The lake was still barely a breeze. The sky many shades of grey reflecting in the water.
“Its not easy, you’ll be lucky to catch on a short session said the angler on the lake.”
Too much gear.
Twenty four hours that’s a long session for most anglers but not carp anglers who camp out for days waiting for their traps to work.
The reality of carp fishing sank home; pictures of bronze flanked carp adjourn the angling media including the pages of this website. Those pictures tell of the success not of the hours of inactivity.
It was my first trip to Torridge carp lakes and i was using a twenty four hour ticket I had won in Jamie Stewards raffle earlier in the year.
With the top lake full I headed to Old Meadow Lake and set up in the vacant end peg. The only other angler on the lake told me he had tempted a fine carp of over twenty pounds earlier in the day.
Sixty odd carp in 1 acre of water. plenty of features. A nice intimate lake surely I could winkle one out?
Unlikely to catch with those rods set up like that!
I had some quality bait from Remix Baits and set my traps in spots that screamed carp.
I settled into the bankside life.. Watching, observing plotting. Spodding out, measuring the wraps.
Afternoon drifts past, night descends.
I sleep intermittently.
Dawn of a new day.
Rebait, lines pointing out into stillwater’s all is still not a bleep.
Late morning a breeze stirs the water. A dragonfly hovers over the water, any moment now I think? But nothing happens.
It’s time to pack away. Nothing happened a blank trip.
Above a crow and a sparrow hawk play out a dogfight in the sky. The mewing of buzzard’s drifts across the lake. I thought back to the breaking of the dawn when the song of a solitary wren had emitted sweet melodies across the calm waters. The glimpse of the electric blue of a kingfisher. The owls hooting in the dead of night.
Its all over and what a mornings fishing at the climax of South West lakes Mainline Baits Pairs Competition. it was in peg 34 for Mike Toms and Aaron Rundle, starting the morning down in 6th place. Two runs this morning changed everything with a 20lb 1oz mirror and a 18lb 3oz common, shooting them up to the top place with 52lb 11oz. They take home the £2000 first prize.
Stefan Dziadulewicz in peg 30 fished incredibly well on his own coming second with 40lb 04oz. He takes £1000 prize money for his efforts.
Rich Harman and Richie Eaton in peg 28 hold on to 3rd place with 38lb 13oz to bag the £500 prize.
Section winners were:
Section One – Nige Woods and Rich Ford
Section 2 – Matt Pepperell and Chris Hudson
Section 3- Chis Budd and Chris Wadge
Section 4 – Nick Harvey and Stuart Rann
A massive Thank you to Mainline Baits for sponsoring the event, all the bailiffs and volunteers for helping with the marshalling, cafe for food and everyone that took part.
We will announce dates for next year so keep your eyes peeled for the announcements.
That’s it now for this years South West Lakes Trust Mainline pairs competition. We look forward to welcoming you next year.
It was an hour before dawn and I was going fishing at Roadford Lake to take part in South West lakes Trust carp removal project. A fox dashed across the road as I drove through the quiet undisturbed Devon countryside. These early mornings often offer glimpses of creatures as they head for cover after their nocturnal meanderings.
I was fishing with my good friend Bruce Elston who like me is just an occasional carp fisher. Roadford is a vast lake of over 700 acres and offers great sport fly-fishing for brown trout. https://www.swlakestrust.org.uk/roadford-lake
At some point carp have got into the lake and have thrived providing South West Lakes with a problem for there has never been any intention to have coarse fish within the lake. The lake is the main source of water for North Devon so it can never be drained and netting the fish is not a viable option. SWLT have therefore open up a limited carp fishing removal project. Anglers paying to fish for these carp over a limited period are funding game fishing improvements for the future. The health checked carp are being carefully relocated to waters across the South West lakes portfolio where they will provide improved sport.
Following its introduction in May, we are excited to announce the return of carp fishing at Roadford Lake for September
Just off the A30, Roadford Lake is a naturally beautiful location perfect for anglers living in both Devon and Cornwall and this unique opportunity should not be missed!
Throughout the month, we’ll be removing carp from the lake for restocking purposes elsewhere, and we ask that all fish caught are placed in the floatation pen situated in the water, where they will be collected each morning.
Carp fishing will only be available in a designated area of the lake and all anglers are advised to bring a pair of waders.
Bruce and I arrived at the lake as the sun rose in the eastern sky bathing the entire scene in a rich golden glow. Some anglers were already bivvied up and it looked like they were enjoying some early morning sport.
We hurried to the water’s edge and started to set up. The normal process of plumbing the depth was undertaken using a marker rod and float. After deciding what contour to fish over we both embarked upon the task of spodding out a bed of bait. I was using a mixture of pigeon conditioner, sweetcorn and maize.
Hook baits of maize and tiger nuts were fished amidst the particles on standard hair rigs. This process of getting fishing took well over an hour and it was good to eventually sit back and take in the view. Swallows and martins swooped above as the early autumn sun heated the day. It seemed a little spiteful that as many children returned to school a heatwave was forecast and due to last at least a week.
We didn’t know what to expect as each day is different and the lake has not been extensively fished for carp. We knew that some outstanding catches had been made with fish to over twenty pounds.
There is always an added excitement when fishing a water for the first time and with a water as big as Roadford you just don’t know what will turn up, if anything?
At around 8:30am my right had rod was away the alarm screaming as line was torn from the bait-runner. I jumped up and grabbed the rod disappointed when no contact was made.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait too long before another screaming run resulted in a hard fighting common carp of around 7lb. This was the start of an exciting mornings fishing for me with four more carp banked to 12lb 8oz. I also lost two fish to a hidden snag that I assumed was a tree long since submerged when the valley was flooded back in 1989.
During the morning Bruce had only hooked one carp, a small common of around 3lb.
It is always frustrating fishing with a friend if all the runs seem to come to just one of you. The rest of the day panned out much as expected with the carp going off the feed and neither of us getting any runs after early afternoon.
We were curious to witness Ashley Bunning and fellow ranger Mervyn Beale arrive to remove some of the carp already residing in the retaining enclosures close to the bank. The carp were pristine full tailed fish that will provide welcome stockings across South West lakes Trust Coarse Waters.
Ashley Bunning Head of Angling at South West Lakes Trust displays carp destined for other waters.
It was relentlessly hot for early September and I was glad that I had brought along a brolly to provide some welcome shade.
I was due to leave at 7.00pm and as the day drifted past I envied Bruce who had extended his ticket to allow a night of fishing. At close to 6.00pm Bruce had a screaming run to a bait fished in the margins to his right. After a good tussle I slipped the net under a stocky common carp that pulled the scales to 15lb.
I left the lake as the sun started to sink beneath the horizon. Bruce went on to bank another dozen carp overnight to mid doubles. He told me of a tropical night sleeping under the stars. Shortly after the break of dawn he was thrilled to watch an osprey gliding majestically over the lake.
A carp fisher dawn enjoyed by Bruce after a sleepless tropical night that saw him bank a dozen carp.
Shuan Thorne enjoyed a succesful session at Anglers Paradises El Dorado Carp and Cat lake 2. Shuan banked six carp in 24 hours including a 29lb 8oz mirror a 26lb common, 19lb 12oz mirror an 11lb fully scaled a 13lb common and 12lb catfish. The venue hold catfish to well over fifty pounds and carp over thirty.
BIlly Grant tempted this fine mirror carp on lodge lake at 30lb 2oz it is a new personal best.
Hi all here is a message just sent from ‘French Dave’ thank you for your kind words good to see you again
“Back home after another great week at the only venue I fish, why go anywhere else!! I managed to catch 21 carp of which 9 were over 20lbs and the largest were both just over 28lbs a mirror and a common. Prettiest fish of the week a superb looking linear weighing 23lbs and photos below of the linear and the 2 biggest fish. Already looking forward to my next visit before the end of September. I am always made very welcome by Jo, Paul, Millie and Wayne, thank you guys and the way the fishery is maintained is exceptional!!”
Some photos from Matt Wood from his recent session at Upper Tamar:
‘Having never fished Upper Tamar lake before it was a bit daunting to look at an expanse of water like that, just wondering where to start.
After a walk and speaking to a few people I decided to set up on the back of the wind in the “lookout” swim. A lead about confirmed the lake bed was pretty uniform and at 18 wraps I had 6ft of water.
My mate Ben set up next to me and fished slightly closer in and we both put out a good amount of boilies with just simple combi rigs fished over the top.
After 24 hours with no bites it was time to change so out went the solid bags and within a few hours the first fish graced the net at 17lb 8oz and it was a lovely looking common.
Not too long after in the small hours of Sunday morning Ben had his first fish which was a nice looking mirror of 17lb on the nose which he very pleased with considering it was only his 2nd carp he’d ever caught.
A few more hours of getting an absolute soaking from the rain passed and I was into my second fish of the trip which steamed off on a mission. After a bit of a battle I landed a very fit 15lb 12oz mirror.
Both of us can’t wait to get back and have another go, it’s an awesome place and the fish are in really good condition. ‘ #ItsYourOutdoors
John Dowse managed a 3lb Perch and an 18lb 12oz Mirror on a recent trip to Upper Tamar.
ROADFORD CARP FISHING
Following its introduction in May, we are excited to announce the return of carp fishing at Roadford Lake for September.
Just off the A30, Roadford Lake is a naturally beautiful location perfect for anglers living in both Devon and Cornwall and this unique opportunity should not be missed!
Throughout the month, we’ll be removing carp from the lake for restocking purposes elsewhere, and we ask that all fish caught are placed in the floatation pen situated in the water, where they will be collected each morning.
Carp fishing will only be available in a designated area of the lake and all anglers are advised to bring a pair of waders.
We have been made aware of the launch of a new product known as the ‘Magic Twig.’
Until we have seen this product in the flesh and made a full judgment on it, it is NOT PERMITTED to be used on any of the South West Lakes waters.
This decision has been made with fish safety and welfare in mind, which is one of our upmost priorities. We’re sure the safety aspects have been discussed and considered by the manufacturer during the development stage, but we would like to see the product before we can consider allowing it to be used on our waters.
The South Westerly winds and unsettled conditions are perfect for carp fishing.
(Above) Dean and Gary banked 25 fish from the beach swim on Beatties lake glad you both had a fabulous time especially after driving all the way from Kent !
(Above) Pete Lilley who banked 6 fish from Beatties lake including a new pb stunning 28lb 4oz common.
Well what a competition it was, a massive thank you to Mainline and John kneebone for sponsoring the event, all the bailiffs for helping with the weighing in and the cafe for the food. And a big thank you to everyone that took part we hope you had a great time.
But there can only be one winner and that was Nathan Bunting and Mike Stemp in peg 27 with 65lb 1oz. claiming the £2000 first prize and also Mike claimed the biggest fish award with a 25lb 6oz common.
2nd place and £1000 went to Paul Thomas and Jason McEvoy in peg 14 with their 3 biggest fish being 54lb 10oz.
3rd place went to the ever consistent Nigel Woods and Rich Ford in peg 32 with 52lb 9oz.
Section Winners
Dean Willoughby and Jason Head in peg 6 claimed secured section 1 winners.
Section 2 needed a draw for section winners and Joe Dietrich and Charlie Fowler won the prize.
Steven Folland and Rob Nicholson claimed section 3.
And finally Darren Walter and Richard Bradley claimed section 4.
All section winners won a 24hr ticket on lower Tamar and a prize from mainline.
(Above) At Lower Tamar Lake Oli Dietrich banked common carp of 33lb 10oz, 32lb 8oz, 28lb and a mirror carp of 21lb.
(Above) Dean and Gary banked 25 fish from the beach swim on Beatties lake glad you both had a fabulous time especially after driving all the way from Kent !
