Alice In Wonderland

After a painfully long four-week exile from my beloved Tarn Pond I finally found myself back, however I was surprised to find that things had changed; gone were the days when a typical Saturday consisted of four anglers; Tarn was now rammed. After the capture of a thirty pound fish the place has suddenly bounced back on the map after its nine year exodus since the fish kill in 2004, and on Saturday my favourite swim 'the beach' was hosting three bivvies. We were left with no choice but to move on. . .

After a short trip down the Hog's Back we arrived at the picturesque Alice Holt Forest to fish Lodge Pond. Lodge is a water classed as 'easy-medium' on the FAS website so would not be my natural choice. However I have a fondness for the place as it was the first Farnham water I fished and where I caught my first 'considerable' PB at sixteen pounds, the biggest of a memorable 23 fish haul on the method feeder back in June. I initially set up in peg 18, but after the anglers in peg 21 departed an hour before nightfall I quickly settled in there. I edged up to a likely looking spot on the 'dam' margin on my left and clipped up, and had a feel around with the lead to find a smooth spot in the open water in front of me, assuming at this time of year the fish would be in the deep water. Tactics were four Mainline Cell boilies in A PVA stick, with one hair-rigged on a KD-style hair with half a Sticky White Chocolate Popup to make a snowman. The trap was set. . .

After a line bite on the margin rod which I foolishly struck at (knowing full well there was nothing there) I recast and as I clipped the bobbin on I realised, by chance, that the bobbin on my right rod was right up and the line was tight. It had to be a fish! I initially assumed it was a bream that had took the line so slowly it had not registered on the alarm, but I was confused further when it felt as though I was bringing in a dustbin. A massive slab? I still had no idea what it was as it was not fighting, then when he broke the surface of the inky blackness he made a single half-hearted attempt to set himself free. I soon had him in the net and marvled at him for a while, amazed at the sheer size of it. 

At 22lb 6oz he was a lovely ghost common, even if I had been quietly suspecting I had broken my PB whilst examining him in the net. 

I was overjoyed with my catch and the fact it was not a personal best didn't matter at all. From what I heard throughout the evening and from speaking to a few anglers the next morning most had blanked, so I was glad I'd done better than most. I admire those who bravely spend hours on the bank fishless in pursuit of the 'big one', but I am sure that at my stage in life it is not for me. I enjoy learning as much as catching, and every carp I catch is a learning curve, regardless of size. I am still relatively inexperienced and consequently every catch is important, and even if I could catch the odd fish here and there on rock-hard waters, I wouldn't want to. As a mark of my lack of experience it was the first fish I have ever caught on a proper snowman! I have my whole life ahead of me and most certainly will find myself at some point on difficult waters, but not now. For now medium waters are my choice. There is a time for everything, and I still have so much to learn, and the only way of doing that is by catching carp.