Looking out from my balcony this morning I saw the return of two familiar shapes, in my hand coincidently was some left over mixers from yesterdays fishing trip. I was clearing up the tackle and about to throw the pre-soaked mixers in the canal when the lurker’s halted my actions.

Below me the dark shapes looked hungary so I catapulted a few mixers into the air, raining down over sixty feet from the heavens onto the two carps heads. They were not bothered by the rain feast and after two minutes they were on the feed, so immediately I picked up the Aspindale and Slater Latch from yesterdays fishing trip and made my way down to the canal side.

Keeping low and throwing in a few more offerings (now with only the largest of the two carp starting to slowly move around) she started slurping down the mixers with startling confidence, I was hopeful she had no idea of my presence. I was now caught between the electric shock of excitement and  trying to keep calm enough to cast out a bait without spooking the lone carp at my feet. The landing net was slowly set up, a mixer placed on the hook and then I crouched low beside a tree only five feet from the carp in preparation to cast. With nothing on my line apart from a hook and a bait, the cast  landed two feet in front of her, she immediately came up and engulfed the bait, “one, two, three” I counted, hoping the bait was not ejected. I then struck, the carp turned and set off towards the canal boats just fifteen feet away on the far side, I thought “how easy is this?” Looking down on the carp as it propelled away, my rod hooped over and gave me a sense of her power for two seconds,  with a final shake of her tail she was gone, the 10 lb line had snapped like cotton!

Knowing the commotion would have disturbed the carp’s  confidence, I returned home to rest the swim and set up a new stepped up rod  and centre pin with 12 lb line, the palomar knot was double checked and then laid to rest in the corner of my balcony ready for round two.

These carp can be caught and I shall catch one soon, I have no interest in day ticket stockies, this is the type of angling that truly excites me, the only problem is, it ain’t easy!