Etched in time

It was a Tuesday morning in July as I sat on the banks overlooking a big windswept Gravel Pit. As I'm sat in the comfort of my bivi with a hot mug of tea in hand, looking out across this vast sheet of water, waves lapping against the front of the swim, I listened to the pitter-patter of rain and decided to tell the tale of my spring campaign on a new water. My ticket began in March of this year. Swarkestone gravel pit lies in the East Midlands, this was a water that had been on my radar for many years, even more so now that I live in the Midlands so when I was offered a ticket I jumped at the chance.

Swarkestone, located in the Derbyshire countryside is a gravel pit of around 80 acres. I'm not sure when the quarry stopped using the pit but as is often the case it was filled with water, fish were introduced and fishing allowed. A few clubs have held fishing rights throughout the years but the current syndicate took on the lease in 2014. They began developing the pit and introducing carp annually, some of these stocked fish are now reaching weights of up to 40lbs+.

The gravel pit boasts all you'd ever want; masses of crystal clear open water, bars, sunken islands, deep areas, back bays, snags, islands, shallows and even a sunken barge. A carp angler paradise with its tree-lined banks and abundance of wildlife,  truly a water etched in time. It's tough to explain, I've seen pictures but until you finally walk around this mighty pit it's hard to understand how special this place is. The work that has gone into developing the syndicate is an astonishing achievement. All swims have been rejuvenated and it has been fully otter-fenced, ensuring the security of anglers and fish alike. Alongside this, they've also laid a stone track so you can drive around the entire pit and park behind every swim. This makes moving swims a joy rather than the mighty task it normally is, on a gravel pit of this size. There are around 250 to 300 carp in this Gravel Pit so it's not particularly highly stocked for 80 acres however that is plenty to go at, meaning I was going to have to work for every fish. The fish are a mix of big dark commons, scaly mirrors, a handful of old original leathery mirrors and a few commons. Sizes ranging from small stockies to mid-40s, I couldn't wait to get started! Let the journey begin!

It was not until April 4th that I had my first visit, I'd decided to miss March due to weather conditions and trips to other waters that were already arranged. Excited about my first trip, I'd set my alarm for 4 am to miss the morning traffic and be there for first light. Waking well before my alarm as is the norm,  I jumped in the shower, freshened up and was out the door. The journey went in a flash as so many thoughts ran through my mind. Approaching the final stretch I travelled across the historic swarkestone bridge. I arrived at the gate and fumbled as I put the code into the combination lock, eager to finally lay eyes on the water I had been thinking so much about.  

The first day was spent exploring and searching for signs of fish. After several hours of searching to no avail, I decided to settle in the swim known as 'home alone' as it's known to have good form. To cut a long story short this first session went by in the blink of an eye with no fish to show. I was expecting that however given it was my first time at the pit.  

Moving forward, a week later I was back. I decided to change tactics a little, to learn as much as possible about the lake, and to fish a different swim each night for my 4 night session. This would mean I could spend as much time as possible mapping out many swims. It was becoming apparent that at this time, the fish were not giving themselves away and were difficult to locate. In all honesty, I think they had other things on their mind and this session ended the same as the first, as a blank, but the knowledge gained would definitely hold me in good stead for the future.

The next session I'd finally managed to locate some fish in a swim known as muddy point. Confidence was high as I knew I was getting closer to that first bite. The first night came and went, I listened to fish crashing in the distance as I struggled to fall asleep. I soon awoke to the dawn chorus. I thought my chance had come and gone but about mid-morning my left-hand rod burst into life with the sound of a one-toner. As I picked up the rod I couldn't believe how far the fish had already travelled.  I applied pressure and we struggled for a time, unfortunately, the fish gained sanctuary in the shelter of the trees overhanging the Island. After a stalemate of about 20 minutes, something finally gave and the fish bow waved out into open water. As the fish finally began to approach the net, the line went slack and my heart sank. I knew the hook had pulled. Slumped at the front of the swim with my head in my hands I was gutted that I'd lost my first swarkestone carp. Losing fish is never easy but when it's the first on new water, especially a tricky pit like this, I knew it would take a while to get over. After the commotion of that battle, the fish seemed to move out of the area. I decided to spend my last night remaining in the swim, hoping they would return but unfortunately, this did not happen. On returning home after that trip, I couldn't wait to be back to even the score as I was starting to feel more confident in my approach, knowing that it was having the right effect. When starting new waters it's always a bit of trial and error and adapting to find what works and I was starting to see my efforts rewarded.

As I was planning my next trip my previous suspicions were confirmed and the fish had decided to commence their annual ritual of spawning and the pit was closed for some time. Eventually, the pit reopened, I left it a week or so due to the extra pressure the fish would be under as anglers returned after the closure. Stepping foot back on the pit after all this time, it was like a whole new water now that spring was in full swing and colours had changed from browns to greens. It seemed like a whole new world and locating fish had become a lot easier as they seemed happy to show themselves. I managed to locate some fish in the swim I'd fished in my very first session, home alone and decided that was a good place to start. Rushing to set up, I got my rods out quietly so as not to spook the fish. The first night came and went without so much as a beep. Fish seemed to have backed off me a little, so I decided to put out a big bed of bait and wait. The next couple of nights were just as quiet as the first but on the final morning, as I began to pack up, my right-hand rod screamed into life. From the second I picked the rod up I knew this felt like a decent fish, slow, heavy plodding. Every time I gained a bit of line, it took some back. This took a bit of time until eventually, the fish began to tire. As it inched toward the net I was praying it didn't come off. This time however, luck was on my side and I slipped the net under a big, dark, scaly mirror. The relief I felt landing this fish after losing the first one, I was on such a high, the buzz from the first fish from a new water is one you will always remember. Staring down into the net it was a fish I recognised from pictures and one of my targets, known as The foster fish. I couldn't quite believe it, what a feeling, what a moment. On the scales, this incredible mirror went 35lb 4oz, well down in weight through spawning but weight is irrelevant. I was elated to be up and running especially with such a special fish. The drive home was much different than the last.

It was not long before I had made plans to return, buzzing to get back after a quick trip to collect some more bait. A few days later I was back, after a few laps it was obvious the fish were still in the same area, out in front of home alone but unfortunately, there was an angler already there so I decided to set up opposite in muddy point. After getting all my gear sorted I was just about to get my first rod out when I noticed the angler in home alone was packing up. A quick decision had to be made, stay or pack everything up and move. It took me about three seconds to decide,  and gear back in the car, by now it was midday and red hot. What a mission that move was! I was sweating and exhausted but I knew I had to move, it could have been so easy to stay where I was but effort equals reward. I was soon set up, rods out and slumped in my chair but happy knowing I was on the fish.  After a quiet afternoon, I decided an early night was in order after the morning's efforts, I was soon in the land of nod. The next thing I knew it was morning, opening my eyes to the first rays of daylight shining through the trees when suddenly my right-hand rod screamed off. Quickly rushing out of my sleeping bag, I was soon bent into what was a torpedo of a carp, stripping line off the reel at will. What a fight, run after endless run, my arm was burning by the time it gave up but finally, my second fish was in the net! A long lean thirty-pound male, a solid fighting machine. After a few pictures, he soon was slipped back into his watery home. The rest of that session came and went, landing a small stocky and unfortunately losing one. This trip had drawn to a close. On returning home, I knew I had time for one more session before I would be having a short break to go on a family holiday.

So I planned this session around a new weather front. There was a big south westerly coming in, mega low pressure, perfect! I was pushing it a bit close but a four-day session was planned from Sunday to Thursday as I was due to go on holiday on Friday. Sunday soon came around and I was heading down the motorway. Arriving, I could see only a couple of anglers on,  giving me so many options. I knew the day before the fish had turned up on the new wind and a few had been out. With this in mind, I decided on a swim that covered a lot of water but not right on the end of the wind as I thought the fish may have backed off a bit due to angling pressure.  Before committing to the swim known as punishers point, I stood there for a while contemplating if I should stay here or get on the end of the wind when suddenly a fish boshed out directly in front of me. That helped with my decision, getting the rods out the car, I soon had my marker rod in hand and managed to find a few spots. Pretty quickly I had my rods and rigs on spots I was happy with. Finally fishing and on fish, as evening approached I was confident! Tucked up in bed and fast asleep, the night quickly passed.  

Just as I was opening my eyes to the dawn chorus there was a single beep on my left hand rod. Sitting bolt upright there was another, once my shoes were on I wandered to my rod in the half-light of dawn, still half asleep. As I got to my rod I stood watching the bobbin. Suddenly the spool was spinning, the alarm screaming and I was into my first fish of the session. After a spirited fight and a few hairy moments with the line grating on the marginal shelf, a dumpy 20-pound mirror lay at the bottom of my net. A few quick snaps were taken, as I was slipping the fish back into the water, suddenly another rod burst into life. As I picked up the rod and bent into the fish, instantly I could tell this was a completely different fight. Knowing I was attached to a big carp the nerves kicked in. This fish did not want to give up, a typical big fish fight. As I gained a bit of line it fought back, encountering a few weed beds along the way. But luckily things went my way and it was soon in the folds of my net. I peered in, moving the weed out of the way I could see a big, dark common laying there beat. This mid 30lbs common was one of my many targets and things were definitely starting to come together a lot quicker than I'd expected.  I would've been happy with this but what happened over the next few days was totally unexpected. Landing another 7 fish,  to 34lbs which included a rare visitor to the bank, known as the ghosty Common. What an unbelievable start to my campaign on swarkestone gravel pit! But for now, it's time for a holiday. I will soon be back and can't wait to see what the rest of the season has in store for me. Tight lines,  until next time.