Carp-Talk - 25 March 2015

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CHRIS LOWE

the deeper areas of the Lake during

the colder months.  is can be true

to some degree, but as the weather

starts to improve and those warmer,

clear days start to appear, I’ve found

carp start favouring the shallower

areas more frequently.  e

shallower areas warm up much

more quickly than other areas of the

Lake, and carp certainly like to take

advantage of that.

I started the session in a swim

known as the Oak. My plan of

attack was extremely simple. I had

three rods all mounted with naked

chods and planned on casting them

on a regular basis until I caught a

 sh – or came to the conclusion

there were no carp in the area. I

must admit that the chod isn’t my

favourite rig in the world, but it

suits this style of angling perfectly,

allowing me to cast anywhere in the

Lake, safe in the knowledge

everything is going to be sitting

perfectly.

By midday I’d seen absolutely

nothing show and had pretty much

covered the entire swim, so I

decided to move to another area of

the Lake. A swim in an area of the

Lake that has produced lots of

cold-water carp for me over the

years was free, which was a relief.

 e same tactics were employed and

I fanned my Sonubaits Code Red

Pop-Ups around the swim, hoping

to land one amongst a couple of

 sh.

With three rods in position, I

sat down and popped the kettle on

for a well-earned brew. Moments

later, the bobbin on my middle rod

dropped a couple of inches, before

pulling tight and evolving into a

full-blown run. I was in!  e carp

gave a good account for itself,

though if I’m honest, I played it

quite delicately. When you’re  shing

a Lake that holds in excess of 20

forties, you really don’t want to be

losing them. After a couple of

minutes, an ancient-looking mirror

emerged a few feet from the swim

and I managed to bundle it into the

waiting net. It wasn’t one of the

Lake’s numerous forties, but it did

tip the scales to 30lb. Did I care?

Not one bit. I was over the moon.

With the  sh weighed,

photographed and safely returned, I

 icked the rod back out to the same

area, quietly con dent of

forthcoming action. Like with any

lake in the country, if there’s one

carp in the area, there are generally

more. Past experience had told me

that late afternoon was generally

the best time of action, so I still had

the best time of the day to come. As

the sun started to disappear behind

the distant treeline, the swim

started to become a little more

active or alive. I couldn’t see blatant

signs of  sh showing, but could see

the occasional bubble emerging and

the odd cloud rising from the

bottom.

At 4pm the middle rod was

away and this time it felt like I was

hooked into a much better  sh. I

took my time and calmly pumped

the  sh towards the bank. After a

couple of minutes, a large shape

emerged from the depths and I

knew instantly it was one of the

Lake’s better  sh. I tried to net the

carp quickly, but it had other ideas

and ploughed back towards open

water, taking 30 yards of line from

my reel in the process.  e  sh

continued to  ght hard and heavily,

but after several more minutes, it

gave in and I promptly bundled it

into the waiting net.

 e baili came around to help

weigh the  sh and do some

photographs. I knew it was big, but

I couldn’t believe it when the needle

on the scales settled on 42lb! After a

couple of photographs, I packed my

gear away with a huge smile on my

face and was home in time for

dinner.

If the session cemented one

thing for me, it’s that you don’t have

to spend days on the bank to catch

large carp. Yes, it’s nice to be out

there doing it for a couple of nights,

but it’s not always essential. Big  sh

can be caught during shorter

sessions, providing you travel light,

move frequently and cast regularly.

Double Chod Bead and Rig Loops –

the perfect combination

Here are the components

Chris used

Chris opted for a super-simple

naked chod rig

Code Red pop-ups were the

winning hookbaits

Bright baits are great

for short sessions

Bait Screws are perfect

for attaching hookbaits

Preparation is key

for day sessions

Right: Swim

number one

Main pic:

42lb mirror

When using chod rigs Chris

opts for 1½oz leads

Lowe 1064.indd 65 20/03/2015 08:36:56