PB Mirror Carp
So there I was driving home from Hitchum Ponds having escaped the thunderstorms, driving towards Heathrow on the M4 and I could see blue skies, maybe the day was not over after all! I arrived at Colnbrook Front Lake as the only person on the lake, just how I like it. Not because I'm greedy but the attitude of some anglers amazes me as you will find out later.
I threw a few offerings of bread into my favourite corner and waited for a response but nothing happened. A few swims away I saw a couple of fish break the surface and proceeded to that area. Again a few pieces of bread went in and a few pieces disappeared. another fisherman turned up and took the corner swim I had previously come from. He cast a ledger into the margins to his right. A few more pieces of bread went in and as the carp started feeding I decided to cast out. A Common came up and knocked my bait, turned around and took a freebie before coming back to my bait and slurping it in. with the line straightening out I struck...fish on! A good fight was rewarded with a golden Common. Although not the biggest, the colour and perfection of the scales were fantastic and I was pleased to see the photo done it justice.
A beautiful golden common!
I noticed that other the carp were still feeding on the surface and threw out some more bread and even more carp showed themselves. At this point the fisherman in the corner decided to reel in his ledger and cast it over two swims and straight into mine.... SPDOSH!! It sounded like he was using a housebrick as a weight and the carp were not impressed and stopped feeding. I pointed out to the other guy that he was invading my swim and his response was "So!"
After an hour or so the fish started coming back to the surface and feeding from my offerings. As they were feeding two other anglers turned up and seeing the fish feeding decided to park up in the swim next to mine, but instead of fishing on the surface where the fish were feeding their tactic was ledgered boillies. I was please to see that they cast out to the middle of the lake but when I heard their bite alarms I knew I was in for a long day.
When I use a bite alarm I only turn it on once the bait has been cast out and I have set the bobbin. I give the line a little tug just to get a confirmation blip to know it is set. The volume is set that if you stood 20 feet away you probrably wouldn't hear it. The same could not be said however for these two guys. I'm not kidding it was like a f***ing fire engine screaming past. Thirty minutes later one of them decided to reel in without switching the alarm off and another fire engine screamed by.
The feeding carp in front of me were now gone and I decided to do the same and moved to the other side of the lake and away from the inconsiderate anglers either side of me. I choose to fish a swim which is hardly (if ever) used judging by how overgrown the bank was, but that is just how I like it. An overhanging tree to my left and grassy reeds to my right I threw out a few pieces of bread either side of me.
The over hanging tree was the first spot to show interest and I swiftly cast out within the ring of the swirl. A pair of lips came up and sucked by bread straight down, feeling my hook setting in it shot off into the lake. When fishing the margins I always let the fish go out of the swim as the last thing I need (other than inconsiderate anglers [couldn't resist]) is for the swim to be disturbed by a splashing Carp. Once I felt the fish had done it's worse I started to bring it closer. My first glance of the fish confimred it to be a Common, and a nice one at that weighing in at 15lb 6oz!
I was pleased with that being a new swim for me, and I was also pleased to see that the offerings I put into the reeds tp my right were also disappearing. A nice Mirror came up and took the last piece. I threw a few more pieces out and waited.... A fish took a piece further along the margin and I cast towards it and waited but nothing happened. What was happening was that the Mirror had popped up and took a couple more pieces from just beyond the reeds so I dragged my bait slowly back. 
Looking at my bait through the reeds!
The Mirror came back and slowly and confidently moved towards my bait and without hesitation open its mouth and the bread was swallowed in. An iruption of water and a big bend in the rod told me I was in. The line came off my line at a rate I had not witnessed before, I knew this was another good fish, for my standards at least! The fish broke the surface out in the middle of the lake and the swirl put a smile on my face. Having taken me out to the middle of the lake the fish raced back over to the margins further up the bank. Keeping my rod low to keep the line away from the overhanging branches I finally brought the carp back within reach. With the landing net in my hand I was relieved to see the Mirror finally slide over and in. Looking into the net my first reaction was, "Have I broke the 20lb?"
I took a double take when the scales only went round to 17lb 6oz. I even re-weighed it with a second set of scales I carry with me, yes a little disappointed but it was still a PB and the fish was another stunner! 
My new PB Mirror Carp at 17lb 6oz
The clouds started getting dark again and the rain soon came back, half an hour later the fisherman in the corner walked past without acknowleging me, I guess he was in too much of a rush to get out of the rain! The other two soon followed and I was almost tempted to thank them, had it not been for them I would have stayed on the other bank. Funny how things work out sometimes! Tight Lines everyone!