Mystery Lake

Dan "The Fisherman" (not a crap angler) and myself, the crap angler visited a mystery lake in Oxfordshire early on Monday the 1st October. We arrived at around 6.30am, just as dawn was breaking. The lake was fairly narrow, quite long and had a few islands of varying sizes in the middle. Most of all the venue looked "fishy"! Neither of us had fished the venue before and so didn't know what, if any fish were stocked.

We both chose swims next to each other and started to set up, before we had a rod in the water Dan had spotted a snake swimming towards him, so after he had shit himself and almost climbed up a tree we continue to set up. Both of use were using method feeders with hair rigged boilies. I was using a method mix that consisted of Bait-Tech Special 'G' Green Groundbait, tuna, sweetcorn, strawberry flavoured carp pellets, rock salt, breadcrumbs, crushed boilies and sugar puffs. On my first rod I was using 14mm strawberry flavoured boilie made by ... On my second rod I was using pineapple plus 15mm boilie. It's irrelevant what method mix and bait Dan used, he blanked!

The first few hours were pretty slow, then after about 3 hours I received a run on my strawberry boilie. The reel started to scream like a banshee on crack! I struck and after quite a good strong, wild fight I landed a common carp of around 5lb. After this run the lake went pretty dead. No signs of fish and no bites for either of us, not even a line bite. At around 1 o'clock Dan asked me if he thought we should move to Clattercote Reservoir as he was desperate to catch some fish, but being the stubborn git that I am I refused saying that I thought that we would catch fish. I also didn't want to walk my fishing tackle round 63 pegs at Clattercote!

The next hour or so was just as quiet as the previous few and then just after walking around for a bit I arrived back at my swim and just as I did my left hand rod with the strawberry boilie went off on a "clonking" run with my bite alarm going mental. I struck into the fish and at first it ran straight for the island. I managed to get the fish under control and then continued to play it for a while before eventually landing a beautiful looking Mirror Carp. In the net the carp weighed 19lb 12oz but after taking the weight of the wet net off it weighed exactly 18lb making it my personal best. I was so happy and was especially pleased that I hadn't given in to Dan and moved venues.



Again the lake went very quite, Dan got a run (not the runs) at around 4 o'clock but to continue his bad luck for the day he missed it, I was gutted for him as it's not nice for anyone to blank, but especially when your mate lands a "clonker"! At around 5 o'clock I had another nice run - again on the strawberry boilie, this fish fought well and in the end I landed a wild looking common carp of about 5lbs.

We kept on fishing until it was sunset and then called it a day but decided to fish Clattercote Reservoir the next day at 6am. On the way home I decided to buy some crazy baits for our fishing tomorrow. As I have fished Clattercote Reservoir before and caught plenty of fish I thought I would have a bit of fun and see what baits I could catch fish on. I bought the following baits:

chick peas in masala sauce
meatballs in tomato sauce
pepperami
cheese strings (multi-coloured: yellow+orange)

Shimano Exage 1000 RA Reel

The Exage specimen reel just ticks so many boxes! It's suited perfectly to the carp, predator and specimen angler alike and with its revolutionary Fightin' Drag mechanism - effectively giving it an instantly adjustable baitrunner system - this reel has proved one of Shimano's best sellers. Check below to see the Fightin' Drag system in action.

The Exage's outstanding beauty can't fail to impress. Supplied with a strong and light aluminium cold-forged spool, and an additional spare spool, the Exage RA has 3 Shimano AR-B ball bearings and a Shimano roller bearing that delivers an impressively smooth performance and superb cranking power. The AR-B bearings are resistant to corrosion and oxidisation, even in most extreme conditions and ensure the Exage RA will maintain its peak performance for a long time to come.

If there's one feature that puts this reel firmly at the top of the specimen tree, it has to be the Fighting Drag system. If you require an almost limitless range of drag settings at the flick of a switch to keep you in touch & control the most unexpected battles with hard fighting fish, look no further than Shimano reels fitted with fighting drag. Ergonomically positioned between the back of the body & the rear drag knob, a simple turn anti-clockwise decreases the pressure whilst a clockwise turn tensions the clutch. Start with the lever in the central position i.e. vertical and hold the hooklength (taking great care not to hook yourself! and pull the line through the rods rings making a curve in the rod. Set the rear clutch knob so that the clutch allows line to gently come away from the spool when the rod is at maximum test curve. Now you have the clutch set cast out and then switch the lever to the minimum clutch setting, this is a great buffer when a big fish takes the bait, hooks up and starts to pull the rod into the water. In effect you have a Baitrunner spool, simply pick up the rod and gently ease into the fish, try to avoid the temptation to strike the fish, as it will probably be hooked. Slowly apply the pressure with your thumb on the Fightin' drag lever clockwise - when you feel you have the desired setting to play the fish you can continue with the battle. If the fish starts to lunge and requires more line then flick the lever back to the central position and instantly you reduce the tension. It's simple, fast and effective, little wonder many top anglers now swear by Fighting Drag.

Want to see the Fighting Drag in action? See how it works HERE!

SUPER STOPPER II
With the reel set in anti-reverse mode you'll find zero free-play on the handle thanks to Super Stopper II. Unerringly positive every time, its practical benefits include micro increment settings of quiver tips or specialist bite indicators and faster hook setting.

FLOATING SHAFT II
The key friction area on most fixed spool reels is where the spool drive shaft meets the pinion. Shimano designers have overcome this by reducing a large percentage of surface area contact, and incorporating bearings on either side of the shaft. The resultant design leaves the shaft in a "floating" position, considerably improving efficiency and longevity.

FIGHTIN' DRAG
Models with Fightin' Drag have both a conventional drag and an additional drag, accessed by simply shifting the conveniently located lever to the left or right.

DYNA BALANCE
Reduces reel wobble and allows produces ultra smooth performance.

A-RB
The secret of long-term rotation performance is to prevent any form of rust, corrosion or oxidisation of the bearings, which can cause a reduction in the reel's performance over time Shimano A-RB bearings are the answer to this and are fitted as standard on most Shimano freshwater reels and on all Shimano saltwater models.

VARISPEED
Excellent quality line lay is the most important feature for precise, long and accurate casting. Shimano's entry-level "Varispeed" line lay system consists of two specially designed gears and oscillating slider. Gear one is oval and gear two is square! Only a special computer program and state-of-the-art tooling developed by Shimano has been able to make these two shapes fit together perfectly and the result is good line lay and improved fishing precision.

P3 stands for Power - Precision - Performance
It's a perfect description for the range of Shimano economy reel. Our world famous gears have an unbeatable reputation of strength and durability and are used throughout the P3 range to given them Shimano Power. All Shimano reels are designed using advance computerised technology. P3 models are also assembled to micrometer perfect tolerances that deliver the renowned Shimano Precision.
Although the P3 range is very affordable, the reels totally outperform other competitive models, last longer and deliver outstanding Shimano Performance.

ONLY £29.99!

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Shimano Reel Deal

In classic black with an XT7 spool finished in silver, the ST models from Shimano are packed with far more advanced features than you'd reasonably expect to find on a Baitrunner at this price point.

Line lay is good thanks to Varispeed oscillation which involves an oval and a square gear, computer engineered to interact perfectly. Incorporating a gutsy 4.6:1 retrieve, double handle and the equivalent of 5 ball bearings, the ST is available in both 6000 and 10000 models.

If you're looking for a quality entry-level free spool reel, look no further than the new Baitrunner ST.

BTRST10000RA
Weight 540, Gear Ratio 4.6:1
Line Capacity 12lb/430yds

ONLY £59.99!

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