After
a few successful sessions on st.Johns and my first 30Lb carp on the
bank, it was time for me to give the manor a go. Id not seen the lake
before but knew about the many large carp that roam the water. Upon
arrival, my first item of tackle to come out the bag was my marker rod.
After plumbing a few swims at the top end I found it to be extremely
weedy with little in the way of clear patches. Even if I had found any
clear patches I wouldn’t be confident of landing a good-sized carp in
such thick weed. There were a few swims free on the road bank and upon
talking to some of the other anglers, I learned that no fish had been
put on the bank in the last 3 days.
I
found a nice clear bar at 70 yards in ten feet of water in a swim in the
middle of the road bank, so it was there I set up my gear. The swim also
had its advantages that it wasn’t far from the car park, which is
always a bonus. It was a mild overcast day with a gentle breeze creating
a slight ripple on the surface. All set up and ready to go, I clipped up
all my rods with line markers and spodded 2kgs of hemp, corn and tigers.
With pop up corn on one rod and tigers on the other, I sent them flying
either side of the marker and sat watching the water waiting for a carp
to poke his head out. It was very quiet with little signs of carp out in
front of me but lots showing in the weed in the top end.
As
darkness drew closer I decided to top the swim up with a few spods of
pellet. On the retrieval of my third cast my right hand rod belted off.
A firm strike and my first manor farm carp was attached to my size 8
long shank nailer with Pop up corn doing the trick. After a short
scrappy fight a 17lb8oz mint condition common was in the net first time
of asking. Happy with my first carp I spodded into the darkness and
dozed off at about 11.
I
was woke at 2.15am by another screaming take this time on my left hand
rod with double tiger nuts as hook bait. I scuffled to my rods and was
into something very small. It was soon on the bank and set free without
troubling the scales. It would have been lucky to hit the 10lb mark.
After spodding another 2kgs of pellet in the darkness, I retired to my
sleeping bag only to be woke by another small mirror at 5.15 am.
The
next day was quiet again with nothing showing until darkness. I had
spoke to a few regulars who had told me the reason I was catching the
small stockies was down to the corn and tiger nut hook baits I was
using. I decided to try pop ups on the second night with my left hand
rod on a fluro squid and octopus and the right hand rod on green zing
with a little added pineapple flavoring. I stayed up most of the night
reading Terry Hearn’s “In pursuit of the largest”. Through the
night I heard 2 real big lumps crash out in front of me. Confident of
catching a few more carp I disappeared into the land of nod.
6.00am,
first light and I woke up feeling a bit dejected, as id had no action
through the night. I rolled over when I heard a high-pitched micron MX
alarm sound in the distance. I rolled back over to see my right hand
L.E.D light up. Silly fool I had forgot to turn my alarms up! The first
thing that went through my head is that this fish has been on for a long
while and is probably stuck in a fat weed bed as the hanger was
twitching. As I was about to pick up my rod I saw the line marker peel
from my reel as I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the fish had
only just picked up my green zing pop up. As I set into the fish it
arched the rod right over and went on a slow but powerful 20 yard burst.
I instantly knew I was into a manor biggie. It kited right with me
gaining little line. Eager to stop it from reaching any weed beds, I
gave my 3lb test curve rod a bend like it had never experienced before.
Ten minutes later and it made a dash for a thick weed bed down the
margins to my right, clamping down I managed to turn its head inches way
from her escape route. It was then that I got my first glimpse of the
beast. My arms started shaking as I now knew I was into what looked like
a mid thirty. I soon got it rolling about on the top and not wanting to
mess about with it, I netted it first time. Onto the mat she went and it
soon sunk in that it was a good upper 30. I woke my mate Richard bester
who was about 3 pegs up, sharing the news that I had a biggun on the
mat. He came over shocked at what he instantly recognized as “cut
tail” which had last made an appearance at just over 40. It ripped the
scales round to 38Lb 12oz. Not quite 40 this time but I was still over
the moon at catching a new pb and the complex’s largest resident. Lots
of snaps and she was soon back to fight another day. We both stood in
disbelief at my capture as the evening before we had spent a good half
an hour chatting about the stunning mirror. To see her on the bank was
enough for me but to catch her left me buzzing.
With
little fishing being done that day as a celebratory McDonalds sounded
more promising and a trip to the photo shop to get the pickies
developed. Back to the fishing in the evening and my squid and octopus
hook bait had been snapped up and my left hand rod was shaking on the
pod. Another small mirror on the bank and it was obvious they were
getting their heads down on my pellet.
My
next chance came on the 3rd morning at 8am again on the squid
and octopus. It was a real scrapper trying every trick in the book to
escape. When I first got a glimpse of the common I realized it wasn’t
any normal common as its orange back emerged from the depths. It was a
personal best ghostie at 21Lb 4oz. It wasn’t until a bit later when I
spoke to the bailiff that I realised it was a special fish as he said
that there were no ghosties in the lake. After quizzing many regulars
about the fish I got the same reaction as from the bailiff although the
photos went on to prove them all wrong.
I
chucked the rod back out on the money and within 2 minutes the same rod
was away again. It was a real solid fish as it went on a long run before
kiting to the right and somehow managed to spit the hook out. Not
letting it get me down I put it to the back of my mind and was soon
packing up for the 90-minute trip home.
It
wasn’t till a month later, September 1st that I managed to
find time to get back on the manor, this time for 4 nights. I arrived on
the Monday afternoon full of confidence and eager to battle with another
manor lump. It was fairly busy with 6 anglers on the lake including
myself. With little choice of swims I chose the last remaining swim on
the road bank about 2 thirds of the way along. It was a snug little swim
with a small gap in the reeds. I found loads of thick weed up to 2 feet
from the surface running from 10 yards to 40 yards out in front of me. I
chose a clear spot with a fairly hard bottom at about 70 yards out and
slightly to the right. I filled it in on the first night with 5kg of
hemp and corn. I saw a few fish out in front of me in the evening all
about 70 yards but none within 10 yards of my baited area. A rustling in
the bush kept me awake till 2 in the morning and after finally getting
up and attacking the bush with a bank stick I was soon counting sheep. I
woke up 6.30am with no takes through the night. 30 seconds later and my
left hand rod on a green zing popup beeped once and was shortly followed
by a violent take. I kept a lot of pressure on the fish not wanting it
to get into the dense weed beds in front of me. It was soon in the net
and sat on the scales at 20Lb 12oz. Back out went a fresh hook bait
along with 10 spods of hemp. I didn’t even have time to but my spod
rod down before the same rod rattled off again. This time it felt bigger
and took plenty of line during the lengthy battle. As it came into view
in the clear water, I noticed a row of scales along the side of the
lengthy linear. It looked gorgeous as it slid over the net cord. The
chaps next door couldn’t believe my luck, as it was my second fish in
a matter of minutes. One of the blokes instantly recognized it as the
random linear. It last came out at 29Lb something so I was a bit
disappointed to witness the scales only pulling round to 27Lb but nether
the less it was still a stunning fish. I was pleased with my first
nights result and was looking forward to another manor carp the next
night.
Rods
were out, spodding was finished all nice and accurate, now all I was
waiting for was the carp to do their part. With a few nice fish rolling
near my bait in the evening confidence was on a real high. I stayed up
late listening to the carp jumping whilst reading with the aid of my
head torch. As the night pushed on the flies became more and more
attracted to the L.E.D of my head torch and I called it a night and hit
the sack. I woke late in the morning soon realizing I had fish to show
for my efforts.
My
first fishless night on manor and wondered if my recent good luck had
changed for the worse. I debated whether to put my usual 4 or 5 kg of
bait in, as it was probable that there was plenty left in swim. So what
did I do? Instead of putting less bait in, I put more in, about 7kgs and
went for an all or nothing approach. It obviously did the trick as at
1.20 am a screaming take soon woke me up. Right from the off there was a
big clump of weed around the line at 30 yards out and the fish was a
good 80 yards. Luckily the line grated through the weed with only a
little resistance. The fish was going ballistic and how it stayed on the
hook I’ll never know. I managed to get the weed to within netting
distance and the fish wasn’t far behind. I could see it rolling in the
moon light about 10 yards out. It was a good fish. I dragged its head
into the clump of weed still clinching my line and netted the lot. The
weed covered my prize but after lifting the lot out of the water, it
nearly snapped my landing net poles. On the mat and weed free it looked
30. The scales confirmed my suspicions as it was a scraper at 30Lb 0oz.
My fishless right hand rod was on a scorpion rig, which I had spent a
few hours perfecting after seeing it in Martin Clarke’s book. This rod
rattled off just 3 minutes after slipping the big mirror back. I struck
into nothing as my perfected scorpion rig was not so perfect. Late in
the morning I had an 18Lb mirror, my 4th fish of the session
and all on the left hand rod on green zing with a dash of pineapple.
With
my forth and final night quickly approaching all the anglers left one by
one during the day. With only 1 person arriving that afternoon it was
only the two of us on for the night. This gave me plenty of water to
explore and decided to fish 2 baited areas with 1 rod on each. Id seen a
few fish show about 60 yards to the left of my baited area over the
session so found a nice clear spot in this area. Having tried various
rigs on my right hand rod with no success I opted for an identical rig
to my left hand rod and same bait, green zing, knowing that the fish
definitely had a sweet tooth for the bait. I fished my left hand rod on
a pva bag over just 2kg of pellet and the right over the usual dose of
4-5 kg of hemp. After spodding, all afternoon my traps were set and I
sat back and relaxed. 4.00am and my pva bag rig over pellet was away. I
was in such a deep sleep it must have taken 20 yards of line before I
got to my rod. An 18Lb mirror was shortly on the bank and out went
another pva bag followed by 10 spods of pellet. An hour and a half later
and I was yet again in a deep sleep right in the middle of a really good
dream when I was rudely woken by the same rod belting off. My eyes must
have still been shut as I struck my right hand rod. I was slightly
confused when my buzzer was still sounding and I could feel nothing
pulling back on my line. I soon woke up properly and put the rod down
before striking the left hand rod and this time it had a real lump on
the end. I chuckled to my self that I had struck at the wrong rod, what
a Pratt! Looking up and I couldn’t see a thing except for my line
disappearing into the dense white fog. The fish felt solid only budging
when I put my full test curve into it. It kited right to left and back
again without me gaining so much as an inch of line. I kept a steady
pressure on the fish as it began to come towards me. I heard it roll a
few times but couldn’t see it in the fog. It was soon in the margins
staying deep telling me that it was big and really didn’t want to have
its picture taken in my hands. I first saw its sparsely scaled deep body
roll at the same time as my other rod snapped into life belting off at a
hundred miles an hour. I tightened the bait runner drag to slow the fish
down. Knowing that it was a biggun, I concentrated on getting the first
fish in as it was nearly ready to net. After 30 seconds of bullying the
fish it slipped into the net, which was dropped in the margins. I
hurried to my right hand rod, which by now must have been at least 130
yards out as the spool on my bait runner was beginning to look a bit
bare. As I struck into the fish I pictured what a brace of 30’s would
look like in my hands. It wasn’t to be though as 3 seconds into the
fight the hook came free. Not being too disappointed, I picked the
landing net up placing the stunning mirror onto the scales. My second 30
in 2 days pulled the scales round to 31Lb 1oz. Lots of snaps thanks to
the chap a few pegs up and she was soon free to roam the lake once more.
The fog was so thick I couldn’t even see the big willow on the far
bank, which I was using as my marker to cast towards. Both rods went
back out with little confidence of them being on the baited areas. But
20 minutes later I had a 15Lb mirror and a big clump of weed on the
bank. The
fog soon cleared and with no more action forthcoming, I reflected on my
7 nights on the lake. With no less than 6 doubles, 3 twenties and 3
thirties, including the lakes largest resident “cut tail”, gracing
the bank to my rods, I just couldn’t wait to wet my net at the venue
again.
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