went home before feeding time. I bet he wouldn’t have done that if it had been a carp on the barbie!
Mick’s account of the trip:
“Cracking time ……
It was wet and windy on day one with the wind blowing, for most of the time, straight into me. The bank was rock hard with some concrete bits in it. I did eventually get the two rear sticks in. Then the rain stopped – but water kept on falling – even overnight and the next day, which was dry and fine – and the following night and again this morning which was hot! There was water dripping out of the trees all of the time. I do hope it was just sap and not giant caterpillars peeing all the time?
Anyway, I found my feature and put out a mix of Red Band, hemp, pellet and Vitalin. I lost a fish fairly early on and that was it until about 00:30 the following morning when my middle rod had a take on a PP60 popup and 16mm Matrix snowman. This was a good strong fish that took me near on over the other side of the pool. I heard Glenn say something to my left and I shouted back – “Yep, I have on one”. He never came round though and I thought he was just being miserable. Then Geoff walked past and asked if I had one on. I told him ‘Yes’. He said Glen also had one on and disappeared presumably to help land it. (Glenn’s fish turned out to be a hard-fighting mid double.)
Anyway my fish was netted, weighed and photographed. She went 25-12. I then asked Geoff (who was fishing at the other end of the pool) how he knew Glen had caught one. ‘He phoned me’ he replied. Made me smile.
A little later the same rod went again and another fish came to the net. This time it went 21-10.
Just after dawn I had a take on my right hand rod on a legered 18mm PGB Scopes/Spice boilie which felt good but came adrift. I recast and shortly after it was away again, this time with a 25-01.
During the morning I had a small tench that looked like it had been munched by a pike. Apart from that the day was dead for me. I was entertained by watching Geoff trying to catch a carp off the top but feeding the birds instead. Night fell again and it remained very quiet and I thought it was going to be a fishless one, despite fish once again rolling over the spodded area, when at about 4am the middle rod went again and another fish of 21-07 was netted. About an hour later it was away again but this was a tiddler of only 18-06. Tim did the honours with the camera again. I also missed a fish in the margins moments before I had to pack up.”
At the other end of the pool Neil too was into the fish – all fish falling to one rod fished tight to a margin spot. He finished the session with several mirrors to 20lb and a pair of different commons both weighing 19lb 12ozs.
We too had wondered about the water constantly falling on us from the trees, to the point where I insisted that Neil Googled “Do birds urinate” into his Blackberry. (It turns out they don’t).
In the next swim to Neil, I had four chances. Two fish were lost when they took me around the back of an island, the hook pulled on a third and the fourth was a pretty 14lb mirror. When I later spoke to renowned FishingMagic carper, Cakey, he told me “From that swim you should have hooked twenty fish and landed eighteen of them”.
I’ve got an ego-reflating trip to the shrink booked for next Weds.
So that was it. Plenty of action all round really. Can’t wait for next year’s trip.
The Blue Pool is a Cemex Angling venue. Book the whole lake for a few days as we did to get the best out of it. With a bunch of pals it works out to little more than a day ticket price.
Geoff Maynard
