Fishing report from Corey and Family

A wonderful fishing holiday for this family with carp to 50lbs!

This week we welcomed Corey, Emily, Holly and Mia to the venue for the first time. They wanted to combine a fun filled family holiday with some carp fishing along the way. Everyone was very excited to finally get here and they absolutely loved the place as soon as they drove through the gates.

Rod hours would be limited but Corey was prepared to do whatever work was necessary in order to maximise his chances when he did get the time to sit behind the rods. Corey has fished in France a couple of times before and already had a few 50s and a 60. Impressive stuff considering he only started the sport 4 years ago. 

Tuition day

Corey is a very quick learner, used to hoovering up knowledge like a vacuum cleaner. He’d done a truck load of research before he’d arrived too so he was perfectly primed for the tuition session. His mind was completely open. He had plenty of questions and it was an absolute privilege to spend time with him. It was clear from the get go that he had skills and the right mental approach. He knew the various pieces of the carp fishing jigsaw but he’d never been given a framework which ties these disjointed pieces together. This was why he was here and the day passed by in a flash.

Fab venue, fab owners. The tuition was brilliant!! Lots of fun and lots learnt. Can’t wait to come back!

Off the mark

Corey wasted no time in getting off the mark and later that evening he met Sammy the sturgeon. It was another species ticked off the list and Corey was very pleased to meet him. Now it was time for a carp. Corey didn’t fish for the first two nights and the first two days were spent with the family. That doesn’t mean that Corey forgot about the fishing though. Every spare minute he had, he walked, he watched and he continued to explore the huge number of features that are there for anglers to discover. He originally set up in the Big Double as there was clearly carp bubbling heavily in Catfish Corner. From a carp fishing perspective it was the right choice but the Big Double is a bit of a way from the house so he put the graft in and moved round to the Point swims. This way he was much closer to the house and the family but he could cover the entire length of the lake which gave him extra options.

It was clear that the carp were hanging out around the bridge area. This is a very challenging area to fish. It’s complicated, littered with large boulders and the bridge is not far away. It can be done (with the right approach) so Corey began priming a safer area and sowed a crumb trail of baits which would lead the carp away from the bridge and draw them to his spot.

A special take

Later that day the dam wall rod let out a few beeps and then nothing. Many anglers would have ignored this and written off as a liner. Corey stared at the rod intensely, willing it to rip off but nothing happened. Kneeling down he slowly drew the line a little tauter. Through his fingers he could feel the tell tale vibrations of a carp trying to do the rig so he wound down, hit it and it was game on! I’ve experienced this myself and a number of guests have regaled me with stories of “touch ledgering” for carp. Corey was using the new Delkim Digital alarms but they weren’t helping him in this situation.

These carp are extremely good at doing rigs and get away with it all the time. It was a great piece of angling and a great way to get off the mark with a nice 31lb mirror. He was nearly in for a brace but it turned into a double take situation on the rod down the shallows and the other carp was lost. Corey was gutted obviously but you can’t win them all.

Bombproof preparation

Corey knew he’d need to be seriously on his toes on this water. “That’ll do” simply won’t cut it here. He’s actually an amateur boxer and coach so he gave himself a right good talking to. Each spot was meticulously prepared and he had a plan of action. When each trap was set, he really did know exactly what he was doing. Later that evening the rod down the shallows pulled tight and Corey was on it in a flash. There was no time for hesitation, it was a case of clamping down on the spool and walking backwards and right with the rod to prevent the carp being lost through the bridge.

At the point of maximum pressure all the stretch was gone from the line in a moment and a temporary stalemate was reached. Neither of them was going to back down but much to Corey’s relief he caught a glimpse of a tale that broke the surface. The carp was just off the island margin which is only a few metres away from the bridge. Corey knew that as long as he held his nerve he might, just might, win the day from this position. It’s moments like these that are rare and special in this sport and why I love it so much. Finally the steady pressure took its toll and the rest of the fight was conducted in open water. Corey was not a novice when it comes to big carp. He knew from the size of the shoulders that this was a good fish. As soon as he went to lift it from the water he was pretty much certain which one is was and when the net was parted there was no doubt at all. He’d only gone and caught the phenomenal Mr. Angry at 50lbs 8oz.

Reset, repeat

The next morning, still warm from the afterglow of his success, the same rod was away again. He’d topped up the spot quite heavily with a mixture of whole baits and chops. He was also using plenty of syrup over the top. This time it was Dink that got it wrong. Dink was 38lbs and is looking visibly older and more wrinkled. He’s a wily old carp and Corey chalked up another one of our ‘A’ listers.

From ronnie rigs and lead clips to the blowback multi rig and shock and run!

Corey was normally a lead clip and Ronnie rig guy but he was happy to explore a new avenue. He really liked the look of the blowback multi rig and the Shock & Run setup so that was plan ‘A’. This rig accounted for all of Corey fish and needless to say he was rather confident in it by the end of the week!

Eager to return

Corey is very keen to return to us and is already on our cancellation list. The girls had a lot of fun with days out and family bivvy time. It was wonderful to meet them and we look forward to seeing Corey again in the future. And special thanks to Emily for some great fish pictures! xx