Moorlands Magic!

I had heard of Keith Moors from way back in the day when Oxfordshire had seen it’s first forty landed and of course the Keith Moors Knot, therefore I was particularly intrigued when “Moorsey” began posting on the Carpforum where his popular French fishery thread receives great praise indeed. I found Keith’s email on his website and sent him an enquiry about the kind of fishing that I mostly enjoyed and if it was possible to cater for my ideal preferences….for example…like many, I dislike crowds, I like the observe, walk and stalk approach, I don’t mind “Wintery” challenges, although peace and tranquillity are a must to de-stress from England’s rat race; I’m not that bothered about food or showers as I’ve survived hygienically on quite a few adventures to France before and anything other than a decent size lake containing a few decent size fish would be a bonus.

Keith kindly replied attaching a backlog of newsletters explaining that his main Season runs from April to October although March was sometimes a very productive Month, pending fishable conditions like the lake not being frozen over. So that was that and the ferry and all inclusive monies were wired through there and then and I began to count down the weeks until the 7th March 09, yes it was a tad early but I’d have the Venue to myself and I was relishing the prospect of some early Season action right up until the “big freeze” kicked in and continued right through most of January and February ….Bugger!

As luck would have it though, the end of March was surprisingly free which also meant that I would now have my Partner in crime Lee England in tow and would also have the new and exciting “A” Bait that Jay Rider had been developing to pick up on the way down to Dover…..Perfect! The forecast looked just right for that end of the week with the previous and first Group of the Year landing some nice fish to boot. All that remained was for us to get there in one piece, which turned out to be too close to the mark for my liking.

The minute we left Calais it tipped down and I mean proper rain, the kind where the wipers are on full speed for ninety percent of the time and when you add this to the fact that I stupidly opted for the 1.15am ferry to get there in time for breakfast Saturday morning, you can appreciate that we were simply just happy to get there to re-tell the tale in person….going passed those slow moving extra long vehicles and having to put your foot to the floor due to being blinded by spray with a flask full of black Nescafe, a few tins of Redbull and half a packet of Pro-plus down the hatch, was not a very relaxing journey and certainly not recommended for the feint hearted…next time will be a leisurely Friday daytime stroll for certain!

Nevertheless we were “buzzing” to say the least and were soon making our way through the quaint and picturesque Villages en-route before turning right at the two Conifers and the white post box that pinpoints the winding track leading to Keith’s gates where he greeted us. He then showed us into the “Gravel Bar” and introduced us to his lovely Wife Jan and youngest Daughter Sharon whom had a much needed freshly cooked English breakfast ready and waiting for us that was washed down with plenty of OJ and infinite Tea! Spot on.

At this point I’d like to elaborate a little on the food package that totally blew us away. I mean Lee is a fussy eater that will only eat quality tucker and I’ve been around the Globe and back quite a few times staying in top quality Hotels and eating in prestigious Restaurants and We can both honestly say that the home-cooked food at Moorlands is as good, and in many cases, far better than the Gourmet style dining we usually enjoy…..no jars of Ragu or tins of stodgy Puddings served in the Gravel Bar I can assure you!….. I’m certain the girls could easily make a successful Restaurant business…no wonder Keith used to be a Fat Bastard tad overweight!

Back to the Fishing…..after a good chat with Keith and with the timely easing of the rain, Lee and I decided to fish into the moderate South-Westerly pitched up in the “Oaks” and “Royal Box” that both command a nice portion of the lake. Lee called Heads and opted for the Royal Box that did look particularly good on the wind, he probably regretted that decision just after dinner when one of my ultra safe running rigs baited with a single “A3” white boilie ripped off resulting in a lovely looking 22lbs Mirror…..how things would change! He did open his account as well on the first night with a 20lbs Moggy, but action had been put on “ice” so to speak when the heavy frost appeared, followed by a big Northerly hacking it’s way down into the Southern-arm….if this keeps blowing we’ll definitely be in for a challenging week I thought!

22M












Oh well, I did say that I like a challenge although the very minute I drove through the gates of Moorlands’ I fell in love with the serenity of the place and was just happy to be there in such natural, tranquil, and scenic settings that also contained an abundance of wild-life…like Black Woodpeckers, Red-Kites, Owls, Tree Climbers, Foxes, Wild Boar, Kingfishers, etc etc….although the finest part was the warm relaxing feeling that Keith and Co provide by simply being themselves i.e. genuine courteous hosts whom have made a “Chocolate Box” home out of their successful Venture….I just hope and pray that a Carp Anglers Heaven meets the same pre-requisites.

The next day I reeled in for another superb Breakfast, Hot Shower, Call of nature (without standing up!), a fresh change of clothes, grabbed a couple of stalking sticks and followed the wind down into a swim called “Billy no Mates”. The blustery cold wind was rolling into the fenced off Nature Reserve ending with an inevitable Blank with no shows for the day either. To his credit, Lee did like the look of the “Pampas” swim and Dam wall corner where the wind wasn’t a factor. We decided to do one more night where we were bivvied up and assess a move in the morning. The night passed by without any action in my swim with Lee having one take and what a take it turned out to be!

39C PB













His PB last year was a 38.08 C…..this one would be close and it was, at 38.12 Lee had done his PB Common on only the second night….”Well Done Mate!….really glad we didn’t move now”, I mused. However, the action did dry up on the Carp front, and the Cats moved in and Lee had two on the bounce before Brekkie. The bitter Northerly continued throughout the morning on Monday so we decided to go on Lee’s hunch and moved round to the “Pampas” swim on the back of it. The sun came out and was quite pleasant particularly out of the breeze and Keith said that the water temperature was down after the heavy downpour and that the wind direction could stay for a few more day’s with warmer climes forecast for the end of the week.

The Eastern-arm could still be observed from my new vantage point and with the easing of the Northerly and the warmth of the Sun, I decided to reel in and stalk the holding pools. After a good look around the margins where I’d scattered five kilos of 14 and 20mm white balls the previous two nights and where I’d not had any takes from a couple of large’ish beds, it was time for a re-think…..were they spooking off the colour? Keith thought so and he was usually right being fully in tune with his back-garden, thus I would be foolish to ignore his description of the patrol routes and plateaus down the Eastern-arm that look like great spots in this silent bay and where a good stalking opportunity exists but only if they are down there of course.

Keith spotted me in the bay opposite one of the plateaus and wandered round to join me where we stood for a while in the warm sun chatting Carp and observing the water. We both could see a little milking up aside a drop off on the left hand side of the larger plateau and Keith thought he saw some movement. Not much longer had he gone when I’d repositioned one of my baits to cover a patrol route near the slightly discoloured water. Within minutes I was in! The fish didn’t appear to know that it was hooked and floated into the anxiously trembling net very surprised indeed! Yep, it went bonkers in the net and on the bank but at 34lbs and ounces, I wasn’t put out! Keith heard me shouting across to Lee to do some photos and came round to have a look and also take a few expert snaps on his “Tarty” camera….he recognised the fish immediately asking if it had a birthmark on one flank and sure enough it had…..a real Cracker that I owe to Keith’s excellent watercraft skills and knowledge….thanks again Sir Moorsey!

34M















That night Lee had a ton of action resulting in two more Cats to thirty, a twenty Common, a twenty two Mirror and a thirty three Mirror. He was certainly enjoying himself even though he had developed a terrible chesty cough probably brought on from the stresses of the semi-blind drive down through the deluge! Noisy Bastard! It was quite amusing though because I could even here him when he tried his luck one night up in “Billy-no-Mates” and I was seven-hundred and fifty yards away in the “Pampas”! He did say that the pitch black darkness had him a bit twitchy especially when the “Piggy Wiggies” in the Forest crunched through the undergrowth!

27M “Peach”














25M “Another Peach”













35M













We were fast approaching mid-week where the water temp had risen from 11 too 14 degrees and the mid-day sun was gloriously warm, shimmering off what was now a pukka wind for one of the big Girls…..a South-Westerly. Lee had done another move along the start of the Forest Bank and was taught the art of spotting and fishing to Bubblers by Keith….result equals another four thirties to thirty-six, this time a near Mirror PB. Yours truly was struggling a little although I did manage a forty two Cat, a thirty two Mirror and a Common just shy of twenty pounds that ran me ragged! I did hear that some of Keith’s fish are bionic and to not try and bully them…..this little Fella bullied me much to Keith and Lee’s amusement!

36M

















32M













Thursday soon rolled round and what a day it was….stunning blue skies without a breath of wind, ideal for spotting them feeding. Lee and I decided to ambush the fish as we believed that when we started catching fish, albeit Cats or Carp, the fish in the vicinity appeared to move out and could be found at either ends. Putting two and two together, Keith did say that this is why most people catch when it’s at it’s maximum capacity of Anglers….another big plus at Moorlands’ is that there’s plenty of room with clearly defined boundaries, especially when the pads are up and using the back drop of mature trees as natural markers.

The Ambush theory worked a treat with Lee bagging his new PB Mirror at 38.08….what a brute, looked like the magical 40 but maybe that was on its way! I managed to intercept a thirty one mint Common and followed that with a couple of Moggies to mid-20.

38.08M PB
















31C













Our last day came round far too soon and we were both determined as ever to keep on angling hard and smart to try and bag that special one that Keith so sincerely wanted us to have. Not many weeks go by at Moorlands without a forty plus Carp out although Lee had been close on several occasions. Maybe something was wrong? Was it the bait? Don’t think so because we were catching and the “A” bait does have something special about it. We did try beds of the CC Moore’s Tutti’s supplied by Keith without making any difference. You can tie yourself in knots over analysing instead of persistence in what was working, on this occasion it was two or three bait stringers or singles/doubles tied to fluorocarbon running rigs with no leaders, light leads and slack lines...pretty much identical to Keith’s set-up….Lee has certainly been converted. I’ve always liked running rigs myself and was converted completely when I saw how the Carp use the lead to their advantage on the excellent Korda underwater DVD’s…..if you’ve not tried it then you don’t know what you are missing….absolute screamers! If you pay attention you cannot fail to learn from Keith and he showed me how to tie an alternative to the widely used knotless knot, the Snail knot very strong and neat and won’t slip like the knotless version is prone to do….thanks again Mate.

Back to the last day….Lee was doing his usual few fish with Mirror’s of twenty seven and twenty two….the larger one being an absolute Peach!I on the other-hand was struggling to settle, covering showing fish and hunches without a take when Keith pointed out a large fish show out in the “Boneyard” swim. I quickly covered it and waited in anticipation for one of the “Screamers” that we had both been accustomed to most of the week. Three bleeps had me at the rod in a flash with my heart in my throat but with the Bobbin jammed at the top and the clutch not whirring away, I thought maybe I was having a rare drop back! I wound down and felt a very heavy resistance, and I mean heavy! Keith was soon at my side and commented that this could be what we have been waiting for all week……a biggun’!!!!

Ten minutes quickly turned into twenty with repetitions of rod pumps and clutch ticks…..thirty minutes soon turned into forty-five with Keith exclaiming that He’d not seen this kind of really slow, ponderous fight before….I could not get the bloody thing up or in! Was it the hundred and ten pound Cat? Was it the new Lake Record Carp at sixty plus or was it the first bionic fifty pound Common? I took my time even though the arm aching turned into wrist and shoulder ache! “Stop moaning” demanded Keith! “Sorry, but I’ve only ever had a fifty pound Cat on for longer than thirty minutes and this is approaching one hour! The fish seemed snagged as it got closer to the margin so Keith went back to fetch his waders and was soon in the water following the line to the fish……it was soon revealed what had happened and in hindsight was quite obvious….the ball of line and trailers must have been around eighty yards in length with a so called “safety” clip rubber pushed on to the hilt and a fake red piece of corn that the fish luckily escaped from only because I’d managed to catch the tether. It was a sad moment and a happy one because the fish was free. Please ensure you double check your rigs and lead arrangements with Keith before casting out, lead clips and leadcore will NOT catch you more fish….think fish safety first wherever you go!

The atmosphere soon changed when Keith, Lee and I stood and watched one of Lee’s rods rip off from the point on the Forest Bank. A screaming clutch signalled a Cat….several more bursts signalled a big Cat…….Keith’s face when trying to lift the net out of the water signalled another new PB for Lee! Fifty eight pounds of slimy overgrown tadpole had me in stitches, especially when Lee had to change his clothes for the photos…..little did I know that the smiles would swap faces as no sooner had I recast my rod, that was next to his, and I was doing battle with another big Pussy! Only forty-six pounds this time and they insisted that I put on Lee’s slimed up T-shirt to have a photo! ERRR! I do not like holding these creatures and was shocked after I’d changed my rig and fired it back out only to get another flyer almost immediately! No photo’s this time as it was only a mere Forty and ounces! What a manic hour! It certainly brightened the mood and we enjoyed a good chuckle with the two new Lads whom arrived for the next week….Lucky so and so’s….Lee prompted me to do another week and Keith said we were more than welcome but I simply couldn’t but as consolation…We have booked another visit for October….this year!

46 Cat














58 Cat













Lee managed a mid-20 Mirror and I had another couple of overgrown Tad-poles to thirty pounds before the reluctant pack up and fond farewells to Keith and Family. The final tally was forty fish, twenty Carp to just under thirty-nine with ten-thirties and ten-twenties with Cats to fifty-eight with three-forties….What an awesome beginning to an annual pilgrimage that we hope will continue for as long as possible…..Again many thanks to Keith, our new Friend and Mentor…..you are a diamond Fellla…..and to your Ladies for such fantastic food, drink and hospitality….the Sunday Roast and Bannoffee pie will live with me forever!

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading as much as I’ve enjoyed typing and reliving….As always, be lucky….Jez.

PS Congratulations on all your PB’s Lee…..you fully deserved each one Mate.

Another “Peach” 30M

My First Redmire Carp

Some of you may recall “My First Redmire Experience” write up that I posted on the Carp Forum last February that has now been added to my Carping Memoirs Blogger site. This piece follows on with an ending this time that can only be described as unforgettable as I try to relay the excitement of catching “My first Redmire Carp!”

As always, I look forward to the beginning of each month to flick through the latest Carpworld magazine to see what Contributions have been made and to see if anything’s potentially an inspiring read…..I was not disappointed! Tim Paisley had a great time down at the Pool and his writings were second to none as He eloquently detailed his red-letter week with a number of stunning captures that twisted my arm to give Les Bamford a call to see if there were any spaces this coming January, February. I was delighted to find a space for a five day trip starting on Sunday 26th until Friday 30th….a proper winter special….Happy Days!

This time round I would be fishing with three others opposed to the last time when I was accompanied by Bill Livingston and my regular Carping buddy; Lee England….however, just to get a space at such short notice was a result and I’m sure the others would be just as buzzed up to be fishing at this Historic little Mire as I was!

Within a blink of an eye the time had come to load the car with the mountain of gear and provisions for the week….it’s difficult to believe just how much gear I take when I go for more than a long weekend session as this time round I had to do some work which meant power pack, lap-top, chargers, etc…I also just acquired a new Coleman triple burner stove that I wanted to try out before this years French adventures…..and what a fantastic purchase it proved to be….Fillet Steak’s, Pasta’s, Fry-up’s and a few bottles of good red made the long dark nights even more enjoyable!

Back to setting the scene…Les said that I could arrive a little earlier and have a chat with the previous Anglers to get it from "the horses mouth" so to speak opposed to disecting the catch reports….by the time I arrived the Fella’s had gone, not that I was late but they must’ve left early….anyway, I soon got out of the car and snapped the famous “Bernithan Court Farm” sign and the track leading across the hills and then down into Mecca!



The next day was Thursday….last chance of a stalked fish in the shallows…I was now deeply routine'd where I’d get up early, make a steaming mug of Tetley and head up to the Shallow’s before Breakfast. This time though, I didn’t want to spend all my time chasing “bubblers” so I waited until I felt the nip of the crisp chill before heading back to the WP to rattle a few pans together.

I carefully recast my Richworth Tutti Zigs ensuring that two splashes were seen before setting the other two bottom baits back on the unproductive spots. I settled down in my home and enjoyed Breakfast with Radio 5 for background entertainment.

I don’t know about you but when things are slow I end up looking at the tactics and methods that I’m using and especially with the loc-slide float rig, started tinkering with it in the form of a rig material change from green stealth skin too fluorocarbon….I was engrossed with the float rod when all of a sudden my TXI receiver started bleeping in my pocket! I immediately turned round to see the blue Delkim led full on and the mag-tech flying! The five foot Tutti Zig was away….I was on it in a flash and was soon doing battle with my first Redmire Carp!

When using ten pound double strength Zigs it’s not easy to gauge how big the fish are at first so I was so delicate with this fish that only really gave me a bit of trouble when it picked up one of the lines next to it….even though it was back-leaded! The silt really is deep. The fish eventually went into the waiting net at first attempt and I let out a big “Yessss”!!!!! followed by, “Terry, Terry, TERRYYYYY” He was having one of his “Siesta’s” but eventually turned up to do the honours with the weighing and photo’s….thanks Mate!




The Digi’s settled on 17lbs 01oz of stunning Common Carp….one that I’ve never seen before if that makes sense….ie I’ve caught literally hundreds of high double Commons elsewhere but none of them had the colours of this incredible creature…..it didn’t matter that it wasn’t a 20 or 30 or 40….the obsession I have for weights simply dispersed my head for this special moment….not easy to describe in words although Bill certainly understood and I appreciate the telephone call….thanks again Bill.

So there you have it….all that was left to do was to celebrate with some fine red-wine with Terry and enjoy my last night bathed in serotonin and to think about what to write in the catch reports without sounding too smug!

The last night and following morning passed all too quickly without anymore Action even though I changed all four rods to Zigs and Tutti’s! I actually would’ve felt quite greedy if I caught another although it was not be and I soon closed the gate behind me with a tremendous smile etched across my face….Thankyou for such great memories Redmire….until next time that is! Be Lucky….Jez Ritchie.

Teillats Sept 2008

I'd love to be writing this boasting of a real whacker but unfortunately my dreams of cradling one of those MASSIVE commons has ended for this year, although in true Arnie fashion...."I'll be back"!

The real reason for putting a few words and pics together is due to the amount of going's on prior, during and after this trip. I'll try to explain....

I always keep in touch with the Carp Forum thread and Teillats (Cross Channel Carping) website as it's back in the day when Ian and Ali Bell used to frequent said place on a regular basis and put me onto the obsession on hooking up with one of those 70lbs+ Commons! There was always going to be three of them at or over this mark although Ian kept on telling me that another monster had not been out for years and could be something really special!

The time soon rolled round when we start pulling together the bait and tackle to abide by the 5 x luggage rule that we always manage to achieve give or take the odd bucket or two. My mate Lee rings me up on the very day to depart Northampton for Dover and tells me that the Channel Tunnel has been on fire and chaos reigns down the M20! Nightmare start!

I finish off my emails and get straight onto the traffic web-sites to check out the latest situation. It doesn't look good with diversions in place to avoid the car park of lorries on the M20. Anyway, we manage to leave at a sensible time and decide to take it easy. To our amazment we stroll down the M1 and onto the A20 and into Dover without one queue! Result!

We are really early and decide to park the cars and enjoy a few cans and maybe meet and chat to a few Anglers on our trip. We are met by a loud bunch of heavy weights from Kent whom fish the Brook and have plenty of names in their mobiles...we were hoping that they are waiting for the Dreamlakes or Les Quis coaches but then find out that they too are early and are going to Teillats! Great! But then we get chatting to them and end up as loud as them and have a right laugh that actually continued throughout the entire trip....Happy Days!

The coach pulls up on time, the ferry leaves a little late and we are soon enjoying another beer in the bar on another trip to France. Just as we are about to leave the bar I spot a face I recognise...it's Joss Faulkner from Poacher baits and I say hello and introduce my mate Lee. Joss says hello and points out that a right scum bag is standing over at the bar with a nice looking bird and a few unsavoury characters...it's only Pete Docherty! Lee goes striaght up to him and gets his photo taken...now knowing Lee like I do...it's difficult to ascertain who's more out of it! I'll let you decide but it was very funny at the time I can assure you!

Pete 'n' Lee (please excuse the dodgy mobile quality)



The through the night journey is always a killer and seems to go on for twice as long even though the coach is comfortable and spacious. We eventually arrive and are greeted by Jake the new Baillif whom appears sound as a pound and take the customary walk around to show newbies all the swims on offer prior to the draw.

We draw 4 and 5 and have to make do with our 4th and 5th choices as Biffo's and Bailiffs point have gone. Here we go again and decide on the field bank as it always does a fish or two and can throw up a real whacker every now and then.

We hump the gear round and settle into our swims and look forwards to the week ahead. I decide not to throw any bait in and pub chuck three rods without any marker work so that I can get the camp set-up and prepare the bait and tackle so that rigs and fishing strategy can be well thought out when all of a sudden my left hand rod bursts into life!

The takes here can be pretty violent and striaght away I was bending into a good fish that was definitely plodding and not a cat. Now I've not landed a carp from Teillats in eleven consecutive day's and nights from previous trips and was very hasty and unprofessional with this fight. To add to this, I've only had fish up to twenty on my new Century's and was shocked at the power of these rods as the hook pulled right at the net!

Gutted! The fish could not believe it was no longer attached and simply lay there suspended in the water before gently lowering itself and waddling away. Lee was speechless and I was doing a Fairbrass! Must've been at least.....well it doesn't matter...we'll never ever know and this is the sickening thing about Teillats as you know what can happen here.

Right, time to dust yourself down and get on with it...it's only the first few hours and there's a whole week ahead. One of the Kent lads also named Lee had struck gold in the draw and took new Biffo's, a really fancied swim. He hauled! We thought that he was on his way to Billy Flowers record of 60 fish but had a slow finish and ended up with about 40 too 57lbs. Great Angling Lee you worked really hard and deserved the money Mate.

Back to our fishing. It took another few days to receive any action and I tried pub chucks and baiting excellent known spots heavily and light without any showing. Clearly the fish were in and around Biffos and Bailliffs point although we did mange to sneak a few with my mate doing his best Common at 38lbs...well in pal.

Lee's 38C


My 27M


Lee's 37M


It was a great relief to catch that fish as I was beginnig to recall the sinking feeling of leaving with a fat zero against my name that I experienced the previous year. I do try and enjoy just being there but having lost one early doors was glad to relax and really enjoy the moments. Here's a couple of shots that will stick in my memory....

Jon's 47lbs'er just before dusk is always a perfect time for a biggun.



Every morning was misty around my camp.



Only a couple of nights left and I was as confident as ever that tonight was the night for that special capture. Right on cue at midnight my right hand TXI let out a piercing scream with the Mag tech spool absolutely flying! Lee was over in a heart beat and I was into a very promising aqua train. At first I wasn't sure if it was carp or cat due to the run it went on so when it snageed me up I had nothing else on my mind but to get the life jacket on and winch myself out in the boat to it.

The moonlight was incredibly bright and the stars were brightly lit up and it was an awesome feeling being out in the boat with a large fish being bullied up to the surface. The fish suddenly appeared and right then it became obvious that a cat was the culprit. Bollox! I don't like these things but after another twenty minutes of being towed around the bay in the moonlight became a tad happier at the pleasure it had given me with the fight.

50lbs Pussy



That was to be the last of the action and was dreading the long pack up and journey home however we had a great craic and will definitely be looking forwards to the dream of holding up one of these next year....

The Generals Mate



PS Forgot to mention about the "Special" one that Ian Bell used to claim had not been out for a while. I clicked onto my weekly visit to the web-site and surprise, surprise an unkown fish had come out at 74lbs+ that's now 4 x 70+ Commons to boast about! Truly a place where dreams do come true for those who try!

My First Redmire Experience

Last weekend (Feb 08) I was lucky enough to be treated, (Xmas present from the Wife!), to a two night session at the famous Redmire Pool along with a good mate of mine, Lee England.
It was a pleasant surprise when I pm'd Bill Livingstone, seeking some much needed inside advice!, to then find out that he would be the third member of our group...the fourth unkown.
When we arrived early at the famous Bernithan Farm sign we pulled alongside a fishy looking vehicle...the Owner being Stuart another Carp Forum member whom by coincidence was also treated to a weekend fishing by the his other half for Xmas!

So off we went over the cattle grids and through the gate and down to the little pool. It is at this point that it really kicks in that you are now on holy ground where legends of our much loved sport have spent many hours. It was only the previous night that I re-watched Redmire Legends and sat on the toilet re-reading the Carpworld's featuring the historic little water! Nice image…but it’s sadly true!

The initial feelings one gets are simply indescribable unless you are physically there experiencing the first glimpse of the water, the dam, the overflow, the willow pitch, the submerged trees, the undergrowth, the sound of the wild-life and that ****ing pesky swan whom became literally attached to my right boot!

Bill arrived shortly after the three of us had trudged through each swim and completed a boggy lap of the lake, we then decided on where we would like to pitch-up for the week-end. Bill generously made it quite clear that he would like the three of us "newbies" to have first choice and as Stuart was also not that bothered...it left Lee and I to toss for the Willow...."Tales" it was and I asked Bill where these hot spots were that he told me about on his last few productive sessions.

Before carting the mountain gear around to the Willows...I wanted to get a snap of the four of us on the dam wall with a glass of Moet raised for nostalgia sake of course! I even splashed out £2.50 on four new wine glasses from Tescos just for the occassion. It was after this memorable moment of bliss that Les Bamford joined the four of us with tales of famous names and moments passed, that really added to the experience and got us in the mood to get a bait in water!
I've not had time to sort out the photos out but will edit this post with the necessary snaps over this weekend.

Bill ummed and errrhhed and finally set up opposite me in Cranstons...it was a toughie because a lovely south westerley was blowing down in the general direction of the shallows and everywhere looked perfect for a bite.

Stuart set-up two swims down from Bill and Lee was in the next one down from me in the Willow. Everyone appeared super confident and had a sense of well being, happiness and calm...well I was at least....I'd managed to drink some champagne, find some good spots, (with Bill's help...thanks again), drink a stella, tie some rigs to match the spots, drink a stella, place baits and rigs, set-up my bivvy, drink a stella, cook-up a ruby and drink some more stella and all before night fall.

I always proclaimed that a blank was neither here nor there at Redmire but deep down I would love to have some kind of action and not before long I was startled by my first bleep! It was like a shot of adrenaline! Did I just imagine it? Lee was soon down to ask if it was me....it was like we both had never heard what a Delkim sounded like before!

The night passed by all too quickly without anymore bleeps coming from the four of us. I was like a kid at Christmas before first light wanting to go down to the shallows for my first Redmire stalk. I'd already previously set-up and organised my stalking gear and was up a fantastic climbing tree down by the boards before the others stirred.
I peered down and across from my perch but the coloured water made it difficult to pick anything out when all of sudden a common of about 10lbs thrashed under a submerged tree on the other side of the look-out! That will do for me I thought!

My only quandary was how to approach this area...and after careful consideration I decided to stay on our side of the pool and cast across to the showing fish. As I unravelled my net another fish surfaced to the left of the first fish and I was then happy that the decision to bring two rods was a good one but then again...I was just happy to be there remember!...one fish would be a miracle and two unbelievable! I quickly brought myself back down to earth and threaded a stick onto my single bait presented on fluorocarbon and a 1oz running lead set-up and gently flicked it out first time into position. The second rod went near to the other fish...I didn't want to spook them...so no bait was added.
I settled back with a cup of tea and simply soaked up the incredible atmosphere...what a special place and I had the entire bottom of the lake to myself... Awesome.

It didn't take long before my left hander received a steady take and I simply stared at my bobbin and Delkim in utter disbelief! Surely Redmire couldn't be this easy!!! At the time it felt as though a thousand thoughts rushed through my head before I managed to flip the baitrunner lever over and bend into the fish! It was all over in a flash and the hook pulled out before I could begin contemplating the fight and come to terms of what had just happened.

I was a trembling mess with BPM's off the scale! After trying to check the rig for any obvious causes other than bad luck, I literally ran down to Lee to give him the Good and Bad news! By this time, Stuart was up and about and Bill was making his way down to the Shallows for a stalk. I was soon back angling again in the same spots with no rig or bait changes deemed necessary.
Would this be the start of good things to come for all of us I thought!!! Another fish showed right in the corner and Bill recognised this Mirror and I soon had it covered but to no avail.



We all spent the rest of the day enjoying the fantastic overcast warm conditions without any luck although Bill did have some enquiries and we all seemed to experience either getting done by these tricky, clued up stunners or had some form of liners.

Saturday evening I made my way back to the willow to get the rods in position for the last night...it's proper crash bang wallop at Redmire and I'd definitely be looking into a five day trip next time as the weekend is simply too short!
All the rods were topped up with the proven LT94 and Lee and I settled down with a Thai Chicken stir fry and a few more stella's.

Later that night Bill joined us for a glass of red wine and lot’s more carpy conversation. That night I slept "Like a stone" to quote Chris Yates although he and Bob had already bagged a couple of 20's by now and so not to be deterred Lee and I decided to set the alarm early and get down to the shallows even if our evening pitches were productive.

And so back down to the shallows at first light without a bleep the previous night although confidence remained high when Lee spotted a good fish show from up the same tree and it was in a similar location to yesterday's action! Could this be the moment we were both waiting for??? The conditions were absolutely perfect again with the threat of light rain and the wind picking up...surely we would get another chance before we would have to face the dreaded pack up!!!

Unfortunately it was not to be....But wait a minute...we've just had the most amazing experience in our carping lives. Redmire is not all about catching but simply being there...never a truer statement in my book and when I look at the photos of the punt and boat-house or when I think back to fishing the exact same swim Richard Walker caught Clarrissa or stalked where the Bishop was landed...it brings a sense of great joy and satisfaction.



Thanks again to Lee, Stuart and Bill for making the experience even more enjoyable.

One more 40

As the title suggests…I’ve only got to trick one more 40 to enable me to complete the full house of 40 pounders from home and abroad…ie I’ve just caught a 40.12 Common from Abbey in France and previously had a 41.08 Mirror from Teillats and of course the stunning Long Mirror from the Mill at home in England. This now leaves a 40+ Common from home to complete a life long ambition…damn…that’s jinxed it!

Anyhow…I thought I’d accompany the photos of my most recent capture with a short ish blog of how things can turn up trumps whilst out there in search of those dreams!

A couple of weeks ago I returned home from one of my monthly Business trips to China and exclaimed to the Missus that I need to go for a couple of nights fishing somewhere nice to get a fix and chill out! I was extremely tired from jet lag and stressed out from all my recent travels and escapades… Seed well and truly sewn!

Little did she know that in the back of mind I really wanted to get back down to Abbey with my partner in crime, Lee England, and have another go for something special we saw during our last visit to the Heron back in March.

Sub plot...I don’t recall posting the captures of that trip but basically below are the two we managed, at the very death, of that wintery weekend trip in minus 4 freezing cold conditions….Lee’s was a real “Stunner”....Beauty and The Beast spring's to mind...My common was 27lbs and Lee's "thing" was 24lbs....front end of a 30 and back end of a....well....don't really know how to describe it but it made us chuckle most of the way home that day...Good Angling Pal.




Anyway back to the plot…a quick phone call to Lee and the Heron and Ferry were booked for the fast approaching Friday through to until the Mon…a nice long weekend Dangling and Socialising in the sun to look forwards too…happy days! All I had to do now was to explain to the Wife that we were in fact better off going to Abbey than somewhere like Orchid or Yateley or our Syndicate because the Heron had just been closed for a week and it’s bound to fish it’s nuts off and it’s such a good opportunity at this time of the year and all that! Which was in actual fact what we convinced ourselves was rather true although as you will find out later….best laid plans…..blah blah blah…

Right…we now only have a few days to sort out the gear (Spool my New Shimano Tech Mags! and prepare the bait and make the essential last minute final preparations before the off at 2.30am Friday morning….WRONG! Lee gives me a call on the Wednesday saying that his mother in law has just past away and that he knows that his Missus will need his support and look after the kids…etc…etc…

Now as things turned out this gives the poor Fella a bit of a dilemma because we all want to do the right thing and go fishing…I mean…stay at home…so on the Thurs night he discusses it with his Mrs whom convinces him to go…basically saying that She wants to be with her kids and with her own family over the week-end. Fairplay to Siobhan...although that’s really made him feel more guilty…and I thought I was a selfish barsteward….only kidding Mate!...you know I would’ve gone on my Todd!

So by 5am we were down at Dover, then by 8am French time we were making our way down to the short ish drive to Abbey around 2hrs. The forecast for the weekend was hot and humid although it was raining and mild when we got there…never have trusted the French weather forecasts, although we were suitably armed with zigs and maggots due to the amount of weed cutting that had gone on in the previous week and we wanted to give them something else to look at opposed to the usual concoction of boilles and particles/pellets that are constantly dropped on their heads with every make and model of bait boat you could ever imagine! For the record I tend to leave mine at home simply because you can cast to almost every spot and the difference in presentation is something different….which I like.

Anyway... after a quick chat with Cedric (the expert Boar shooting Bailiff!), and the man from Holland (his name escapes me for the moment)….we headed off around the Heron Lake in search of showing fish and to chuck a marker about to see the extent of the weed removal operation that had supposedly gone very well, but it was still quite thick and some Anglers had pulled off because of it....bad news!

After a good couple of hours and noticing that the middle was stitched up with some smaller fish showing at both ends of the lake…we opted to go on the wind and fished a couple of swims near two Dutch Fella’s who were bivvied up on the Fox tail of the wind. Nothing had been out of the Fox although the Heron had produced the odd fish or two…not the best news but I do know that there’s always a chance of a take on these waters so confidence remained high.

Lee opted to try some zigs and I started off with a simple popped up maggot clip rig just under-armed out adjacent to some heavy floating weed that accumulated at the bottom of bay. The weed still appeared very heavy and judging by the tons and tons of it removed and dumped in the nearby field…must’ve been a real nightmare previously.

OK…that’s one rod sorted…now time to open up a Stella whilst sorting out the 2nd rod when all of a sudden the maggot rod screams off!!!...hand over spool…felt a few light kicks and hook pull…convinced it was a tench...oh well…never mind…more critically balanced maggots back out on the spot although I’m now seeing bubblers all over the area and then all of a sudden a nice big black dolphin catches my eye three quarters of the way across the lake on the edge of the floating weed! Happy Days…great choice of swim methinks and that’s where the 2nd rod will be going out and the third would either back up the 1st or wait until another fish shows somewhere in between.

The second maggot rig flies straight and true towards the “Dolphin” spot…the Tech Mags are truly magnificent although never going to be worth all the money they cost but hey I more than earned my bonus that paid for them so sod it…anyway, the lead lands nicely and confidence is high…time to get the bivvy up, drink some more Stella and get ready for the infamous Lee England Thai Chicken stir fry…Wok and all…washed down with some superb red wine…HHHMMM!!!

It’s now early evening and you can probably picture this…Dennis, Michel (Dutch Fella’s) and Lee are standing in my swim with cans in hand admiring my new reels when all of a sudden the 1st rod rockets away….I’m straight on it in a flash searching for the bait runner…DOH! And eventually tighten up the spool and the rod bends in two…CARP! After a spirited fight….all of 6.5secs the fish snaps me at the leader knot! ****! Everyone goes quiet and cautiously flee my swim leaving me to reflect on what might have been!

Hey ho..chin up I say…still plenty of time and opportunity left…WRONG….the night passes without a bleep…the third rod becomes a searcher and I start getting twitchy in the morning after much needed bacon sarnies and endless cups of Tetley.

By Noon I’ve seen no more Dolphins and even the tench have vacated the swim. I know that the fish at Abbey can be spooked out in large shoals very easily and thus it’s not wise to thrash it to death with Markers and Spods…thus I wandered off for another good look around…it didn't take long before I found a large shoal of fish at the top end and on the back of the wind….but…not in the Heron but in the Fox! They were boshers and cruisers…why oh why do people bivvy up all week long and never get off there backside to look for fish! Not one Angler was anywhere near these Carp…Quality!!!

Within minutes I was back in the car, after leaving some empty luggage in the swim, and back down to persuade Lee to move…he only had a few liners in the swim next to me and was easily convinced that a move would be a good idea. So literally within about 30mins the car was packed with rods and bivvies hanging out of the boot and we were off up to swim 10 on the Fox where I recall Ali Hamidi had done a couple of mid-thirties using the Spice Girls (ZigaZigAhh) on a Korda trip.

We decided not to spook any fish and use the map to determine how deep to fish the zigs…I really do not like the variable set-ups and prefer to alter my depths accordingly. After converting into meters we set about to cover a couple of areas and decided to only fish a rod each to start off with and only put the bivvies up after dinner.

Now casting 15ft zigs is never easy and takes a bit of skill to punch them skyward and feather down to avoid tangles….after a couple of attempts we managed to be fishing in the correct areas only a couple of feet beneath the surface.
Lee was first to get some action but lost it in the weed…unlucky but nonetheless they were up for it…a big hit on the zigs!!! WRONG again…. We tried and tried but never managed to tempt one at these depths….so a change was on the cards and I managed to find a nice shelf on the far bank that was around 10feet and was castable with an 8ft zig…within minutes I was in!

A few single bleeps on the running lead set up and a tightening of the spool spelt out a definite zig like take…the fish felt very small at first and then the stretch of the 12lbs double strength and 70yds of 16lbs Pro clear was taken up and I then felt the weight of a very large fish that had one thing on it’s mind…Run! or should that be Swim!

It took me all over the place…I was up and down the bank….backwards and forwards…weeded up and then on top and then half in the net and then out again…must have been 25-30mins before I eventually got it safely into the net…”At least 30 Lee said”….I was just relieved to get the bloody thing in!…it was not the most enjoyable fight because I was not confident about the line after the previous day’s lost fish…but looking back…it was awesome heart stopping stuff…the water was so clear and when in the deep margin…it looked a picture!

I got everything sorted out whilst the fish was recovering in the nice deep margin being held by Lee whom jumped straight in…socks and all! The fish was weighed and photographed and duly put back to fight another day and the celebrations began!

That’s 3 of the 4 40’s I need to complete the goal I set out to achieve many, many years ago…I just need to be able to put more time in the UK when my Daughter has grown up a bit and pleads to her Mother to go fishing with Dad to complete the “Full House”. I know many people have done a lot bigger than this but all I can say is fairplay and respect to them...fish into and over the 50lbs mark are something I can only dream about but maybe one day I’ll have the time to go after those massive fish.

On the last day we persisted with the zigs but also tried the bottom and I had a bottom bait out to the far margin, snowman style, that ripped off before we packed off home. The fish fought very well and I was a lot more confident that She would not come off or break me up….the Mirror went 28.08 and I was well pleased but at the same time wished that Lee had had her to replicate the last trip we had in March ie a fish a piece…It could well be the other way around next time…That’s fishing!
40.12


28.08


Until the English 40 Common blog....All the best!