The Sessions - April 2023
Crucians & Tench
I finished last month on the rivers closing date of 14 March following the end of a fantastic season with some brilliant fishing. Life took a very sad twist and I spent the rest of March supporting and being with Julie.
1 April 2023 – Johnsons Lake, Marsh Farm
With Johnsons closing on 15 April until 15 June I had a short window to get three sessions in before the close, Julie was happy for me to go so I drove down in the afternoon in the pouring rain and very strong winds. I arrived mid-afternoon and was surprised to find so few people on the lake despite the awful weather. We’d had lots of rain and mild weather and it was pouring as I walked round to the area I wanted to be, the banks were really muddy, and some swims were very difficult to set up in due to the mud and flooding in the swim. My first-choice swim was taken, the second was a mud bath so I went in my third-choice next door and set up for a 16:00 start. The wind was up to 45 mph and hammering into the area, so I felt very confident as I got the shelter up.
For new readers I’ll re-cap on my set up, my mainline is 6 pound breaking strain, I use a 1m leader made from a sinking 20 pound braid, a 35g method feeder, a short 2 and half inch braid hooklink to a size 14 hook with fake casters on a hair, a rig that is very reliable and doesn’t let me down. I wrapped the rods to 10 wraps and put six spombs of hemp and caster on the spot and cast out the feeders with the intention of rebaiting them every two hours.
The Tench moved in on the bait at 19:35 and over the next four hours I had 10 Tench to 6-10 and a small Carp and the wind and rain didn’t stop, it was relentless and had come through my coat, fortunately I had a spare in the van which helped keep my clothes as dry as possible. The next bite felt like a Crucian and I played it in carefully and it went in the net first time and was a cracker for the first one of Spring at 3-15. The other rod went and I had another Tench so decided to reel in for the night as the rain was hammering down.
2 April 2023
I overslept and woke up at 07:00, it was still pouring with rain but the wind had dropped a bit making it a little more comfortable to stand there with the spomb rod and I put 6 spombs of mix on the spot.
I had a Tench quite quickly and then mid-morning the first Crucian of the day at exactly 3-00, which was followed by another Tench. The rain finally stopped by midday, it was great conditions, mild, cloudy with an air pressure of 1006 mb.
It was mid-afternoon before I had another take, but it was worth it with a stunning Crucian that was like a new penny at 3-14.
I topped the spot up at 17:00 with another 6 spombs of mix, the sky had cleared, and it had cooled right down. The evening wasn’t as busy as the last one but I had another 5 Tench before midnight.
3 April 2023
The cloud came again at midnight, and it started to felt warmer so I decided to leave the rods out for the night, the next bite came quite quickly and was another Tench at 6-13.
I didn’t get a bite for four hours and then had I had a double take, the first was a Tench and the other a Common at exactly 25-00 that gave the light set up a good test.
30 minutes later I hooked another Carp that after a long fight broke the 6 pound hooklink. I tried spombing water over the spot to scare the Carp away but wasn’t getting a big enough splash so tried spombing mix over the top, it didn’t work and I had another Common at 18+.
I carried on until 10:30 without another take but was very happy with 20 Tench, 3 Carp and 3 Crucians to start my Spring fishing.
6 April 2023 – Johnsons Lake, Marsh Farm.
The weather had changed again and been cold and frosty for a few days with easterly winds, but the long-range forecast had got it wrong and it changed again in time for this session with more rain and south westerly winds.
I had a guide session planned with Steve Pepperrall and wanted to ensure we got the right swims so I drove down arriving in the early hours to find the car park busy and most of the better swims taken. There was one free in a good area so I set my bivvy up and went to sleep, if I couldn’t get a swim next door or reasonably close, I decided I wouldn’t fish for 24 hours and just sit with Steve. I got up at 05:30 to have a look round and found the swim next door would be free by lunchtime so I put some tackle behind the swim and went to meet Steve who arrived as planned shortly afterwards. Steve got his swim set up and then I talked through location and approach and helped him set his rigs up, I put 6 spombs of mix on his spot and he was fishing by 10:00.
Steve’s first bite came within two hours and it was a great start and PB Tench at 6-03.
I got my swim set up for 13:30, put 6 spombs of mix on the spot and cast out the feeders, within an hour I had a Tench at 5+ and then it started to rain heavily for two hours, when it stopped I had a 6+ male Tench. Two hours later at 17:50 I had a take on my left hand rod and landing an absolutely stunning Crucian at 4-03, we did some photos and a bit of filming just before a hail storm that started as I was putting the fish back.
Steve had a take in the hail and landed another 6+ Tench, we recast all the rods and I topped up both spots with another 5 spombs of mix. Steve then had another three Tench, a 4+, another PB at 6-11 and then a massive fish for Johnsons and another PB at 7-15 making him very happy.
7 April 2023
The night was cold and clear and I didn’t get another bite, Steve faired a lot better with another four Tench and a PB Crucian at 3-00 to make it a great session for him. I was up at 05:20 and topped up both areas, when the sun broke through it was warm, sunny and clear with no wind. I had another Crucian at 2-08 but it was a very slow morning and Steve left at midday very happy with 8 Tench and a Crucian with PB’s in both species, and we have made plans for other trips later this year.
The rest of the day was very slow with another three Tench and a 1-08 Rudd slipping up in the evening.
8 April 2023
I fished through the night but it was cold and clear and very still with only two small Tench tripping up. The morning was thick fog and I had another 6+ Tench while the gear was drying out to finish another great session for this time of year.
11 April 2023 – Johnsons Lake, Marsh Farm
With only four days left until the lake closed I knew it was going to be busy so kept in touch with two friends that were already fishing on the lake, I wanted to do three days and two nights but wanted to get back in the same swim so was trying to plan arriving when it was free. I got the break I needed when I got a whatsapp message from Matt late evening on 10th to say a day angler was just leaving so I packed the van ready for an early drive down. I arrived in the early hours, set the bivvy up and went to sleep and got up at first light to set the swim up. The level of the lake was up again after lots more rain and the swims very muddy but with it being so close to closing the lake was busy. The forecast was very strong winds and rain so I double pegged the bivvy to keep it in place. My pal Tony was in the swim next door so it was going to be a good end to the Johnsons season even if we didn’t catch. I got baits out for 08:45 and put 6 spombs of hemp and caster on the spot.
The rain was non-stop and the wind hammering into the swim, so I was surprised not to get any bites as although uncomfortable the conditions were good. I topped up the spot at 18:00 and had my first bites just into dark, a Tench and a Perch.
12 April 2023
The wind finally dropped a little at midnight and it stopped raining and within an hour I had the first Crucian of the trip at a high 2. That was the only bite of the night and I topped the spot up again at 06:00.
The day was awful with heavy rain and 50 mph winds hammering into the swim and it took the bivvy out of the ground on three occasions, the wind was gusty and changeable and blew the rain inside the bivvy making it very wet and uncomfortable fishing. I didn’t get a bite all day and sat there hanging onto the shelter most of the day. I managed to top up the spot again at 18:00 in the pouring rain with the wind dropping enough for me to be confident the bivvy was ok.
I had four bites in a two hour window between 20:20 and 22:20, two Tench, one that I should of weighed but just didn’t want to in the pouring rain, and two Crucians, one at 2-15 and another that was between 3-05 and 3-10, I’ll never know as I followed my usual practice of maximizing the feeding spell by unhooking the fish and putting it in the landing net in the edge, and recasting the rod as quickly as possible. It all went well until I saw the Crucian swim over the top of the net and slowly away while I stood watching it in the torch light……..
I had two more Tench in the night, the rain cleared enough for the bivvy to dry by 10:30 and with no more bites I took the opportunity to pack up with dry kit and head home. Spring fishing for Crucians can be a challenge but it’s one I really enjoy and the chance of a really big fish is always there, if only we could fish into May when they really pack the weight on, a 5+ would be a real possibility.
28 April 2023 – Rosewater.
After a good weekend at home and a long stretch at work I was desperate to get out on the bank again and rushed home from work, did a food run, packed the van and drove to Rosewater arriving at 19:45 just before the gates closed. Straight away I knew it would be tough the lake was very busy and all my favourite swims were taken, I drove onto the meadow bank and looked across to the road bank to see a lot of cars and vans, due to the light it was hard to see bivvies but with the number of vehicles it looked too busy to drive round….that proved to be a mistake.
I drove along the meadow bank and set up in a swim I’ll call the double stump for obvious reasons as it has two stumps where the trees have been cut down. I hadn’t fished this one before but knowing the lake quite well I had a good idea where the main feature would be, I checked with the Deeper first and then a bare lead and found the clear gravelly area at 8 wraps. Due to rushing around my hemp was still frozen so I spombed out half a pint of casters, a tin of corn and half a kg of 12mm Pandemic. I’d decided after last season’s struggles on the lake I would fish a boilie approach as the carpers catch quite a few and my bigger ones had come to boilie, that was my second mistake….
I set up three rigs on 70g method feeders, a 4 inch braid hooklink to a size 10 hook, I baited all with a Pandemic wafter, with two tipped with fake corn to lift it up slightly over the hook, clipped them up and cast out just into dark and I could finally relax.
29 April 2023
The night was quiet but I woke up to a stunning sunrise and red sky at 05:15, I lay in the bag watching the swim and saw a couple roll so felt I had a chance, 40 minutes later the rod with no corn melted off and I landed the first Tench of the session at 7-01.
I left it 45 mins before recasting not wanting to disturb the swim and then recast all three rods and topped the swim up with 6 spombs of hemp, caster, corn and boilies. It was warm with light cloud and a breeze causing a ripple on the water, it looked good and I fully expected more takes.
By lunchtime I’d had nothing and not seen anymore roll. I text my pal Busta to find he had driven down and was on the road bank finishing a feature for Drennan, hence all the cars, and he’d been doing rather well. He told me there was plenty of swims free and to drive round, it seemed a no brainer so I packed the van and moved round setting up in one of my favourite swims that had been free all along. We had a good catch up and without giving away his session as that is his storey I made mistake three by not going to the shop for bait, “no I’ll catch them on my boilie approach” and I went to set up my swim.
The feature was slightly further out at 10 wraps but I went through my normal approach of spombing out 10 loads of mix to get started and casting out the method feeders. I topped up the spot again at 18:00 and expected takes through the night, as it looked perfect with a light wind blowing onto the area we were fishing.
30 April 2023
I had one take at 05:10 that was clearly a decent Tench and after a short while the hook pulled, it wasn’t weeded up and was coming in nicely, it was just one of those unlucky occasions.
I carried on until mid-morning without another take, Busta on the other hand did pretty well, but it was good enjoyable session as I learnt some valuable lessons, I should have driven round and checked when I arrived and I should have come better prepared with a variety of bait, both I won’t fall for again. It was good to see Busta and we have made plans chasing a variety of species for this summer and autumn and will both hopefully have tales to tell.
Until next month, tight lines and be lucky 😃
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