stokecarper12

I fished last weekend on the saturday. I spent from first light driving a round looking for areas to fish on the various rivers i am looking at, at the moment. Access is a real issue as some quiet areas of the main roads either have no features or are so reed and sedge lined so far out. You just cannot get into the water to fish the area. One of the rivers was upm and looked more like drinking chocolate, which i did not fancy. One area i had looked at a few months a go, which i really fancied has now been bollared off. So there is no parking near it and you are not allowed to park any where near walking distance to it. i settled on an area further up stream, which was actually 3 to 4 feet from the week before. The area was or looked good on the far margin as there was alot of overhanging trees and a small weed bed and 6 feet of water. With there been 8 feet of water in the middle, with quite a muddy bottom. The margins there was old stumps, a sedge bed and a overhanging tree. I float fished on the bottom, lying on the bottom by a foot. I fed maize, mashed bread and seeds and fished bread and sweetcorn on the hook. I bait rocketed maize over to the far margin a bout a kilo or so. + legered maize over the top. For the first 5 hours i had, had 1 bite on the leger rod and saw a few small carp top out. Towards 5p.m some carp moved in and i started to get bites on the leger rod. I got plagued by false bites and lifts on the float. Some which i missed on the strike. It was just one of those frustrating days, when things don't really come together. I managed 10 carp to 4lbs and lost 7 carp and missed a million false bites. The only fish to raise my spirits a nice mirror a rarity. I did not fish sunday afternoon as planned today i went and took the map and we3nt and had a look a round various areas a round the river up and down stream. To try and find some new areas to fish to catch that elusive twenty. For now tight lines

CARP from saturday 8.12lbs Carp 9.8lbs Not the best of photos low light and the flash kicked in.

I have fished two days this weekend, with both been afternoon to towards dark. Today i fished the river near to where i fished last weekend. The conditons were pretty6 good with and air tempreture a round 25.oc and quite overcast, but with a good gusty wind. This really made presentation with the float very difficult. So i ended fishing float leger on the bottom. With the rain this week thew river was up at least a meter or so. The wind was in the total opposite direction to last week, which made putiing floaters out hard and really i could not get the freebies out to where i wanted them to attract fish in. One this rod i had a few lifts on the float, but nothing really to strike at. On the leger i sat for 5 hours, with only a few tremours on the rod tip. I then a small a mount of fish ain a half hour spell. With 4 fished landed the biggest going 3 lbs and lost 2 fish to hook pulls. Which were the better fish of the day. Saturday i fished where i had been fishing over the winter i had baited areas in the week and fed out floaters. With a good wind blowing from behind me out into the lake. I manged to present floaters on the top and under the float as well as float fish on the bottom. I fished until dark and had the best days carping in terms of numbers over here. landing 37 carp to 9.8lbs, with quite a lot of fish in the 5 to 7lbs bracket. I also lost 13 fish, through hook pulls trieing to hold fish off the sedges and 1 fish getting the other side of a reed bed and getting stuck. I think unless i fish a lake stuffed to the hilt with carp this number of carp will take some beating as really i did not stop putting bait out and changing presentation like a matchman for 8 hours. So today i have a very stiff back and an aching right arm. As the carp really fought hard and did not want to get landed. The fish wer in good condition. I bettered my personal; best off that water to 8.12lbs and then 9.8lbs. I am still hoping for a double off there or a twenty. At the end of tonight i had a decent carp on the river head and shoulder over my legered baits. I put bait out and sat there, but the fish moved up stream. I would have put floaters to it, but the wind was to strong coming into my bank.

Carp 10lbs other side Carp 10.7lbs on the float Fully scaled off the river

Fished today the first day all week with no rain or thunder. The tempreture has been up the last 3 days over 30. So 22 to 24 and overcast and a good wind was great feeding conditions today. I fished a new area and river today and finally after getting through the under growth i found a decent swim i had looked at few months a go. I legered down a margin into 6 feet of water near to overhanging trees and a good weed bed out from the margins. The other rod i float legered and fish up in the water. After feeding out floaters. I did not fish to dark as really, i had had enough and really the small fish had moved in and i can always fish it again. Finally after a lot of months and a 100 + carp or more i managed a double today. Well 2 at 10.0lbs and 10.7lbs, so i am hoping that i have found some bigger fish finally. I also managed a fully scaled off the river the first i have had off a river not massive, but makes a change from a common. I think today will take some beating for a while in all i landed 16 fish to 10.7lbs, with thew bulk of the fish been a pound to 4lbs mark. I pulled out of 7 fish with 3 fish running me right across the river, i saw fish they were 6 to 7lbs. 10.0lbs carp on the leger

Not fished much other than last weekend i managed dinner time to dark on a new stretch of river. I fished a beautiful classic looking swim under a big old eucalyptis tree and float fished the other rod to an overhanging tree. The river had quiet a bit of water and push on it. So bigger leads were the order of the day. The first i fished i managed 1 bite on the float and a bang round on the leger rod, which led to nothing. I saw one fish crash way out into the river and another fish head shoulder in margins right by my float. I tried another swim further up and float fished in 7 feet of water. The other rod i covered the far margin with even a 2.oz bomb, i was struggling to hold the bottom. I cast out and bounced the bait under a tree canopy, which looked a banker for a bite; but nothing happend. Other than a massive thunder storm, the worst mosquitos i have known for ages and seeing a snake zig zag across the river and into the reeds under my rods. To top the day off after getting a hard cast under the trees a boat came along with a water ski guy on the back at 2 million kms a hour, which [censored]ed any chance of fishing. I am not running back to this stretch of river quite yet as you can gather.

Been looking a round a fare bit, but not really seeing a lot of fish. Or the size i am after to fish for. I have been out on the mitchel a bit, but saw no fish a round, but the weather has been a bit up and down. I went out today to bait up and have a look at a few lakes one was quiet and only a few carp showing at range the other lake there was lots of carp showing. Mainly in pods eating all the new weed, which had come up in the last few weeks. As well As well as looking a round all the sedges, the water levels are slowly starting to drop on these lakes bringing the acerage down a bit. Giving me more chance to get to a bigger fish. Not a great photo, but i have a new camera so i am just learning it. A pod of carp

Trying to get down finally what i have being doing fishing the last month or so. I have done a lot of fishing due to work commitments. I fised a few weeks a go on a big morass area off a big peice of water. I searched this bay area 100acres+ using a kayake to look a round. I did not disturb one fish. After covering a lot of water, i only put a float rod in for a few hours, a round a few likely areas. Fishing worm for no bites. The week after i fished a river, but looking a round most of th areas had obviously been heavily fished. I did not see any carp a round these areas. I looked further down the river, but most areas were the same, the tracks had 4x4 marks on them and camp fires and scales everywhere. I found one area which was more overgrown, there was some carp about i float fished and trotted down worm. I managed 10 carp, but nothing really big. Melbourne cup day i went and had alook at a few ponds and lakes as well as a few rivers. The day was pretty dull, so i could not see any fish, but found a few really good pegs. So hopefully when i have a bit more time i will fish these areas. Last sunday i fished a new lake which is 10 to 15 hectares in size. i managed 8 to 10 bites on the float. Fishing in 3 feet of water. I only hit one fish a carp of 4lbs. I saw some other fish a round, nothing big. I thinki thi9s lake has got the potential to throw something decent up. It is hard to fish as the access a round the lake is very limited and some of the bigger fish i have seen have been at range. I think single hookbaits and a good chuck and big pop ups will be the order of the day. I have baited this lake twice this week, so hopefully i can get a few hours in onthe weekend. I had a look a round a few lakes today, there was alot of carp milling a round feeding on the the edge of rocks on the weed. I spotted carp to 8lbs and nothing really over this. Hopefully when the full summer comes this lakes water level will go down and push the bigger carp into to the silty rocky areas to sift on the silt giving me a chance to stalk the bigger fish. Or else there is just to many small carp to work through. What i need is more time to fish. tight lines for now and hopefully next time i will have some photos of some big fish hopefully.

Certaintly not a great rod bending day on the river. It felt like a ghost town, no fish moving or rolling. I had one run this morning after spodding a kilo of particles out the carp was a light coloured fish of 2lbs. Other than twice the float ran across the surface and i struck into nothing and one slight drop back that was it for day. A windy just no rain which was good. I am going to try down stream next time as the area i fished looked fished and i have a feeling the fish could have had some stick to get my drift. Has anyone caught over the weekend? tight lines andy

I've been around a few rivers and big lakes this afternoon after work. Mainly to look at shallow morass type areas to see if i could see any carp moving in before spawing. I did not see one fish not to mean they were not there. Just that the weather tempreture has gone down from 24 to 27.oc last week to 16.oc this and with two none stop days of rain on wednesday and friday and the battering winds it must have put the carp down a bit. I baites a few patches on a river the water was up, but not really high. Hopefully the bait will draw something in, a full day at it tomorrow will see. for now tight lines andy

Long time or it feels like a long time since i last put anything down on the screen. I fished for the first time last sunday only for the afternoon as my time is limited at the moment. For 2 nights after work i had baited 4 or 5 kilos of particles and the conditions were perfect the wind was running from behind out to where i fish. Buy sunday a big gusty wind had got up and was doing it's best to blow me off the water. I percivered, but i could not get any bait out by catapult and i had left my bait rockets at home. Normally i drift out bread and mixers on the wind and get the carp going from down stream and from some of the more snaggier areas. On this day it was not to be. I made the best of it and cast out every 5 minutes with a heavily waited float with the line sunk and the rod tip on the bottom. To keep the float out longer, i managed one fish on the is set up fishing a foot under the surface. On the near side rod, where i had baited for two days i fished, mashed bread, chickpeas, oats, boilie crumb, maize and other particles. On a 5 swan shot float i could only just hold bottom. I reverted to float legering with a 5/8.oz leger and fishing the float at 3 feet with 8 inches on the bottom. This seemed to do the trick as the float held in the silty water and the bites were brilliant sail away bites. Which i did miss a few and pull out of one fish after a tug of war a round the post. After finally getting the fish a round the post the fish made one last lunge for the post and the line went slack. I ended up with 6 fish on this rod with the smallest i have from this water ranging from 8.oz to 5lbs. I had one final fish on the other rod, which picked up the float buried it and took line off the reel like i had a hooked a log in a flooded river. This fish ran like a tiger everywhere and took my rod right over, i thought i had hooked my first double from this water. It was not to be and i got the fish near the net is was a fish of 5lbs, it must just have liked to fight hard. I have baited the last few nights, different spots and a new pool i am going to have a go off. I am finally going to get back on running water on sunday for the first time for months and have a go for a bigger carp hopefully. Hopefully good reports and bigger carp to follow tight lines andy

Basic rigs ling aligners and popped up maize i use on a few venues with 2 to 4.oz leads. I fish this either straight off the lead or a couple of inches above the free bait.

Not fished much over the last few weeks due to work comittments and other things. I went the weekend before last and fished most of the day and ended up with 14 fish to 6lbs and lost a few as well. The weather was everywhere on the day, as we had ahad alot of rain in the week the water level had come up and the water was quite murky. The wind was everwhere one minute blowing from the bank out to some of the reeds/sedges and then turning a round and blowing straight back into my face. This made bait placement tricky and trying to get free bait ie floaters to drift out was nearly impossible due to the wind piking up and sending the floater baits everywhere. Some of the fish have started to wise up and were just grabbing hold of the bait making a mere quiver on the float and then letting go. I managed 6 fish and lost one on the marginal rod, which i have been baiting for a good while. The water is very shallow and the fish spook very easily and then take ages to drift back into the swim. By changing my baiting strategy to baiting for 3 to 4 days on the trot using less bait each time. Instead off putting in 2 big loads twice a week, this first policy seems to have given the fish more confidence and seeing bait most days has given them the confidence to visit the area more often. Instead of getting there heads down twice a week and then [censored]ing off. I am still having problems presenting a bait to the fish on the marginal rod though, it does not seem to matter if i fish a foot on the bottom, or right on the bottom or mid depth or even boucing the bait along the bottom the fish sppok on the float and don't always take the bait successfully. I have tried legering this spot, but it makes no difference, i get the odd pull on the tip and the carp lets go. I know some are line bites even though i sinbk the line to the bottom and on ocassions i sink the rod tip to the bottom. I have to fish the line to the left of me on a right angle as i cannot cast direct becasue of a big sedge reed bed. On the next trip i only fished a few hours due to fishing after work. The conditions were not perfect and fishing was frustating i managed 6 fish and lost 1, but just could get the fish going. As the wind was everywhere and i could not any floating baits out. So i could not get the fishes confidence up by them taking more bait over time so the fish were wary. What few fish were a round. Fish were taking beetles which there is a vast amount at the moment in this area. I have started to use pocket rockets to bait up with at more range than a catapult can get the bait out. I am using these smaller rockets as they less disturbance when actually fishing to the fish. It does seem to disturb the fish as much and they are soon back in the swim the down side is they do not deliver alot of bait and normally and to get the distance to where i am fishing i need to attach a lead to get the rocket out there. I lost fish of 10lbs mark on the first of these sessions two rod lengths out, it is the bihhest fist i have hook from this venue. I have looked at a few rivers this last weekend with the thought of fishing them in early spring. Hopefully by then the water levels will be going down and the rivers will be a little clearer and i can see the better fish. Bait rockets and catapults used.

I have been fishing twice this week once for a short after work session. Fishing dusk and few hours in in which i had 3 carp and today, which i fished sun up to mid aftrenoon. The weather was beautiful today for sun bathing, not really perfect for fishing to bright and still to start with and the wind got up this afternoon and was pushing in to my bank making float fishing and presenting a bait like this hard. I resorted to paternostring a bait under the float and fishing in the margins leger style. I had 14 fish to 8lbs today and lost 2, with the fish coming off on the close in rod. The weather really made presentation very hard and i could not trot the float down stream or down the wind, which is the killer tactic on this venue. I can't complain with the amount of fish and i had my best fish from the water so far 8lbs not a whopper, but a bit bigger.

One of those days today when everything comes togetther. Even though baiting a few times in the week did not equate to alot more fish. It rained on saturday i had planned to fish but was to knackered from a busy work morning. The weather friday had been really mild from what the weather has been the last few weeks. Counter that with rain and equates for the fish getting there heads down to feed or it does in my experience. I used two rods today and fished close in on the float i got some carp to come in after half an hour, but they were really spooky and would only take a fairly sensitive float to not even down to make the red disappear. I had 1 fish and lost 1 at the net on the float. I changed over to light leger to put the line across the bottom as the carp would come in bounce the float up and down once or twice and then spook and bow wave out of the swim. On the other rod i fed bread and mixers out on the wind and fished the float. I had 15 carp on this rod and lost one and missed quite a few bites as the fish had only just got the bait in there mouths. I had to fish at the limit of the casting range of my rod and float combo. Only the light tonight stopped me from fishing on as i could not see the gfloat this is my best catch from this water and for a good while. The biggest fish i had was 7.2lbs, but i did see a carp over double figures taking flies on the surface, but i could not get the bait and float out to the fish and then it disappeared. A great day and i glad i went in the rain as the afternoon was beautiful and really i could have done 20 to 25 carp today, i just could not converyt quite a lot of the bites and when i missed them it moved the fish further out and made them more spooky!

It would be hard to step the gear down to much. May be down to 10lbs line and a bit lighter rod, but really i need a good sturdy rod. I am not sure of the test curve i bought them from kmart years a go when i was on the carp trail over here. They are only 10ft 6 (like richard walkers mark 4's) of old, but they are perfect for medium range carping and playing decent size fish. I have used my 2lbs testcurve old shakespeare over here, the carp take some getting in on them even though i had fish to 30lbs in the past in the u.k. I am not sure the ratio of fish there is defentily quite a few doubles as i have seen them in the brighter days, when the carp are up right in the top layers. I guess my plan is that once the fish are moving about near the surface more and the sun is stronger i can pick out the bigger fish and cast to them. I am sure or hope i can get instant takes as the fish are well onto the bait. Or to put it another way the areas i am baiting and the fish that are moving in and out of there are well onto the bait. Going to increase baiting to try and draw more fish in and build up confidence, working on the theroy of catching more fish and hopefully dropping on a double.

I fished the weekend 2 afternoons after work for 15 fish to 7lbs hard work to catch them though and really the size is not great. It is a good area for catching carp through the winter, but just not for catching a big one.

Fished today not until aftrernoon due to work. Hardly any fish a round to begin with fish my banker peg. I had 4 bites just take the rod end a round a bit, as i was just to tired to stand up and touch leger today. I struck 2 bites and landed one fish a round 6lbs. I could see fish jumping out and pods or shoals of fish rising to the surface. I float fished out as far as i could chuck and drifted to them on the wind. The carp must have been concentrated and eating something small ie like daphnia back home in the U.k I counted over 60 fish move in to a back bay area, it was frustrating fish, they would come up and mess with the float, but would not accept any bait. I managed by trying different baits and brining the bait up in the water and chucking past the fish and slow drwering back on them to get a few edgy bites, which i missed. I noticed some fish head and shouldering and moving with more intent and kind of cruising towards broken sedges and reeds floating in the water and sucking bugs from them. I cast and waited i managed another 5 fish so a better end to hard aftrenoon. There was no sign of any fish anywhere else where you can normally see some close. Strange really as today you would think it was perfect conditions a perfect blue sky, just a bit of wind and no rain and alot warmer. Shows the fish don't always play ball. A fish from today about 6 lbs the best from the 6.

It is js just finding the spawning sites on a few of the rivers, lakes can be easier head for for the shallow morass type areas if they have water in. Defentily where i am fishing at the moment is like that, i could not buy a bite when the temp was over 30 the carp lay there tenting almost and would not even accept a moving bait.

Early march time

I think i would have to have a go. They look to good to miss plenty of surface baits first and slip in after dark. Is there houses close by i guess? Don't know about the fishing potential for the weekend it is 16 to 18 and then storms are coming through and bucketing rain down at the moment. Still go though going to bait up tomorrow, bought some more maize in the week so got that on the go at the moment.

wrong photo clicked on same place.

Lake Boga i saw fish cruising on here i just could not buy a bite.

Lake Boga last time i fished it. Does anyone know the potential of this lake. Send to my messages if so.

Beautiful proportioned carp just like the old wildies that used to be in the u.k.