Frank Warwick’s spring ’23 Blog

Hi everyone its been a very harsh winter just after Christmas I became ill with Covid like symptoms and was literally flattened for the whole of January and basically I never wet a line, many people had the same thing and it seemed like it would never end, however it did get me raring to go as soon as I was recovered.

I eventually headed out on the last day of January for a 48 hour session on my Cheshire syndicate, despite the cold temperatures I was fully confident as over the previous two winters on the water I had learnt a lot about the water and its inhabitants and had achieved consistency which is all you can ask in winter. I knew exactly where I wanted to be and was relieved to see the lake empty on my arrival. As per usual I opted to fish over a mixture of micro pellets, 8ml boilies from my mate Mick Ball at MB Bait services sweetcorn, maggots and my usual liquid concoction to call the carp in to my baited spots. I had been on edge as I had received a number of line bites on two of my 3 rods both of which were on my known winter hot spot. After only 5 hours I had a violent take that slammed the rod over and went like a train from the second I pulled into it, eventually it wallowed into the net and I saw immediately it was a huge mirror. It weighed 43.2 and it was a new lake record mirror what an incredible carp for a bleak January day. This was the start of a 4 fish catch which included a 31,10 common and a 28 common.

 

My eldest son Guy who a fanatical carp angler managed to obtain a winter ticket and he joined me on my next session I didn’t hesitate to let him get in the swim where I had caught on my previous session as it gives me immense pleasure seeing him so happy and enjoying his fishing. Guy managed to catch a magnificent mirror just over 30lbs which hardly ever gets caught a super rare visitor to the bank and certainly one of my target fish, I didn’t mind in the slightest and was absolutely delighted to see it. I won’t labour the point but we very soon had a lovely routine going and with regular baiting the fishing was superb for February with us catching well over 25 carp between us. We switched between various hook baits to ring changes but baits tipped with the ever efficient and consistent Enterprise yellow corn seemed to score best, my favourite being good old Pineapple and N Butyric flavour.

If I am honest for over 20 years or more now I have found it very hard not to tip a bait with the corn even if I have forays of trying other things I always seem to revert back to it to get bites coming this isn’t a blatant false plug but the absolute truth. Don’t take my word for it try it yourself, if your not already doing it I think you will be very pleasantly surprised. March and April saw me doing some filming for Prologic who I work with, its nice to be filming again but it reminded me how difficult it can be at times to just turn up at waters I have never seen before that are busy day ticket waters and catch carp to order in a short session, One such water was Horcott lakes in the Cotswolds, it has some lovely carp in the venue that I had noticed over the last few years so I always thought I should try it.

I met up with my pal Simon Dew at Horcott in cold conditions and was a bit surprised how busy it was midweek on the venue but despite our best efforts we blanked as did our two friends The Fishing Bloggers that also joined us, I had 3 tench but the carp would not get involved I opted against using the zigs that were the only thing throwing up the occasional carp to the regulars.
I know how effective zigs can be but sometimes I get bored with them and I must confess I do like feeding the fish as well as trying to catch them it feels like at least I’m giving the fish something back for harassing them.

By the way if I blank on camera it stays in the film warts and all no editing it out or going back to re do it is real all anglers blank on occasion that’s what makes the successes all the more special.
I am not one for making it appear I catch fish every trip its not life, I don’t have an ego I just adore carp fishing and have been doing it over half a century so I take the rough with the smooth.
I went back to Horcott and had 48 hours to try to catch carp I arrived early doors and sat for a good hour in the carpark area which has a panoramic view of the water much to my surprise I saw carp rolling in the very swim I was watching the water from admittedly at range I checked the bottom with a lead rod in the area and found it super difficult to find an area where I could present on the bottom so zigs it was to be.

I set a flavoured black foam hookbait at 4.5 feet 2 feet under the surface one at 3.5 and another at 3 feet I had been fishing perhaps 15 minutes when the 4.5 rod cranked over and belted off in a most unlike zig bite, it was a tank of a fish it basically flat rodded me and took about 60 yards of line in an alarming powerhouse of a charge I knew the gear was on the limit and hoped for the best
Eventually I slowed the carp and started to gain line but sadly the carp hit a big weed bed and locked up solid, I eventually unplugged it but suffered a hook pull shortly after. Guess what I only went and lost a second fish in almost identical circumstances a day later so I went home feeling a bit sorry for myself but hey I cant grumble I had a ridiculous February and March.

Tight lines to you all

Frank