Carp Fishing 50’s Style

Recently I got the chance to fish a 300 year old estate lake for some old English common carp, fish that looked like burnished gold. After a day fishing for these beautiful fish, It would be off to Redmire Pool to record an interview for my At The Water's Edge series on BBC Radio Lancashire with Les Bamford and bailiff Rod Fox which can be heard worldwide via the internet
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d74f

My visit to the old estate lake wasn't a long stay carp fishing session in a bivvy with two or more rods for several days. My fishing was a dawn to dusk session like I experienced in the 1950's. I would use a rod, reel 12lb line with hook sizes from 4's for floating crust or lobworms to size 12's for fishing soft paste baits, caddis gentles and red worms. I would be stalking fish in the margins often inches from the bank in two feet of clear water, other times I would use the wind to float a chunk of crust across the water in the hope a carp would slurp down the bait without suspicion.

Smoke screening and Bubblers

As I walked crawled and stumbled my way around the lake, I spotted a disturbance in the water creeping close I found an area of milky cloudy coloured water caused by a fish as it moved along rooting in the soft silty bottom no doubt feeding on bloodworms. The larvae of Chironomid a non biting midge or perhaps caddis or the nymph of dragon, damsel or mayfly nymphs, and all three were present in the water in large numbers. Richard Walker in Stillwater Angling gave us the word to describe this cloudy coloured water caused by carp as smoke screening. I well remember many years ago seeing a mirror carp doing this in the margins, it was just after dawn, I said to Bill Rogers "I'm going to drop a bunch of red worms in that coloured water". Within minutes the line twitched then moved a couple of inches, I set the hook the water boiled as a fish shot off towards the centre of the lake leaving a vortice in its wake. As I lifted the rod, the line touched another angler’s lines as the fish shot to my right before changing direction. This set off the angler’s three bite alarms, a rather bleary eyed angler staggered from his bivvy then set about striking all three rods. Realising he hadn't had a run; he turned to me and said "Have you hooked a fish" A long silence was then followed by the words "you shouldn't be fishing on my gravel bar". My mate Paul said "Martin was fishing in the shallows" he answered "You only catch carp on that gravel bar” as he pointed towards the centre of the lake. How daft can you get? That mirror weighed a satisfying 18lbs. I caught that fish through one reason and one reason only, observation.

A Dawn Start

An hour after dawn along the western bank. I spotted a large patch of bubbles, as big as a large oval steak plate, the fish often had an inch or two of its tail above the water, I have found the bait most acceptable to fish creating bubbles are three or four caddis on a size 12 hook or one or two red worms. There are occasions when they will take small bits of flake or soft paste. It’s quite easy to get a supply of caddis, I often use them when roach fishing. Look for pieces of timber, rotten tree branches in fact any rubbish usually will have caddis grubs, some will have their homes made from tiny bits of twigs others its bits of gravel.

Dead Reds and Corn

As I made my way around the water's edge I could see clean patches of gravel surrounded by silt, decaying vegetation or weed, in some areas I would put in a handful of frozen dead red gentles, in other spots I would put couple of pieces of Crustation cocktail paste, sometimes a few bits of bread flake. The reason I use dead gentles is they stay where they are put, if you use live gentles they will quickly burrow into the bottom. The imitation red gentles I use also look so much like the dead reds. After spending a couple of hours fighting my way around the lake through head high nettles and brambles bushes and fallen trees, often tripping over tree roots. Some of the trees that had crashed to ground, have been there for many years, they were now home to dozens of small insects such as ants and spiders. Pushing my way quietly through the thick undergrowth I come across a fox cub we watched each other for about a minute before it disappeared in the forest.

Birds were about in profusion, especially the green woodpecker with its manacle laugh. There were blue, great and long tailed tits, wrens, robins, blackbirds even a jay. At the waters edge I spotted a pair of pied wagtails, there were coots and moorhens. Swallows were skimming the water surface for insects. Occasionally I would see a red kite or a buzzard. The beech, oak, horse chestnut, lime, silver birch, sycamore alders willows poplars and maple trees looked resplendent in their new cloaks of green. I felt privileged to be at such a delightful venue. Having spent a couple of hours slowly moving around the lake and observing several good fish, I then spent some time collecting caddis to use as bait should the carp be hard to catch on my other baits. Then it was back to the car for a brew before putting together some gear.

Keep It Simple

Having finished off a mug of tea and an egg sandwich, I put together a 12 foot Avon action rod designed for lines between 8lb and 12lbs with a small fixed spool reel filled with 12lb Gamma line to which I tied on a size 4 hook, this completed my tackle set up. I then screwed landing net to an eight foot handle. In my small shoulder bag I had a few lobworms, some dead red gentles; red worms half a loaf of bread, a dozen or more caddis and some soft Crustation cocktail paste from Pallatrax. If I couldn't catch on one of these baits, then I didn't deserve to catch a carp.

Carp on Caddis

Once more I forced my way through the nettles brambles and knee high ferns, arriving at the top of the lake, where I had seen several nice fish early in the morning, I then got down on hands and knees then forced my way through the undergrowth to the waters edge, just two feet away a carp was rooting in the bottom, Head to hell and tail to heaven it was really stirring up the water which looked like a milky coffee. I changed the size 4 hook, for a size 12, a few inches up the line I attached a BB shot, then baited with four caddis, I then lowered the baited hook into the coloured water. Within seconds the line twitched then twitched again, the slight bow in the line straitened I set the hook, as I did so the water boiled, followed by a big bow wave as a fish shot towards the centre of the lake. The clutch quietly purred as line was taken. Holding the rod high I slid down the bank into the water filling my boots in the process. What did it matter the water was warm. Five minutes later I had a wallowing swirling gold coloured common carp about 8lbs coming towards the waiting net where it was quickly engulfed. Bending down I slipped out the barbless hook then admired this lovely creature. A minute later I pushed the net into the deeper water then watched the fish swim off strongly. Punching the air with joy.

A Strong Wind Drives Fish into the Bay

Just after hooking that first fish of the day, the wind increased quite strongly, the bay on the southern bank was soon windswept. I had been told the fish quickly followed the wind. It was with this knowledge I too followed the wind struggling through the waist often head high vegetations getting stung and scratched in the process. Twenty yards down the bank, I found a narrow gap in the bank side trees where I could just cast a chunk of crust; where I could allow the wind to push the bait towards the bank at the top end of the bay. Again I changed hooks, tying on a size 4. Then baiting with a match box size chunk of crust which I cast out towards the centre of the bay, after a few minutes the bread started drifting slowly down the bay towards the bank where I could see a couple of good fish that looked like submarines on the prowl. Suddenly one of the fish spotted the crust, and then it moved quickly upwind creating a bow wave as it did so. As the fish closed in on its prize, it slowed down then nudged the bait pushing it upwind a few inches. I stood with a dry mouth; perspiration on my brow, feeling all hot and sweaty just wishing the fish would eat my bread. I flicked a horsefly away as the fish made three passes at the bait; it then circled twice as a shark would circle its prey. Without warning the fish moved in engulfing the bread. As the line moved forward I set the hook. For a few seconds a surprised carp didn’t seem to understand what had happened, it just slowly submerged. Suddenly it come to its senses making a powerful run upwind then out into the main part of the lake taking some thirty yards of line as it did so. For several minutes it was a battle of wits and give and take. Slowly the well balanced tackle overcome the fishes desperate bid for freedom, soon an old English carp was wallowing and swirling as I pulled it towards the submerged net. Then it was mine. A cracking fish of about 12lbs, perhaps 13lbs. Unhooking the fish in the net I then pushed the net out into the deeper water allowing the fish to swim away, untouched by hand.

More Carp from the Bay

It was time for a brew; fifteen minutes later I sat drinking a mug of Yorkshire Gold at the water’s edge enjoying the beauty of this secluded place thinking how lucky I was to be an angler.
Suddenly a golden carp lifted from the water like a Polaris missile, then crashed back in a shower of wind-swept spray. That was a fifteen pound plus fish.
In the next fifteen minutes I spotted several fish moving in the windswept bay, after a fifteen minute struggle I got close enough to the water’s edge, I quickly spotted a good carp rooting in the bottom, moving back from the water’s edge I tied on a size 12 hook baiting with a pea size piece of Crustation paste. Back at the water’s edge I got down on my knees then lowered the baited hook a foot in front of the rooting carp, With bated breath and beating heart as the minutes ticked by I watched the fish slowly move forward, suddenly it’s over my bait. The line flicked a couple of times, as the fish straightened into an upright position I could see the line in its mouth. Striking I set the hook the water boiled, the fish shot away from the bank I was forced to give line. With the rod in a bow like curve, the reel purring I marvelled at the power of the fish as it fought its way from the bay out into the main part of the lake. It then kited to my left towards a large patch of water lilies, I thought if that fish gets in those pads all would be lost. I cramped down hard on the fish, for several seconds nothing happened. Then the fish was pulled off course, soon I was taking in line. Slowly foot by foot I was bringing the fish towards the net; soon it lay on its side as if to say I’m beaten, as I pulled it towards then over the net. It was mine. Another great looking common carp, I reckon my best fish probably going 14lbs. After unhooking the fish I watched it swim off none the worse for wear. In the next hour I had two more commons and a mirror averaging about 8lbs.

Historic Redmire

Next day around ten in the morning I stood on the dam at Redmire for about twenty minutes before walking around this historic lake in the footsteps of giants. Walking up the western bank I could see several good common and mirror carp some going twenty pounds plus, some of these fish were idly cruising around, while others were digging into the soft silty sandy bottom, no doubt feeding on bloodworm. A swan was sitting on a clutch of eggs while its mate stood guard nearby. It was a beautiful sunny day with a brisk wind blowing from a westerly direction. An hour later I am back at the dam where I interviewed Les Bamford and Rod Fox. Interviews over I slowly drove away from the estate knowing I was back for a week in August. (See pictures from Redmire)