Badshot Lea Big Pond - Aldershot

It feels like I haven't been carp fishing in an age. The winter was tough on Gordy and I and we both hadn't caught a carp for months, not for the want of trying. Those last few months towards the end of last year saw us shivering in our bivvy on more than a few occasions and half a year has past since we had caught one.

Now by no means are we skilled carp anglers. I only started fishing for carp last season for the first time after Gordy stalked a sneaky 15lb Mirror from a pond that wasn't meant to have any in- on luncheon meat with a simple sliding weight. His entire repertoire at that time was a simple bolt rig setup with shop bought rigs. Thankfully we've moved on a little - we know a few more rigs and now tie our own (so much cheaper)!!

So with this in mind we chose to fish Badshot Lea big pond. The pond is 16 acres set over 69 swims. The carp here go to 24+, Grass carp to 34+, catfish to 60+ and tench to 11. There was a large fish kill here a few years ago due to KHV and after a healthy restocking program, you're required to use the nets and mats provided on site. The water is owned by Farnham Angling and can be fished on a guest permit.

Slug swim. Or peg 29 as it's officially known (by us) was named due to the IMMENSE amount of slugs that come out at night- hundreds. And they get everywhere, inside and out of the bivvy. It's the last swim before the pin and it sits on the edge of a bay that can only be fished from said pin, no swims are present in the bay itself and its enclosed by thick wood, fallen branches and bushes that line the edge and extend into the water. We've had a few carp from here last summer, nothing massive, but it defeated us a lot in the end.

We decide we are going to fish the margins not more than two rod lengths out. Each side has a tangle of roots and branches that reach out creating good but dangerous features. This means we're are going to have to sit on our rods as we only have two or three feet before a fish could make it to potential safety and no doubt much cursing by us. Gordy takes the left, I take right.

Our set-up is a small bolt rig using a safety clip, quick link and12lb sinking braid at around 6 inches long. Baits that will compliment our size 6 hooks are Maize, Tiger Nut and Cell boilie. It's caught us fish well in the past and as we're both stubborn old sticklers, we stick with what we know today. 15lb mainline should be more than enough to hold the fish from the snags, as long as it isn't a cat and our groundbait with added goodness should get the fish interested. PVA mesh sticks will deposit our baits safely and hopefully aid in presentation.

At about 3pm we both cast out to the far edge of the snags within a meter of certain doom, and set a rod each out in the centre at about the same distance. Our line is set through our bite alarms and we sit back to shoot the breeze. It's a warm but overcast day and the day before was a scorcher. Perfect conditions said Gordy ever the optimist, and he says he's feeling confident (as usual!) but in the back of my mind I fear a repeat of the last time I was here. We get a cup of tea and about an hour passes when out of the blue my snag side bite alarm screams. I don't remember leaping up and striking but all of a sudden a fish on the end is putting a great bend in my rod as I put on hard pressure to stop it making the snags. It's tense stuff as I gain some ground but the fish doesn't want to give up and fights surprisingly hard. In the end it's no mach for the 15lb line I have on this rod and it finally surfaces. To my surprise I find it's a great looking tench.And at 5lb 6oz it beat my PB by an ounce! Double Maize on the hair.

After we take the photo the fish goes back into the net for it's ride to freedom but before we have a chance to liberate it Gordy's swinger on his snaggy side shoots to the top and stops dead, He's straight on in and with a tench on the bank I can't believe our luck as we've only been in about an hour and we're both into fish. I quickly release the tench and prepare for what looks like an incoming carp. Gordy manages to keep it well clear of the snags and it slips gracefully over the net. As I walk behind Gordy up the bank to the mat I notice he raises his left fist and mutters under his breath "Get in there". It's another great fish and this came in at a sound 14lb dead taken on cell boilie.

We both congratulate each other on such good looking fish and the next hour passes fast. The odd beep keeps us alert when again my snag side rod calls me into action. As before I have to be quick and I can tell this fish isn't as big as the last. It comes in at 4lb 6oz and I have to say they do try and scrap for their size (as opposed to  "bream-o bream-o")

Once released I take a moment to rebait up and I decide to change to cell boilie on the hope of a carp. Just as I get back in and not twenty minutes after my fish Gordy's snag rod shouts for attention. It's Only 6pm and it feels like it's fishing Christmas. The G-man does his stuff to avert snagging and after a few attempts at getting the fish near the net it begrudgingly slides over the lip. It's another Mirror and this comes in at 10lb to the dram..

An hour later after to changing to cell Again on the same rod I bag another tench. A great looking fish and not bad at 4lb 2oz

 Before I get my right rod back into the water and just as Gordy and I are discussing how quiet the middle rods are my middle bite alarm gets a screaming run that has me leaping ninja like to intercept. I hook into the fish but this beast feels bigger than anything so far. It puts up a great little fight as it tries to flee the poor bloke that's crapping himself as he prays to the fishing gods for it not to come off. A few minutes later to great relief I get it in the net. Taken to Cell the best tench of the session came in at 7:20pm and weighed a nice 6lb 12oz. I couldn't believe our luck.

The rest of the evening saw us both in high spirits and although we both had a few knocks, beeps and what looked like an aborted run, Nothing else materialised. During the night we both had a couple of bream each and watching Gord leaping from "Bertha" (his sleeping bag) for a run that sounded like a carp only to end up being a bream brought a smile to my face.

Early next morning after after little sleep at around 7am the snag rod pulls me my smallest tench of the bunch. A quick pic and released without weighing.

I have high hopes for the morning but it ends up being slow and slightly chilly. Gordy's rods are dead and at about 10am I get up and head for the toilets. Upon returning I see Gord leaning out over the water playing a fish. He manages to keep it about 2 foot from the snags on the left when all of a sudden the rod goes solid. He pressures the fish but nothing gives. Somehow he's managed to get into an unknown underwater snag that was closer than we knew. Gordy tries every trick he knows to free the fish. Even though the rod is solid he says he "thinks" he can still feel the fish and as it's only a few feet from the bank he mentions the idea he may go in and try to free the line. I immediately jump on this and after a slow night would love to be entertained by watching him jump into the freezing cold water to see what he could do. I make all the right noises and he decides to go for it.

Gingerly he slides down the bank and into the icy murk. I watch as the colour drains from his face but can't help but laugh as he tests the depth with the pole. A few steps out and he's beyond his depth. Holding the rod I feel the fish has shed the hook so it's now just a futile effort to save the end gear. He shudders as the water touches parts icy water shouldn't touch and he still feet from the snag. It's a funny but hopeless cause-way to deep, and he returns empty handed, cold and wet- much to the amusement of a fellow angler reclining in his chair and watching the whole show from the pin. We cut the line as near to the hook as possible and shivering he sets back up.

The next couple of hours see's me lose two good fish to hook pulls trying to keep them from the snags. It's frusterating stuff so I re-rig with a new hook and Gordy does the same- just in case.

The sun comes out and for the final time Gordon's snag rod spins him a winner. I can see by the bend that it's a good fish and he's having to fight it hard to keep it from the tree's. I see it roll in the water and it looks big and it takes him a huge amount of effort to keep the fish under control. He needs to land this fish after the dip he took earlier to make it worth while as we almost went home at that point He does his stuff and I reach the net under the fish to complete what was the best fight of the day, and the best fish of the day. A tasty 15lb 6oz Common of  vibrant gold was badshot lea's parting gift to what ended upbeing an awesome twenty four hours that we shall never forget.