26/08/2006 - Brasnose 1 |
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26th August 06, that was my first visit to Brasenose 1. The local waters near my home in Portsmouth were ok but it was time to set my sights on "proper carp fishing". I had been content for all these years match fishing and did some good things (if I say so myself). But what was missing from my angling was a single fish, something to look at in wonder and something I can remember, look back upon and recollect throughout my angling days. For so long now I’d been fishing under pressure, with opponents and prize money at stake and therefore I think the magic of fishing itself disappeared. Without realising I longed to be beside a water because it made me want to be there, because I wondered what beauty lies beneath its rippled surface. Very soon after calling a day on my match fishing career I ventured to waters that were said to produce monsters to he who wished to put in the time and effort, and believe me, compared to some of the commercial waters I’d fished, these carp pools were vast yet sublimely mysterious places. It was the mystery that gripped me and made me want to spend time seeking out these wily old creatures. A lot was already in my blood from all those match fishing days, where bait presentation was number one and if mastered this can be the be all and end all in all aspects of piscatorial endeavour. This, finely tuned to the job in hand, was a great platform in which to work on and I gradually turned my seat box, pole and match gear into the kind of tackle nowadays associated with the modern "Carp Fisher", including electronic alarms (as shunned upon by match anglers and traditionalists such as a Chris Yates and the rest of the Golden Scale Club). Along with regular visits to some local carpish waters, of which I managed to land a 16lb 3oz mirror (by fluke on feeder tackle), I read up on as much carp fishing literature as possible in the hope of capturing some of not only the history from the long journey I was about to embark upon but the great lengths some of my predecessors went to in the effort of banking one of these magnificent creatures. With the thoughts and advice of Yates, Hilton, "BB", Walker and Ingham I felt prepared for anything. With both the right tackle and a game plan my good friend Nick and I started to plan the next venue in which to unleash our master plan, to enter the world of "proper carp fishing", and after much research decided upon the Linear Fisheries Complex. This was said to be the premier day ticket carp fishery in the country so that was good enough for me. After visiting the excellent website and reading what fellow anglers had to say it was soon confirmed that our first session would be on Brasenose 1. A runs water fairly new with around 2 thousand new fish along with the existing original fish and the chance of a thirty pounder! That was good enough for me. It must have been around 11.50 am when Nick and I met at his work at work and travelled to the local tackle shop for supplies. With utmost enthusiasm we arrived (after roadwork’s and delays) at the fishery around 3pm. We parked the car and looked for a double swim which we found opposite to where we were standing and unloaded our gear and made a quick journey round to our destination. By 4pm I had set up my camp for the next 24 hours and was ready to do battle with those unseen monsters, the huge fish that had been haunting my every dream. The thought of a thirty pound carp was like winning the world cup! A twenty pounder was almost as majestic but just to exceed my personal best and give me a solid platform to work upon was top priority. After spodding out around half a bucket of hemp, pellet, corn and crushed source boilies at 40 - 50 yards range I cast both rods out with bags of pellets attached and Pineapple pop ups on each rig and only had to wait until 6pm until I had my first linear run which resulted in my first hard fighting and splendid looking mirror which was just as eager to escape as I was to get it into the net. That fish was 11lb 6oz and in my eyes was the perfect start, I’m sure the old boys would have been proud of me, electronic alarms and all! The rest of the evening was quiet with only few line bites and the chance to get some supper under way. I was quite happy enjoying the silence and peacefulness, watching the bats, flitting around the sky in search of their own supper when my left hand alarm began to sing a beautiful tune, one which made me stir from my relaxation and grab the rod and strike into a heavy and powerful fish which bore away to the right with appalling dogged pace. It was just as Arthur Ransome had explained; it was like being pulled from your bed by a grapnel from an aeroplane! After around twenty five minutes the fish was almost ready for the net and I for a second had time to reflect on the incident. Linear Fisheries had come up trumps, the hype was true and the fish, surroundings and atmosphere about the place made it the perfect scene for triumph. Once the great fish was in the net I could tell it was a new P.B. There was no doubt and when the needle swung round to 17lb 2oz a feeling came over me not only of my dream catch on only my first visit to linear but of how success felt to those mythical gods on Redmire Pool when they too caught the fish they'd set out to catch. A few pictures were taken and the majestic fish returned to once again to sift amongst those murky depths. |
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