Lee Swords Fishing

Instead of going on the Trent recently my fishing buddy Dan Stewart-Smith and myself decided to have a go at a bit of carp fishing instead for a change…Well as they say ” A change is as good as a rest!”

Now if I were to say that I am not an experienced carp fisherman that would be about as truthful as I could get, yes, like everyone out there I have caught a few carp by design and by default alike but I am not a carp fisherman and probably never will be.

That said however I will probably never be an expert at much when it comes to fishing so I may as well do an article on carp fishing as barbel fishing or fishing on the Trent, you see fishing is just “fishing” its all about methods, if you can master the method then you will be classed as a good angler…Its all about being methodical !

So with “methods” and being “methodica”l in mind let me start with the ubiquitous “method feeder” and several method feeder rigs.

I recently purchased a years worth of CAT ( Coarse Angling Today) magazines and the sweetener was a large range of Guru gear which included some flatbed method feeders so it would be rude not to use them, So I thought I would use flatbeds on one rod and old school types on the other as a comparison of sorts

What I like about a flatbed method feeder as opposed to the old school feeders is that they come with a mold that makes loading them very easy.

Well it does if you keep the think clean and slightly moist, otherwise it is about as much use as a chocolate sanitary towel.

Anyway back to the session in question, Dan and me rocked up at the Delves Fishery near Doncaster at about 9am on a Sunday morning and the place was heaving , it has an onsite cafe that seems to dominate the breakfast trade in the area especially with the local anglers, Dan and me saw this throng of anglers and immediately thought we would never get a peg but it seems that the majority of anglers were just there for a breakfast before moving on to other nearby venues leaving the Delves with just a pleasant smattering of anglers across the two lakes.

We decided to fish up towards the top end where it was quiet and also where we would be free from intrusion as these pegs are almost unfishable on the far bank meaning that we would be able to dominate the shoals of fish and not worry about some no-brain turning up and fishing bang opposite and doing something stupid.

Plus these pegs were filthy with features!

Lilly’s, reed beds deep-ish margins and fallen trees, they had the lot!

My attack straight from the off was going to be carp on the method feeder but not any carp…bigger than average carp so there was no place for small pellets excepting around the feeder or dead maggots on the hook, I would be fishing with The Hookbait Company 3-B Boillies in differing arrangements, I have no interest in small carp especially the F1 types, so basically it is shit or bust!

And it wasn’t going to be shit!

Five minutes after “lobbing in” the Delkim’s began to wail and scream like a Bangladeshi child molester at an EDL march…a proper one-toner job!

The culprit however was a tench and not a carp but it was a nice tench nonetheless so I didn’t get mardy about it.

I felt quite sorry for it actually as it looked very depressed with itself but not half as depressed as the bream that followed it in not five minutes later. My lord that was a miserable looking old thing, jet black and poxed up like it had spent a month in Pattaya sampling the local delights, it cast a very sad figure, I didn’t even have the heart to capture its misery on film…I just sent it on its way back to the depths.

the next few hours I spent messing about with different presentations, one presentation that did do well was a half boillie tipped with a piece of fluoro-corn that I had charged up to glow with an led torch so that it glowed slightly…It could have spooked the fish but no, it seeemd to draw them in.

the one thing that should be making itself apparent by now is the number of tench the Delves was throwing up!

The tench and bream loved the method feeder approach and it was a few hours before the first of the carp arrived and when it did I must say I was a bit disappointed as it was probably the biggest F1 I have ever caught in my life, yes it was a personal best but I just cannot get my head around deliberate hybrids, its wrong.

As the day went on the clouds cleared and the sun came out and with the sun came the mini-beasts.

The Delves has a very nice collection of Dragonflies and Damsels with a few different varieties making an appearance. Some of which seemed to be the Scarce Blue Tailed Damsel but I am not an expert so I cannot be at all sure, all I can be sure of is that the female of the species got a proper sorting out!

One of the other creatures that made an appearance in numbers was the ubiquitous “wasp” , they made staright for my can of coke and got proper caffeinated and ended up fighting each other on the floor!

Crazy critters!!

Anyway back to the fishing…Eventually a decent carp did grace the net and it fell for a back to back 3-B presentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all the method feeder did well…Next time I may use chod rigs or PVA bags…that’s the thing, the methods are limitless :O)

 

Seeing as this is a venue guide as well I better give it some scores on the doors

Venue 5-5

Stocks 4-5

Facilities 5-5

Toilets 4-5

 

Very well worth a visit!!

I will be back!!!