Guido Richard: Spring finale

At the end of April, the predatory season was over for us and with the first casts early in the morning - in search of the first pike of the season - my addiction and desire for the carp was extinguished. Previously, I had been outside mostly three times a week since the beginning of March, in harsh weather conditions at the beginning of spring. Now we needed a lot of variety to recharge our batteries for the carp season that had just begun. And indeed: after a few casts, the first pike of the year bit, which meant it was immediately clear that I would spend my time on the boat spin fishing until a planned predatory fish trip to Holland.

However, there was still a plan stuck in the back of my mind that wouldn't leave me alone. There was a full moon in the last week of April and I wanted to fish this effectively and well prepared - two days with Laurent should be enough. The week before I looked at two different areas that had a good chance of catching a big fish. Unfortunately, the first spot was a bit too uncomfortable and unsafe, because since the first Corona lockdown, the parking lot from which you could fish in the area had become the new top spot for street hookers. The consequences were a lot of unrest and lots of police checks. The second interesting area was completely different: it was on the other side of the bank in the middle of nowhere and could only be reached by boat - which would of course make the pre-feeding much more labor-intensive.

In the end we decided on the peace and nature of the second spot, although I have to admit that I have a strange love for strange fishing spots. So to those spots where it's hard to get sleep at night, where the back and forth of strange people during the day makes it impossible to even think about taking a nap - in short: spots where you fish for two days and then just one more wants to go home, lock himself in the room and sleep for ten hours.

During the first feeding, I spread five kilos of boilies over a large area between one and three meters of water, always along a small edge that was still full of old weed with holes in it. Obviously the fish came here more often to eat. The water was still very clear at this time of year, so that during the next feeding campaigns I was able to use the Aquascope to precisely check the places and adjust the amount of food. The boilies were gone every time and the ground in the weed-free holes seemed more and more polished.

In mild temperatures and drizzle, we headed to the site in our small inflatable boats in the afternoon before the full moon - I had a good feeling and everything seemed to be going well. By 6 p.m. all four rods were in the water as the rain continued to get heavier. After a good meal, our dry loungers welcomed us for some sheep. This was sorely needed because Laurent was at the bakery at 4 a.m. and I was at the boat ramp an hour later to enjoy the first hours of the morning with the predatory fish. It didn't go particularly well, but I was able to catch a really big catfish on a small pike rod as bycatch.

We were actually able to sleep through until the last hours of darkness, when my RX radio box finally responded. I quickly jumped off the lounger, grabbed the rod and steered the boat towards the fish, which luckily had moved into the open water. I was able to drill him calmly and slowly because he was just as calm, showed no nervousness and stayed low to the bottom. I knew that if it wasn't a catfish, it would be a really good fish. It slowly came up from the bottom and my nerves began to flutter as I made out a bright, large mass. After two failed attempts at landing net, followed by a brutal run, the mesh finally closed around him. I rowed back and woke up Laurent, who was still in dreamland. In the meantime it had become light and after a few coffees we weighed and photographed this magnificent mirror. The fish looked young and untouched, so much so that I'm already dreaming of catching it a few more times.

We were really happy that the plan had worked and so we enjoyed the day. In the afternoon the sun even came out and she brought a small scale carp with her as a visitor.

That night we re-laid our four rods. In contrast to the previous evening, this time the sky was clear of stars, the air pressure had increased slightly and the air felt significantly colder due to the north wind. It was completely quiet for the first half of the night until a huge chub caused some hope - and disappointment at the same time. It wasn't until early in the morning, around the same time as the day before, that the same rod went off again. Laurent grabbed her and this time we jumped into the boat together. The fish showed no resistance and was cranked up like a heavy stone without a fight. Our astonishment was even greater when we saw the huge dimensions in the light of the headlamps - we couldn't believe our eyes! This carp was much bigger than the one from the previous night! Round, wide, with a slanted mouth - all in all an absolutely unusual animal. He looked ancient and would have had thousands of stories to tell about his life.

After this incredibly cool action, I went carp on the water a few more times, but without much motivation or groundbreaking success. The time had come for a carp break - and so by mid-July I was just a predator angler.

Guido