Mike Willmott - Essential Baits

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double-figure commons were shooting past the 20lb mark and during the 2003 season Mark Harvey landed a new lake record by catching a 23lb 8oz mirror. We named it after him (Harvey) but little were we to know just how big this fish was going to become over the next few years! It seemed as if we were always working, which, looking back, I suppose we were!! � e excessive weedgrowth was still causing some problems but we were gradually winning the battle. Of course, for a good many years the lake remained untouched and the weed that built up and died each year was slowly increasing the silt levels. We therefore decided to use a product called Siltex to help reduce the silt levels. � � is worked very well indeed and also gave the whole eco system a new lease of life, which, again, bene� bene� ted the � � sh enormously. Fortunately however, all the hard work at Springwood never took a complete stranglehold of my life, and I was still managing to � � nd a few opportunities to go � � shing. I’d le� le� Frampton a few years earlier and had � � shed a few seasons on the Swindon Park Lake, but in reality my sights were set on a very di� di� cult Berkshire pit in search of a big mirror mir or that r I’d dreamt about for so long. However, I knew that was going to be a much bigger challenge than anything I’d come up against before, and taking into consideration the time availability av ilability a and family commitments become over the next few years! that built up and died each year was slowly Mark Harvey 23lb 8oz. For a good many years the lake remained untouched and the weed that built up and died each year was slowly increasing the silt levels I had in front of me, I didn’t view that as a viable option at that particular time. You may recall the explosive start to the season I had at the Swindon Park Lake in the last issue and it was clear that I still had a little � re le� in my belly for the place, although I would be the � rst to admit that my interest was waning with each passing year and I knew it wouldn’t be too long before I called it a day on there. All but one of my main target � sh had graced my net and I was starting to get repeat captures, which isn’t ideal. � e jewel in the crown was undoubtedly � e Resident, but I’d caught her twice. I’d also banked another 40 at 41.08 at the start of the 2001 season, which was also one of my main target � sh, but that was a repeat capture as well. Sadly, one or two of the older � sh were beginning to pass away, including the aforementioned 41 and I began to wonder just how long some of the old character � sh had le� . Despite having plans to � sh at the Park through the autumn of 2003, the hunger never arrived. Again, I think this was more to do with my hectic life schedule and limited � shing time rather than any lack Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott 23
Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott 24 of enthusiasm. During the latter part of the winter, however, things quietened down a little and by the middle of February 2004 I was itching to get back on the bank. � e conditions looked perfect and I couldn’t ignore that call from within that told me I should be out there doing it, rather than at home thinking about it! If you’ve lived and breathed carp � shing for any length of time, you’ll know exactly what I mean – it’s just second nature. The Resident (below) at 44lb12oz from a few winters ago and my 41lb 8oz (RIP) from the start of the 2001 season. I began to wonder just how long some of these old character fi sh had left. Adding Siltex to the lake proved benefi cial, but was one of the most back-breaking jobs we’ve ever done. MIDWINTER CHUNK I arrived at the pit on a damp, windy, but very mild February morning and the � rst person I bumped into was Terry Hearn, who had recently been � shing there with a couple of mates. We both agreed the conditions looked spot on, and it was inevitable that the big chunks would be up for it, in fact he told me that one or two � sh had been caught during the past several days from di� erent parts of the lake. Just the sort of news I wanted to hear. � e carp were active, and they seemed to be well spread out. I spent the � rst few hours walking the banks and scanning the lake in the hope of spotting a carp, but on this occasion it wasn’t to be. Like so o� en at this time of year, it was back to an educated guess, based on a combination of weather conditions and past captures, and also taking into account the current angling pressure situation. Having an extensive knowledge of the lake and its inhabitants is obviously a very big edge under such circumstances. Now, I’m not one to follow big winds in the winter, in fact I o� en prefer to � sh on the back of them, but due to the fact that it was a very mild wind and blowing straight into a known winter hot spot, it was far too di� cult to ignore and I set up at the deeper end of the lake in a swim known as � e Little Rats. A couple of local anglers were on the lake and Terry was � shing a few swims further down. � e maggot/caster application that I so o� en like to adopt during the colder months was certainly out of the question on this particular water, due to the large head of bream. Even a small PVA bag presentation that included breakdown pellets would cause ‘bream investigations’ within minutes of casting! It had to be a boilie approach, and the only decision I had to make was whether to � sh over bait or use singles. To elaborate a little on that, at certain times of the winter I will adopt a single hookbait approach, but this is usually during prolonged cold spells when the � sh just aren’t moving far and their consumption of food is minimal. You also have to be very con� dent that your location is spot on. Other instances where I might adopt a single hookbait approach would be to a showing � sh, or during very short sessions on a roving rod. Pop-ups are my preferred choice when it The conditions were perfect as the big, mild winds oxygenated the water.
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Mike Willmott - Essential Baits

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