Trip #136 – Ash Ponds – Second Lake

Ok, so my recent visit, (and frankly bragging session) did not go unnoticed by my eldest son who insisted that we “go back to catch big ones”. So that was the plan. In fact my plan was to head back to exactly the same spot and set him up on the peg next door which I knew was crammed with fish. On arrival however this plan was scuppered by the earlier arrivals of Simon from TackleUK. He and several of his friends had all decided to take up residence in my preferred location. This wasn’t so much of a problem though, as I had seen plenty of fish moving in the nearer lake (lake 2) which meant less of a walk with my trolley! I quickly emptied the car onto the trolley and trudged the 20 yards to our chosen location.

Again I would be fishing a,

• 1x 11ft feeder rod using 8lb mainline, to a hybrid inline feeder with a 4” hooklink of 7lb line,
• 1 x 12ft pellet waggler rod on 6lb mainline down to a 5lb hooklink, changing depths between 6” and 18”.

My little amigo would be using a standard semi loaded 4bb peacock waggler fishing on the deck with 6lb mainline a down to a 4lb hooklink. There was nothing special about our bait, and I would be alternating between wafters, pellets, corn and meat. Whereas No.1 would also be using maggots, chasing some silver fish.

Being the kind, caring and dutiful parent that I am, I set him up first. I would later come to regret this decision. Easy peasy, double maggot on the bottom, and into a roach straight off, and then another, and another. OK, “I need 5 minutes to set up my own rod, let’s go for double corn” were the exact words I used… Error. I helped cast the rod out in front, watched it for a few seconds as it bobbed around on the surface. Again inner monologue “Brill, it’s gone quiet…”. I turned and walked towards my box, with the intention of setting up the feeder rod. “DAD!!!! IT’S BIG!!!”

I turn around to see a swirl in the water, the rod bent double and Peter, holding on to his rod for dear life. After a bit of a tussle I landed a fish which he insisted on weighing. 5lb.  He slipped her back and I switched him to a piece of meat. I needed to start fishing soon, this was getting embarrassing. He underarm flicked his float back out, so casually, honestly it found it frustrating. I heard the “plop” as the float landed and settled close to the reeds along the right hand side.

I watch it settle and head back to the feeder rod – still not set up! I thread the line through the eyes, tie a loop and connect the feeder stem. From behind me I hear “DAD, OH MY SIGMA… (I don’t know what this means…) IT’S EVEN BIGGER”. I turn to see his reel giving line, and the carp he’s hooked charging off towards the reeds on the right hand side. This one was bigger and I had to guide the rod and the fish out of the weeds and eventually into the net.

It tipped the scales at 7.84lbs. Overjoyed, chuffed and with much glee he slipped the fish back into the water and said “Are you going to start fishing soon?”. So I left him to his own devices, and for him to decide his own bait while I finished setting up.

Before long, also also targetting my left side margin I was into a carp myself, which Peter happily landed for me, but announced his had been bigger… I slipped the fish back, put the feeder rod in the rest and set up my pellet waggler rod, both rods were set up on a banded pellet and cast out the pellet wagler unsure how it would perform. Now, I’ve never had consistent days on pellet waggler. I don’t know why, but I can never catch consistently and effectively, after 3 or 4 it just dies off. And despite this lake being crammed full of carp, I didn’t manage a single one, so after 15 minutes, Peter landing 2 more fish with my assistance I switched back to the feeder and never looked back. Below are just some of the fish we caught.

The fish continued all morning and into the afternoon. We caught so many we delayed our departure until we were both half starved. I was managing to catch the larger stamp of fish on the feeder, but rough guestimates put us both on over 100lbs of fish. It was unreal, and a really unforgettable experience for both of us. Towards the end of our session I wound in and focussed solely on the corner spot Peter was now targeting. It was thick with fish, with a chunk taking the bait every 30-45 seconds.

We eventually packed up and went to see Simon, who was having an equally enjoyable day with his friends. I cannot recommend this venue enough if you want an easy day’s fishing. It’s unbelievable. 

A different lake but my rating – which you can view here, remains.