Pads is a Cemex water at the famous Yateley complex, it's roughly 4 acres in size and costs £125 a day to book the entire lake, you simply divide the costs up amongst you and your friends. The lake itself contains somewhere in the region of 90 Carp which have an average size of over 20 lb, if I was ever going to catch my first twenty it was going to be here.
We arrived at the lake to find that all five anglers on the lake for the two days prior to us had blanked and not only that but the weed was absolutely horrendous. According to the bailiff the temperature roller coaster in recent weeks had caused to the weed to die and start growing again which meant apart from a few areas the size of postage stamps the bottom was thick with about a foot of weed.
I drew number one out of the hat which meant I had first swim choice so I opted for the legendary end of pads swim hoping the pads which were dying for the year would still attract some fish and I could also find some weed free areas on the outskirts.
I cast out and waited....
and waited....
Nothing, not so much as a beep for two days despite trying every imaginable rig and bait going, chods, slack lines, bolt rigs, free running, popups, naturals, they just weren't having it, none of my friends had caught either and unlike me they had even tried raking and spodding.
The last night I decided to take a massive gamble and go all in, I switched to a completely free running (and safe) rig and with an underarm lob dropped my PVA bagged rig and double corn bait right into a hole in the middle of the pads no more than two rod lengths out. The pads were nearly finished for the year and there was a clear 5 x 5 foot hole right in the middle so I was optimistic of being able to extract any fish I hooked, not only that but I was using strong gear and was more than prepared to go into the lake and rescue a snagged fish if need be.
I decided to fish my line completely slack and without a backlead, I waited until near dark and dropped half a kg of chili hemp over the top, anything bigger would of drawn the attention of the lakes numerous resident moorhens and coots.
Nothing, nadda, zip, not a touch even though I could hear fish crashing all around me all night.
We were due to leave the lake at 10 am that morning so after accepting it wasn't to be I began to start packing up my gear. Whilst taking my winter skin off the bivvy I had two short beeps on the bite alarm and I looked round and saw the bobbin was up tight against the rod but no line was being taken, odd, quickly picking up rod I felt resistance as if I was snagged. It was only when I slackened off the line and noticed a tiny twitch of the pads and the my line zipping away that I even realised I had a fish on.
After a little gentle pressure my line cut through the dying pads like a hot knife through butter and within 5 minutes my mate who had heard my screams of "GET IN THEEEEERE!!!!" from across the lake came running round and slipped the net under the fish. It's just as well he was there to help as I was fishing between two overhanging trees so I would of had trouble netting the fish on my own.
I could tell she was a definite twenty (my first ever!) but how high would she actually go.....
.....the scales revealed 30lb 15 ounces!
There can't be too many Carp anglers who's first 'twenty' is actually a 'thirty' and with it coming just an hour before packing up I definitely felt lady luck was smiling on me even though I'd waited 71 hours for just one fish.My friends had found it equally tough going, one had blanked, another had managed just a 5 lb Bream, another a 32 lb Carp and the other Carp of 25 lb and 29 lb.
I definitely feel privileged to have fished such a historic water and we've already booked the lake again for April.
Happy days.
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