Your Basket

Your Basket is Empty

The Cider Provider

31/03/2007

The Cider Provider....

Hi I’m Anthony Gee.

Timbo mentioned me a little in his previous article although most people that know me call me G or Geeman.

So where to begin, well Timbo outlined how we met previously so I won’t go into that. What I would like to do is give you an insight of what I have been up to from the start of the 2006 season up until March 2007(end of the UK fishing season.

I missed the opening 1st week of season as Timbo and I was France in pursuit of one or two French lumps and also have a bit of holiday as well. Due to other commitments when I got back I didn’t wet a line until probably the first week of July. This was just going to be an overnighter. I was still using the Ocean Fresh Red Shrimp & Garlic as having had success on this the previous season I saw no reason to change. The weather was not the best with high pressure, next to no wind and boiling hot. Having done the usual round of the lake to see what’s been going on I decided to fish a swim called the roots, this is more less the middle of the lake and gives you a good view of plenty of open water either side and in front. The other good thing about this swim is that around ¾ of the way across there are a number of buoys’ in the water that sections off where the boating club are aloud to use their radio control boats. The buoys’ seem to attract the fish and are good to use as a visual mark when placing bait. There were fish in front although had not done much apart from just mooching around the surface with no intention of getting on the feed. This being the case and the fact that I was there only till 8am the next morning I thought the best bet would to have one off the left hand buoy about 70 yards out with a 3 bait stringer and around 20 freebies in close proximity. The second rod was fished using a single hook bait cast to the left of the main spot a good rod length away. My main thought being that any fish coming into feed would be more inclined to pick up boilie away from the baited area. Rigs were kept pretty simple.

As dusk fell I could here fish crashing out around the buoys’ so I felt confident that it wouldn’t be long before one was going to make a mistake. The night turned into early morning, mist covered the whole lake and visibility was zero. I could hear fish crashing out in front but wasn’t sure where, when the left hand rod on the single hook bait was off. Out of the bag and on with the thigh waders I struck and bent into a fish, it kited left towards the buoy but with a bit of side strain in the direction it was going towards soon made it pull the opposite way and out of danger. This was in matter of minutes and by then I could tell that it wasn’t one of the lumps that reside in the lake. Safely into the waiting net my thoughts were confirmed, one of the smaller fish in the lake at just under 20lbs. But what does that matter I was off the mark that’s what counts.

Again because of other commitments I didn’t get out until 2 weeks after that, again another short over nighter. The same bait was used fishing a different part of the lake in a swim called the cut out. A very uncomfortable swim to fish as the rods needs to be in the water but your camp needs to be set up in island which also doubles up as a bird sanctuary. So there was no fishing down either side of the island. In early morning the fish will swim across the face of the island and work their way down the centre of the lake towards the buoys’. So this is an Ideal point to intercept them. Sure enough at about 1am next morning the right hand rod was away only a drop back but I was out the bag like a shot and into my second fish of the season. Again just another scrapper 20lb carp but a fish all the same. I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to catch one of the gooduns. I know there in here!

The next time out was the start of August, again just an over nighter which happened to coincide with my birthday. Timbo came down for the night and although nothing was caught we had a few beers to celebrate my birthday and got a good night kip.

I left the lake alone after that for a while but still managed to wet a line while not on there. I took part in the Stoney & friends charity fishin for cancer research on the famous Yateley complex in Surrey. I fished Sandhurst lake which is probably one the best day ticket venues in this country. It’s not just about the fishing on these types events, we all had a good social the weather wasn’t all that but there were some nice fish caught. I even managed a new UK P.B common at just under 30lbs on the good old OF Garlic boilies again fishing instantly!

In all honesty after the social at Yateley I didn’t get out as much as I liked. I know Timbo kept at it and had some good fish. I had decided that over the Christmas break onwards I would concentrate on Southlake until the end of the season. So my own personal challenge was set to bag a few lumps before the end of the season. I must admit we have been lucky in the UK with the weather this winter it was probably the mildest for years. Like most lakes the fish in South of England are at the best in looks and weight during the winter months having been on the munch from late September to early October. The lake should also see a lot less angling pressure! How wrong could I have been?

It seemed everyone had the same idea and all wanted a winter lump or two. I don’t know why but I do prefer the colder months. So the first over nighter on new years eves eve saw me fishing an area called the deeps the reason I chose this is because the top end of the lake had seen most of the angling pressure. Hardly anyone had done any time in the deeps. It has also been known to hold some of the resident biggies this time of year.

I didn’t want to be putting loads of bait in all I wanted to do was give out a flavour and visual attraction. I opted for the garlic pop up glugged in garlic dip with a piece glow corn on the top. Rigs were different from the summer. 1. I was using pop ups and 2. Although I know the make up of the lake bed pretty well in most areas I didn’t want to be leading around with a marker spooking any fish that may be holed up there. That’s why the chod rig was the rig of choice this winter. As you may or may not know but by moving the stopper bead up and down the lead enables you to fish any bottom with out the fear of the bait not being presented correctly. Also using the stiff link material makes it very difficult to eject the bait once it’s sucked in. So the traps were set. Both rods were positioned around 30-40 yards out over the back of a bar in around 8ft of water. The other thing that made me fish this area was that the season previously this end of the lakes bank was filled forward to re enforce the banks. When this was in progress there was a silt dredger positioned over the area that I was fishing. My thinking being that this area was a kind of safe haven for fish underneath the dredger and also the feet of the dredger on the lake bottom could a have created a number of man made features where its feet were on the lake bed. Well this was the plan and with the wind forecast to change to a SSW later in the evening with low pressure I felt confident. Sure the forecast was spot on much to Timbo’s dismay, he didn’t think the wind was coming, so when it did he wasn’t prepared and his STI decided to take advantage of the hoolie that was blowing into our bank and get ripped out of the ground with me holding onto it for dear life and him underneath on his chair trying to do the best he could to stop his kit getting soaked! Finally after what seemed like an eternity the storm stopped in reality it only lasted 10 minutes but it was bloody scary. About 45 min’s after and everything pegged down and out of the wet we were settled. I walked over to the rods contemplating on weather I should re cast or not. I was just about to pick the left hand rod up when it bleeped once and dropped back, again it bleeped and dropped back. I wound down and pulled the line tight raising the rod at the same time to be greeted by a solid resistance. I could tell by the way that the fish was hugging the bottom it was a good one. After about 10 minutes it was at the rod tip but I hadn’t seen it, its deep in the margins in this area this why they put up the best fight. Timbo was in hand with the net and when I did get it on the surface he got it first time. He said when lifting it out that it was a good fish, he was right and on the scales it went 30lbs 4oz. Indeed a good fish but also a new 30 plus for the lake and when the regulars saw the pictures none could recognise it.

I treated us to a take away and hit the sack nothing else that session but I wasn’t complaining!

Over the next few weeks the deeps were rammed I had no hope of getting in there. But the next opportunity to fish saw me doing an over nighter in the bay using the same approach rig and bait wise but at the other end of the lake and a 120-140 yard cast. Ideal for the chod. The fish in this swim tend to reside near the far back margins which from the bank I was fishing has an island in between. Plan was to put one on the far margins and the other in between the island and the far bank. The left hand rod was cast to the middle of the two it had only been there 5 minutes when it was off. I struck but didn’t connect. Strange as the chod normally gets them first time. I can only put it down to a liner or a tethered fish trailing line. Out it goes again on the same spot. As I was casting the long range one, the left hand one was off again, this time a fish was on as I got it past the island I could feel it wasn’t a biggie but it came in without any problems and a common weighing 19lbs.12oz wasn’t the end of the world especially when I had only managed to have the rod in the water a total of about 10 minutes!

The night went uninterrupted. Early morning around 7.45 the same rod burst into life, fish on I shouted to Timbo. It swam straight into open water away from the island and didn’t feel anything special and within 5 minutes Timbo had netted it. It was a mirror and a known fish called Cut Tail normally around the 30 pound mark. On the scales it went 32lb 4oz how chuffed was I. Again on the garlic dip/pop up/glow corn combo.

Last time to wet a line for me was the last weekend of the season always rammed at the lake but something that is a bit of a tradition, everyone comes down and if anything a good social. I actually managed to get down on the Friday afternoon for once. After have a good mooch around I decided to fish in the woods not far from the roots just a little further down towards the deeps end. Reason being was that there was no one fishing the deeps which enabled me to cast a rod far left to the area where
I had caught the 30 during the winter. I cast the other out on the right hand side of the buoys’.

Again there’s no point trying to break something that’s not broken so the same rigs were used and the same bait combo but less the dip. I had nothing the Friday night and to my dismay someone decided to fish the deeps leaving me a bit stuck as to where to put my right hand rod. A bit of luck was on my side though as the person who was fishing the deeps moved to another (which ended up to his advantage). None the less I was now in a position to put the right hand rod on the spot I wanted it. After a few casts it was on the money. All I had to do is sit and wait. Timbo and Ian came down that afternoon and fished to my right knowing that I was fishing that area they were good enough just to fish the margins leaving my right hand rod on its own.

Later in the afternoon everyone seemed to gather at the back of my swim talking and par taking in the odd beer or two. It’s what the end of a season is all about. Suddenly this was interrupted with an absolute flier on the right hand rod, in the water I went and pulled into what felt like a decent kipper. I had to keep my head together as I was being watched by an audience behind me. Timbo as normal was there to do the honours with the net and after a spirited fight we were safe. A common I thought but no! To end the season was a P.B fully scaled mirror at 27lb.2oz how chuffed was I.

This carp was caught on a Oily Crab bait. Well that’s my last season although not loads of fishing done, I think when you are only doing short sessions you need to capitalise and make the most of what time you have. I hope the next season will bring more success and with a bit more time on my part and the help form Leigh at Ocean fresh with the bait application this will become a reality.

Tight lines

The Geeman.

Back to List

More Info