Darenth Social

~ Niblet Drops In On The Thinking Carp Forum J/S/OG Competion ~

Due to some unavoidable family commitments I wasn’t able to compete myself in thinkingCarp Juniors vs Seniors vs Old Gits competion over the weekend of the 14th – 15th August at Darenth’s Long Lake. However, I did make it up on the Sunday for a bit of a social with the guys, some of whom I’d met previously at their Hawkhurst Fisheries competition last month.

Ironically it was the first time I’d actually clapped eyes on the venue, although I’ve read a lot about it over the years, and of the exploits of anglers like Terry Hearn and Lee Jackson who’ve fished the Big Lake, which is adjacent to where the TC boys were pitched.  Between 1978 and 1982 while I worked not a million miles away in Halstead, near Sevenoaks, I was invited many times by a fellow apprentice to join him there for a fish.  I think from memory getting my kit up there on the motorbike was a bit of a drama from Tunbridge Wells… so regretably I never got to take up him up on the offer.

My World Carp Classic partner Ben was easy to find having drawn peg number one right next to the entrance. The wind was blowing right down the lake into his swim and it came as a bit of a suprise when he told me he’d not had anything other than a few ‘snotties’, four bream in fact up to 11lbs.  By all accounts it had been a pretty quiet night the rest of the field as well.  The comp wound up with only seven mid-doubles been taken between the thirteen competitors, which included a pretty 16lb 8oz linear mirror and a 16lb 10oz leather carp.  As well as a few nice crusians and of course more snotties.

Although I didn’t witness anything being caught while I was poncing cups of coffee from Ben (and very nice there were, ta), it was a thoroughly enjoyable visit.  Even the ‘Old Bill’ and a couple of Environmental Protection Agency officers dropped in while I sat with Ben.  It was good to see our licence fees being put to good use, pity the Australian equivalent is not as diligent as these chaps.  I might cop some flack for that comment, but it is based on having never been asked to produce my licence or have my catch checked by Oz fisheries in twenty-five years of dangling, be it carp, coarse, fly, beach, boat or game fishing!  Maybe I just appear to be doing to right thing so they never ask me… who knows?

Happy hippo hunting

Niblet

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