An Opportunity Taken...

Jess was settled with mum and dad, we’d been out for the day and she was busy ripping open the new things she’d been bought. It seemed the perfect time to pop down to Tithe for a look around, it had been a while.

When I arrived there were 2 other anglers on the middle pool and I spotted 3 on the top. With this in mind I opted to swerve the top and concentrate on the middle. It was unusually quiet, nothing cruised, nothing sat amongst the heavy weed, but after a few minutes I worked out that it was the pads that harboured my quarry.

Behind the island I concentrated my efforts, fed some mixers among some sparse pads, probably thinned out as a result of a recent battle that had taken place. Two separate carp rose in the water, ricked it from side to side and took a single mixer each. The disturbance caused mini waves to lap the bank under my feet, they were good fish.

3 mallards arrived along with two moorhens and their youngster, this pretty much signalled the end of my spot, finished before I even got to cast. The area opposite me the other side of the island was worth a look, so I gathered my minimal kit and set off.



The last pitch on that bank had an area of clear water just out from the bank, an area some 20 feet wide and 15 feet deep before the pads started. In the middle of this area were 4 single pads, I decided to sprinkle some small pellets around the base of these pads, then if any carp fed they’d knock the stems and I’d know all about it.



I nipped next door and flicked some mixers out along the edge of some pads, waited 10 minutes but nothing occurred, it was deathly quiet. I tiptoed back to the 4 pad swim and spotted the silt pluming up and the pads trembling. I attached a lump of luncheon meat to my size 4 hook, then found an old popup in the bottom of my bag, slit it with a knife and slid it onto the line to act as a sight bob. I made my cast.

After a minute if so the popup bobbed, moved an inch then sank out of sight. I struck and held on as an angry carp charged into the pads. The tackle was tried and tested; I had utmost confidence in what I was using. The Browns Barbel pin, Carpathia, Drennan Specialist Wide Gapes and 6lb Maxima. The carp didn’t get too far into the pads, and as I thought, at this back end of summer the lads aren’t strong so I managed to keep the carp on the move.

Only when it rolled in front of me did I realise just which carp I’d hooked, a good mirror was my first thought, then the second time I had a chance of netting I realised it was the ‘Half-Lin’, a carp that had been on my list a good while. She went back into the pads briefly, but back out she came and into the awaiting net, I was victorious and made up.



A nice chap a couple of swims along helped out with some photos, and did a cracking job. I weighed her at 24lb 2oz and beamed as I held her in the margin and waited for her to swim strongly off. After 10 minutes of reflection I packed away and headed home to Jessica.