Winter predators & maybe a Carp or two

Unusually I'm awake early, before my alarm that was set at 5-30am.

I must be more excited than I thought I was, Bury Hills really is a great fishery & the potential for the price a day ticket is huge....

Carp to 30lb, Tench to 10lb, Pike to 28lb, Zander to 18lb, along with a few very large perch.... So a predator fisherman dream, "but will i catch any dream fish today" I ask myself as I clamber out of bed, ready my flask & make some lunch.

I blanked there a few months back but lost a descent fish with my only run of the day.

Definitely unfinished business as far as I'm concerned.....

Enroute to collect my fellow fishing pal Mark I really feel positive as the weather report on the radio sounds good, overcast & warm for the time of year. I ignored the forecasted rain showers bit though.

Mark boosts my confidence further with his positive chat on the drive.

So we arrive at Bury Hills, buy our tickets & have a look at the lake for any telltale fishy looking signs.

Mark tells me a swim he had fished a few times late last year & done well with some carp & seen fish hunting before.

We walked down 2 a large bush overhanging right into the water.

With no another signs of fish we start our campaign at bang on 8am.

                         Perfect conditions so far

Now Mark loves catching many different species but the Carp has a special place in his heart, (he's had many uk 20s & up to mid 40s from France) so he can't resist to fish a carp rod alongside his other rod after the predators.
I decided to go for one bottom bait with cork balls to pop up the bait & also at top of the lead to make sure it's a nice free running rig with minimum resistance. My other rod is on the float set at 5ft deep, hopefully using the wind on this 12 acre lake to cover more ground & seek out a toothy beast.

Also coming down is my young friend Max & his dad, now Max (at 12 years old) reminds me so much of me at the same age, full of enthusiasm & asking questions about anything & everything.

He's very knowledgeable for his age & with a pb carp of 16lb..... I'm sure with time he'll turn into a great fisherman.

Within 20mins of the baits hitting the water I see some some roach fleeing a predator close in, alongside the large bush & only 10ft from 1 of my bottom baits, a chunk of fresh herring, things are looking up & my last session here I didn't see any fishy movement at all.

I hovered over the rod for a while but the bite unfortunately never appeared.

Mark had a twitch on his snowman rig & got frustrated by the lack of a full bore screamer, but a bite shows the fish could be in a feeding mood this morning.

I kept my boyant mood until the rain arrived & we all scrambled to keep tackle dry & under our umbrellas, & boy did it hammer down for at least an hour.

Mark had a few more twitchy bites on the carp rod & struck quickly as his baits were very close to large snags, but all to no avail, All very frustrating but we agreed the fish are feeding & that should keep your positivity high fishing in the winter months.

                                                  
                                                    Blue sky between the rain clouds

The afternoon arrived with some blue sky & that helped 2 dry out most of our gear, but not great conditons 4 those predators.

I know from a mixture of experience & reading up on Zander, a bright sky equals no feeding Zeds &
Perch for that matter, but I'm hopeful for the last few hours of sunlight, its always a great time for them to switch on & start feeding.

All still quiet until Mark had a hectic few minutes around lunchtime as a powerful fish finally took his snowman offering, he didn't miss the size 6 hook this time as he headed for the snags.
The end result was a lovely 10lb common carp in the net.

            Mark had hoped for a 20 but its a good start & he even nearly cracked a smile


The sun disappeared just as quickly as it arrived & it's replaced but more rain, winter fishing is a real test of your metal & this last season is really my first serious assault on various specimen sized fish, so I better get used to braving the elements if I want to start catching some big old lumps.

I must say this winter my two best buys have been my thermal underclothes & my flask, don't underestmate how important it is to be warm.
I also really feel a nice steaming brew at times can focus the mind & perhaps rethink your tactics when things aren't going your way & your landing net is dry.

I digress.......

2pm passes & after a few bait changes I just feel something on the lake has changed, the wind has died down, the grey clouds are back & the sunset is on it's way.

Young Max called me over & showed me his bait, a Zander attacked his dead roach on the retrieve, with the classic two puncture wounds on the fishes flanks, " very unlucky mate" i told him & i think he's confidence grew, this could this be the start of the Zeds waking up.

With that my float twitches into life & I just hold fire & wait for the more positive bite, my luck is in as my it disappears from view & I strike into a solid resistance & I feel a good shake of the head on the rod tip.

It's a sluggish fight & it's not feeling like a a big fish but without any Zed catching experience I could be wrong.

My nerves are jangling as the float brakes the surface, only a two foot trace to come so I'll see him very soon.
I'm quite surprised to see a light green speckled flank just under the water, it's a Pike............
Quite a small one too. I'm full of disappointment as Mark lands the fish for me.

I unhook the fish easily with my long pliers & get him back to the icy cold water as soon as possible, I told Max "I won't be weighing that one" but I guess he was 5lb-ish with a small head & a large fat belly that I could feel was full of fish. I wonder if it's all my fish chunks (soaked in predator plus liquid) that I've been throwing out.

                        A very welcome but small Pike that i really thought was a Zander

The next few hours were hugely frustrating as all our fishy baits twiched & bounced around as I'm sure the Zeds were on the prowl & having a look at our baits & picking them up but just not taking them down.

I never thought that a predator would be so fussy, but I guess you have to put a positive spin on everything fish related & ive learned something new this session.

As the light faded we had to be off the lake by 5pm 

I remained philosophical & as I packed up & in the end I was chuffed really to catch anything on a tough day where conditions didn't do is any favours.

I was gutted for young Max as he had worked hard for a bite or two, but with his knowledge growing everyday & time on his side i felt sure he has many red letter days to come.

So for now, the infamous Zander still eludes me but mark my words I will stick at this till I have my prize.


Next up for me i think will be my maiden drops shotting session as my new gear has finally arrived, so many lovely perch have been caught on this method lately, id be silly not to give it a go asap.
of course thats very dependent on the flood water of my local rivers. Lets hope for a rain free last few weeks of the season.