commonly Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 So, I've now secured a ticket on 200+ acre reservoir. In search of a fresh new challenge. I plan to spend a few years getting to know the place. I am now starting to panic!! My fishing up to now has been on fairly small intimate waters. 3-9 & 15 acres is the largest. The manager told me there's no particular spots due to the rise and fall of the water over the year. I'm also led to believe that the carp are mainly at mid water. Known to regurgitate fry upon capture?? Adjustable zig is my thought, although I'm not very confident in my use of them to date, I intend to hone that in the near future. I've got shimano 10000 bait runners, which I am now thinking need to be replaced by big pits?? If a biggy takes off, I'm worried I'd run out of line!! I'm not so sure I will be able to see fish showing, due to the chop on the water. I will obviously ask whoever for any information, but should I try to find features in the coves or fill in a few spots of the dam??? All and any advice appreciated gents! yonny and Carpmaster 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Paws Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 I'm not claiming to be experienced on such a daunting task but I remember watching a Terry Hearn video on the rarely caught 30 where for weeks he went to the lake but didn't even take the rods, just a bit of bait, a notebook and binoculars. First light is always a good time and I remember taking the dog on a walk around my local lake at 4:30 am one summer morning and was amazed at the amount of activity (note to oneself, do it more often!) If it's local, definitely try to catch it at a time of optimum shows or else you could be camping for months. Other than that, a baiting campaign might be worth trying. Good Luck. commonly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 I'm no expert either tbh, I've never really ventured onto a Big water, I think the key would be to not change too much to begin with and adapt as you need too, If it was me I would probably just walk it and try and find them and then regularly feed a couple of likely spots and hope they keep visiting 😁 Have a look at the Carl and Alex reservoir diaries they may prove quite useful 👍 Good luck though sounds interesting, what's the stock like? commonly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commonly Posted May 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 4 minutes ago, elmoputney said: what's the stock like? Average is in the 20's, several 30's & a few lumps, not seen for a while!!! I don't think it's a runs water by any stretch, but the manager, put in about a 1000 early doubles a few years back. One he recognised on the bank last year was up to mid 20's. He tells me the they give a good account for themselves 😊 First weekender at the end of the month. I can't wait elmoputney, crusian and B B 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 Don't panic dude. I have experience with res fishing, you'll love it. 12 hours ago, commonly said: The manager told me there's no particular spots due to the rise and fall of the water over the year. I'm also led to believe that the carp are mainly at mid water. Known to regurgitate fry upon capture?? Adjustable zig is my thought, although I'm not very confident in my use of them to date, I intend to hone that in the near future. First thing to do is completely ignore the advice of the manager (imo). Carp go where and do what they want. They may well feed mid water on fry from time to time but that is not how you should try to catch them imo. Carp are carp, and they like food (i.e. bait), so you should start with the method you're confident in. If that doesn't work start thinking about why it's not working and change accordingly. 12 hours ago, commonly said: I've got shimano 10000 bait runners, which I am now thinking need to be replaced by big pits?? If a biggy takes off, I'm worried I'd run out of line!! 10000 BRs will be fine mate (assuming you can hit your spots), you'll not run out of line, they are just normal carp in a bigger water. 12 hours ago, commonly said: I'm not so sure I will be able to see fish showing, due to the chop on the water. You will defo see them showing mate, but you might have to look harder. Basically you should approach it like any other water. First thing is to find them, don't even bother setting up unless you've done so or the blanks will soon mount up and you'll lose your head. Once you've found them, fish for them like you would any other carp. If you get the very basics right you will catch them. Don't over-complicate it. If over time you find they frequent certain areas, you can start pre-baiting and get good results very quickly. Have fun. commonly and dayvid 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpepecheur Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 (edited) I fish a local reservoir 2 Km long. It is difficult to find any features. However, there is a very steep bank which flattens off at the bottom. In my lake the carp (and bream😒) tend to follow the bottom of the slope parallel to the bank. I found that a huge amount of pre-baiting along this line makes fishing it relatively easy. Edited May 18, 2020 by carpepecheur yonny and commonly 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayvid Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 I think yonny has just about summed it up , If you can climb trees so much the better for spotting . yonny and commonly 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salokcinnodrog Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 18 hours ago, commonly said: So, I've now secured a ticket on 200+ acre reservoir. In search of a fresh new challenge. I plan to spend a few years getting to know the place. I am now starting to panic!! My fishing up to now has been on fairly small intimate waters. 3-9 & 15 acres is the largest. The manager told me there's no particular spots due to the rise and fall of the water over the year. I'm also led to believe that the carp are mainly at mid water. Known to regurgitate fry upon capture?? Adjustable zig is my thought, although I'm not very confident in my use of them to date, I intend to hone that in the near future. I've got shimano 10000 bait runners, which I am now thinking need to be replaced by big pits?? If a biggy takes off, I'm worried I'd run out of line!! I'm not so sure I will be able to see fish showing, due to the chop on the water. I will obviously ask whoever for any information, but should I try to find features in the coves or fill in a few spots of the dam??? All and any advice appreciated gents! Join the club! Ok, I have fished a few reservoirs over the years, so I'll try to give my best advice, but it will be long winded. Your tackle, 10000's will be fine, but bear in mind with 0.35mm 15lb line you will probably be looking at casting no more than 90metres. You may need to down the line size, possibly to 10lb and a shockleader to get any further, or as your other option, get Big Pit reels. Believe it or not, most of my reservoir fish have come at less than 100 metres range, in fact many within 50metres. As much time looking and walking as you can, usually I spend around hours looking certain areas even before I start. The shape of the reservoir can make a difference, a bowl you can walk one bank, if you have the sun behind you, with binoculars, if a fish rolls, you can often see it. If however it is divided into separate arms or bays then you will be needing to look closely. For some reason, the fish can really follow the wind, the stronger the better. It may not be fun facing into a strong gale force wind with pouring rain, but I have had my best result on Alton in those conditions, when I was quite literally peeking out of the door, or unable to sleep because I was worried my brolly was going to get blown away, and I have had a couple of nights when I was holding it down, with extra long pegs. A good strong bivvy is a must, cheap domes don't last! I rarely prebait, other than putting the last of my bait in at the end of a session. I have a good bait, I know it works, however it can take a couple of days for carp to come into an area. Every fish I have caught has come on bottom baits or pop-ups, none on zigs! Be confident in your rigs, a plain knotless knot rig with line aligner works, often no need to faff about. This 'slope line' is often a good place to fish, it is the spot I have caught many fish, both bream and carp, more so than deeper water. Most of my fish have come from between 6 and 15 feet deep. commonly and yonny 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonny Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 46 minutes ago, salokcinnodrog said: A good strong bivvy is a must, cheap domes don't last! That is very good advice. Even a lowly 20 mph wind feels like 40 by the time it's crossed these big open reservoirs. Just this winter I nearly got blown away in my Lo Pro. I bought a Tempest Air instead and bent all the poles on the first session in storm Ciara lol. Replaced that with a Tempest Brolly and am now very careful about how/where I set up. salokcinnodrog and commonly 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commonly Posted May 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 Thank you all. Very interesting advice, you've raised my confidence level since yesterday, when it all felt a bit daunting. 3 hours ago, salokcinnodrog said: bays Yes several, with a large out of bounds nature reserve at one end. 3 hours ago, salokcinnodrog said: binoculars On my to get list! 3 hours ago, salokcinnodrog said: strong bivvy is a must Got a decent one. I'm a bit concerned that pegging down may be an issue, if fishing the dam wall bank. I was told you can get pegs in between the concrete slabs?? I was thinking of taking my cordless and some screws with big washers on. Not so sure the water board or management will like it though?? Any solutions welcome yonny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commonly Posted May 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 So I had a few hours walk about yesterday. Learnt a lot, most anglers were fishing the main body of water. The only bivvy I approached, turned out to be the head bailiff!! Nice bloke, fished it for 27 years. Lots of helpful advice. I need to get a life jacket and do my boat safety induction ASAP, as it would appear no one is using a barrow to get to swims. I think unless it's millpond flat, it will be virtually impossible to spot any fish activity, due to the chop/waves. Can anyone suggest decent gripper leads. Max allowed is 3.5g. The bailiff had flat pear type and was still casting 25 wraps!! That's about 24ft depth. He did have Basier's though! Maybe I do require pit reels to be able to fish that distance and depth comfortably??? elmoputney 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillfactor Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 Why the weight limit? Anglers must get moved by the undertow on a regular basis, right when it's best conditions! Long zigs sound ideal too . (Get some 13ft rods) 😁 commonly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commonly Posted May 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 1 hour ago, chillfactor said: Why the weight limit? The manager believes big weights and bent/curved shank hooks can tear the fishes mouths!! No back leads either! He's a respected breader, so I'll bow to his greater knowledge. 1 hour ago, chillfactor said: get moved by the undertow That's why I need gripper leads. May get away with 4oz,but feel I should be obeying the rules initially. 1 hour ago, chillfactor said: Long zigs I still have my L plates on with zigging, but will give the adjustable, a go for sure!! 1 hour ago, chillfactor said: (Get some 13ft rods) 😁 Good shout. New rod bag too!! The boss is going to freak when I start upping my kit🤑 elmoputney 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpepecheur Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 3 hours ago, commonly said: Can anyone suggest decent gripper leads. Max allowed is 3.5g. The bailiff had flat pear type and was still casting 25 wraps!! That's about 24ft depth. He did have Basier's though! I use a technique that might help solve your problem. I put a large metal washer on a bomb shaped lead. Once cast out, I tighten the line against it gently until it finds a grip on the bottom. It will take a lot more line tension than an ordinary gripper lead. I use it for a different reason. I like to fish your type of water with a very tight monofilament (=stretchy) line. It only takes a very slight vertical movement for a fish to release the lead. The stretch in the tight line causes a movement of the lead when it slips which in turn panics the fish into bolting before it has had time to eject the bait. commonly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 Sounds like boating is the thing then, I would like to have a go at a lake where boating is the way, I think that would be the way to suss it out, get on the open waves and look for clear spots, if you haven't watch some of the dave Lane diaries on you tube that may help give you some ideas, are you allowed to row your rigs out and bait up with them and stuff ? Sounds exciting tbh good luck commonly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusian Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 " I need to get a life jacket and do my boat safety induction ASAP, as it would appear no one is using a barrow to get to swims. I need to get a life jacket and do my boat safety induction ASAP, as it would appear no one is using a barrow to get to swims. I need to get a life jacket and do my boat safety induction ASAP, as it would appear no one is using a barrow to get to swims. " 23 minutes ago, elmoputney said: Sounds like boating is the thing then, I would like to have a go at a lake where boating is the way, I think that would be the way to suss it out, get on the open waves and look for clear spots, if you haven't watch some of the dave Lane diaries on you tube that may help give you some ideas, are you allowed to row your rigs out and bait up with them and stuff ? Sounds exciting tbh good luck The boating does sound exciting , are the boats provided or do you have to bring your own complete with outboard motor ? ; I'm guessing Nick has to barrow all his gear around unless he has Sky pulling an adapted sled 🤔 . salokcinnodrog, elmoputney and commonly 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 4 minutes ago, crusian said: " I need to get a life jacket and do my boat safety induction ASAP, as it would appear no one is using a barrow to get to swims. I need to get a life jacket and do my boat safety induction ASAP, as it would appear no one is using a barrow to get to swims. I need to get a life jacket and do my boat safety induction ASAP, as it would appear no one is using a barrow to get to swims. " The boating does sound exciting , are the boats provided or do you have to bring your own complete with outboard motor ? ; I'm guessing Nick has to barrow all his gear around unless he has Sky pulling an adapted sled 🤔 . They don't call him Saint Nick for nothing you know 👍 salokcinnodrog and crusian 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salokcinnodrog Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 2 hours ago, crusian said: The boating does sound exciting , are the boats provided or do you have to bring your own complete with outboard motor ? ; I'm guessing Nick has to barrow all his gear around unless he has Sky pulling an adapted sled 🤔 . I wish! Barrow for me, although I have been lucky and seen fish near the car park a couple of times, which meant just unload and go. I did actually bend the handles on one it was so heavily loaded! 3 hours ago, commonly said: believes big weights and bent/curved shank hooks can tear the fishes mouths!! No back leads either! He's a respected breader, so I'll bow to his greater knowledge. I know that Luke Moffat banned curved shank hooks at his lake in France as he was concerned about mouth damage; some big fish them! Korda, Caperlan and Atomic all do decent gripper leads, although years ago I simply put swivel leads in a vice and gave them a squeeze to flatten them. Or a hammer... commonly and crusian 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusian Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 2 hours ago, elmoputney said: They don't call him Saint Nick for nothing you know 👍 Nick is Father Christmas ? 😲 . Don't tell your Girls , Elmo . 😁 elmoputney, commonly and salokcinnodrog 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commonly Posted May 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 2 hours ago, crusian said: , are the boats provided or do you have to bring your own complete with outboard motor ? £8 a day or £15 from Friday to Sunday! They have little electric outboards. Definitely a new era in my fishing experience! crusian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmoputney Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 13 minutes ago, commonly said: £8 a day or £15 from Friday to Sunday! They have little electric outboards. Definitely a new era in my fishing experience! That's got to be worth it I think 👍 commonly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusian Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 3 minutes ago, commonly said: £8 a day or £15 from Friday to Sunday! They have little electric outboards. Definitely a new era in my fishing experience! Well that sounds marvellous , no towing a boat on a trailer / putting a dingy on your car roof rack , and then having to store everything . Will you be able to do what Elmo has asked , i.e. use a boat to run your rigs out , bait up , and generally search for Carp ? Oh , what about getting a Jolly Roger 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillfactor Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 28 minutes ago, commonly said: £8 a day or £15 from Friday to Sunday! They have little electric outboards. Definitely a new era in my fishing experience! Sounds spot on mate .... going out in a boat is a real eye opener, sounds like you might need a long prodding stick though 😁 I take it water clarity is good though ? crusian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commonly Posted May 31, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 1 hour ago, crusian said: Will you be able to do what Elmo has asked , i.e. use a boat to run your rigs out , bait up , and generally search for Carp ? I think so, I'll find out all the do's & dont's on the induction. 1 hour ago, chillfactor said: sounds like you might need a long prodding stick though 😁 70 odd ft in the middle. So yep very long!! 1 hour ago, chillfactor said: I take it water clarity is good though ? There was a chop on the water yesterday, causing discolouration 4-6ft from the bank, weed was visible, looks really clear. The bailiff said the light doesn't go much deeper than 18-20 ft, so the weed cannot grow. He's caught from the depths, to prove a point, but said its not easy. elmoputney, chillfactor and crusian 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salokcinnodrog Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 13 hours ago, commonly said: £8 a day or £15 from Friday to Sunday! They have little electric outboards. Definitely a new era in my fishing experience! That is very handy. A depth finder and prod sticks will be a very handy addition. You said the bailiff has caught from the deeper water? I found on some deeper waters if the surface layers are too warm and there is no wind chop, then sometimes the fish go down deep rather than up. I think Rod Hutchinson did write something similar about French reservoirs. Whether it is the water is cooler, or more probably, more dissolved oxygen in the cooler water. commonly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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