Sublime and the ridiculous

I'm just back from a session at Sandwich Coarse Fishery, my last chance of a carp for a while. Pike angling once again will dominate my thoughts over the next few weeks. Kevin unlocked the gates just after 07.00 hrs, this morning and I drove straight round to my chosen area, fishing within five minutes of my arrival.
It was a glorious day, with a blustery WSW blowing into my face. The swim I'd chosen, and I had the lake to myself first thing, was the one where I took my first ever carp from the venue. I knew what I wanted to do and exactly where I was going to try my luck.

The reed stems which are out in the open water were frequently moved by the actions of the carp
swimming about within the sanctuary of the cover. My right-hand rod was fished close to the
edge of this feature.
Two Duncan Kay's and two Mitchell 300's is only to be expected? My choice of bite alarms is where my post
title came from. On the right is a prototype Steve Neville - 1993 - and on the left a crazy Dragoncarp product (3 for £5!)
a Redmire alarm.  One of these items is valued in the £100's - yet what does it do that the other doesn't? Well it works when it rains, for a start!
 But the reality is that technology has advanced so rapidly as to make my Steve Neville a topic of conversation, and envy,
 whilst the Redmire alarm provides a disposable alternative.

There were fish (carp) in my swim from the very off, they showed themselves by vicious movements of the reeds as they swam between the dead stems. One of my baits was placed directly adjacent to the reeds, my other out into a deeper channel that is close to an island. I was really happy with my rigs, but unsure of my choice of spots. After a couple of hours, with no action, I changed the left hand rod to a deeper area, adjacent to the tree line 90 degrees to my rod tip and the right hand rod was cast directly into an open spot within the reeds. No back lead, no open bale arm and no getting away from the rod; if I got a bite I needed to be right on top of the situation!
It was 10.30 hrs when the reed bed rod was away and I found myself attached to a lively little "scamp" Common - around 6 lbs. I was delighted, this was the first bite/fish that I'd had using the Mitchell 300's. There was no-one around, so I put the fish straight back, happy that a jinx had been broken. It was almost an hour later that the same rod was away again. This time it was a little more interesting, the carp attempting to remain within the reeds with far more gusto than my previous capture. Eventually, I managed to extricate the carp from the snags and, once in open water, it was relatively straight forward from then on.

I am indebted to the young guy, from my adjacent swim, who kindly took this photo.

As always, if I think it has a chance of being a double, it was subjected to the ritual weighing - 10 lbs 8 oz of superb, chunky, Mirror Carp. I walked around to the guy, who had just arrived, and asked if he'd be so kind as to take a few photos? He did just that and I am very grateful. Not a big fish, by any means, but one that I am very content with. I can put away the carp gear and concentrate on pike fishing, knowing that my last effort was a step in the right direction.