Times Of Change.....

After an uneventful but still very enjoyable session on the "Beds Pit" last week I decided to have a break this weekend and spend some time with the wife, which just so happened to involve a walk around a stunning little water I shall be spending the Winter on which is located in the Nene Valley.
My mind is still firmly set on the "Beds Pit" for the autumn, however once the temperatures drop and the frosts arrive the "Beds Pit" will be put to one side and I shall be spending the winter on the intimate Nene Valley Pit, there is nothing of giant proportions lurking in the water but all of the inhabitants are stunning and will still push the scales round to the low 30's so you can't really grumble at that in the depths of winter. Although saying that it's not the easiest of waters anyway so will still provide a nice challenge in the coming colder months.
Me and Trudi had a good walk round this afternoon.....walking off the 3 course lunch which we had just indulged in at an Italian restaurant! The water is crystal clear and the margins drop away nicely which will certainly suit my favorite method so fingers crossed I will have some winter action this year.
Last winter was a complete failure, the weather conditions were the worst I've seen in years, my syndicate at the time was frozen solid for over a month which always seems to be the way when you have 2 weeks off work!

My Syndicate in artic conditons last winter, -10c that night!

Although when I did finally get on the bank I had it all to myself as most of the local lads had hung up the rods for the winter, I can never understand why people do that but then again laying under the oval in temperatures down to -10c is probably not everyones idea of fun, but I love it!

Sitting it out on another Nene Valley Water a few years ago in the middle of December....

As I look out of the window whilst I write this, the leaves have changed colour and it certainly looks like Autumn is nearly upon us, this has to be my favourite part of the year as the carp begin to feed up ready for their winter slumber, so with a week booked off work from the 8th of October I shall certainly be hoping to have a slice of the Autumn action.

A fantastic read!

Before I go I must mention how impressed I am with my latest book purchase "The Forgotten Chapters" the writing and illustrations are absolutely mind blowing. I'm looking forward to spending tonight sprawled out on the sofa with a chinese and then continuing reading this fantastic book!
I shall be doing a bit of work over the winter making a few changes to the graphics on this website as well as the forum, so hopefully it will all look nice and fresh ready for the spring. I've also got a few ideas I'm hoping to put into action over the next few months so keep your eyes open for the changes!

I shall be changing the banner too.......

That's all from me for now, if you're on the bank this week I wish you the best of luck and the hope the carp gods make your dreams come true.

Be lucky,

Smithy

Mind Games.......

Yesterday morning saw me sat behind my desk at work clock watching, wishing all the while for it to be 4pm and god did it drag!
As soon as the clock struck 4pm I was out the door as if the fire alarm was sounding and before I knew it I had pulled into the "Beds Pit" car park, the whole journey was a blur as my mind went over the same questions...would I get in my baited swim? angling pressure? would the fish be on the end of the wind?
I jumped out the van and jogged the 400 yards round the path to the corner of the pit, I could just make out my baited swim on the far bank and it was empty, perfect!
I walked back to the van and loaded the barrow, before the 20 minute mission to the swim.......it seemed further than I remembered!
Once in the swim I got the Oval up as the sky was getting darker by the minute, I manged to get it up just in time as the heavens opened a few minutes later. I took this as sign from the carp gods telling me to relax a bit and have a brew, so I did just that.
Only 10 minutes later the rain stopped, so I donned the chest waders to clear the floating weed in front of the swim, it was solid about 3 rod lengths out and would have made landing a fish next to impossible, 25 minutes later the job was finished and I now had a weed free swim, perfect! I couldn't help but notice the huge amount of small crayfish in the weed, I can see them being a pain next season once they are a bit bigger!

Clearing the huge amount of floating weed was a nightmare!

I soon had the rods out on their spots and was fishing, the Coleman was fired up again and I had a brew with a few mates who had joined me for the night, as we sat in my swim we couldn't help but hear the tell tale sounds of a big fish rolling about 40 yards out, it looked good.....very good!
We all retired to our bedchairs shortly before 1am and I was soon in the land of nod, dreaming of a big common.

I awoke this morning at 7am, which is very late for me when I'm fishing although to be fair this week had taken its toll on me so I didn't mind a little lay in, I fired up the Coleman once more and rolled a smoke.......as I sat there taking in the atmosphere I started receiving aggressive liners on my margin rod, at one point I made the short hop down the bank to the rods fully expecting it to rattle off but unfortunately it never did.

Before I knew it, it was 10 am and time to have a slow pack up and do the jungle warfare journey back to the van, despite the blank I left a happy man it was great to be back on the "Beds Pit" and I'm looking forward to gracing her banks again very soon.

The seeds of the gods, a big part of my armory........

I shall keep trickling the bait in and keeping a very close eye on her.....its only a matter of time before she gives up one of her jewels and I want to make sure I am there when it happens.

Until next time,

Smithy

Priming The Beds Pit....

Well I've just returned from a baiting up session over on the Beds Pit ready for Saturday night, Ive walked the Pit quite a few times of late which at over 65 acres takes some doing!

The ever faithful FBI & Garlic ready to be deposited into the swim.......

However a certain part of the lake keeps catching my eye and I know for a fact that the area does seem to produce some of the "Big Girls". Ive kept a close eye on the weather this week and the area looks perfect for the weekend with the wind forecast to be pushing very nicely straight into the swim not to mention the low pressure that is due, I'm certainly very hopeful to say the least!
But then again, its going to be nice just to sit under the oval and take in the atmosphere.

I spent a good hour tonight spreading a large amount of Active Bait Solutions FBI & Garlic into my chosen area with the aid of a throwing stick to ensure a good spread of bait and to keep the carp moving about.
So there we go, short and sweet tonight but hopefully I will have a lengthy report for you when I return home on Sunday.

Be lucky,

Smithy

The New Chapter......

Well, where to start?

It's been a while since my last post, the last 2 weeks have been so hectic and I have found little time to grace the banks.
When I left you last time I was just preparing for a night on "Heron" so that will be as a good place as any to start from.
I arrived at Heron at about mid-morning, I was greeted by a strong South Westerly Wind pushing straight into the "Car Park" swim, as I stood and watched the water a good fish showed towards the far bank, ''that will do'' I said to myself.
I unloaded the van and quickly got the oval up as the sky was turning blacker by the minute, I took the opportunity in the light drizzle to relax a bit and tie up some fresh rigs and make a plan in my head for the next 24 hours.
Just as the sky started to clear Pete arrived and set up next door in the "Channel", so I roped him in to give me some assistance doing my first rod, I cast a lead over to the far bank and walked round with a bucket of goodies and a rig tied up ready to clip on.

Looking out from the "Car Park"

Once round the over side I waded out and found a nice clear spot in about 4 ft of water, I then attached the baited rig and gently lowered it onto the spot and put a good handful of hemp over the top - all the while Pete was standing in my swim keeping the line straight, Job Done!
I repeated the process for the other two rods put this time on the near margin, wading out two rod lengths until I found a suitable spot lowering the bait in and putting a handful of bait over the top then slowly making my way back to the bank.
That evening we were joined by a couple of mates for a social and ordered the biggest Chinese I have ever seen in my life, once finished we sat up late into the night talking about all things carpy and later putting the worlds to rights, at some stage we all dragged our now huge stomachs onto our our respective bed chairs and it didn't take me long to nod off.

A Chinese feast fit for Kings!

I awoke to a glorious sunrise, the kind that makes you glad you are a carp angler. We get to see these on a regular basis, where as alot of people have never seen one in their lives, when I think about it I do feel sorry for them.
It was a little after 5 am, I fired up the Coleman and rolled a smoke and enjoyed the Dawn Chorus. I was shocked that the morning passed very quickly without incident and it was soon getting towards packing up time, I was left scratching my head......I had fish on my spots throughout the session, I awoke a few times during the night by them rolling over my baits but yet couldn't get a sniff.
It was soon time to leave and I made the short journey home, all the while thinking about what I should have done differently.
Once home it was time to pack the bags as we were heading down to Devon for a few days, and the following morning we were flying down the M5, Clovelly bound!

Jack loved his grandad's boat!

We had a great few days and it was nice for my son 'Jack' to spend some time with his grandad, it was funny - all he said whilst we were down there was "Pub, Pub, Pub"... he's learning fast!
Once home again it was time to get myself ready for starting a new job on the Monday, now this job is better hours, money...everything in fact! However, it does mean that I am back with the weekend anglers now, I wish I had never taken my days off in the week for granted now.
My first week went well, everybody seems nice and its only 20 Min's from the "Beds Pit"......I can cope with that!
That pretty much brings us up to date, I've just returned from a baiting up session over on the "Beds Pit" and I look forward to starting my Autumn campaign on there Saturday.
I will be nipping over during the week to trickle some bait in.
So for now its time for me to go and and get the Oven warmed up and peeling some spuds ready for Sunday dinner!

Be lucky,

Smithy