koiguchi,s way

[Tom]

Certainly is...in my case a couple of lost runs was all i managed last time

I'm looking at targetting a few day ticket waters in Essex now just for a change to travelling all over the place

[koiguchi]

The thing is ive done a lot of time fishing this year, and nearly all at Toad Hall, and have put a lot of effort and time into the one lake.

I feel i know the lake very well, but my results on the fish front have not been terrific at all, better than a lot of people, but not good by my own standards, im 100%happy with my bait and the way ive fished bar the odd session.
Its just been one of those years, im moving to pastures new, or old in my case as i promised a mate id go back to my old syndicate next year, so i am, as he is so excited at the prospect, so i have 7 months to get these big boys on the bank, and you know what im confident some will grace my net before i call time on a very hard year, not just for me but for many across the country.

[koiguchi]

Sun 13th SEPT

Popped over toad hall for a recce, got a mate fishing a 9 day session over there, we have been keeping in touch, but he was in desperate need of a moral boost so i popped over for a chat and a look around as im joining him for his last couple of nights later on today.
So 7 nights in he has had two small cats, other anglers have had one small koi and its been chocca since fri am, what is it with this lake, its unbelievable hard this year.
Im still thinking the catfish explosion has paid a big part in the lack of carp activity.Im told the catfish being a scavenger are seeing off the carp? im told they find bait and sit on it, if they are not ready to eat and see off any fish that comes that way, including a big carp, once again a 10lb cat would see off a 30lb carp.
Dunno if thats true, but its a theory, and would explain the incredible amout of catfish coming out of the water.
Any experts on here know if this could be the case, trouble is the cats appear to eat anything, ive had the buggers on hemp, tares, tiger nuts and maize, and they love boilies lol
Of course i dont think its the only reason the carp are not playing ball, these fish like many lakes has been fished very hard over the years and this year in paticular has been very busy, with good anglers and a lot not so, seeking out that big big fish.

Well im off to try and lure that big bugger of a carp that keeps evading me later on this arvo, im quietly confident, god alone knows why

[CARPCRUNCHER]

been a long hot summer with silly high air pressure nearly throughout.

not good bottom bait fishing conditions for mr carp, which brings me on too...........have you tried zigs for them mate???????

[koiguchi]

Ive tried everything i know mate and more lol, am fishing at the mo, very wet and windy lovely conditions, but a blank night, my mate doing the long stint is suffering big time, oh deep joy.

[CARPCRUNCHER]

chin up and stick at it mate, maybe today is the day.

[Tom]

If/when I blank I always look at it as an oppertunity to learn

Always triggers something off thinking to myself, maybe i should try doing this, that, the other differently. Am i definately on the fish? is the bait to their liking/have i had fish at this venue on it before, am i applying the rig best suited to how/where i am fishing.

Maybe I read into things too much but like I said I use it as an oppertunity to look into the tactics i'm using and alter them for next time.

However mate, not really advice you need as I know how you fish after the few trips we've done, always trying new approaches.

[koiguchi]

Always good to be reminded to make sure we make the effort Tom.

Just popped home for an hour to make sure my boys ok, hes got piggy flu, oink oink.

Last night i managed to hook two fish at once(different rods) hrs and hrs of sitting and waiting and like the bloody buses they come together.
A small cat(come on own up who wasnt suprised) and another common around the 12lb mark, that was at 10pm, 1am i had a screamer line ripping off the reel, nothing there, and yup 1metre of leadcore, flying backlead, and two backleads, so i dont think it was a liner.

3am saw another screamer, and i banked another poxy cat, this time at 33lbs it was a least a decent fish.

My mates managed to persaud me do to another night tonight so now i know the boys ok im off back down there, showered and refreshed and raring to go

[koiguchi]

Im thinking of changing my forum name

MMMM

catman seems appropriate, did another nite had another couple of cats, still no big beasty carp

[koiguchi]

Sun 20th sept

late sunday afternoon, i found myself back at the colditz of the carp world, the lake was empty, mm i wonder why.Rang the owner told him i was down and where i was fishing, while my mate dropped my gear for me.Not good news, nothing out at all for the weekend anglers, and there was a party of 4 booked on for tonight, with my mate coming down later there would be 6 of us on..
I opted for the swim i fished last week, mostly cos id put some bait on the spots before i left on friday, and the anglers coming on were booked for the far end, so hopefully i would be on my own down my end.I sat watching the lake for a couple of hours, looking for something to inspire me, i saw nothing, except a hundred million ducks that seemed to now have chosen Toad hall as there home.

I took my time setting up, i was 100% on the money with all my rods, just finnished putting them in when my mate turned up, i reccomended a swim that i know hadnt been fished at all last week, and he quickly set about getting his gear stowed away.

I wandered up to his swim just as it was getting dark, to find him getting his last rod out, so while he was doing that i put his kettle on, it didnt fit so i took it off again , and made a cuppa, we just sat down to enjoy the brew, when he had a bleep from his delkim, we both looked up in time to see the bobin hit the rod butt and the rodtip pulled round and the delkim screamed.After a battle of some 20 to 30 mins i managed to slip the net....just under an enormous looking catfish, we both estimated 60lbs plus, we struggled together to hold the scales up onto a branch to get a weight, and we were both suprised to see a recorded weight of only 52lbs, it looked far bigger than the one he had the other week, photos done, we released the beast, which was no mean feat due to the low water levels.
What a great start for my mate, my mate made a fresh brew, i took mine back to my rods with me as i walked a few steps towards my swim, i heard a bleep, i took a few more steps and the bleeps turned into a one toner, i yelled at my mate im in, i hobbled, rolled and crawled the 60 yards or so to my swim, my mate was there before me, urging me on, i leaned into my rod, and a powerful surge stripped line, another poxy cat............ i was cream crackerd already and the cat didnt help it gave me a tremendous scrap, if i had lost it id have said a good 50 plus, my mate netted and weighted her up at 28lbs and released her for me.
I sat for an hour, before putting the rod back out, thank god for my bait boat, i was happy she was on the money lining her up with the trees in the distance.
It was now 8.30pm and i collapsed into my chair, my mate came down to check if i was ok and be bought me some medicine down to speed my recovery, the beer went straight to my head lol what a lightweight, we chatted for a bit, and he went back to his swim, i was truly exahausted so i rolled into my bed and was out like a light.....................

Bloody noise what the hell is that, as i struggled to come to terms with where i was.............. the penny fell.. i was out of my bed like grease lightening... yeah yeah ok but i got there and yup i was away again, The catman strikes again, no dramas, straight into my net, a cat around 10lbs i unhooked her in the net and let her go.My mate heard the take and came down to see if i needed a hand, so he put the kettle on while i put the rod out again, once again i was chuffed with my positioning and very confident, it was a very warm night, i checked my phone it was 12.30am.
Tea drunk my mate went back to his swim and i retired to bed, i couldnt sleep now, eventually i got up and sat out in the gorgeous warm still night, i heard a buzzer go, and wandered up to my mates swim, he had just lost one, i made my way back to my swim and one of the fellas from the other side came round asking about bait, as none of them had a thing and they had heard our takes, i gave him a handful of the supremes, just as he was leaving, my middle rod bobin rose up and inch and stopped, a minute or so later she started to drop, i hit her straight away and the rod bent double and line ripped from my reel, mmmmm its a big boy i thought to myself, the fella stayed with me, and grabbed the net, after a fantastic battle which included the fish taking me behind and island in a circle then coming out again the same way pheew!!!!!! some 40 minutes in my hooklenght gave way, she was gone.The fella bade me night as he scurried off to put my bait on his rigs, i was left standing there a physical wreck, i leant the rod against the bivvy and fell into bed............................................... ...............

I awoke with a start, sat up... wot woke me, scanned the rods, all ok, ok back to sleep it was still dark,................ nuts i needed a pee now, mid flow and you guessed it, i was left helpless as i watched my rod bending like mental the snag rod was away..... at long last i leant into the fish, oh deep joy another cat, i glanced at my phone 5.30am, after a few hairy moments and a great battle a great big head rose to meet the spreader block, i lifted the net and put the rod down, took a deep breath, and started to spread the net to look at my prize, suddenly i was aware of my rod sliding towards the water, i dropped the net and grabbed the rod, the bloody thing had swum back out of the net, another 15 minutes in, and i was tiring rapidly, i reached for my fone and .... Called a friend..., but before he got to me the fish gave me another chance, and i managed to get him in at the second attempt, my mate did the honours, we both estimated a 40lbs plus fish, so i got the camera out, but on the scales she went 32lbs, once again the fish looked way bigger than it was, so i didnt bother taking pics, its not me being blassay, its just i have hundreds of catfish photos, so av settled on not taking pics of anything under 40lbs, i have my memorys and my mate to share my moments of glory, thats all i need.

8am the baylif woke me, we were chatting and he said he had just spotted a big cat sitting in the back of the marginal reeds with a hooklenght hanging out of his gob, he took me round for a look, yup im sure that was my hooklenght, a very distinct hooklenght i use i proceded to tell him my story of the night....The cat sitting at the back of the reeds we estimated at 7ft long, and i was being conservative, because of my weights of the big catfish i have seen lately have been wrong, the baylif was adamant it was a minimum of 8ft.

My mate lost a couple in the night, the other guys blanked, i did the monday day in another swim to no avail, monday night saw the lake full and with it our chances went imo, and this am i awoke to a blank night, although my mate managed to wriggle out a small common as we were leaving.All the other fellas blanked.

Dont know when im fishing again as i have a busy week next weekl, but bring on the colder weather so these bloody noddys dont come out to play and the poxy cats go to sleep.