Center Parcs, Elveden - The Frown of Defeat

So where were all the carp ? usually around the beach area where the kids feed the ducks, moorhens and geese the area is awash with them.

Weird, the lake was very clear too, hmmm not good.

Excuses in already I suppose but I probably knew it would be tough even before I wet a line. There was a cold snap on the way though so I was hoping that might give the Perch something to think about.

A bait boat using carp fisherman was the only other angler I saw all week and he was tucked up in his lodge most of the time, hooked up to wireless bite alarms, yes really....

Apparently yes there were still carp milling around but most were being caught during the night, nothing of size to be honest, 14lb or so being his best.

Lures, deadbait and lots of worms, chopped, hooked and halved. Feeder if used were filled with krilled maggots and some chopped worm.

Only short dawn morning sessions as it was a family holiday after all but having caught some decent Perch here in the past I thought I was working them out.

Saturday
Dead baits and air injected lobworms in a usually productive area, zilch.

Sunday
Spinners and shads to try and search out some fish in various swims, nada

Monday
-7 overnight, lake frozen.

Tuesday
Much of the lake still frozen.

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

The Wife's warm and comforting bosom won over one rising from ones pit.

Wednesday
With a swim I a few years ago caught my biggest Perch (below) from on sweetcorn of all things now available, I baited with some chopped worm, rigged up the float rod and fished a nice juicy lobworm worm over the top whilst drip feeding a few maggots.

Not a sausage.

I wasn't home....

Thursday
With the daily activities and swimming out the way earlier than normal youngest Sam joined me for a short in to dusk session. Now for a 5 year old, he is getting more patient every time I take him, but an hour or two is getting his limit even if he's catching fish, but he really surprised me this time.

I set my rods up first, rollover indicators, dead on on, lob on the other. I cast a lure out for Sam and he retrieved it nicely himself.

As soon as the light was going the fish started feeding and sure enough the first fish was plucky Roach that devoured the lobworm without much trouble. The must have been a shoal because as soon as the worm went out again, fish were on it. Quite far too, 40 yards or so.

So another deadbait went out....

Sam by this time wanted a fish of his own, so suggested off his own back could he have a lobworm on. No probs, a bit combersome but I removed the lure and put two big lob worms on the 5g jig head. I propped the 7ft rod up on the bait bag and let Sam watch the tip.

"Daddy, Daddy" "Somethings biting it" "I'll strike"

"Nahhhhh, nothing on Daddy"

"Probably a pesky small Roach Sam, I'll pack up anyway, nearly dark."

So I packed up joining Sam, "Come on lets go back"

"But I've not caught my fish yet"

"Ok, five more minutes"

Worm refreshed, bait goes out....

"A BITE !!!" "A BITE DADDY "

"Strike then"

"Yes something on, will it pull me in, feels big" "I cannot reel it in Daddy, you have the Rod"

"No you caught it, you land it"

After some coaching and dismissing the suggestion it was the big catfish that apparently lives in the lake a fish was on the end, the fish was landed.

A hybrid of some sort, 2lb ish, Sam with a beaming smile, me with the frown of defeat.....

Even the fish sulked after being returned as it hung around the margins for a few minutes.

So not the best trip, in fact and epic failure on the Perch front but seeing Sam getting enjoyment out of it and telling everyone what he caught and it was bigger than Daddy's was worth the trip alone.