Simply Pole Fishing

 Noorderlaan, Weert - 29.03.2016 

Today, I'm in Weert to fish on the St. Petrus club water called the Noorderlaan for a couple of hours.

I fished for Carp on this small lake many years ago, and in fact caught my biggest ever Mirror here.

38 lb 12 oz.

A much younger (and slimmer) me in May 2002 with my best ever Mirror from the Noorderlaan.

This was during my Carping 'phase' from 2000 to 2014. I have never fished here for Roach and Bream, and have no idea what to expect. I just hope I don't hook one of those big Carp on the pole!

The Noorderlaan, a small lake in the middle of Weert.

We are going to have some strong winds today, so I have chosen the most sheltered area.

A very simple approach of fishing just one line.

The Noorderlaan. One angler after Carp on the far bank - none so far.

Rig was a light 0.4 gram Drennan G-Tip 3 with a bulk of three No. 8's and three number 10's down the line. Main line was 0.11 mm Reflo Power to a 0.09 mm bottom. The rig was finished off with a size 22 Kamasan B611 hook.

Drennan G-Tip 3 - great for shallower swims.

A top 3 of 2.21 metres length with a Preston Slip No. 5 elastic through the top 2 (about 1.2 metres long) was all that was required for this shallow lake.

What to feed? Groundbait with a few pinkies, casters, 4 large chopped up dendrobaenas, and grains of Hemp mixed in - just to see if we can get a few bites.

A few small balls cupped in for accuracy

I mixed up some groundbait - 50/50 Secret and Supercup and cupped in 4 balls at 10.5 metres towards the bottom of a slight slope.

A single maggot on a size 22 Kamasan B611 hook.

I alternated between a single maggot and two pinkies on the hook. I picked up some fresh soft bait (maggots and pinkies) from the fishing shop Hengelsportcentrale Limburg in Roermond and put them in some fine corn flour to keep them clean and dry.

The Preston medium soft cad pot was used to trickle in a few pinkies over the feed area. The water is warming up and I'm hopeful of a fish or two.

Preston Medium Soft Cad Pot - and a few pinkies.

After about an hour I'd had no indications so I put in a cup of loose groundbait over the feed area. This seem to do the trick as within a few minutes I was into my first fish - and what a fish to start with!

I wasn't expecting this fish! Probably from someones garden pond.

I only fish natural waters, so I was surprised when this fish turned up. It probably weighed about 800 grams.

Just after I caught this fish, an old bloke told me I had to move my car - apparently parking on the grass is not good - so I decided to call it a day and head off home.

Tomorrow I will look for another sheltered swim, probably on a canal, and see if I can catch a few more fish.

Cheers,

Steve