Spawny? Bad luck and backleads!!!!!!

[RUDD]

As some will know I went and done my 1st ever allnighter with a bivvie, bed chair and sleeping bag on Friday night (normally use a brolly and stay up all night).

 

As I arrived at my peg at 8pm I noticed several low doubles and a load of singles milling around in the margins. NICE!!!!!

 

Then as I set up my pitch there was an eruption in the lillies I was fishing to ( a bait each side of the pads, one in the shallow water between pads/marginal reeds and one on a ledge into deep water).

 

I put out some chum mixer but all that were interesed were a few chub, the carp just swam on by which is strange for this water.

 

As it got dark I tried to settle down and get some kip - could I hell.

 

From the other end of the pool all I could hear was splashing and big eruptions at that.

Then in the left hand corner of the pool about two meters from my bivvie the water erupted, I sat with my torches and watched several carp SPAWNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I have seen carp spawn on a few occasions and it is a sight to see.

 

They continued all night and all the next morning. I watched as WHOLE bushes with overhanging branches or roots in the water shook violently and every set of lillie pads had sporadic eruptions amongst the leaves.

 

As Friday was a hot (17deg) still night I could also hear all the usual woodland noises, rabbits screaming as they were killed, deer and foxes barking, endless bird calls and rustling in the bushes. I could also hear very clearly every stanstead bound plane, the A14, a nearby country road and the Felixstowe rail branch line which had several freight trains running all night.

 

There were Gary boys with bass boxes on full whack, lorries and high powered motorbikes making a din until 2am.

I also had alot of liners all ight long which I think were carp charging around like manics in there quest to produce offspring.

 

Then the carp slowed down, the traffic seemed to stop, the creatures went quite and I drifted off to sleep.

Bleep bleep bleep---------------bleep bleep bleep------------bleep bleep bleep, a slow bream run occures WHICH I MISS and its quarter past two.

A few choice swear words, new bait and a pva bag cast out and back to kip.

 

I must of just drifted off again when my micron M set on full blast as I dont have a sounder box (yet) goes into melt down and sounds as if someone is trying to murder it, the swinger is just swinging and banging aginst the pod as the line has been ripped out of it and the baitrunner is screaming in pain as line peels off at an astounding rate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I (shaking like a leaf) fall out of bed, trip over my shoes, knock my hat off on the bivvie door complete with headtorch and run to the rod in my socks over dew soaked ground.

The rod is picked up and the handle turned as I lean into NOTHINGNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is not even a slight resistance.

I reel in to find my anti tangle tubing has come away from the tail rubber, the lead has gone from the safty clip and the backlead has disappered.

 

Being the must violent run I have ever had I cannot figure out how I missed it.

I can only think a fish may have been foul hooked and panicked.

 

A look at the watch told me its quarter past three. A new rig goes on and out it goes.

 

Just after 4am a cockral starts up followed by his apprentices, its just about daylight and the carp start up again but with more feavour.

 

I work out I have had a max of an hours kip and I am knackered.

I have a cuppa, fire out some more freebies reel in both rods and put on two trigga pellets on each which I have not tried before coupled with a PVA bag mix of halibut and strecker coarse pellets.

Out they go to the same spots and I fee some hemp into a few spots along the margins.

Straight away chub are onto the hemp and a few freebies I have mixed in.

The carp continue their mating display.

 

At 5.30am I spot a baliff complete in realtree with a shotgun under his arm on Black BASt@rd patrol (cormorant (also trying to catch anyone arriving before 6am)).

I have another cuppa and think about packing up.

I know from experiance that carp will not feed during spawning and that some lucky bugger will be there when they finish, have a rest then a monster energy replacment feed.

 

My left hand rod (between pads and margin which I missed the screamer on during the night) all of a sudden blasts into life and I am on it like a shot.

The fish kites right and into the pads, fight on!!!!!!!!!

I put on as much pressure as I dare and gain line inch by inch.

The fish comes out of the lillies and kites right again over my other line into the deep water.

After a good scrap she comes to my net and I notice my lead has gone but the backlead is smacking her all around the hookhold!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankfully I lifted the net and she was mine just as the hook came out.

 

A beatifull mix of gold and orange 12lb 2oz Ghostie lay there on my mat and I thought to myself how spawny was that!!!!!!!!!!!! (get it)

She had a belly full of spawn so back she went sraight away.

Maybe Ghosties spawn at a different time to mirrors and commons? Any ideas?

 

At least I did not blank and had a bizare night thrown in for good measure but the back lead sliding over the anti tangle tubing, over the safty clip and right down the hooklength is of some concern.

Any ides how to combat this?

 

PS I now have a stinking cold after having a BBQ on sat night and getting slightly drunk resulting in another crap nights kip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ 31. May 2005, 11:05 AM: Message edited by: RUDD ]

[Common 40]

lol nice story there rudd, I would certainly be using captive backleads as they come off on the take and still tethered to your bankstick or pod so you dont lose them.

[southernclive]

A good tale and nice to hear that you had success.

Regarding the backleads - you can make your own using one ounce ( OK 25grm ) drilled bullets and curtain hooks. These will not slide over most leadclips or beads. One problem that I have had is the back lead sliding down the line a bouncing the hook out as it hits the clip so always watch for this if you can as you bring the fish to the net.

[waddis]

Great story rudd, I always use captive backleads now. They may seem expensive but they will stop you losing backleads.

[Common 40]

not as expensive as the ones that get left in the lake (great invention IMO)

[rabster]

Great story there Rudd, I enjoyed reading that, thanks for taking the time out to post it ( although for some reason your message is only about 2 inches wide & two foot long?) :confused: (** A quick edit, your post has now returned to normal proportions, as you were :confused: )

 

As for the backleads, I just tend to use the flying ones, they're maybe not as good as conventional backleads but I could never get used to have them on the line as I was playing a fish.

 

[ 02. June 2005, 07:17 PM: Message edited by: rabster ]