My last session on Tarn was a surreal experience to say the least. Conditions were perfect, a mild south-westerly blowing gently across the dark, choddy water with the barometer reading low in the mid 900's. Now Tarn is not an easy water by any means, which made it all the more special when the screech of my alarm awoke me at 0830 Sunday morning. I was chuffed, playing what felt like a good fish, so chuffed in fact I didn't realise the furious fish was heading straight for the trees thirty yards to the left. I was snagged in no time, and even though the lead clip did it's job and dropped the weight instantly, the carp was gone. All the previous hours spent on the bank at Tarn waiting for one fish, only to loose him. I'd done the hard part, yet failed to land him.
Fast forward a week and I was on the same pond, the same peg in fact, but this time I was determined. I had a score to settle with Tarn; and the elusive beasts that lurked within its silty, one thousand year old depths. First thoughts couldn't have been more different from the previous week, with high pressure, however the increase in temperature inspired me.
Tarn, complete with marker
The week previously the bailiff had informed us of the old river bed in front of our swim, as the pond had originally been created a millennium ago by damming a tributary of the Wey. It was the only area without two feet of silt, and with the marker in place I fired out half a kilo of Mainline Cell to give a good scattering along the riverbed, despite the gulls hassling me. We arrived at 1600 and I was fishing by 1800, ready for dusk.
rigging up, complete with hat-hair
Feeding completed I opted for my usual KD Rig, as it was what had worked the week earlier. The rig itself was a longer-than-usual length of supernatural, as even though I was fishing on a relatively hard patch I erred on the side of caution due to Tarn's choddy nature. On went a 15mm Cell popup, along with a stick composed of crushed cell. Paprika and salt added and smothered in Goo, the rig was cast to where I'd baited. On the second rod I had a snowman rig, this time with a Cell bottom bait tipped with 10mm pink popup, and a dozen free Cell offerings, again oozing with Goo, and again casted to the baited area. Setup complete, the only snag was the top of the bobbin that sits on the alarm screw had broken, so I had to sellotape it on, but now everything was ready! Time to sit back and relax.
KD Rig and Snowman (bottom). Which would work?
Goo, plus goo'd hand
A long and action-free evening passed, save for dad getting liners on his margin rod. Luckily it was a mild night with the cloud providing a quilt of insulation, and I kipped down at 2330. I slept well until 0830 when the trill of the alarm awoke me in glorious fashion. I shot out of the sleeping bag without even unzipping it, and before I knew where I was I was doing battle with a hard-fighting Tarn carp, nodding around the swim while I was shaking my hot water bottle out of my pyjama leg. He fought hard like the one the week before, but this time I was focused, I was in control. I could barely contain my excitement, I had caught a carp in exactly the same fashion in exactly the same swim within an hour of the last one, but this time he was mine. When I first caught a glimpse of him the beauty of the creature struck me, with a dark head and chocolate-brown flanks fading to a cream belly. As I edged him into the net he suddenly shot out and I panicked, remembering the time not long ago dad lost a monster tench in the same fashion. I swiveled down to absorb the lunge, and before long he was in the net again, secure this time. It didn't enter my mind the size of the fish, as in the water it only looked around mid-doubles, and it was only when I hauled the net from the water did the size of the fish register in my brain. 23lb! My new PB and a strikingly beautiful fish with no mouth damage and deep colouration, the sort Tarn is known for. After a few trophy shots and a weigh I released him, and before I could even turn him upright he shot off, back into the murky depths where he came from.
Job done! A superb 23lb Tarn Mirror, my new PB
(again with bed hair)
The rest of the session was uneventful, save for a change from the snowman to another KD Rig on the right-hand rod. Hope you enjoyed reading, join me on my carp quest next week as I attempt to (hopefully) tear Tarn apart and better my PB.
Tight Lines!
