by Martyn Russ
With the first bit of real sun advertised since the horrible winter we have just been through I would have been mad not to get out and do some fishing. We had tried a short session the week before up at Pentwyn lake but the weather was still too cold for them and I could see the fish swimming around sluggishly as if they were half asleep and not interested in food. We ended up leaving that venue with a blank. As soon as I saw the weather change and they started to advertise were were about to get a heat wave I knew this would be the prefect opportunity to get a bite and a bend in the rods.
We all decided on fishing the same lake upon arrival as we could see fish topping and showing on the surface.
Brian Lloyd had set up at the half way mark up the lake and myself and Stephen Quinn set up at the top of the Pencil Lake near the islands.
. Brian was fishing the pole using Pallatrax Meat beast baits and maggot and blood-worm crush ground bait mix. This seemed to do the trick as it wasn't long before he was into his first fish of the session shortly followed by a lovely barbel.
I had decided to have one rod fishing a Pallatrax Crave popup on a Size 6 Wide Gape GRIPZ hook and a maggot and blood-worm crush stick on the hook-link and Strawberry corn on the other rod. As expected it was the corn that gave me my first bit of action as I fished it tight to the island bank over a bed of crushed boiles mixed in with the maggot and blood-worm crush ground bait.
The fishing wasn't as easy as I thought it could be with the sun coming out and the temperature suddenly jumping from 14 degrees up to 23. As the sun warmed the water I watched the carp come up in the layers and start showing on the surface so I did try and tempt them with surface baits but they was having none of it. I tried switching to zigs but still nothing so eventually I switched back to bottom baits and sat and waited for the bites.
Stephan Quinn, who was set up to the left of me facing the large island also managed to get some action and managed to land a small 4 to 5 lb common carp. this is the first fish of the season for our Stephen and its signals the end of a run of blank sessions that has been driving him insane.
