Frank’s April Blog

Hi there by the time you read this Spring will have sprung and we should be getting woke up by that amazing dawn chorus from the birds that I so look forward to as it heralds a new start to the warm weather we so long for.

For many it has been a long bleak winter with many freeze ups and restrictions ect. 

I decided on the lead up to winter nothing was going to stop me from seeing my campaign through to conclusion and that even if the lakes were frozen I was going to break the ice if possible in order to fish on.

This I ended up doing on 4 occasions with the use of a large rowing boat. 

My thinking was even if I didn’t catch after breaking the ice at least I would be keeping the bait going in which I think is so important in winter, if nothing else it nags the fish into picking it up eventually.

I introduced Vital baits Mojo my own Boilie I have formulated with Vital chopped with a Ridgemonkey chopper great bit of kit, sweet corn, maggots red ones, mixed micro carp pellets, worm cast soil, and Liver 0 liquid from Vital and Salmon hydrslate.

Everything was small and easily digested.

I started my campaign in December what I call proper winter carping and after an initial blank 48 hour session saw enough line bite wise to feel I was not far off so I did 48 hours in the same area a week later and had a gorgeous 31.10 common from a much neglected deep gulley in the lake at 26 feet which I found to have a firm bed not full of silt as you might expect, this set me off on a path knowing what I had would work well so I carried on regardless of conditions applying the bait using more than people might expect I guess but I took a chance on the bait being there in their faces nagging them, it worked a treat and the carp came steadily with a much higher average sized range of carp tripping up than is normal for the venue 

On the 14th of January on a freezing morning I had a steady run and hit into a tank of a fish that ran me ragged, eventually I netted a perfect huge common that looked like a freshly minted sovereign gold coin

It was a prize as rare as a lotto jackpot in the shape of a Cheshire mid January 40lb common, a county first in almost certain of that fact.

It went 40lbs 6ozs.

To be fair I felt it was coming and had predicted this very result to my mate that shared this journey and campaign Mark Tierny. 

There were blanks and many moments when I questioned my sanity when I couldn’t feel my hands with the cold and despite having the very best Snugpack clothing I was at times cold in the artic conditions but the gear still enabled me to press on and be out there.

Several more carp came my way including some other stunning very noteworthy winter carp my mate Mark also had his just rewards with two truly outstanding specimens amongst his captures.

I won’t describe every detail as space is limited and I have to save some of the innovations involved in this campaign for next winter but never be in doubt you don’t catch them sat in your warm house watching YouTube.