Quest Baits Blog

37.08

Hi all,

just a quick report after coming back from France where I fished for a week. It was a really tough week with really cold temperatures and hardly any sun! I had to resort to wearing four layers most days as the North Easterly wind that’s been around for ages was really nasty.

I was fishing into thick tall weed in 12′ of water and it was impossible to find the clear spots without full sun, making life really hard. The sun came out briefly Monday afternoon, I found a gorgeous tiny gravely spot and had this lovely 37+ common from it.

I then spent two days trying to find that spot again with a prodding stick. I had two takes off it and had this 32 common – fought like a demon – just look at the paddle on it. Lost the other one and managed a 28 from open water. There were some really big fish caught that week on the lake but I wasn’t lucky to get in amongst them.

Home made rhaja spice pop ups did the job. With a lot of time on my hands I was playing around with a rig I’ve been developing for a while now. I tied a few up on the bank for use on a weedy water when I got back. I really liked the look of what I’d come up with and was itching to try it when I got back. Next time I’ll let you know how I got on, suffice to say my season just got better and better.

Tight Lines,  Elie Godsi

Well, as I sit and write this at home we are going through a very hot spell with high pressure and ‘Non carpy’ conditions, but do you know what? I love it!

For whatever reason, in these conditions I always seem to manage to pull off a result of some sort and whilst a 22lb common is far from my biggest carp, the circumstances surrounding it make it a good capture to me personally and that is what it’s all about!

I’d started the season well, landing the second biggest common in the lake at 35 lb 15 oz on the first day of the season followed by an upper double common the following day. The following week was a blank, however this week the Carp Gods were on my side again and the Chilli Chocolate produced a result. continue reading…

I have just returned from a week long trip from Sapphire Lake in France, which is one of the latest venues to be offered by Angling Lines.

On the second day of my visit I had made a decision to fish a shelf which stretched half the length of the lake, and went out for around 50 yards into the lake. I found around 3 ½ feet at 36 yards directly in front of me which very gradually became shallower towards the bank.

When I am in France, I usually select one area and fish all my rods on or at the side of the baited area. I had seen carp moving just below the surface on the shallows so I decided to change my approach to tackle this venue.

With the marker rod set at 36yards, I marked out all my 4 rods to the same distance.  I then fished the rods in a fanned style. My left hand rod was at 90 degrees from the bank, with the other 3 rods set to marks on the horizon all to the right. This enabled me to fish the rods at different distances from the bank but all the same distance from my rod pod. I was hoping to intercept any fish coming onto the shallows from the depths to my right.  continue reading…

After visiting a few fisheries for day sessions over the last few weeks, with the occasional fish caught, I am now on the shores of a lake within walking distance of my home for a short session of 24 hours without pre-baiting. It’s early in the morning that I arrive at an arm of the lake that I like because I know it’s where the fish like to get together before spawning.

My early season bait has been Rahja Spice because it is really spicy & I know that carp love the spice without fishmeal, particularly in these cold water conditions.

I put my rods in the boat and rowed my baits out to 2.5m of water near the dead wood on the opposite shore.  Bait was 20mm boilies above a bed of hempseed with boilies cut into pieces – a great mix that I like very much early in the year.

Everything is in place and it is in the afternoon that my first run occurs. A nice mirror with nice round belly and a yellow tinge – very nice! Before nightfall I have 2 more great fish of the same caliber.

That evening I baited up again and the next day a festival with a lot of runs!  The carp are on the move and I am in the right spot.  I fish until 7pm then retire exhausted.  What a great day!

See you soon at the edge of the water…

Romu

35. 15

Just a quick bit of news…  after a month of baiting with the Chilli Chocolate on the first day of our season I bagged the second biggest common in the lake at 35lb 15 oz result!!
cheers
Spencer H

I managed my first overnight trip of the year last week and I must say it felt great to be back out again. I don’t know about you but I love the whole camping out thing, sleeping in the fresh air and waking up by a water all set up and watching for carp. The weather was really cold with ground frosts at night. Not many fish showing even when the sun was out in the day but one or two are beginning to come out. I suffered a very frustrating session with two hook pulls – not a great start to the season – but on the positive side I managed two takes on what can be a very difficult water. It’s a publicity ban water so I can’t say that much but I did photograph a very large fish for a mate of mine – a new PB for him and he was understandably over the moon.

So I thought I’d write something about remembering that it’s not all about catching personally. I know I had a big hand in my mate catching and landing that fish and I will always be part of that special memory and capture. I may not have caught anything but so much else was going on I came away a happy and contented man. Tawny owls hooting, cock pheasants cronking their territory calls and buzzards gliding and ‘mewing’ overhead. I also saw something for the first time which is amazing really after all these years – a pair of swans actually mating. I’ve seen them courting and their love dance is really beautiful – but never actually mating. Isn’t nature great? When they finished they made it clear what they thought of my fishing – the picture says it all!

Elie G