A Spot of Roach Fishing - Part Two

Transcription

1 A Spot of Roach Fishing - Part Two Greg Alexander continues his account of his year-long campaign on CEMEX s Roach Pit. Everything was now coming together perfectly well, almost! 110 Greg was talking to his mate Lee as the rod roared off. The new season was now well under way and on my next session I finally got myself into the most popular swim on the lake, Pike Point. This is an area that always contains fish and gives you a huge expanse of water to fish, filled with a great variety of features on which to concentrate. Pike Point faces the deeper end of the lake but is well within reach of a huge plateau, which, at its shallowest is no more than a couple of feet deep. I would normally spend a long time walking round the pit before making my choice of pitch, but seeing the swim just as it was being vacated, I was in there like a rat up a drainpipe. Fish could be seen crashing at range as they always did in this swim, so my anticipation levels were high. With so many features to aim at I chose to spread out the rods and try different areas to gauge the response. The left-hand rod was fished to a dog-legshaped bar coming off the plateau in around 6ft of water at 70yds. The middle rod was fished to the only other shallow clear spot at 60yds. My righthand rod was fished out into deeper water towards the out of bounds bank on quite a large, silty area. This had not been a popular area in previous years but, due to the new rulings on the water, that was soon to change. I fished boilies on this rod but opted for particles on the plateau spots so that the birds wouldn t clean me out. From experience this swim produced fish in the afternoons, unlike the rest of the lake where the mornings were more productive. So, after baiting up that night and receiving no action by the morning I rebaited the rods at about You always feel that the pressure s on when you re in this swim; you can catch fish from every area of the lake but it s from here that the big hits occur. I can remember sitting talking on the phone to my mate Lee and I had just admitted to him that any kind of carp would do, when the right-hand rod was away. Talk about Groundhog Day it was the same 30-pounder as the week before! Certainly not what I d expected. I was fishing a small, balanced _SpotOfRoach_CW210.indd 1 20/2/08 14:08:57

2 The 30 featured at the end of Greg s article last month made a return visit a week later. Snowman presentation with a big hook and big lead that helped keep the tench at bay. I was using Helicopter Rigs with the stops pushed up to suit the depth of silt; this allowed for shorter hooklinks and meant the fish didn t have to move far before they felt the weight of the lead. An hour or so later, the same rod was off again. After I d lovingly coaxed the fish through the many weedbeds and other firmer, more gravelly obstacles, the hook pulled. That was it. I kicked off my shoes, desocked, and jumped in, scooping it up straightaway Following the disappointment of this lost unknown, my mate Minnow was in the swim and while I was marking out the rod he shouted that one of the other rods was away. On getting back, the left-hand rod was bent round with the line out of the clip and something angry was sitting in a nearby weedbed. I pulled it free and a really heavy weight slowly started to inch towards me. I really couldn t tell whether it was a big fish or not. The matted lumps of weed hanging down near the leader meant it wasn t fighting, but as it neared the bank a huge black fish appeared on top. That was it. I kicked off my shoes, desocked, and jumped in, scooping it up straightaway. There in the net was a very spawnbound Horse, one of my target fish for the year I was elated. She went a whopping 44lb 4oz on the scales, and was lovely and dark, if a bit misshapen due to her hefty summer load. I d caught her on a double tiger, balanced out so that the hook laid flat on the gravel. It was difficult not to fish particles on one rod, particularly as I knew she was partial to them, and I was also aware that The Yellow Fish was another specimen who couldn t resist a big bed of particles. Armed with the evidence of my proven theory, I hatched a plan to include particles on at least one rod every time I fished. It also made it cheaper than fishing boilies on all three. I returned the following Thursday and found a group of fish in a set of snags to the left of a swim called Sanctuary. This was a swim in which I d done really well during my first season on the pit, but since then it had been very slow. There was only one clear spot out in front, a gravel hump in about 7ft of water, with the rest of the swim being thick weed from top to bottom. I placed a rod on the gravel hump and then flicked a Zig round the corner, just off the snags where I had seen the fish show. Just before dark the Zig rod was away on a strange take which, to begin with, I wasn t sure whether to hit. Taking the plunge, I bent into the rod and soon witnessed a beautiful male fish, known as Bob s Fish, wallowing on the surface, waiting to be scooped up. It turned out to be a nightmare to net as the overhanging trees are particularly low above the swim and the lead hadn t jettisoned as planned. With a 10ft hooklink it was a real struggle, but eventually he was mine. At 33lb he was another of the stunning Roach fish that I d always wanted, and although he was a bit battle-scarred from chasing the harem he still looked a creature of great beauty. I was back again the following Thursday, but _SpotOfRoach_CW210.indd 2 20/2/08 14:09:58

3 Bob s Fish returned to the bank after snaffl ing Greg s Zig-rigged XXX pop-up. 112 I was to learn a painful lesson. I pulled into one of the lay-bys and had a quick walk up one bank to see how many were on. I was only gone a few minutes but by the time I got back to the car the back window had been smashed and the rods were gone. The police were seemingly disinterested and I drove home with my tail between my legs. I have to say a big thanks to everyone who offered me the use of their gear, especially Mike and Trev. After a few conversations with Trev, he persuaded me to come up the next day and use his gear. I snapped myself out of the despondency and got up there, as Trev was packing up. The Sanctuary was about the only area free so I got in there for a couple of nights. My disappointment was soon forgotten as I managed to sneak a 29-pounder off the gravel hump and I returned Trev s gear, a happy man. After borrowing Mike s not-so-lucky rods for the following weekend, I returned for another session. I arrived on a scorching hot day to find only one person on the lake unheard of for the Roach Pit. I took a bucket straight round to Pike Point and watched a few groups of fish mooching around. This was to be a slow weekend. The sunbathing, lethargic stock just weren t interested in feeding, and by Saturday it was just me on the lake. I made the decision to have a wander down to the shallows with the floater gear, where a few groups of fish were milling around. I started catapulting mixers soaked in CC Moore s Liquid Mussel Extract into the vicinity. As expected, the gulls spotted them first and after an hour I gave up and just cast a single mixer towards cruising fish. I had one refusal at the last second down on the Lawns and eventually ended up in a little bay called The Swimming Pool. Here the birds seemed to leave me alone and I was able to get a group of fish regularly taking the mixers. They would drift out of the snags, have a few mouthfuls, and then disappear again. They looked to be a good average size and the next time they came out my mixer was right in amongst the free offerings. Soon a 30lb+ mirror slurped in the bait and all hell broke loose. The cast had been quite near the snags and on light gear it took me into them and proceeded to power 30yds up the margin until the hooklink parted even if it hadn t it was too far in to have pulled it back through. The fish were still there though and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a group at the end of the snags that looked like they may be persuaded. I sneaked round and for about half an hour I was itching to get to the lake and, when I did, the conditions were ideal repeatedly catapulted mixers. The fish would confidently come in much closer in this swim, which made life easier for presentation and if I hooked one I d hopefully have a bit more control over it. With a slight ripple on the water giving them confidence, one group of three fish started feeding really strongly. The surface movement made them difficult to identify, but I was sure they were all good fish. The slight chop on the water certainly helped Greg was not afraid to ring the changes and, seeing carp on the surface, cast out a Zig Rig. disguise the end tackle and after two or three failed casts, the smallest of the three fish gladly took the mixer. As the controller slid across the surface, an explosion of water met my strike with the attached fish angrily heading straight out of the bay in a bid for freedom. It stayed on top the whole time and even with 10lb line I was able to pull it back through the high weedbeds. After that first run it gave up the ghost and soon a fish called Orange Scale was netted. I d caught her twice previously, but at 35lb 8oz she was a new floater-caught PB and she looked incredible in the bright conditions. A mate was due down soon so I gave him a quick ring, not knowing he was already setting up around the corner, and we got some superb photos before slipping her back. I finally received my insurance claim and visited Mike at Poingdestres to replace the stolen gear. It was like Christmas, going into the shop and walking out armed with brand new Century rods and Shimano Techniums. I was itching to get to the lake and, when I did, the conditions were ideal. A strong southwesterly had been battering the deep end and I knew my mate Trev was pulling off on Friday morning from Pike Point. He had heard a lot of fish crashing out in the night over the deeper area and _SpotOfRoach_CW210.indd 3 20/2/08 14:10:56

4 A new fl oater-caught PB Orange Scale at 35lb 8oz. felt sure the fish had done him. I was in his swim early in the morning just in case other anglers arrived and, by 10 o clock, had three rods out and ready to go. I d even taken the risk of spodding out bait ready for the afternoon, something I would normally leave until just before dark. It didn t take long for them to respond and at 3.00 in the afternoon I had a nice scaly 23-pounder off the deep spot. That night I filled it in with XXX, putting six kilos of bait on the spot and moving another rod down onto that area, fishing them about 15yds apart. This seemed a bit risky with the added lines, but I was sure the spot was going to go off and it did. The next morning, about 11.00, the rod was away and after a very long battle I landed a superb, lean, fighting fish called The Other Long One at 32lb. I always get the rod back out immediately after catching, particularly during what is a productive time, and before someone had come round to do the photos that rod was fishing again. Just as we were slipping that culprit back, the same rod pulled up tight and again I was in. This one came off about halfway in, but the flurry of activity was quite remarkable. It s interesting that I never saw fish rolling on this spot you would see them move down from behind the island in the morning, and at certain times they would roll for hours on other spots around the lake right on the money, cleaning their gills as they fed, but here you wouldn t know they were there, other than from what Trev had heard the previous night. As the fish approached them I had to wind like mad and bully it through h With the rod back out I sat back and made a cup of tea, then realised, to my horror, that it was my last teabag. This was soon forgotten as within minutes the same rod was off again. The usual battle of wills then commenced, with the fish sitting in a weedbed for a good 30 minutes. I walked up the high bank behind me and, with the rod at full compression, she moved. I didn t budge an inch and it eventually came through the worst of it. The spot was out at 80yds and even in the dull conditions you could see three weedbeds, which were just under the surface between the spot and me. As the fish approached them I had to wind like mad and bully it through. I had been tying on the leads with light line and PVAing them for the cast, which helped, and luckily a big scaly mirror was soon engulfed by the landing net. As I unravelled the folds I could see it was the Big Fully, not a true fully-scaled fish, but almost. This stunning fish went 34lb 4oz on the scales, To boost his mixers attraction, Greg soaked them in CC Moore s Green Lipped Mussel Juice. Greg s fl oater box, with all the essentials for surface work. Greg s tackle was nicked from his van, but the insurance fi nally paid out _SpotOfRoach_CW210.indd 4 20/2/08 14:12:08

5 To combat the weed, Greg used a light link and PVA to attach his leads, so that they d come off more easily. a pound bigger than when I caught her last December. I slipped her back and made the decision to wind in the rods and bolt to the shop for supplies. I was back in 15 minutes and got the banker rod straight back out, followed by the rod just off the bait. As I was foaming up the third rod I had a take on the first, a really savage take which by the time I d reached the rod, the reel was down by the alarm and the sticks were being pulled round. The fish was solid immediately and I proceeded with the dodgy walk backwards up the bank. For 10 minutes it was stalemate but, by slowly walking backwards, something gave and I was in contact again. I could feel the fish lunging at range and it weeded me twice more before I got it within 30yds of the bank. It kited round to the left where a few shakes of the head dislodged some of the Canadian round its head and the leader knot. It didn t really feel that big now but I think that was because the rod was no longer at 90 degrees. However, as it neared the bank it just kept growing and growing. It was very pale in colour and I caught sight of a two-tone flank. In it went and the greatest feeling I ve had in carp fishing came over me. It was Old Yellow Belly, the fish I d always wanted. After all the time I d put in, and all the repeat captures, my dreams were finally realised. I flipped her over just to make sure, but there was no mistaking her. Like quite a few of the fish that year she d clearly not spawned so I knew she d be big. My mate Jase wound in from the furthest swim possible to do the shots, and he took some cracking pictures. Fair play because Jase had caught a few that day as well and had fish all over him. She s a nicely proportioned fish, even with spawn in her, just big all over and she went 46lb 6oz on the scales, a new PB for me. She swam off strongly and left me to simply collapse in the bivvy. I could feel the fi sh lunging at range and it weeded me twice more before I got it within 30yds of the bank It was a cracking session but it wasn t to end there. Throughout that day I d noticed a small glowing patch out on the plateau. You could just about see a small spot had appeared; it was a long way out but I really fancied getting a bait on it and I could hit it with braid on the marker rod. It was a lovely piece of gravel that the lead really donked down onto, however trying to get on it with mono was a nightmare. It was pot luck whether you landed on it or not as it was too shallow to feel the lead down at that range. I was so happy with the results I thought, sod it, and broke out another spool loaded with 30lb Whiplash. I never use braid really, but have a backup spool just for whacking baits out at extreme range on the big waters. With the braid on I had that bit more sensitivity to feel the lead down onto the spot. My only concern was that you could see the line going out for about 30yds, which I wasn t keen on, but I had no reason to complain after the day I d had and I proceeded to put out a whole bucket of bait. The next day saw the fish moving at range again and they gradually moved up onto the plateau. I wasn t quite prepared for a take using braid and, when it came, I was left in shock. The rod tips had been at quite a steep angle and under the water, but, by the time I got to the rod, all that remained in contact with the setup were the butts in the back rests. The rods were virtually levitating. It was scary stuff from then on, trying to play the carp gently enough for the lack of stretch, but not so gently that it weeded me up. Eventually, I netted a nice scaly fish, which turned out to be Bob s Fish again at 32lb, followed an hour later by a 20lb common on the same rod. By the time I packed up I was shattered, but overjoyed by the results; two 20s, three 30s and a 46 in one session. This was good going on the Roach but it s the sort of catch that is possible nowadays. There was still one of the big residents to go Barbs. This was quite a frequent visitor to the bank, but another that just seemed to elude me. I felt sure she d be 40lb by now and I wasn t leaving without her. The following Thursday I got down and had a good look around. Barbs didn t seem to have any preferences about where she fed, so unless I actually saw her it was like searching for a needle in a haystack. I got chatting to a bloke in Pike Roach Pit s Big Fully at 34lb 4oz. The Other Long One at 32lb 8oz. It didn t take long to christen the new gear _SpotOfRoach_CW210.indd 6 20/2/08 14:13:40

6 The fi sh put on a real show and the fi rst to slip up was this 27lb scaly beauty. and he told me he was leaving in the morning. To be honest, I felt a bit guilty about going back in there, but no one else had been enquiring so the next morning I moved in. This time I had two banker rods, the deep spot and the one at range that I again fished with braid over a bed of particles. The other deep spot I filled in with XXX again. The following day I didn t even see a fish or have a bleep. Perhaps they d all moved down to the other end. I stuck with it for another night and by the next morning the fish appeared again. They moved closer to the spot on the plateau and eventually they were right on me. Over the next two hours I saw the most spectacular show I ve ever seen. The fish just rolled non-stop on the shallow spot, I must have seen shows in that time as they really smoked up the water. I managed a couple as well, a cracking 27 and a fish called The Translucent, another stunner at 29lb 15oz. I think if I d stayed on I d have caught more, but it was now time to go and I didn t want to risk upsetting the missus any more! September arrived and the fish would be getting towards their biggest weights and possibly residing in some of the more wintry swims. I pulled up in the car park and started my usual trek around the lake. As I walked past the first swim I noticed a fish roll just off the treeline, and then another. I sat there for the next half an hour just watching, and a few bubbles appeared here and there. I grabbed a rod from the car and flicked a single just off the trees into a deep hole using just a light lead to minimise the disturbance. I laid the rod on the ground and watched intently as a few more bubbles appeared. Suddenly, the line picked up and the loose clutch started screaming. A long battle followed, the fish going in and out of the weed and snags before it finally gave up and I netted the thickwristed fish again, this time at just under 30. I spent the next three nights flitting about from swim to swim but had no more luck. I was sure the fish would be getting back down into the Ivy Bank water and I planned to return the following week. I managed to arrive on the Wednesday night but couldn t get on the Ivy Bank. On looking around I found some fish down in the shallows sitting out in the thick weedbeds. Amongst them I managed to find a small clear spot surrounded by weed from the bottom to the surface, and I knew that any clear area out here could be productive. This spot was in a prime location but at about 100yds it was again difficult to hit with the mono. When I missed the spot I d spend the next 10 minutes hauling back huge lumps of weed, in fact one cast became so solid I had to pull for a break. I was getting increasingly frustrated and in the end I cut my losses, packed up, and went home for a few nights. I grabbed a rod from the car and flicked a single just off the trees into a deep hole using just a light lead to minimise the disturbance With a calmer outlook I arrived back on the Saturday morning and went straight down the Ivy Bank, which, surprisingly, was free. This is the opposite side of the main bay to Pike Point. Typically, many of the fish were in their usual place, sitting out of range behind the main island. I picked a swim halfway along the bank and had a bit of a lead around. In front of me it was very clear and showing 15-16ft of water, in fact I had a job to find any weed to fish near. However, the further to the One of the Roach Pit s most sought-after residents the Yellow Fish at 46lb 6oz. Greg was on a roll and banked The Translucent at 29lb 15oz _SpotOfRoach_CW210.indd 7 20/2/08 14:14:53

7 left I cast, the more weed I found, and eventually I settled on two spots, one close in to my left at 40yds, and, following the weedline, a spot about 80yds straight out in front. Whilst leading around, a couple of fish showed in this area so I quickly got the rods in and waited to bait up. Nothing else showed all day and that night I reset my traps and baited with about three kilos on each. I changed my presentation very slightly as everyone seemed to be using some sort of Snowman. I fished a single 18mm XXX cork ball pop-up with a camo BB shot pinched underneath to weigh it down. Again, this made the big hook lie flat and the pop-up sat the length of the Hair off the bottom. My mate Martin came down that night and over many cups of tea we discussed whether it was really worth staying on Roach for one big fish My mate Martin came down that night and over many cups of tea we discussed whether it was really worth staying on Roach for one big fish. There were a few more good fish in the lake that I would dearly love to catch; The Pretty One and Big Mouth could both be upper-30s, but they d been on the missing list for quite some time. Martin disappeared and told me to ring him if I got any and I settled down to sleep. I was awoken at 3.00 a.m. by a take on the left-hand rod and I slowly cranked in a heavy fish. After a very quick battle I glimpsed the flanks of another large fish, which slipped into the net first time. It was all over in what seemed like seconds and as I shone the headtorch into the folds of the net, there was my sulking prize Barbs. I couldn t believe it, only hours earlier I d been talking about her and how I could track her down. Now there she was, well and truly fluked, in the bottom of my net. I phoned Martin who kindly zombied down to the lake to do the honours. The night photos didn t really do her justice, as she s a lovely dark fish. There s no sacking on Roach and, to be honest, I was happy to get the pictures done and get her back home. She went 41lb 1oz, which Within minutes of turning up Greg spotted some fi sh and didn t have to wait long to bank the thick-wristed mirror. meant I d caught all the possible 40s from the lake that year. It was a funny feeling after that, I was obviously ecstatic at the result, but I knew my time on the Pit was coming to an end, so I was also quite sad. I had a 28 in the morning on the other rod before packing up and heading home. It was difficult to stay away for a while and I fished another nine nights up until mid-october with nothing banked, although I did lose a few. That was it then, my time of serious fishing on there had come to an end. I still hope to keep my ticket just in case Big Mouth or The Pretty One put in an appearance, and, of course, to do a few socials with the many good friends I d made over the last four seasons. I might even have another go just before the end of the season who knows? One last thing; good luck Jase, that linear is yours soon mate, and she s just done 40lb as well! GA Another rig change accounted for the fi nal target fi sh. Catching Barbs at 44lb 1oz completed Greg s captures of all the lake s known 40s that year _SpotOfRoach_CW210.indd 8 20/2/08 14:16:03