Long Shaw Driftings

Benno had rung me on Wednesday with his plans to get out for a session after carp on Sunday at Long Shaw Farm. I couldn't give him a positive answer, due to baby-sitting duties, Bev and I having custody of both Emily and Harry for Friday and Saturday nights. However, as it turned out, things fell into place quite nicely. Whilst Bev was being "Nanny" to our guests - they were both having a mid-morning kip; I managed to get down to the Ramsgate Sports Direct which now shares the building with a Dragon Carp Direct store. A whole floor dedicated to fishing tackle; heavily discounted fishing tackle! This is the stuff of Tom's (Bradbury) nightmares!
It has only been open a week and a couple of guys, at work, have told me that it was worthy of a visit; how right they were! It was like an "out of body experience" - really weird and rather pleasant. I had a decent chat with a few members of staff; each of which was polite and dedicated to their successful launch and establishment of the 14th Dragon Carp Mega Store. It wasn't anything like I was expecting - a fishing tackle version of Margate's Primark being my pre-conception.
End of the visit saw me £74.98 worse off (I also purchased some boilies and PVA), but the proud owner of a Matt Hayes (made in China) "Limited Edition" Centrepin reel; the first new reel I've purchased since 1991! Superficially it looks similar to a Match Aerial, although the build quality is nowhere close, but it is a very well made, fully functional piece of angling hardware. At £60, it was a gamble worth taking; my thoughts being that Matt Hayes wouldn't jeopardise his reputation by putting his name on a piece of junk? He hasn't - my session at Long Shaw Farm, this afternoon, has provided all the evidence I need to whole-heartedly endorse this particular item of Dragon Carp merchandise.


Not the most flattering of images but, taken with Benno's i-phone, it does show me
playing the first fish on my new reel. Beads and bangles, on one wrist, a Rolex "Daytona" on the other!
All is not as it seems - the Chinese are not just clever at copying fishing reels! 



The first "double - figure" carp of 2013
At 10lbs 6oz - hardly likely to cause much jealousy

I met up with Benno and Will, who'd been on site since 07.00hrs, at around 13.00hrs. They had taken a few fish, Will's being the best at 9lbs 8oz, but sport had been rather pedestrian. Within ten minutes I had a 9lbs 6oz in the net, but it was very much a false dawn. Mallard ducks and shoals of ravenous Rudd were to prove to be a constant pain; they homing in on any free offerings I introduced, hence my floating crust getting a hammering from unwanted sources. I ended the day taking six carp, two "scraper doubles", before the clock reached 19.00hrs and it was time to go home.



The second double of the session. 10lbs 2oz is hardly likely to impress the "hard core" guys?
A very welcome visitor, to my landing net, by my way of thinking?

Benno, like he very often does, hooked and landed the biggest fish that was caught during day; at 18lbs 4oz, it might very well be the 19lbs+ individual that he has taken on two previous occasions.



A superb subject for the camera -  fun in the sun! What angling should be all about.


We enjoyed our first session, of 2013, at this commercial venue. It is never going to produce "big" fish but, what it does provide is, the chance to have fun with a very large population of long, lean Common Carp which will test your tackle and your angling skills if fished for on sensible gear amongst the branches of the many overhanging bushes which surround the two main lakes. Not for everyone, I'll acknowledge that: yet I can't think of many better ways of spending six, sunny, hours than simply flicking small cubes of crust out into the shadows to tempt these fabulous creatures.