New PB!

I popped to Ryton early this afternoon to tend to my duties as bailiff and have a good look around, there was still a fair few fish in the shallows with anglers surrounding them on the disabled peg and on Morris's. The chap on the disabled peg (He had a key) had a couple of fish earlier on in the morning and lost a third at the net. The rest of the lake was free from anglers and I saw a fair few fish moving in areas that I've not fished yet this year so I'll have to try them soon.

Barry's tales of fly caught Carp got the better of me and I'd spent the morning getting the fly gear sorted after packing it away at the end of last year. Jubilee is only a short hop from Ryton and I arrived just before the match finished at two but I hadn't realised that it  was being held on the main lake. I was hoping that there would be a few spaces clear on the horseshoe lake as this usually gets busy  with regulars when matches are held on the island lake, luckily there was only a few people there so I had a fair few swims to chose from.
I got the fish feeding on the top fairly quickly as they were cruising around enjoying the sun, I had a take almost first chuck but it threw the hook. It wasn't too long before I had the first of five fish on the bank at 9lb 8oz's. I've had this fish out a few times (see July 2009 blog) it has a recognisable 'hunchback' kink to it's spine, it must love biscuits.

After a bite to eat I had the second fish at 10lb 12oz's, a quick move saw the biggest fish of the day on the bank, more about that in a bit. Another quick move saw a small 6lber in the folds of the net, I then found myself at my original swim and had a lengthy tussle with a 12lb 13oz common.

The best fish of the day came from a tight little swim that's done me well in the past, there were fish all over the place, I threw a few biscuits in front of the platform and a big fish came up out of no where and sucked two down before moving off. I flicked my biscuit fly into place and waited for it to return which it soon did engulfing two more biscuits the second having a hook in it, I leaned back into the fish and all hell broke loose as it tore off down the right margin, I was having a job to keep in touch with it as it was taking line off the spool at some speed, I leaned forward off the peg to keep the tip below the water to keep the line away from the roots and branches, it took a while to get it under control letting the clutch and spring of the rod cushion the lunges, it took a little longer than usual to land but when it was safely in the net I realised that it was a potential PB.

Scales confirmed it at 17lb 6oz's, a new PB fly caught Carp.