Serpentine - The New Generation

After completing the stocking of the new carp into the Serpentine in November 2007, I have been itching to try and catch a few. I expected this session to commence in the first couple of weeks of the season in June but due to a mild winter, the carp were already showing with 2 already caught in the previous week. After a close inspection on the morning and the previous evening, the popular peg 14 would be my point of attack. I would target 3 areas, two with small patches of bait, mainly sweetcorn and hemp, with plastic corn on the hair rig. The other would be a standard boilie approach with approx 20 free baits with a single bottom bait on the hair rig. My fishing companion for the day decided not to target the carp, but have a go for the large resident pike (which ultimately meant a pike blank).

The rods were out for about half seven and we both sat back watching the water for signs of activity. Other than plenty of small fish surfacing, the water was quiet for the first few hours with no activity falling to any of the rods. A wind picked up around half ten and within half an hour two small carp crashed out with one not far from the right hand swim.

The wind picks up around half 10.

Over the next hour and a half, there are a couple more shows until finally just after dinner the middle swinger hits the rod and holds. I lifted into the fish feeling a healthy bend in the rod. The fish swam right at me with little fight at this point. I decided to drop the right hand rod low into the water to allow the fish to freely pass over the line for landing. As the fish approached the net it decided to wake up and put up quite a fight before finally being netted. At 8lb 12oz if was mission accomplished with one of the prettiest mirrors I've ever seen.

(I've included the image from the day on the left and also an image of the same fish during the November stocking 4 months previous on the right. By my reckoning the fish has gained around 2lb's in weight already but have a look at the photo's and judge for yourself!)

Now, remember I dropped the right rod low into the water to allow the fish to pass over the line. This proved very important as I actually had another take. During playing in the first fish the right hand alarm let out a few beeps but I had assumed this to be the first fish kiting through the line which is when I dropped that rod low to allow the first fish passage. Anyway, after the photo's I repositioned the right rod and realized the line was pointing in the opposite direction to what it should had been. I quickly retrieved the slack line to feel a good weight somewhere out in the middle of the pool. This was the boilie rod so chances are this was an old Serpentine original. A steady fight later and I netted an old mirror of 19lb 8oz with all be with a little bit of luck.

With only half the session gone and several more crashing carp, I received another identical take on the middle rod although I lifted into thin air. It could have been a take, maybe a liner, I will never know??? It was now just after 3pm and the same middle rod had another identical take but this time the fish was on. Again, the fish fought hard under the net with this being its first ever capture. At 8lb 4oz it was another pretty mirror to the hemp and corn tactic.

I was well chuffed and the rest of the session went by in a flash. I had only hoped for a single new fish and I'd had two with a bonus old boy thrown in. As darkness drew in, with the short showers and swirling wind being increasingly regular, we steadily packed up leaving our rods to the last second.

This proved beneficial as all but the rods and net were left to pack up, the middle drag started to slowly turn. I lifted into a heavy weight but it was moving fast from the word go. I wasn't sure if it was a very angry new carp or an older heavy carp moving quickly. As it came under the rod tip, it was a small common and was by far the hardest fight of the day from the smallest fish of the day. I photographed and un-hooked her in the net as the mat and everything else was packed away but you can still see what a stunning fish this 7lb'er can become.

The luck was defiantly on my side on this eventful saturday session.

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