Carp Fishing
Carp Fishing at Bears Water
Finally the weather has turned and spring has arrived, the fish have come out of winter mode and are now on the move. For a few weeks I’ve been looking for a venue (not too far away) that holds some big, good looking carp. After searching the web a friend put me on to Bears Lake in Burton upon Trent. Before any successful fishing trip you must research a water, going blind into something you don’t know usually means you’ll fall flat on your face so I and a friend went up to Bears for a recce and managed to get a few works in with the local bailiff who was more than helpful.
A week later we decided to take the carp fishing rods and venture back to Burton Upon Trent to try our hand at the Bears carp. Despite our efforts throughout the day we both drew a blank. I took the opportunity of our dire performance to walk around the lake, searching for any feeding activity and talking to the local anglers who seemed to be netting a few fish. After a few laps of the lake I was certain I’d found a few feeding fish and was confident that with the right tackle and approach I could get them.
A fortnight passed and I managed get some time to get out on the bank. On the Thursday morning the weather was relatively similar to that of the day we fished previously, so I took the 40 mile round trip to have another look around the lake and check on the fish I found previous, pre baiting some of the spots in mind.
As Bears Lakes is a day ticket and members waters, baiting one swim a couple of days previous could lead to disaster, so managed to pre bait three spots as I couldn’t be certain of the peg I wanted. When I arrived at the lake the sun was beaming down and the carp where all over the surface, I walked around to the first peg I fancied and a mid-teen swam straight in front of me and into the tree that overhangs that peg. I scattered around half a kilo of cell boilies hoping that they would feed and hold up under the tree. After waiting and watching the pre baited peg, I made my way around the lake and places some free offerings into another two spots. These other two spots held some fish, but nothing could keep my mind from that first peg.
After work that Friday evening I arrived back at the lake and was greeted with an almost free lake, other than the two bailiffs that were fishing. Fortunately the peg I wanted was free. Jordan (one of the bailiffs) informed me there had been fish all around that peg all day. After a quick look at the peg I couldn’t see any sign of the fish he’d mentioned, so I wandered around to the next peg and was astonished to see twenty or more carp in and around the tree!
To say I was excited is an understatement, I chose to set up on the peg, fortunutaly it was one I’d pre baited, and keep an eye on any feeding activity. Tactics wise my aim was to sporadically draw the fish from the far side of the tree rather than fishing over them and risk spooking the lot. After putting a some more boilies into the swim I set up both of my TF Gear Delta 3.25lb carp rods. On one rod I used my faithful fluorocarbon rig on a TF Gear weedy green lok down leader and a cell boilie on a hair rig. I positioned this right next to the tree, ahead of where the fish were mooching and heading towards. The second carp rod was set up with a solid bag which incorporated another weedy green lok down leader a size 8 wide gape hook and a Fluoro cell pop up, all of which I intended to throw out into open water, in case of any stragglers.
At 7pm, just an hour or so after pitching the rods and bait, the bobbin shot up and the bite alarm sounded. A beautiful Tench of around 4lb picked up the fluorocarbon rig next to the tree. After a quick snap I re-positioned my rod in that exact area, hoping to locate something bigger and carpier!
As the night grew on there were no other indications of bites, the fish I saw earlier seemed to be dormant, and so I climbed into my Force 8 sleeping bag hoping to get some shut eye. After the tench I doubted my chances of catching off the tree again as I thought any fish under there would have been spooked. At 11pm id dropped off for an hour so only to be woken by one of my alarms. I ran and picked up my right hand rod which was the same one that done the damage earlier on that evening and there was no movement; my first thought is that it had done me in the snags. I give the rod a few pulls and then I felt a fish pull back hard, it tried to pull me back into the tree but luckily my Delta XS out powered it and the fish slowly but surly come unstuck. The fish started to pull out into the deep margins and kept down, I was not scared of a hook pull as the nice progressive action of the rod cushioned all over the lunges.
A few minutes later I managed to tempt a gorgeous mirror over the landing net. I threw a clenched fist into the air with joy and Paul, the resident bailiff come with a helping hand. We pictured the 17lb 7oz fish then let it go, a beautiful fish to start my frequent carp fishing spell at Bears.
Bears Lake is noted for being a tough lake to fish and I was proud to net this magnificent fish. I continued to fish until 5pm on the Saturday with no more success but I managed to wander the lake to find a couple of areas where the fish were laying up, until next time, tight Lines!
Tags: carp fishing, Carp Fishing at Bears Water, Carp fishing tackle, fishing tackle, tf gear | 
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Koi Carp, rods and ink
Ever caught a specimen carp? You may feel the need to mark the achievement – but how?
A new carp rod? A framed photo of you and your catch? Or a traditional carp tattoo!
Before you choose a lasting momento of your amazing carp catch, take a look at the myths, meanings and mysteries of traditional Koi carp art.
Meaning of Koi
The prized Carp
Source: California Aquaculture Association
In Japanese, the meaning of the word ‘koi’ is simply ‘carp’, and in the past would have referred to all wild and cultivated specimens.
Over the years though, the meaning has changed. Now the Japanese use the word Koi to describe the ornamental fish found in ponds, and Nishikigoi – brocaded carp – for the most brightly coloured varieties.
Body Art
Japanese Koi tattoo
Source: Pinterest
The Koi or Carp is famous in Japan and China for its ability to swim upstream. Tattoos of Carp therefore represent perseverance, determination and battles against adversity. The positioning of the tattoo is also important. A fish swimming down the body indicates that the individual is going through hard times. A Koi swimming upwards denotes a person who has already broken through barriers and overcome difficulties.
Chinese Myth
Ancient Chinese legend
Source: Japanese Prints London
Ancient Chinese legend tells of Carp swimming up the Yellow River, and that any Koi who succeeds in jumping up the falls at Dragon Gate is transformed into a water dragon.
In this respect, Koi have become synonymous with worldly advancement, riches and prosperity – another reason for the popularity of the design in tattooing.
Samurai
Samurai warriors
Source: The History Notes
Carp are said to be so brave that when caught by fishermen, unlike lesser fish that flap and try to escape, the carp lies still on the chopping board, awaiting the knife without so much as a quiver. In this way, Koi Carp are connected to the ideals of courage long associated with Samurai warriors.
Boys’ Day
Boys Day festival – Koi windsocks
Source: Sweet Sweet Life
With all these positive associations, perhaps it should come as no surprise that in Japan, the Koi Carp is the emblem of the Boys’ Day Festival.
Celebrated on May 5th, this ancient feast is marked by pennants representing Carp, one for each of the boys in the family; the biggest for the eldest son and so on to the youngest.
Carp are a central part of the festival – their strength, bravery and determination an inspiration for Japan’s youth, and integral to promoting qualities of manliness.
So there you have it – beautiful tattoos, expensive goldfish, a symbol of masculinity; when all is said and done, a reason to get outdoors and enjoy some fishing!
Dave Lane Carp Fishing Diary – End of March
Here we are then, April has finally arrived, the official first day of spring has been and gone and the clocks have gone back to provide us with a glorious extra hour of evening light. Of course the next line should read “The sun is blazing down on the lakes, the daffodils are all out in bloom, and nature is resplendent in all her glory” but the reality is that it’s still snowing!
Never mind though, let’s just ignore that fact because the time has come to get out there with your carp fishing tackle and catch some fish, who cares what the weather man says, it’s April and the fish must be starving by now. I have had two more trips to the Estate Lake, possibly my last two for a while because it is nearly time to move onto pastures new.
One of the two visits doesn’t really require much in the way of a blow by blow reportage as I just cowered away in my Hard-core Bivvy, sheltering from a bitter North-Easterly wind and snow flurries, but we are not going to mention that again are we?
The other trip was far more productive, the air temperature rose a couple of degrees, the fish decided that it was in fact spring after all, and I caught not one, not two, but four carp in a frantic twenty four hour period.
Not only were the bites forthcoming but, for the first time this winter I managed to get two of the pick-up’s from a new area, rather than just out in the middle in the silt.
There is an island out to the left of the swim I have been concentrating on and it has a hard gravel shelf that runs around its perimeter. There are various trees and bushes that overhang the margins out there and these provide the perfect haven for carp. By clipping up and adding a yard at a time I managed to place a bait tight between two of these snaggy overhangs and present, for once, on firm and clear lake bed, a perfect trap for any island margin patrollers.
I have obviously tried this ploy a few times over the last couple of months but always without success so I was over the moon when this was the first rod to rip off. More than just another capture this was a sign that the fish were finally on the move and willing to leave the sanctuary of the deep silt in search of food and sunlight.
Over the next twenty four hours I managed another island bite and two more fish from the old spots in the middle. Although none of them were monsters I was still well happy with four carp to mid-twenties after the previous week’s non-entity of a trip.
It really does take such a little change in the elements at this time of year to kick start the chain reaction that results in a successful session, a few hours of sunlight or a swap in the wind direction can be all it takes.
Talking of which, look out for the weather this coming weekend as they are forecasting the first bit of South based wind for months, on the strength of this I am predicting some big catches all over the country so make sure you are out there to cash in, remember where you heard it first!
I will be out filming the new TF Gear DVD all next week, we have some exciting new products to showcase and, hopefully, there will plenty of action on the rods as well, I can’t wait!
Dave Lane Carp Fishing Diary
Well, it’s been a few weeks since my last blog as I have been a bit busy with my writing schedule, carp shows and trying to extricate some carp flesh out of the Estate Lake.
What a terrible month it has been for weather again, this winter seems to be the longest I can ever remember and every time we think we are through the worst of it, along comes yet another cold snap.
As I write this the date is showing on the computer as the 8th march and the little weather symbol is threatening yet more snow at the weekend followed by temperatures as low as minus five for my next session on Monday. I don’t know about the rest of you but I can’t wait for a nice bit of sunshine where we can all sit out side in the evenings in a pair of shorts with a cold drink and watch the sun slowly setting over the lake as you wait for your carp rods to scream off.
I think the fish are in a bit of a quandary as to what’s happening as well, February is usually a very productive month but not so this year.
It started off well enough, in fact it started very well indeed and on my first trip of the month I managed to bag myself three nice carp.
I had set up in the same area that I had my previous captures form, figuring that the carp were not going to move far in cold water. The first day was un-productive but, just as the sun started to creep across the horizon; I had my first take and duly landed a common of around twenty four pounds.
As seems to be the way on this particular venue, one fish usually means there are more to come and a couple of hours later I was away again on the same rod. This time it was a mirror that graced the banks, not quite as big though, he weighed in at eighteen pounds.
Although this is quite a small fish in comparison to some of the beasties in there I was still well happy with my result. Two fish in a morning in February is good angling in my book, no matter what size they are.
Although the day had started nice and sunny, by mid-afternoon the clouds had thickened and a wickedly strong wind had whipped up, to be honest it looked like even more snow was on the way.
About five o’clock I had a third take, this time a real belter and the fish I’d hooked into was obviously far bigger than the previous two. He charged about all over the place, three times I managed to get him close to the net before he turned and belted back out into the middle again.
Eventually though, he waved the white flag and slid over the net cord and, just as he hit the bottom of the mesh, the skies opened.
Huge great flakes of snow like white mice were whipped across the surface, almost horizontal in the force of the wind. I pinned out the landing net with the fish inside and darted for the cover of the extended porch on the Hard-core bivvy, from here I could crouch down out of the weather but still keep an eye on the net. It fell so hard and fast that I thought I might, at last, get the snow carp picture I so wanted but it turned out to be far too windy for it to settle. After about ten minutes it eased up and battled my way out into the wind to take the photos.
Although there was no snow on the ground there are obvious signs of it bouncing off my jacket so I suppose I am getting closer every time. To be honest though, I’d rather give up on the snow photo and catch one in the blazing sunshine instead; surely it can’t be long now can it.
This lovely orange coloured mirror tipped the scales at a shade over thirty four pounds and he turned out to be, not only the last fish of the session, but the last fish of the entire month so I have no idea what went wrong there.
The lake just seemed to shut up shop totally, although I did manage one more bite the following week but that turned out to be a twenty pound pike!
Hopefully at some time in the next two weeks I will be moving onto a new water for the spring and summer, I have a good one in mind that is stacked full of thirties, a few forties and, hopefully, the odd surprise, I can’t wait, and I’ll keep you posted as to how I’m getting on.
Good luck with whatever waters you target this coming year and lets all hope for a nice warm spring.
Tags: carp fishing, dave lane carp fishing diary, hardcore bivvy | No Comments »
Dave Lane Carp Fishing Diary – January
Well that was that then, the second coming of the ice age soon put paid to my little run of catching carp.
I turned up last Monday full of confidence of finally achieving my lifetime ambition, a big carp in the snow. The white stuff was falling out of the sky in flakes the size of white sugar mice and an even crisp coating covered the banks, but not enough to put a damper of my carp fishing enthusiasm.
The drive through the Estate was pretty hairy as, half an hour before light; mine were unsurprisingly the first set of tyre tracks on the lane. Even in four wheel drive it was more than a little slippery but I arrived in one piece and with no dents or scrapes.
Pushing the barrow was easier than normal though as the sloppy mud on the paths had frozen solid and I trudged straight up to the swim I had been so successful ion the previous two visits.
Surely this would be the week that I returned victorious with a camera full of images a big golden carp against a Christmas card background?
I knew I was up against it though as the forecast was for a rapid deterioration in the conditions and hideously cold temperatures during Tuesday night, this combined with a swing in the wind to the East meant there was a very real chance of the lake freezing over.
To start though it looked perfect, the snow kept falling and the baits all went out in the right spots first time. I put the bivvy up to shield my kit from the snow and settled in for the duration.
The first bite time came and went, shortly followed by the afternoon chance without as much as a sniff.
As soon as grew dark I knew I was in for the long haul as I have only had the one take in darkness and the nights seem so interminably long at this time of year but a film on the mini DVD player and a good book helped to pass the time.
Once again the morning feeding spell came and went and I busied myself by making a snowman for company, it was looking really good until Paddy decided to eat both his stick arms!
Once I had re-cast all the rods with fresh baits there really was very little to do apart from sit and wait some more and consider the sanity of doing another night as they were predicting temperatures of minus eight that night.
Luckily I had come well prepared and the layers of thermal fishing clothing I had on kept me nice and warm despite the biting easterly winds.
Once again darkness fell only this time the forecast came good and by midnight I knew that my chances of that magical snow photo were as far below zero as the thermometer was.
I snuggled down for the night and, as I awoke on Wednesday morning, I was actually surprised just how nice and warm I felt, I had my trusty Hard-core Sleeping bag tucked up around my chin and the fleece lined cover keeping in all that lovely warm air, it was quite a shock when I peered out of the bivvy doorway and saw fifty ducks all walking in single file across the middle of the lake, my quest for a carp had failed but I suppose my testing of the new winter range of clothes and sleeping bags had been a roaring success. I was tempted to just stay in bed and pretend I was still fishing but, eventually, I had climb out and start the long and arduous task of packing away a frozen bivvy and breaking the ice to retrieve my lines with fingers that felt like frozen sausages.
As they say though, you have to be in it to win it and there is still plenty of winter left to try again, and plenty more snow on the way.
Tags: carp fishing, carp fishing diary January, Dave Lane, thermal fishing clothing | No Comments »
January – Carp Fishing on the Estate Lake
Well it’s all back to normal again, the tinsel is keeping the mice warm in the loft and the tree is all folded up in its box again. I had a bit of a lay off from fishing over the holiday period but I was breaking my neck to get back out there at the beginning of this week, especially with the mild weather we have been having.
I set off on the Monday morning for Northampton and a return to the Estate Lake, arriving just as it was getting light. Apparently nobody had even thought about carp fishing the place for two weeks and I wondered if the carp would still be holed up where I caught my last three fish from?
Obviously this was going to be my starting point and it didn’t take long to get three rigs out there on the spots.
I was sticking to my successful method of a standard hair rig with a bottom bait and the addition of a small PVA bag of 10mm baits, just to give the carp something to home in on through the thick silt.
With the fishing rods out I quickly set up the Hard-core Bivvy and then stuck the kettle on for a brew but something seemed different, quieter than usual, and then I realised there were no sheep. Usually there are woolly Ovines wandering around everywhere, sneaking up behind your bivvy and startling the hell out of you with a sudden loud bleat but, for some reason, they had all disappeared today; maybe Lamb had been on the menu at a big New Year’s Eve dinner at the manor house!
I didn’t have to wait long to find out if I was in the right spot, sheep or no sheep, the carp were definitely still there as I had my first take about ten o’clock in the morning. After a bit of a tussle in the silt where the fish sent up huge sheets of bubbles as he tried to bury himself under the mud, I managed to steer him into the margins where he just plodded up and down for a few minutes before waving the white flag and rolling up into the net.
This was a nice welcome back present and a great way to start the New Year but I couldn’t help but wonder what I might have missed out on over the previous few weeks. On the scales he registered twenty eight and a half pounds and, after a couple of pictures, I slipped him back into the cloudy water.
With such a quick result I had high hopes for the rest of the session; especially when the next rod ripped off at three in the afternoon. This fish fought far harder than the previous one and I really did think I had hooked one of the really big commons for a while but, as he eventually came over the net cord, I could see he was another mirror. Incredibly pale in colour, probably due to the lack of light getting through the muddy water, he weighed in at just over thirty and a half pounds.
Now I really was confident and I could see a session to remember stretching out ahead of me but, as is the way with carp fishing, the lake had other ideas. It was as if that last fish had pressed a panic button and all the carp retreated to the bunker for the next two days as, apart from two bream, the alarms remained silent.
The weather just got better and better and I still find it hard to believe that nothing else fed although I certainly am not complaining at two big fish in the first week of January.
I hope the rest of the month goes as well, although they are forecasting some horribly cold conditions over the next few days so let’s just hope the lake doesn’t freeze over as that’s about the only thing that will stop me being out there again next week!
Tags: carp fishing, Dave Lane, fishing bivvy, hardcore bivvy | 1 Comment »
Australia’s most wanted: $16,000 carp evades capture
Australia’s most wanted carp
Source: Duke of Burrendong
Aussie fishermen are packing their carp fishing rods and flocking to the Burrendong Dam in central New South Wales for some serious angling. Their quarry – the mighty Duke of Burrendong, a specially tagged carp that carries a $16,000 bounty on it’s head.
Here in the UK, carp are revered by anglers. We catch them, pose for a quick photo and then it’s back into the water with them – unharmed. Not so down under.
In Australia, carp is an invasive species that has all but wiped out native fish in the waterways in which it swims. But a fightback is in progress. Carlton, brewers of good old Aussie beer have marked a fish and put a bounty on it that increases $100 every week the creature evades capture.
As of early January, the fish had still not been caught. And because anglers receive money off tokens redeemable on cartons and blocks of beer, one for every carp removed from the dam, catches have been high – and environmentalists cheered.
Restocking
Carp caught at Burrendong, but not the Duke
Source: Beer and Brewer
So far, over 750 carp have been caught. But while the thought of a massacre of carp on this scale might make the average British angling enthusiast blanche, it marks a significant success on the part of Australian environmentalists.
As well as decimating the populations of native fish, carp impact on water quality in the dam. In fact, the common carp, though endangered in European and Asian waterways, is listed on the World Conservation Congress list of the 100 most damaging invasive species. The restoration of indigenous ecosystems is of paramount importance to the Australians – but as efforts to eradicate the fish in the United States have shown, once established, they’re are incredibly tough to eradicate.
Putting negative thoughts to one side, what better way to restock the dam, than by encouraging Aussies in their love not just of fishing but beer drinking too? Carlton, the brewer is not only offering the bounty on the marked carp, but has pledged to put a native fish back in the water for every block or carton of its beer bought before Australia day on 26th January.
Enjoy this poetic explanation and invitation to join in:
Dave Lane Nets Two 30s!
Happy New Year to you all, 2013 is here and once again we have survived through another ‘end of the world’ scenario.
This time it was the Mayan calendar coming to its last page on 21st December but, despite the lunatics sitting on a hilltop waiting to be rescued by aliens as the world crumbles around the disbelievers, we are all still here and live to fish another day. I reckon this must be at least the fifth such event I can remember, what with George Orwell’s ninety eighty four, the millennium bug, Nostradamus predictions and the lining up of various planets to ensure we all perish in a ball of fire. It does make me chuckle but I suppose it gives Yahoo news something to write about eh?
Personally I had a great end of the world party down at the Estate Lake, having struggled for a few weeks prior to this trip it was as if the fish had decided to have a last supper as well, just in case.
The last capture from the Estate had been my twenty two pound mirror over a month before but on the Tuesday morning, after my first night of the session, I received my second ever bite from the lake. I was wandering up and down the bank looking for signs of fish when the Sounder box from my Mag-runner bite alarms screamed out in my pocket as something made off across the lake with the bait.
There was no pre-amble or hesitation, it was just a full on take as line was ripped from the clutch. The following fight was not quite as impressive as the run however, and before long a chunky mirror with a big floppy tail rolled into the net, a chunky mirror that looked incredibly familiar as it happens. I’d only gone and caught the same fish again, two carp in five weeks and it was the same fish both times!
I was pleased to have had another bite but a bit disappointed with the result and, after weighing him a full pound lighter than the last time, realised that even he had probably not fed for a while so the others must have been on a strict diet.
Later that evening though, about seven o’clock and in total darkness, I had another pick up and this fish felt a lot heavier, plodding about in the shallow water and silt in front of me. As it rolled into the net I caught a glimpse of golden scales and realised I’d got a common, and quite a big one at that.
On the mat I could see he was way over thirty pounds and, on the scales, I was proved right when he spun the needle around to thirty six and a half pounds.
Thirty six pounds plus is still a huge size for a common in my book, I think I have only ever had three or four bigger in my life so I was well chuffed. I popped him into a hard-core safety retainer for ten minutes while I sorted out the camera equipment and then took a few shots before sliding him back into the lake.
Nothing further happened that evening and, after a nice warm night’s sleep, I woke up quite surprised to find that I hadn’t had another bite as the conditions were perfect, mild and overcast with a light wind, about as un December like as you could imagine.
I had to be off the lake by one that afternoon and I was all packed up on the barrow and hovering behind the rods as my time ran out. In fact I waited until about ten past before walking towards the first rod, just as the line lifted and started kiting around from the tip, the alarm sounded and I was in again, talk about last second!
This fish fought a lot harder than the other two, repeatedly tearing off across the lake and refusing to be netted. Eventually though, the rod wore him down and I brought him up and over the net cord. Because I am fishing a smaller venue than usual I have recently swapped over to a set of three pound Nan-Tec rods, lighter than my usual distance versions and a pleasure to play fish on, I do like to see that tip cranked right over and feel every twist and turn from the carp, it makes it all so much more fun.
In the net I could see that I had landed something special, the biggest mirror in the lake weighing in at thirty five pounds and twelve ounces, what a lovely Christmas present and, if the world really was going to end in three days’ time, I was going to perish a happy man.
Tags: bite alarms, carp fishing, Dave Lane, thirty pound carp | No Comments »
My First Carp on a New Estate Lake
Well it looks like winter has finally arrived, the flooding and wild winds have been replaced by freezing temperatures and half the lakes in the country have a lid on them already.
I have managed to find myself a water at last having spent a couple of months in the wastelands, so to speak, a nice little Estate lake in Northampton. The setting is about as stereotypical for an English estate as you can get, like a film location for a period drama. There is a huge manor house atop a small hill and rolling lawns meandering down into a six acre lake, dammed at one end with a small stone bridge and inlet stream at the other. Sheep wander freely over the entire area and often straight up to the bivvy door at first light, their sudden Bleating can almost send you through the bivvy roof in shock!
I have even had a take from one when he decided, out of curiosity, to turn my reel handle with his nose to see what would happen, what happened was me and the dog came flying out the bivvy and fifty sheep went charging off up the hill in panic.
Over the years the lake has seen the passing of millions of gallons of water fed from the stream and the fields and then pushed over the outlet onto the lower ground of the valley below but what it has left in its passing is silt, I wouldn’t like to even guess how deep but I know for a fact it has gone from 14 feet deep to 5 over the last couple of decades, and that’s the deep end!
Most of the six acres are between three and four feet deep and hold around sixty fish including one very big common of around forty six pounds, so how after nine nights spread over five weeks have I not even seen one single fish roll or jump?
It always amazes me on these little shallow lakes, just how elusive the carp can actually be, although I am not sure that the middle of winter is the best time to start looking really.
I have managed to catch one though and it’s always nice to open your account on a new water; I had a lovely fish of twenty two pounds one oz mirror on my second trip, fooling me into thinking that I had sussed the place and I would have a hat-full by now!
My last two visits have coincided with the arrival of a new ice age and I am actually now at home writing this when I would normally still be fishing but yesterday half the lake froze over and by midday I still had ice coated lines and freezing fog masked the far bank. The forecast last night was for minus four degrees and, looking out of the window, I can see they were right and there is no way the lake could survive that.
One thing I will say though, having just fished in such bitter conditions, is how warm and comfortable I managed to stay while I was there, I was genuinely amazed when I woke up to find the lake, my bivvy and everything all around encased in ice. The lid was frozen onto my water bottle and yet I was snug as a bug in my sleeping bag and oblivious to it all.
Thermal carp fishing gear has come on in leaps and bound over the last few years and I look back in horror at just how unprepared we all used to be, in Argos sleeping bags with an old blanket over the top. I now use the Hard-core sleeping bag with the Comfort Zone Peach-skin cover and, to be totally honest, I wouldn’t actually like to be any warmer for that would mean stripping off layers of clothing which is all well and good until you get a run in the night dressed in just a T-shirt and your Sponge Bob Square pants, pants!
The beauty of this system, for me, is that it still crushes down into the bed-chair when I pack up and, as long as you un-clip the cover and tuck it inside the frame, you can fold the bed totally flat so that it goes back on the barrow nicely.
As for actual winter clothing I am now spoilt for choice, being in the fantastic position of having to test the new ranges of kit I have so much warm gear to choose from that I couldn’t catch a chill in the Arctic.
My personal choice at the moment though is the big Force Ten jacket for in the daytime when I am out and about in the elements and the Thermo-Tex survivor for dossing about in the bivvy in the long hours of freezing darkness, this thing is like a portable sleeping bag and so comfortable and warm it’s incredible.
Anyway, I gotta be off now, I have a load of cold wet gear in the back of the truck to dry out and I’ve just spotted a low pressure system moving across the XC-Weather site, apparently it’s going to be eight degrees by the weekend so get your warm jackets on and get out there while you can.
Tags: bivvy, carp fishing, carp fishing gear, Dave Lane, fishing tackle | No Comments »
Total Fishing Gear Babes Calendar
Having something in your fishing room, other than your fishing tackle of course, to get you thinking about where your next fish is coming from is a must for any enthusiastic fisherman.
The TF Gear 2013 Babes Calendar is the ideal gift for any angler this Christmas, whether your into carp fishing, coarse, sea or fly, there 13 beautiful babes will set your pulse tracing. A stunning selection of photographs that will delight every angler.#
Take a look at the calendar girls video -
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