The director is in charge in the movies but we all know it is the stars that grab the limelight. And when you think you are directing your session the carp more often than not will decide where the accolades go!

I am back at the estate lake for the first time in months and I find myself directing operations with a supporting cast of products from various companies.

I arrived just after 6am on Saturday and walked the east bank in the dark. It was mild for November at 10 degrees, and a light south westerly was blowing. There was one chap bivvied up next to the a small stream of water running off the fields behind. Apart from that all was quiet.

Further along The Penultimate (previously) was free and I decide to fish here. From here you can see the west arm, almost to the dam at the south end and a good deal of water in front which shallows to the right and the head of the lake.

Back at the car I loaded the barrow and just at that moment two cars arrived. Luckily the anglers were new members and wanted to explore the lake before their weekends fishing. I passed on what little I knew and then rushed off to my swim.

It was still dark so I put out one rod with a Baitworks pop-up and small bag of crumbed Royal Marine and then set about organising the swim and the second rod, all the while listening for carpy sounds.

With the light improving I leaded around and found a smooth patch only five wraps out. I did not fancy casting massive distances as I was a bit rusty.

Being so close in I baited up with a Korda spod – easier to under arm and also once in the water used it as a marker to fire out a few boilies. I put out six spots of broken Royal Marine, hemp and sweet corn.

The set up for this spot was my go to snowman on a size 6 Curved Krank tied KD style but with the supple braid then tied to a fluorocarbon boom section to kick away from the lead.

Out that went and both rods were fishing by 8am. Kettle on and time to watch the water.

The heron was on the opposite back and a kingfisher darted passed on three occasions – must be good luck I thought. New to me but perhaps not the lake were a pair of Egyptian geese – very attractive birds. But these were not the actors I had in mind for this performance.

By now it was 9am and I wound in the first rod, replace the pop-up with a Sweetcorn Dispersion pop-up from Karper added a bag of crumb and cast this to the edge of the baited area and catapulted a few more boilies in.

I had until 12noon and was confident that everything behind the bait and rods was perfect – just need the actors to turn up, where were the carp? As usual the estate lake was giving very little away.

After another coffee and then a decaf tea, this director was getting very frustrated, a couple of liners on the right hand rod but otherwise the carpy actors where not venturing out of their trailers!

I heard the village click chime twelve and started packing away – session over, roll the credits.

• Bait – Baitworks Royal Marine 15mm
• Hook – Korda size 6 Curve Krank
• PVA – Carp Craze wide 35mm
• Braid – Gardner Trickster Heavy
• Boom – Gardner Tripwire
• Lead clip – Korda silt
• Lead – Leadshed 3oz textured flat pear
• Leader – Avid fluorocarbon Reflo Two Tone
• Tubing – Avid sinking disruption
• Mainline – Fox Sift Steel Active Camo 15lb
• Reel – Sonik Tournos 8000
• Rod – Sonik S3 12ft 3.5lb
• Alarms – Fox Mr+
• Bank sticks – Wychwood
• Luggage – ESP various
• Barrow – JRC Compact

To be honest, I shouldn’t really grumble, it was a delight fishing again after lockdown and illness and I was confident the tactics were right, I just need the carp to perform.

And having said that, I met Dan on the way back to the car and he said 20 C4’s from VS Fisheries would be going in tomorrow (Sunday). With fish going in at between 9 to 13.5lb the lake’s cast members will be bolstered and new eager carpy actors will hopefully be hogging the limelight come spring/summer 2021.

Unfortunately I will miss the stocking on Sunday, it would have been nice to meet Simon Scott – I would no doubt have been a little bit star struck!

Time to plan, direct the next session, and rewrite the script.

Tightlines and storylines