The next two casts were made to the island with a loaded feeder on
board, still with double reds on the hook. This failed to yield a bite, but
there was signs of fish movement on Bob’s tip.
Switching back to the bomb, Bob hit the spot again and, after another
wait, the tip moved slightly, and he struck. The bend in the rod indicated
that it was not a small fish, and after a decent fight, considering the
conditions, Bob landed a 2lb-plus, ice-cold mirror carp.
The next cast produced a small roach, then all Bob had was the odd
knock on the line showing the fish were still there. He surmised that these
were fish grubbing around on his feed, so to give them a bigger bait to
find, he switch to a cube of garlic meat.
The smelly bait got the reaction Bob wanted, but on two casts he
suffered quick bites without connecting.
Bob decided to switch back to the maggots, and after another biteless 20
minutes, fed some more feed through the feeder. Again, nothing on the
feeder, but as soon as he changed to a bomb the indications on the tip started,
which he said was somewhat of a mystery. Once again, soon after the feed had
been introduced, Bob hooked another, smaller carp, which was followed by a
small roach. He then tried a small piece of worm, but to no avail.
THE ROD RINGS ARE
FREEZING MAKING
CASTING HARD
The temperature had started to fall, which caused Bob’s rings to start to
freeze, which in turn made it extremely difficult to cast. To get around the
problem, he dipped his rod into the water, and before the ice reformed,
quickly cast out.
Another two feeders of pellets and maggots went in, producing the final
fish of the day, again on double reds – pristine F1.
“I was confident that I’d catch today even though it’s been freezing
and was certain the fish were in the deep water,” Bob concluded. “It was
puzzling I didn’t have a bite on the feeder, but I’ve showed the importance
of feeding very little in the cold.”
THE VENUE
Lake Ross Caravan
Park, Dozens Bank,
West Pinchbeck,
Spalding PE11 3NA
Contact: 01775 761690