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Lake Bolsena 3rd - 9th September 2012

Mick was due to leave early on Saturday morning for the long drive back to England and was still hoping for a biggie before he left. Come Saturday morning I could hear him packing away his gear, it was just getting light and the lake was misty and moody, I guess it was around sixish. There is a single bleep on my 25ft rod I’m half out the sleeping bag and getting the boots on when it rips and it feels like a reasonable fish on the end plodding around.

After a long slow battle it’s finally in the net and a big, fat mirror this was definitely likes its boilies as its crapping out scopex squid everywhere. Its short but very fat like I said and I think it will easily go forty but it only just on the scales at 40.08. It’s a shame it didn’t come to Mick’s rods as it would have really made his trip, he only gets one or two trips a year abroad whilst I’m here for months and he works so hard for his fish, still always next time.

Photos done, Mick is on his way, and I need to do some work moving the bivvy back up the slope as the water is rising even faster and also move a couple of rods to fish Mick’s margin spot. I have never fished the spot before and Mick had kindly showed me the in’s and out’s, I wanted to fish it with one major difference though, I would fish with lots of boilies and my 25mm/mutants rather than tiger nuts. It would be interesting to see if this brought the bigger fish which this side of the swim must surely have. The first night was quiet and not a bleep to the rods on either spot, although cold, it was clear and dry and I was just praying the weather would finally settle and some sun would be nice.

With only a couple of nights left on the lake, I wanted to try another lake close by before hitting the river, I redone all the rods not that they really needed doing I just wanted to make sure they were all on the money. There was still some cray action but not the same that there had been when I first arrived, which was a strange one and not one I had worked out yet. Had a bit of a mongrel dog mob about the swim in the evening, and only cleared off just on dark. That was then replaced by a hedgehog rooting around the rubbish and the bait buckets and then trying to shuffle into the bivvy, which I definitely wasn’t having as they are normally covered in flees, argh. Another absolute spot on night but nothing, I was beginning to think I was losing my touch, there wasn’t really anything showing much either.

The new day did break with clear blue skies and it the sun had finally arrived three cheers, I was able to get the solar panel out and get things charged up again, fill the solar shower up and would be having one of those later, what luxury. Left the rods as they are just a little top of boilies and tigers around the areas to try and encourage a carp to feed, I had been trying to catch a small roach or bream to put that in the crayfish trap but even that proved fruitless. It was the best night for a long time, mild and still and I was just waiting the Delkim to burst into life at any second but nothing and eventually I drifted off to sleep and awoke, unbelievably to still, quiet dawn and the prospect of another warm and sunny day. Time to move day and a fresh lake and a fresh approach which I think I needed. Normally you hate packing up but if it’s just because you’re off to another lake then it’s not that bad.

Today’s on the bank tackle test – Nash Fang X hooks

I’m pretty particular when it comes to hooks and tend to use only 2 or 3 patterns for all my fishing, and the Fang X has been a particular favourite since I first got hold of some about 4 years ago. You can get all these fancy looking hooks but to me a hook has to look right and that is certainly the case with these, if it looks like it will do the job then generally it will do. You have to have confidence in a hook and I certainly do with these, the gape of the hook, the thickness of the wire, the point all suit the fishing and the rigs that i tend to use.

Talking of the points i have found in the past these can go off being needle sharp very quickly, the lakes i fish tend to have lots of nuisance fish and lots of crayfish, with the lakebeds possibly being rocky the attentions of these can very quickly take the point off a hook without you even knowing. This certainly can cost fish but something i have noticed is the Fangs stay sharp a lot longer and i have to tie up a lot less spare rigs up. A sharp hook is something that it one of the most important parts of the jigsaw in catching carp and the sharpness of the hook should be checked every singe time you reel in. If there is any doubt whatsoever the rig needs to be changed, no ifs no buts doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is or the weather conditions, not doing so will cost you fish.