First Ever Still Water Barbel On A Carp Mad Afternoon on FLushing.....

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 This week a job vacancy dropped into my work email inbox and upon reading it my interest was instantly sparked as it was every bit my dream job to the point if I was to write down my dream job it would be exactly this occupation.  There is one downside regarding the tenure of the position and with the imminent arrival of my new family member it’s a decision that I would need to take a bit of time to consider.

Sat in work the job was ticking over in my head and I couldn’t stop thinking about it a job I had waited for so many years to come up was there but there was a risk involved with it and there was only one place I was going to find the answer to this puzzle and that place was the waterside so I quickly booked an early finish in work and was quickly sat beside the banks of my local commercial, Flushing Meadows.  As a result of this afternoon session this weeks blog update was put back to tonight and the action last nights short session will be in next weeks blog update.

Fishing really is a hobby that allows you to get away form it all and be at one with your thoughts, in this hectic world we live in I think we all need these little vices where we can go to where its just you and the world around you whether that be in the form of walking, cycling or photography all these allow the opportunity to find the answers to the dilemmas we face in day to day life and yesterday’s fishing answered all my questions for me and I will be applying for the job.

On to this weeks fishing,

Thursday 12^th April – Flushing Meadows Fishery

Thursday seemed to come along really quickly and with a Midwife appointment in the morning I thought I thoroughly had earned an afternoon fishing and with half a pint of maggots a tin of sweet corn and a tin of luncheon meat for bait and a lovely packed lunch made by the missus in tow I was on my way to Flushing meadows for a spot of pole fishing for the carp, silvers and if I was really lucky my first ever still water barbel.

I arrived at the fishery and settled down on the only pool left on the list to fish and took a few pictures of the pool before I started so I can put a venue video together for this venue on the blog.  Within minutes the pole was put together and I was sat staring at the float in the margin and the picture was complete.

The first fish on the bank was a small carp around a pound and a half and this was quickly followed by another around the same stamp and the bites where coming thick and fast but it was the third fish that took me by surprise as unlike the first it shot out of the swim and was already heading for the far bank of the pool in the blink of an eye!! Based on past fights on the fishery I was sure it was a carp around 5-6lb and it took me what seemed an age to tame it to a level where I had it down to my top two sections.

The fish topped and showed it to be a barbel and that’s when the nerves began as I have never caught a still water barbell before and the rest of the fight was fought with feather like pressure applied to the fish and I eventually lifted the net under a pristine barbell of around 2lb, well chuffed I could have packed in there and then and been a happy fisherman.

The day continued to plod along with carp coming thick and fast and when the action died on the carp line I moved over to my top two sections in the margin and the true potential of this water hit home with stunning roach coming every chuck in to my loose fed maggots it really was sublime fishing as the video below shows.

As you can see from the photo below the average stamp of roach is not to be sniffed at:

The carp although not all massive where going between half a pound and 3lb with the biggest carp of the day shown below.

I counted on the day that I caught 66 carp and 23 roach which is an outstanding days fishing in my book considering I arrived at 12ish and packed away just after 7pm.  I normally take pictures of a few fish throughout my fishing trips for the blog and afterwards select the best bits but there where far too many on the day to even take pictures of so I have put the ones I did take a picture of in this short video below to give you an idea of the size of carp you can expect form this small pool on the flushing meadows fishery site.

All in all it was one of the best days I have experienced on this fishery and a day to remember for sure with so many fish caught and my first ever still water barbel and I left a very happy angler indeed. 

One picture I did take on the day was the peg after I left and as yu can see the only sign I was ever there is a few grains of sweetcorn on the ground and this is the way it should be far too many anglers think it is ok to just leave line and rubbish discarded on the peg for others to clear up after them, it is not a good image for our sport at all and we should strive to improve this aspect of our sport.

That was it for my angling for the week barring a trip to the local canal with my dad and uncle on Saturday which proved to be a really tough but enjoyable day on the bank that took me back to my childhood chasing gudgeon and skimmers along the canal towpath. I chose not to blog fully about this trip as some trips you need to keep for yourself for a keepsake of the good times when you look back in life.  I will take many great memories from Saturday of laughs we had and pranks that where pulled.  I will however share one picture with you all and that is the one below of an impeccably marked perch which shows he potential of this old type waterway.

Till next time I wish you all

Tight lines

danny