On a recent carp trip, probably a month ago or so, I saw cat activity in the shallows shortly after the sun made it's appearance. There was a think green algae sludge lying against a sunny bank which the wind must have blown over during the night. To my amazement the cats seemed pretty active under this green carpet and after watching the spectacle for a while came up with the conclusion that the algae must get lekker hot by the sun and subsequently heat the shallows underneath quicker than those areas without the algae...
So yesterday I decided to quickly pop over to the venue for a quick cast and access whether they were hungry. Got to the waters edge at 15h30 and quickly rigged a Berkley Havoc paddletail on a 1/2oz jig...just my usual setup.
I fished the shallow bank that gets masses of afternoon sun. The water level also picked up during the winter and the water moved over which is now some dead grass. To add to this picture, the shallow area also had the same thick green pea sludge and I could see a few wiskers popping out...so I knew the cats were there!
A couple of casts later I briefly hooked into a cat which spooked a few others before coming off the hook. To my right in the same shallows, close to some reeds in quite a heavy patch of sunken grass, something cleared the water but all I caught was a splash and thought that it was the same agitated cat that I must have hooked in the flank whilst he was sunbathing... Irrespective of this spooked cat I made a cast towards the disturbed water and let the paddle drop to the floor and BAM! Vas!!!
Water thrashing everywhere as I held on tight not to loose it in the reeds and to not get its head down and stuck in the weeds. I pulled the beast hard and my Fenwick GT bent double! A short while later, at my feet, from underneath the green sludge appeared a golden slab...a common carp!!!
I was absolutely ecstatic and couldn't believe it! A good +-6kg carp on a 5" paddletail and jig!!! The first for me and probably my last also
Half an hour later or so I managed to get stuck into a feisty cat in the corner of the scissors on the same paddle.
Happy Days!!!
Gear Used:
8ftFenwick GT Med Heavy
Calcutta 400 with 0.36mm Double X Extreme Abrasion Camo
So yesterday I decided to quickly pop over to the venue for a quick cast and access whether they were hungry. Got to the waters edge at 15h30 and quickly rigged a Berkley Havoc paddletail on a 1/2oz jig...just my usual setup.
I fished the shallow bank that gets masses of afternoon sun. The water level also picked up during the winter and the water moved over which is now some dead grass. To add to this picture, the shallow area also had the same thick green pea sludge and I could see a few wiskers popping out...so I knew the cats were there!
A couple of casts later I briefly hooked into a cat which spooked a few others before coming off the hook. To my right in the same shallows, close to some reeds in quite a heavy patch of sunken grass, something cleared the water but all I caught was a splash and thought that it was the same agitated cat that I must have hooked in the flank whilst he was sunbathing... Irrespective of this spooked cat I made a cast towards the disturbed water and let the paddle drop to the floor and BAM! Vas!!!
Water thrashing everywhere as I held on tight not to loose it in the reeds and to not get its head down and stuck in the weeds. I pulled the beast hard and my Fenwick GT bent double! A short while later, at my feet, from underneath the green sludge appeared a golden slab...a common carp!!!
I was absolutely ecstatic and couldn't believe it! A good +-6kg carp on a 5" paddletail and jig!!! The first for me and probably my last also
Half an hour later or so I managed to get stuck into a feisty cat in the corner of the scissors on the same paddle.
Happy Days!!!
Gear Used:
8ftFenwick GT Med Heavy
Calcutta 400 with 0.36mm Double X Extreme Abrasion Camo
