november-2026-big-carp-part-1 - Flipbook - Page 43
BIG CARP / ON THE WATER
NOVEMBER 2026
THE WAITING GAME
FROM THE WATER
Needs little introduction, but nevertheless, it would be rude not to introduce
it anyway! 35 acres of shallow gravel pit set inside a beautiful country
park, on the outskirts of Reading and absolutely steeped in modern carp
fishing history consistently producing big carp for many years and once
considered the holy grail of uk carp waters! At one time there were over
20 fifty-pound plus carp to just over 60! But like all living things, big carp
come and they go, and several years ago a fair few of the lake s old dinosaurs
unfortunately passed away making room for all the back-up fish to step
up the ranks and the lake is now very much in its ascendancy with a good
10 fish surpassing that magical fifty-pound barrier again at the right time
of year!
The syndicate itself is quite small by modern angling terms and around
50 members.
I first put my name down on the waiting list in around 2017 whilst still
knee-deep in my angling adventures on Horton and KingsMead, paid a
deposit and forgot about it almost .. fast forward 7 years to 2024 and after
rattling a fair few cages I finally got my chance to fish here (I m sat by the
lake now with the rods out!) I d more than exhausted my time in the Colne
Valley by that point and was desperate for a change of scenery so to say I
was excited when I got the call was a bloody understatement!! Waiting for
it to start was almost akin to June the 16th again when I was a kid!
OPENING NIGHT
July 1st eventually came around, and Dottie the carp dog and I were at the
site reception bang on 5 to 9, waiting to pick up our key and pass. Keen as
mustard, we made our way straight to the pond for a mooch about, and that
we did. I must have stood in every empty peg and just immersed myself in
each one, not physically in the wet stuff! But studying the unknown before
me, that classic mixture of excitement mixed with a layer of intimidation,
not so much fear, more the knowing of all those that had stood those banks
before me keen to know I was worthy of my place on this hallowed venue
if you like!
BIG CARP
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