After a hectic few months I managed to find a bit of free time to actually go fishing, as a guide I dont get much time to fish myself. I entered a 2 night carp competition on Sierra Brava with fishing partner Chino, a local friend who is getting into Carp Fishing.
Before we even drew our peg we both decided that if we had a bad peg ¨in the trees¨ we would move to another section of the lake, give up the night permissions and only fish the days. The top end of the Brava is like an underwater orchard; I will not lock up and run backwards to try and keep a fish from diving into the underwater branches.
However on arrival at our peg, I was chuffed, the pegs were well selected and we had nothing in front of us, ok, less snags less fish, but I hate loosing fish in open water let alone in a snag with a hooklength, or more, in it.
As Chino was working till 8ish, I had the job to bait up for us both, as baiting was only permitted for an hour from 11.30. I decided to do a heavily baited area to hold the fish in the mornings if they got their heads down, an area in our margin and a few balls of soaked maize pellet laced with crushed A-Tract boilies launched between the far margin trees around 110meters.
I got funny looks from the other contestants as I proceeded to fire tangerine sized balls to the other side of the bay, then just shakes of the heads as the balls larger than oranges crashed about the marker float around 70 meters. After the permitted baiting hour was up, the waves settled and a deserved rest in the blazing sun, I baited the rods and casted. Two were placed on the edge of the baited area, and the third over to the far trees; one bait would be moved from the heavily baited area and positioned in our margin for the night when we retired to our beds.
Sarah, my girlfriend and Marie Jose, Chinos, turned up around 4pm with the supplies and Chino not so long who after opted for potatoes and tigers on the hook. My choice, not that there was one, was a fish flavoured boilie from A-Tract Baits ….. a proven bait on Sierra Brava.
As always I was watching the water for signs of fish, I saw 3 small fish at the mouth of the bay some 200 meters away. So hoping for action during the night I relaxed and we all had our something to eat, a chat and a drink or two and settled in for the night. Throughout the evening we never saw another fish top, not a good sign as the fish generally show themselves.
At roughly 2 am the middle rod screamed off, 1st run from the distance rod, fish landed and back to the sack for me and Chino. With in a blink of an eyelid, or so it seemed, off it went again, same rod same bait, another fish, small but a fish is a fish. I launch the rod out to the far trees again then the wait for the splash of water as the lead hit the water rather than branches. It did, splash, but I wasn’t happy. I didn’t feel I got the distance; three casts later I was happy, I got a splash and felt I had the distance too.
Once again, the blink, the beeepppppp of another run on the same rod with the same bait.
Saturday morning came bringing the usual fantastic sunrise with it, the only thing we were deprived of was the sound and ripples of crashing fish, nothing and then to hear from the marshals pegged next to us that there were no other runs during the night from the other 54 rods in our bay. A little later the girls woke and asked if we had any runs during the night, no the snoring scared all the fish away, was the reply.
That was it, I knew it was going to be hard and decided that I was going to relax and enjoy the situation, 1 beer before breakfast, Paella for lunch and a good laugh with good friends.
Just to top it off the wind got up, and yes it was blowing out of the bay, so we changed to helicopter rigs on the distance rods and placed the baits as the day before.
Chino and I grabbed a siesta whilst the girls did a bit of sunbathing as we were hoping for a busy night, within an hour my middle rod screamed off again. Another fish, a beautiful common slightly bigger than the others at 5.9kg.
After a lovely BBQ and a couple of drinks the evening quickly drew upon us, we rebaited the rods, once again one placed to the far trees, one on the baited area and lastly one in the near margin swim when we retired to bed. Chino opted to change a position of 1 rod to the far trees, a little tuition on casting and he was nearly there, however, like me if not 100 % happy recast, he asked me to cast for him and I did. Only another 10 yards or so, but hitting the mark.
3 am and the first run of the night on Chinos rod close to the trees, an hour later another on yet again my middle rod on the same line.
Once again the morning came along with news that only 2 small fish had been landed in the area of our bay, rods were recast and we settled into our relax mode. Believe it of not, as a guide, I don’t get much time to relax and enjoy fishing, so I made the most of it. The day passed quickly without the sound of a crashing fish or alarm screaming, but it was very enjoyable.
To summarise it up, it was hard going in our section, out of the 54 rods in our bay, 8 fish, 5 of them to our rods all on A-Tract baits.
Overall out of the 43 pairs of anglers (258 rods) we managed 5th or 6th place, the thing was, we weren’t expecting to get anywhere and surprised when our names were called out at the presentation.
I only placed the baits in a respectable fashion as any fair angler would……
A-Tract baits, as ever, the killer bait for Sierra Brava.
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Subject: Sierra Brava night fishing experience 
Mon Dec 08 2008, 02:27