#jacklands

I was in two minds this morning as to where to fish for the day. After the great evening session at Plantations I decided to try out a more difficult water and the choices were between Jacklands coarse lake in Tickenham or Abbot's Pool in Abbot's Leigh.

I finally decided on the former where I have visited before, each time surprised with my catch and always a tricky place to fish even though it is a small water.

So decision made, I set of and on my arrival noticed that I would be having some fishing partners for the day in the shape of two ewes that were out to graze the banks on the coarse lake. As usual at this venue, even on a sunny day in June they were to be my only companions – this place rarely gets fished which in my eyes adds to the appeal.

I set up my swim with two options in mind, one was to fish a maggot feeder, packed with red maggots and two as hookbait in the channel to my left, hoping for a big perch that I know inhabit these waters and my second line would be a single caster on a waggler set up just over depth to the area directly in front of me.

It was to be a brisk start, I set the ledger rig up first and as I was plumbing my waggler swim there was a lot of interest in the feeder, resulting in a sharp bite that I knew was a perch. Sure enough a little perch came to the net followed by another and another and another, I didn't have time to set up the waggler rig as the bites were every cast. With so much activity from the smaller fish I knew the bigger ones would soon start to show an interest and I didn't have long to wait for a larger specimen to arrive.

It wasn't a huge fish, about half a pound but certainly a better stamp of fish and beautifully conditioned too. The smaller fish continued to take the bait on the feeder and I decided that it was time to give the swim a rest and concentrate on the waggler rig. I had been baiting the area regularly whilst fishing the other swim, so it was time to see if I'd tempted the fish in.

I could see plenty of activity where I had been baiting, so with a swift underarm cast I dropped my rig into the swim, it was quickly sailing away and I struck into a solid fish. It felt like a carp and was darting about the swim, I tried to move it to my right and it briefly swam into view, a little mirror carp of about two pounds flashed by and then "ping" it was off. There are apparently a good head of carp in the lake but the owner told me he has yet to see one come out, I was so close but not really geared up for it, my hooklength was only 0.5lb and in this snaggy swim didn't really stand a chance.

I swiftly tied a new hooklength of 4lb and re-cast hoping that the scrap of the carp hadn't ruined my swim. Luckily it didnt' appear so and moments later I was into a succession of lovely roach and rudd. With regular feeding the swim really was coming into life, next to fall for my single caster was a new species for me, an eel! Slimy, wriggly little things but I was pleased to see it as they are getting scarce these days and after a quick shake on my line it came off the hook with little trouble and squirmed back into the lake.

It was turning into a great day, plenty of sport, a new species and then the big one came! It was a slow but deliberate take and as I struck there was a huge eruption under the surface and the shoulders of a large mirror carp broke into view, the beast headed straight into the reeds and before I even had chance to play the fish, it was off. Once again the Jacklands carp eluded me.

I was, however encouraged that I had built up the swim and got the fish feeding where I wanted them and that I'd managed to hook two of the shy carp even though it wasn't for long. After all the commotion I decided to rest the swim and return to the maggot feeder again.

As before, I was into fish almost straight away and continued to pull out perch after perch, I lost count but must have had close to two dozen of them over the course of the day. After some good fun catching these lovely fish I decided to finish my session back on the waggler.

The initial swim I had fished earlier in the day had gone quiet so on advice from a member of staff some time ago, I decided to fish just a few feet out from the bank. I was to be rewarded as some nice roach were tempted by my caster and then another slow bite developed which I waited and waited and waited before striking and it was worth it, after a short but exciting battle with some surprisingly powerful lunges towards the reeds I finally brought my prize to the surface, my biggest ever bream!