And no before you ask this piece is not about some of the people who come in court before me…but…nah, of course not!! With two out of the three target fish under my belt I felt very confident and as is my motto ‘if it ain’t bust don’t fix it’. Trouble is that only works if all things stay equal and the carp do not wise up. If you know carp then you know they do wise up very quickly and although they may well not talk as you and I do they certainly do communicate. I have climbed trees to watch carp feeding on my applied food items and that has taught me how much they do communicate. On more than one occasion I have seen a fish come over my baited area and gently pick up some food items and then amble off. Minutes later the same fish has returned with others and they have all started to feed on the patch. Was that fish the taster? Was he able to tell the others where food was? Whatever and why ever I am convinced that they communicate…
 
As with many waters in this country weed is a problem (or a benefit when it comes to fish weights increasing and putting off other anglers going) and bit by bit it was starting to take a hold of the area I was fishing to. From odd strands appearing on the surface to large strands and eventually clumps breaking surface it was clear that even regular baiting was not clearing the weed.

Before I ever cast out I always have a lead about and although the Infinity rods are strong and powerful rods the feedback with even plain old monofilament is excellent. One thing I did do was drop the size of lead I was using from 3 ounces plus to 2 ounces, occasionally two and a half in a crosswind. By using a lighter lead I really could feel the lead clonk the bottom. Heavy leads have a tendency to wedge into the lake bed and feeling for silt, weed and clear spots is very hard to do. I have a cast around with a bare lead and once I have found a clear area the marker float is cast out to that area. I then drag it back and wait until it locks up against weed. I then let it pop up and know that providing I cast behind the visual marker and feather my cast down the baited end tackle will be on a clean, or cleanish bottom.

So with a clearish area found I then (without adding on my hook-lengths) cast each rod. I use the far bank as my sight line (bushes, trees and so on) and when I feel the nice thump of a clear bottom that’s the spot. The Basia reels have beautiful clips so whatever strain of line you use you can safely put it into the clip on the spool. Once the line is in the clip getting a piece of electrical tape I fold a bit over just in front to the clip and squeeze tight. I then carefully trim off the excess tape so there is about 1mm folded. Always be very careful not to cut your line - been there, done it and cried. All electrical tape is not the same. The stickier the better so it holds tighter and before you add it to your line ensure that bit of line is dry! Once I am clipped up I ensure the tape goes to the back of the spool and I wind in. The hook-length is attached and then cast to the spot. With practice you really can guess roughly the distance and the clip will just be reached…but it takes practice my friends. Once the lead is feathered down I take the line out of the clip and gently take in any excess line so it does not bow round. Important note - fail to unclip and on a take your line will break or your rod and reel be towed into the lake…!! Once the rod is done I gently pay line off the Basia clutch until it is slack and hanging from the rod tip. Tight lines mid water could well scare carp or at best put them on their guard…This process is repeated with all three rods….. I also clip the marker rod up as well if I am doing two nights in a row. Again I use the line clip on the Emblem reel for this and wind in. The next night it is just a case of casting at the same sight line and the marker will pop up in the same place as before…

Well with the weed on the increase and a lot more carp being lost in the weed I knew I had to improve my set up. It was important that I was on the rods immediately and that the lead was discharged from the Safety Bead Lead Clip and the carp stopped from weeding themselves up. Once I had decided where my rods were going in the swim my overnight shelter was set as close as possible to them also allowing me to see as much of the water as possible. Each rod was fished on the single bank sticks and pointed directly at the end tackle for improved bite registration. The butt ring of the Infinity rod was placed tight against the buzzer so it could not move it and I adjusted the Basia clutch so that line could only just be taken. Line was gunned up to 15 lb and checked to ensure it was not twisted or damaged in any way.
 
A landing net was placed each side of the swim so that no matter whether the carp went left or right I had a net next to me without having to reach over the other rods or play fish under the other lines. Once darkness fell it was not as easy as it looks…I just needed to make it as fail safe as possible.
 
Did it work…yes brilliantly. With the Basia only just giving line the carp bolting against the clutch would ping the lead off and with the lead gone the carp would usually go high in the water. Once on top without a lead you have direct contact them and can control and land them a lot easier. The Infinity rods are powerful but I use them as an extension of my arm and lead the carp in rather than trying to pull their head off - Basias and Infinitys a winning combination. The carp came thick and fast and as I type this in mid September I have managed to catch thirty one carp over 20 pounds with three of them being thirties including the final target fish I wanted ‘Trio’ at 34.12. The cooler times are coming and no doubt tactics will have to change but whatever I do you will read it here first