Spring Into Action!

A stunning common carp!

Recent milder weather has seen the carp in our local lakes getting their heads down. Venues including Walrow Ponds, Huntstrete Lake and Acorn Fishery have reported fish to nearly 30lb. Small baits and slightly scaled down rigs seem to be the best way to get a bite or two at this time of year and so with this in mind I've been out armed with tutti frutti boilies and good old sweetcorn! Fishing these baits on simple lead clip rigs and feeding small amounts of pellet has produced carp approaching 20lb. These fish are in fantastic condition at this time of year and what they lack in enthusiasm for a good scrap in the colder water they certainly make up for in good looks! Rivers have started to produce some good nets of fish now too. The mostly mild winter means water temperatures are high for the time of year and the next few weeks promise to be a productive time for those of us getting a few casts in before the end of the season. A recent trip to my favourite River Wye produced a couple of nice barbel and although I lost a couple also, due to a submerged tree branch, I went home more than happy to have had a few bites. So, it looks as though spring has sprung! Warmer weather and lighter evenings mean that there is no excuse for not giving it a go. Dig those rods out, dust them off and get catching!