Mike Willmott - Essential Baits

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Widening and strengthening the north bank in preparation for the new otter-proof fencing. in fact in more recent times we’ve even held a wedding reception at Springwood for my long-term � shing pal Phil Marsh. � ese socials normally kick o� about 7.00 p.m. on the Saturday evening, and I haven’t known one yet that’s � nished before 8.00 a.m. the following morning!! Yes, we love to see the ‘Springwood Sunrise’, it’s all part of the culture down here! Mind you, I’m not suggesting for one minute that there’s any sensible dialogue taking place by this time! SURFACE-CAUGHT RIVER 40! Amongst the hard work and the hangovers, there has to be some sanity and in April 2004 Lee and I were heading to Belgium for our annual ‘River Carping’ trip. � e previous year we managed to � nd a remote part of the river that we fell in love with, and I have to say, it’s the most fantastic place we’ve ever � shed. Not full of big � sh, but there are undoubtedly some whackers in there, and some of them are real stunners. I can honestly say that I’m far happier catching unknown and uncaught 20s and 30s from a remote stretch of a river than catching o� en-caught 50s, 60s and 70s from commercial venues that see relentless pressure week a� er week. Another thing that excites me about the river systems is that they provide a whole new set of challenges to overcome, and I love thinking my way around certain problems. It keeps the old grey matter ticking over. However, the � rst problem I encountered on this particular trip was a little bit more than I could handle. It culminated in a huge, multi-thousand ton barge picking up all three of my lines as it charged down the river!! To be honest, it took me by complete surprise because I was � shing the deeper midwater channel of the river, and the barge had to be carrying an extraordinary amount of cargo and travelling at quite a speed to pick up the rigs in that depth. All three Delkims let out an almighty scream at exactly the same time and the reel spools were just a complete blur. I � ew out of my bivvy and literally dived over the steep, rocky margins and ‘rugby tackled’ the rods in a fashion that the great Jonah Lomu Paradise found! A remote part of the river system and a place we’ve come to love. All ready for the 200 tons of clay to be deposited. himself would have been proud of ! I managed to save the rods but decided that it wasn’t a good idea to try hand-lining the barge, so I just lay there helplessly as the giant barge stripped o� all three spools at a rate of knots – it was frightening really, but worse was still to come. A� er the danger had passed I tried to get up but was met with the most excruciating pain that I’d ever encountered at the base of my spine. It was absolute agony and I just couldn’t move. � ose who su� er with bad backs will know exactly what I mean – not pleasant. Fortunately for me, Lee was close at hand, Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott 27
Life and Carp Life Mike Willmott 28 and a� er what seemed like an age, he � nally managed to get me back to my bedchair. Well, to cut a long story short, that’s where I stayed for the next three days, I could hardly move an inch either way – literally! Lee, meanwhile, was having a great time landing a few nice carp to upper-20s and catching a few di� erent species through ledgering and plugging in the nearby harbour. In fact, it was in this harbour that Lee happened to foul-hook a mid-30 mirror in the � ank whilst plugging, and I could see what he was thinking just by looking at his face! A� er all, if he could foul-hook a mid-30 mirror in the � ank, what else might be lurking beneath the depths of this quiet harbour away from the hustle and bustle of the main river? I usually carry a vast array of di� erent baits when I’m abroad because you never know what you’re likely to encounter, and in the back of the van, I had a bag of Chum Mixers. Probably the last bait you would think about taking to a river, but the quiet harbour o� ered an alternative option, and with the sun feeling quite warm as it climbed through the clear blue April sky, any � sh would surely have to be in the upper layers. Lee soon disappeared with the bag of Chums, but it wasn’t long before I could hear him hurriedly making his way back to base camp as I still lay there bedridden. Judging by his actions he’d obviously seen something! Fumbling his way through his tackle box to set up a controller � oat arrangement, he told me that he’d managed to get a group of � sh feeding on the Chums, and one of them was very big! Shaving the edges of a 20mm cork ball to imitate a Chum Mixer, the setup was now complete and he made his way back to the harbour armed with a rod and a net. � ree days had passed since my back accident and the pain had eased somewhat, enabling me to roll o� my bedchair and slowly stand up. Walking was more di� cult though, but I was determined to keep mobile. I gingerly made my way to the harbour to investigate the situation, and on my arrival I could see Lee crouched down on a � oating jetty that protruded into the harbour. As I got within about 20yds of him, he suddenly struck the rod, and at the same time there was a huge eruption on the surface. What happened next will remain etched What a way to catch your fi rst-ever 40 – on the surface – on a river – and on a piece of cork. Unbelievable! Lee decided to go stalking in the harbour next to the boats. I wasn’t prepared for what happened next! Fumbling his way through his tackle box to set up a controller fl oat arrangement, he told me that he’d managed to get a group of fi sh feeding on the Chums, and one of them was very big! in my memory forever. � e powerful � sh went on an almighty run across the harbour with the clutch in meltdown mode as Lee desperately tried his best to keep in contact with it. When I got next to Lee he told me he’d managed to single out the big one and that it was a very chunky-looking mirror – ‘just the job’ I thought. � e � sh continued to surge across to the far side of the harbour with immense power, diving under several moored boats. � e line must have been desperately close to the sharp propeller blades that protruded from the boats and Lee had to hold the full length of the rod underneath the surface to keep the line as deep as possible. � e � ght lasted for a full 30 minutes and the � sh had completed a full lap of the harbour before it was ready for the net! How he kept if from snagging up on any of the boats I will never know. I must say, it was one of the most exciting battles I’ve ever witnessed. We were both more than a little relieved when it eventually slid into the net, and what a stunner of a � sh it was too. At 40lb 8oz, it was Lee’s � rst-ever 40, and what a way to break that magical four-zero mark. From a river, and on a piece of cork!! You couldn’t have dreamt it – happy days indeed. To be honest it was the perfect tonic I needed for my injured back, and although we were running out of time, for the remaining 48 hours of the trip I was able to move about far easier and I felt much more comfortable. In fact, before we departed I even managed to nail one myself – a 29lb 14oz mirror on a Zigrigged pop-up presented 16� o� the riverbed. As they say, it’s a funny old game! A CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A REST On my return to the UK I was at a bit of a loss as to where to go next. I was now having massive problems with my back and I found it di� cult to � sh overnight without su� ering severe pain. Eventually an X-ray pinpointed the problem – according to my doctor it was old age – great! Apparently, something to do with wear and tear on the muscle tissues or something. Perhaps all that heavy gra� at Springwood had � nally caught up with me, but hey, that’s life I’m afraid. I decided to take my foot o� the pedal for the summer and stick to a few day sessions or short overnighters at Springwood. I found this extremely enjoyable and, as they say, a change is as good as a rest. I think we all need a break from time to time, and it was good to catch
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Mike Willmott - Essential Baits

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