Third Session 2015

As I mentioned in the last blog I was now starting to focus my attentions on to boilies, this would be an important move if I wanted any kind of longevity with my baiting campaign. 

Tigers are my favourite hookbait but they only offer a certain amount of nutrition for carp, and having something with a higher nutritional content would keep the fish coming back for more, time and time again.

I had actually been rolling my own baits for quite a while now, and with the help of a couple of friends I think I have managed to put a decent boilie together. 

A guy on Twitter (northernnev) had contacted me last year, offering me a basemix to use at a greatly reduced cost than what I was paying.

To be honest I was a bit dubious but thought it was worth a punt, well, i have never looked back since. As well as northernnevs basemix's being first class he has always taken the time to answer my many questions and even made a few suggestions along the way, which have paid dividends. I would class northernnev as a bit of a bait geek, there's not a lot he doesn't know, and what he doesn't just isn't worth knowing.

These are just a few of the many fish I have had

since using northernnevs basemix

Another friend of mine (Del) has also been an integral part of my bait making, always there, offering help and advice. With both of these guys helping out i really felt in safe hands and now I think I have produced a very good bait indeed.

Two other guys who are as equally knowledgeable are squirrel of karpkandi and onegav of beechwood baits, these guys really know there stuff and anything purchased from their companies is going to be of the very best quality. You'll easily find them on Twitter as they are all regular tweeters. Squirrel had made me a load of different flavoured pop ups for me to try out but as of yet I haven't had the opportunity to try them out as much as I wanted as I am not a big pop up user, but these baits remain in my armoury just in case the situation arrives.

I haven't used anything from Beechwood baits, but after many a conversation with onegav, its clear he knows what he's talking about and I regularly see his baits catching for others on twitter. So if your looking for something that's built using the very best if ingredients then follow these guys.

@northernnev
@beechwoodbaits
@KarpKandi

Nev had sent me a kilo of his new winter basemix just before christmas, I was toying around with his robin red mix at the time but wanted a sweet/creamy boilie to coincide with the tigers I was using. This new base had a vanilla powder as one of its many ingredients and would blend beautifully with the creamy mixture I had decided on.

So I set to work, trying all sorts of combinations until I came up with these.

As you can see its a dark mix, which I really wanted, and the base leant itself very well with my creamy/sweet theme.

I had also made a batch of pop ups, bottom hookbaits, paste a stick mix and a lovely soak. 

Now I had all of the bait ready I just wanted to get back to the bank and give it all a good go.

I wasn't going to be back out for another week and a half which felt like an eternity. Twitter was full of anglers braving the elements, some returning back home after seeing their beloved water frozen over, and some were actually getting amongst some fish.

To say I was feeling envious was an understatement, not just for the fish but more for being on the bank, 

The days were slowly getting longer with the arrival of Spring being not so to far away, new shoots were starting to emerge on some of the plants in my garden and the morning bird chorus was getting louder with every day that passed, all signifying the approach of warmer weather.

Most of my spare time, well I say most, its more like all of my spare time is spent doing all things carp related to help pass the time until I go fishing.
Preparing bait and rigs, cleaning this cleaning that, watching this, reading that, all sounds a bit obsessive doesn't it, but I would guess most of us go through this.
You see, fishing isn't just a hobby to me, its much more than that, I have tried to explain this compulsion many a time to people who aren't within the confines of the fishing fraternity, with no luck at all. In fact no matter how I try to rationalise this behavour, I am still looked upon as if I belong in some kind of mental institution.
So I have given up trying to explain, now I smile and just say "I go because I like it" I am still greeted with that same institutional look, but it matters not, as I know I am not alone in my predicament.

My fishing would now be focused on doing midweek sessions in an attempt to avoid the weekend madness that would soon be upon this little pools banks.

This is normally a good move on these day ticket waters, and I am fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of this situation. As you'll remember from my Introduction blog, I explained my theories behind this move and felt a little more confident already.

The weather forecast wasn't looking good all week with temperatures barely exceeding 4°, and Friday looked cloudy but calm.

Friday morning did indeed look nice and calm on first inspection, not a single whisper of wind, not a single tree moved, and for the first time in a while, the paths outside the front of my home were not glistening with thick frost.
It was still very dark as it was only 3.30 am, I never sleep that well when I'm fishing, I just hoped the car wouldn't play up today as it had the week before, putting an end to my session before it had even begun.
There was a thin frosting of ice on the car roof but nothing of any quantity like it had from the weeks gone by, maybe the whether was on the turn for the better.

Much to my dismay the entire pool was frozen over, the air didn't feel that cold getting into the car at home, but I was now greeted with a biting breeze, which almost felt painful to my hands. To say I was feeling despondent was an understatement, but the sun was out and I felt sure all would be okay once I was in the confines of my brolly. The northern end was covered with very thin ice as the bright sunshine was focused in this area and breaking it was easy, so I set about rowing out the boat across swims 30, 31 and 32, using the boat to break up the ice.
It was a relatively easy task and there was soon 10 to 15 yards of clear water out in front of these swims, so at least I could get a couple of lines into the water.
I have to be honest, after all of the commotion I had caused I doubted very much that I would get a fish today.
Nevertheless, I was here now and set up and just hoped the carp gods would look down on me with a certain air of sympathy.
I had thrown in a couple of handfuls of free offerings around the two areas, some made it down but a few bounced off the sheets of ice and drifted off across the unbroken sheet of ice.
The bird life found these baits very appetising, so at least they had something to eat during the course of the day.
As the day progressed the temperature dramatically dropped and any chance of catching anything was quickly fading, but I suppose you have to be in it to win it.
Finally I gave in after a bite less day and I just couldn't stand the bitter cold any more.
Anyway, I was already looking forward to next week as I had a couple of bits and pieces coming through the post and looking around the banks you could definitely tell Spring was on its way.

I'd just hoped it would make an appearance sooner rather than later. Winter has always been my favourite season, but even I find the cold temperatures a little tedious towards the end.

As always thanks for reading and until next time, good luck.