As always the first couple of weeks after the season ends take some getting used to. Not seeing bivvys around the lake and not having the daily banter with the anglers seems very strange after 7 months of the same daily routine. For us this is actually our busiest time of the year with so much work needed to prepare for next season. We are determined that we break the back of our tasks before Christmas as from then on the weeks until opening just seem to speed away. Last year we left it to late and the run up to opening day was far to hectic to be repeated. At the moment the lakes are looking very quiet with just the odd fish rolling around the island and the occasional crash of a good fish in the middle of the lake. This morning whilst walking the dogs we spooked a lot of fish up in the shallows where they had ventured right up into the channels to feed. There were also a lot of signs that the carp had been feeding off the dam with huge patches of bubbles about 3m out and stretching from the vidange to the shallow bay at the end of the dam. Poplars is looking well stirred up with the large stock of smaller fish really getting their heads down for a pre winter feeding spell. As always we will be feeding heavily initially with boilies and pellet but as the weather turns colder cooked maize will gradually be included more and more. We plan to drain and net Poplars again this back end to remove all the tench and small carp that we can. By carefully selecting the better carp for retention and supplementing them with larger fish over the next couple of years we should be in the position of opening this lake to anglers as a runs type water with the chance of some really large fish to boot. The next two winters will see a lot of planting with lilly beds being created and lots more flag iris planted in the margins which together with further landscaping of the bank should ensure that Poplars becomes a little gem of a lake for our anglers.
I have recently been watching extracts from the Korda underwater films and must confess that I found them very interesting. In my earlier days of carping I spent a lot of time watching carp and the more I watched the less confident I became. The reasons for this are obvious from the Korda film as the amount of times a carp will move onto the bait and then totally ignore the one with a hook attached leaves one with the distinct impression that actually hooking a fish is a lot more difficult than we would hope. The amount of times anglers have sat by silent buzzers and complained that the carp are just not feeding when the truth is that they may well be feeding but just not taking the bait with the hook ! I often relate that when I sit touch ledgering close in I feel lots of little pulls, tightenings and twitches without a proper take materialising. The secret imo is that we need to create a ‘feeding frenzy’ where sooner or later a carp will make a mistake. Perhaps thats why the large beds of pellet/boilies works so consistently as they will attract a shoal of carp to feed rather than just attract the odd small groups of fish. The more carp feeding over a baited area the more competition is created and the less caution exhibited by the carp! Mind you that doesn’t explain why the single bait cast into a unbaited area will also work sometimes !!!!!!!! Oh well, back to the drawing board.
With the shooting season now in full swing the local wildfowl appear to know that Le Moulin du Mèe is a ‘no shooting’ zone. From our usual dozen mallard we now have great rafts of them on the lake accompanied by hoards of coots and the odd grebe. They are not a problem at this time of the year and in truth I rather like watching their antics as they bicker and complain to each other. The kingfishers are more evident than at any other time of the year and are constantly to be seen and heard over the lakes. This afternoon I watched one on the old jetty grooming himself for about 10 mins before diving down and returning to his perch with a small fish for lunch. Our first egret of the winter turned up earlier in the week to be followed by several more in the next couple of days. They seem to have particular area’s of the lakes that they feel comfortable in and are rarely seen elsewhere on the lakes. So different are the herons that are to be seen everywhere and at this time of year will spend lots of time in the watermeadow presumably feeding on the voles and field mice. When we are walking early in the morning the mist hangs over the meadow and the herons can be approached quite closely before they become alarmed at your presence. The dogs always thing they will catch one but old Mr Heron is always a yard to quick for them.
Well, less of my musing and back to business !!! We are fortunate in as much that bookings for 2010 are well ahead of expectations and although we have odd spaces for one or two anglers in most months there are only a couple of full weeks still vacant. Any of you that normally leave their booking until after Christmas be sure to check availability asap as it is looking likely that our diary will just about be full by then.
The weather is so mild at the moment that I may be tempted to put a rod out sometime soon !! Watch this space……..



























Recent Comments