MY IMPOSSIBLE DREAM……

My impossible dream a big slopey headed mirror carp of around 35-37lb.I started the lake on a cold march night. Just my usual quick overnighter. Normally a Monday and Thursday, I blanked my first 3 trips until I got lucky on my 4^th, a mid double common woke me up in the early hours before my morning alarm. Happy with my result I started baiting my new favourite sweet spot, not loads of bait but just enough to see if the fish would come back and visit. Well in the next few trips I managed to trip up the lakes big common of 29.06lb and the lakes 2^nd biggest mirror of 26lb.now the lake varies in size due to the farmer pumping water out for his farm. I would say through winter and spring the lake is 8acres in size but through the summer it can drop to about 6acres.With depths up to 35ft. The stock probably 80-100 fish and most of them small single to double commons. I fished hard till July but no big mirror slipped up yet, I fished in the teeth of the wind, moving onto showing fish, fishing my baited spot but the mirror just wasn’t playing the game. I pulled off in July for much needed break, sometimes I would get 3 to 4 small commons a trip and to have to pack up for work to I just needed a break.

Well one September day I got a phone call saying the big mirror just came out at over 40lb.A new lake record too. Well before I planned my assault again it slipped up again topping 41lb. A nice big mirror 15mins from my house I was excited to go at it again. Well my usual over nighters happened, taking a few carp a trip but no big mirror liking my hook baits just yet. I gave it my all till the end of November Before I pulled off for winter, a lake of depths of 35ft just wasn’t my cup of tea through winter.

I got back on the water on the beginning of March and on my very first trip and on my first cast and a wait of a whole 30seconds I nailed the much sort after wood carving at 25.04lb. Long story short it wasn’t until July before I came close to my impossible dream when on an over nighter I managed a very rare brace of 20lb carp. A 21lb common and a recapture of the lakes second biggest mirror of 25lb. My next trip couldn’t come around quick enough, when I got back down I set up in the middle of the lake, my mate popped down for a cuppa and out of the blue the unmistakable sight of the big mirror rolled 4 times over my hook baits. I shouted to him that’s it, that’s the one. I was buzzing for the nights action to happen but when I woke up and not a single bleep to show for my efforts I was quite gutted to pack up for work.

What happened next is probably the luckiest thing to happen to me in fishing. On the way to work the van breaks down on the A12 and hour after getting a lift back home from the AA, I was back down the lake fishing the spot the big un rolled the night before. An Hour later my single pineapple pop up was away, and after 15min battle I was greeted with the awesome sight of my impossible dream laying in my net. At a weight of 35.06lb and a very very happy angler to say the least. I just want to say thank you to the van for breaking down. How’s your luck………

Big thanks to Neil Westy for writing this article