After the fishing being cancelled due to the weather then on then off then back on again it was a sudden rush to get everything ready to go fishing at Peterston Lakes. These lakes are good Carp lakes but can sometimes be very difficult to fish and when the fish decide they have had enough or they are over fed you wouldn't get a chance. Both lakes the Pencil and the Swan hold some high double carp and if you play our cards right you can have a fun day.
Unfortunately when we turned up there was a big pole match going on and only a couple of swims available. This was a bad sign from the start and then we found that due to the storms all the pegs and walkways were flooded making it difficult to set up in any area. Brian had chosen the pencil lake as that's where he has a lot of fun on the feeder rid and normally catches a few fish each session but today was an exception as even he only managed a couple of small bream.
Bothy myself and John had chosen the swim as that is where most of the big carp kept and using my glasses i could see a few big shadows moving about We set our rods up on different methods , some in the margins and some across in the reeds across from us. No mater what we tried we couldn’t get the carp interested and they were just cursing past the baits not giving them a second glance and even with the alien paste from JJ’s Baits on one rig giving off bright green smoke they still didn't want to play or show any interest at all. They even ignored the free feed pellets thrown in and an attraction liquid also it was is if they had had enough
Looks like its our first blank of the year in 2014 but that's how fishing goes. One bonus was John was able to Purchase some Squid & Jaffa Orange Bolies that have been catching a lot of big carp on the local waters and as they are frozen fresh they keep forever in the freezer ensuring you have fresh bait for your next trip. These baits were from Pro baits at Peterstone lakes, their own little side line. We have something new to try up at the main fishery on their main specimen lake so that will be out next outing as soon as this weather improves. It gives me a couple of weeks to stock up on a few flavours of this paste from JJ’s Baits as its brilliant stuff !
Peterstone Lakes are great lakes to fish and it was a shame that we had the weather and conditions against us as i would like to think we would have had a tidy few fish out and i can’t wait to try again as soon as the summer months come.
Due to the big storms and huge flooding at the start of the year we are late starting this years fishing trips around Wales. To start we have decided to stick with our local waters to test out some new bait and see what the reaction is and see how many fish we can get on the bank. After a brilliant year in 2013 where we concentrated more on match and feeder fishing this year we have decided to concentrate on the bigger of each specimen. We have been accepted as a bait field tester for JJ’s Baits and they have some brilliant flavours and a magic paste that drives the Carp crazy getting you the bigger of the fish.
These baits are available to the public just click on their logo to take you to their web site.
Not only we will be testing out some new baits , pastes and glugs but we will be continuing to use and test Total Outdoors products such as Carp Force, Match Force and Predator Force. I myself will be using the Fluorocarbon Fishing line that has been excellent so far so i don't see why i should change. We will also be using some very sharp Hooks that i won in a competition from Deception Angling along with some lead safety clips. We have been doing a lot of preparation for our first fishing trip of the year and we have made sure we have bait for all circumstances ranging from bottom baits to zig baits that slowly rises up in the layers with bugs and worms including the usual ground bait to attract the fish into the swim.
As we are fishing over night we have decided to make up a pile of PVA Bags with rigs all set up inside tied neatly ready to cast out so we are maximising our fishing time instead of preparing things on the bank and missing out on feeding fish in your swim. During this time of year less bait is needed and more natural baits should produce more carp but i could be wrong. I might try a simple maggot rig or even put up zig rigs at different depths with the active ground bait to attract them into your swim. Now we are all set to go only another day of preparation and we are out on the bank. Lets hope we manage to land a nice big carp to start the year off right. Its surprising how much gear you begin to collect and when there is two or three of you fishing its an awful lot of gear to shift about, Carp fishing is in a class of is own and i can see why so many angles love it. Its not all about filling a net with fish its seeing if you have what it takes to hunt down the big ones and get them feeding on your bait.
Due to it being the first Carping trip of our challenge around Wales we are trying out all types of rigs and rigs in order to catch those fish that are a little more warier than the others. As well as using running chod rigs due to the venue being quite weedy we don’t really have to worry that much as the weed seems to drop to the bottom of the lake during he colder months and then rises in the warmer months to get more sunlight. You would have thought it would have been the other way around but he water is a lot more clearer in the winter than in the summer months. We have decided to use a selection of combi-rigs and combi hinged rigs also Stiff rigs to see what type of rigs would be better for the water we are fishing. This trip is going to be a great opportunity to try out some new tricks and tactics.
We have also been developing our own new type of ground bait with strong attraction, long lasting but still with out over feeding the swim. We are using only natural ingredients to ensure that it is healthy and good for the fish. There are 2 types we will be testing out over the weekend, one yellowish brown colour with scopex base mix and a few secrete ingredients from Marukyu Baits to give it that extra pulling power. When we tested this bait last year whilst out match and feeder fishing we noticed it drove he fish crazy and started them into a feeding frenzy. So we decided to call the bait “The Carp Crunch” Most of the fish attracted seemed to be the Carp an Barble with the odd Bream thrown in and all were of a good size. We have now tweaked and changed the ground bait to also attract Tench, Roach and Rudd so it will make a great all round ground bait and stick mix for all types of fishing.
The second bait we have come up with s what we call “The Strawberry Blaster”, a strawberry based mix that has natural ingredients again to give it the best nutritional value for the Carp but this mix has a bite to it. We have included crushed hemp powder and also blended down a couple of kilos of Strawberries in a blender until it turned to a clear jelly like juice drink and added it to the mix. Once the mix dried it was then blended down again and added to our own secrete ground bait ingredients to create another highly attractive ground bait with a little difference. Instead of just sitting on the bottom of the lake and leaving a layer of bait for the fish to feed on it also creates a cloud around the swim area that drifts through the water attracting fish from all over the lake into your swim. This bait is still being tested at the moment but we are confident it will do the job especially in spring and summer months.
As you can see whilst waiting for the weather to calm down and the storms and floods to stop we have been very busy preparing everything for the new season. Most of our fishing this year ill be carp fishing but we will still do a bit of match fishing and feeder fishing just for the fun of it as sometimes keeping busy all day trying to catch the smaller fish is great fun and is what started my love for fishing in the first place. Trish and Brian love their match fishing and feeder fishing and especially pole fishing as they are constantly active all day when they get started they just don't seem to stop catching fish. When it comes to Match fishing they are the ones to take advice from as they have been pole fishing and feeder fishing for years, Brian is also a Carp fisherman as well as a match fisherman and will be joining us this Saturday 22nd February 2014. We will be getting to the lake at 8.15am and will fish right through until 5-6pm Sunday evening. Brian will only be joining us on Saturday and will then return to pick us up on Sunday depending on the weather and if it starts to pour down.
Saturday 22nd February 2014 – Sunday 23rd February 2014
(Fishing: Brian Lloyd, Martyn Russ, John Rees)
Woke early this morning to get everything ready for our trip today. Am Really looking forwards to trying out the new bait that arrived from JJ’s Baits and even the postman had to ask what was in the package a it stunk o the main parcel delivery depot! Now that’s what you call a strong attraction. Being picked up at 8 am so i can be at the lake and almost fishing by 9 – 9.30, Brian Lloyd will be joining us f0r at least a half days session as he has been missing the fishing just as much as us. John Rees will be joining us in the morning t hep set everything up and get things ready then he’s of for his boy’s birthday party. Once finished, about 5 – 6 pm he will fly back down to the lake to join me over night and through Sunday also.
The weather forecast for today is a little cloud cover so will be slightly grey with a couple of sunny periods breaking through. There is the possibility of a small shower late in the afternoon but when you are camped out in a big bivi you don't really mind unless you are landing a fish, then its get wet time, and i hope to be doing plenty of that. We are all feeling positive that we will catch a few carp over the weekend but for me it is all about being out in the fresh air and nature and hunting down the biggest of the fish and see if you can set a trap and catch it. It Changes sport fishing more into hunting and the fight from the fish gives you the best rush ever,especially when you get it in the net.
How he Day Went:
Where Brian had set up he had decided on the feeder and cast into the gravel bar where there bream where but he was being battered by the high speed wind and even though he had a single pop-op bivvi to hide away from the wind it was constantly being blown and battered around. I do know he had a couple of tidy Bream as i saw him playing one of the fish but i was so busy concentrating on trying to make everything perfect for my won fishing i think i just over did it and wasn’t in the right place but the 2 days and night fishing was interesting.
After setting up the Bivvi and Organising the equipment and getting everything set up and ready to go on the first rod i decided to use a running Chod for the first 2 hours using the black Quid Pop Ups and On he Second Rod again a running Chod with a Blue Cheese And Garlic Dipped in Garlic Glug, The 3rd Rod i had decided on placing “ 10mm Tigernut boilies and wrapped the sweet as u nut around the two baits forming a small sausage. I did Have one miss hap casting the first rod as i didn't double check the knot and ended up snapping on the cast and loosing a leader but it took seconds to reset the rods as we have all spares ready to go.
Such a shame as about 2 hours after casting the Tigernut rod out i was about to change the chod rod over when the rod ripped off and i jumped up and struck into what seemed like a very large and tidy carp but unfortunately my battle was for no longer than 60 seconds and a sudden hook pull and the fish was gone. My heart sunk and the mood after that was very down and glum, I re-set the other rods onto PVA bags but could cast the far enough to get them into the bay where the cap hang about and kept hitting the gravel bar where all the Bream seem to feed. Don’t get me wrong a fish is a fish but after an hours weight and another rod screams of resulting in a 5lb Bream and then again during the night with a 2 lb. Bream i did start to get fed up both runs from Breams and not even a good size was a bit disheartening It was quite right through the night and then the next day the same the rods remained motionless and the only one to catch yet another Bream of about 2 lb. was John. It wasn’t a bad fishing tri it just wasn't hat we were expecting and with all other swims take we didn't really get the choices we wanted we will just have to put this lake off until another time after we have mastered some proper commercial carp waters and really put some of these baits through its paces, so far i am well impressed with the specialised Alien Paste by JJ;s Baits it’s amazing stuff and cant wait to try some different flavours.
We will planning our next fishing adventure shortly so wish you all wet nets and tight lines
After the fishing being cancelled due to the weather then on then off then back on again it was a sudden rush to get everything ready to go fishing at Peterston Lakes. These lakes are good Carp lakes but can sometimes be very difficult to fish and when the fish decide they have had enough or they are over fed you wouldn't get a chance. Both lakes the Pencil and the Swan hold some high double carp and if you play our cards right you can have a fun day. 
couple of swims available. This was a bad sign from the start and then we found that due to the storms all the pegs and walkways were flooded making it difficult to set up in any area. Brian had chosen the pencil lake as that's where he has a lot of fun on the feeder rid and normally catches a few fish each session but today was an exception as even he only managed a couple of small bream.
carp kept and using my glasses i could see a few big shadows moving about We set our rods up on different methods , some in the margins and some across in the reeds across from us. No mater what we tried we couldn’t get the carp interested and they were just cursing past the baits not giving them a second glance and even with the alien paste from JJ’s Baits on one rig giving off bright green smoke they still didn't want to play or show any interest at all. They even ignored the free feed pellets thrown in and an attraction liquid also it was is if they had had enough
