Štítky:

Although it had been a great success our first trip to Europe had been a bit of a rush.

These things just have a habit of creeping up on you as a result we found ourselves unprepared for some of the varied fishing that we encountered. That was not a mistake that Alan and I were keen repeat, and as a consequence the van was jammed full of tackle and equipment to cover every conceivable situation.

We left Essex at 6am headed to the tunnel, later than planned as always but buzzing with excitement and anticipation. There were new places to explore, people to meet, and carp to be caught! This time we were heading away for over a week, and just like our first venture we certainly weren’t going to be sat about in one spot – it was going to be an epic road trip taking us through 7 countries and covering thousands of miles, this time meticulously planned and organised!

So we were off to a bad start when we just missed the Eurotunnel check in but that didn’t really matter. There were delays of over an hour in any case, which gave us time to grab a coffee from the crowded terminal and have a chat with Carpworld editor Steve Broad who we had bumped into in the Starbucks queue on his way down to Rainbow.

Eventually we found ourselves on French soil, nearly 2 hours late but we were on our way… Destination: Austria! Our first stop was the Carpcentre Fishery Roadshow near Gratz, and getting there would be the biggest leg of our journey at nearly a thousand miles.

Come lunchtime and despite coffee and Redbull Alan was flagging and I took over behind the wheel. Within minutes he was catching flies leaving me to get the miles rolling. I settled into long haul mode, tunes rolling. Belgium came and went and it was on to the autobahns of Germany, where I ground out the miles while Alan slept. 6 hours later and fresh as a daisy after the Blair equivalent of 2 nights sleep he was back in the game and I had some company again! The traffic and road works through Germany really slowed things down and it was late when we got to the Austrian border. Before we crossed we stopped to pick up our motorway vignette, a kind of permit that you need to use the fast roads. It isn’t expensive but the fine for not having one is so we wouldn’t be taking any chances.

After handing the wheel back to Alan for a couple of hours we finally rolled up at the lake at a little before 2am some 20 hours after leaving Essex. Still in the holiday spirit we celebrated our arrival and downed a shot of Jaegar before getting the rods out. While I dropped two rods in the edge in the only empty swim I could find and unfolded the bed, more interested in sleeping than fishing Alan disappeared off into the darkness armed with Riser pellets and some Soft Hookable floaters telling me he would be back in ten minutes. Ten minutes later he reappeared with a cheery ‘got one’. A mid 20. Off the top using freelined mixers in the weed. In the dark, just holding the rod tip high, feeling the line and waiting for a tug…. Only Alan Blair!

I managed to get a couple of hours sleep while Alan helped himself to a couple more fish off the top at first light. We were treated to breakfast and coffee from our hosts Claudia and David and caught up with Tom and Loz from the Nash team who were also out manning the show, along with some of our other European consultants. As people started to arrive at the show, and I set about trying to catch my first Austrian carp Alan sneaked off to fish of all places the Mayor’s koi pond, a deal he had made in exchange for some Key boilies!

Using freelined bread and maggots he helped himself to 3 interesting ornamentals including a gorgeous linear koi. In the meantime I managed my first Austrian carp, followed shortly by a second, both using freelined mixers. I then set my sights on a large orange koi feeding with a big group of carp in some pads. I ignored all the other big sets of lips, managing to single him out and hook him only for the hook to pull after a few seconds. The fish soon returned and I managed a consolation common to ease the pain but as much as it was great fun and hard to drag ourselves away from feeding fish we had places to be. At lunchtime we said our goodbyes, programmed the satnav and once again hit the road… Destination: Prague!

It was a fair slap; another 5 odd hours and once again Alan was soon catching flies. Not that surprising as he had been up all night! The landscape gradually morphed from the mountains of Austria to the rolling hills of the Czech Republic and at around 6pm we arrived in the city of Prague and czeched (sic) into our hotel. With the van parked in the underground garage or Batcave as we nicknamed it, it was time for a legendary Alan Blair sort out while I went and had a much-needed shower. Refreshed and with the stalking kit readied we met our Czech fixer Jakub, who was going to show us a couple of spots in Prague itself. Speaking excellent English Jakub was full of smiles, obviously as excited at the prospect of fishing the city as we were! The light was fading fast so we hurried to a stretch of river by a sewage works. The outflow, Jakub explained, was a great spot and there was a chance of catching carp and even big barbel off the surface. Sure enough as we watched in the fading light the river was alive with fish rolling, and some of them were definitely carp. We agreed to prime the spot with a bit of bait, go and get some sleep and come back in the morning.

It wasn’t to be our first stop of the day however. Nash man Loz Smart had a month previously visited Prague with his other half, and had come back with tales of shoals of carp eating bread in front of the Castle in the city centre. Alan was buzzing at the thought – This was well worth investigation and so it was bright and early that Jakub picked us up from the hotel. Armed with a Google Earth printout and a couple of Sawn-off Scopes we headed into Prague. We found the spot soon enough, located in the heart of old Prague it was a sheltered shallow bay just off the main river. With just a rod and a drop net that had been acquired for exactly this purpose we went to see if anyone was home. The city was still quiet and there weren’t throngs of tourists yet, but thankfully there were a few carp clearly visible sending up puffs of silt as they trundled round in the shallow water.

Most of them were small fish but there were definitely a couple of 20’s amongst them. Alan wasted no time loading up his Bread Bomb and began casting at them. The fish were strangely disinterested. This was a spot where they were obviously fed by the tourists, and yet they studiously ignored his efforts, as well as the bread he threw out to try and get them feeding. For 20 minutes he repeatedly cast his bread in front of different fish. They wouldn’t take it off the top so Alan made it slow sinking. Eventually there was a shout, ‘I’m in!’ as his relentless casting paid off and a carp finally slurped in his hook bait. He walked the rod back round, leading the fish to safety. However, being 15 feet above the water level with no way down could have made landing the fish problematic. This was why we had brought the drop net and Jakub quickly assembled it before lowering it down for Alan to lead the carp into. It was mission accomplished!! It was no monster but we were all buzzing at Alan’s first Czech carp, and even better it was caught in the heart of the city!

Jakub couldn’t believe that we had just turned up and caught one! One is never enough for the Blair, especially with bigger carp swimming around so with the fish returned via the drop net and it was time for another go. The bars and shops around us started to open and the promenade started to get busier. Soon enough Alan had hooked fish number 2, another small common. As we were bringing it ashore we were accosted by an elderly lady, apparently not happy about us fishing. Wild-eyed and shouting in Czech, she got out her camera and started taking pictures of us. Jakub tried to talk to her but it was quickly apparent she was not to be reasoned with. Alan certainly does attract them as it turned out she was Prague’s very own crazy swan lady and as well as attempting to photograph us with one hand she was calling the police with the other. Having done what we came to do and caught a couple it was time to leave. We weren’t really supposed to be fishing there Jakub revealed, and although there were no signs to this effect, we thought it prudent to leave before the heat arrived. Bidding our new bird-loving friend a cheery farewell we exited stage left, net smelling of success!

After a celebratory breakfast we checked out of the hotel and headed to the spot we had baited the previous evening on the river by the sewage works. We wasted no time in getting the rods out and the tunes on. It was a lovely afternoon and we spent a very pleasant couple of hours in the sun but the river seemed strangely quiet considering the activity we had seen the previous evening. There was nothing showing and the Sirens remained silent. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time of day but as pleasant as it was we didn’t have time to wait around and find out. It was time to leave Prague… We had places to go and people to see!
Our next destination was the nearby city of Kolin, where we were going to meet Robin and Jan AKA Jumbo and Savage, a couple of local lads and top anglers. They were going to take us fishing for a couple of days. We were already running fashionably late but before we parted company Jakub had one last spot for us to try, a beautiful lake in the forest containing some large commons. As it was on the way to Kolin it was a no brainer, we would at least stop for a look. Pausing to grab a pizza on the way, we headed out of the city.

The forest lake was indeed very pretty but we didn’t really have time to appreciate it. After a quick chat with the owner we headed round investigating the the quiet corners, Alan armed just with a Sawn-off and some maggots and me a camera. As I poked my head over a bush down a quiet back channel I spotted two dark shapes, and big ones at that. I withdrew quickly and got the camera out. There was an excited tension as Alan threaded a big bunch of maggots on to the hook and cautiously approached the waters edge. The fish had moved from where I had spotted them but soon reappeared from the far bank. Alan flicked his maggot ball deftly at them and second cast the larger of the two fish engulfed it, his strike met by solid resistance! Clearly it was a good fish as it made for the snags further up the channel. Pulling doggedly it took several minutes for Alan to subdue it in readiness for the net, by which time we had seen that it was a big common.

One final lunge and it was in. Jakub couldn’t quite believe his eyes, not being familiar with this style of stalking it seemed unfeasible to him that Alan had just turned up and caught one so quickly, let alone a big one. Talk about a hit and run!

It was a lovely old fish of around 35lb, with distinctive growth on it’s tail, and according to the owner a rare visitor to the bank. It had been well worth a pit stop and we thanked our new friend Jakub and bid him farewell.

Kolin had a harder edge to it than Prague. It was certainly no tourist destination and we waited at the roadside to meet the boys as they sorted out our licenses conscious that we stood out like a sore thumb in an English van. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait long as we had already attracted the attention of the local police, who had driven past us several times. Soon we were following the lads to check out a spot on the river that ran through the city where they had caught some big carp in the past. Pre-baiting is always a winning tactic on the river, so we gave them a good hit of bait around the stanchions of the railway bridge where we would fish; the last of the Key that we had brought, some TG and Candied Tigers. This was a long stretch of river and with luck it would grab the attention of any passing carp and hold them there until we returned the following day. Tonight, it was decided, we were going to a small, quiet lake just a few kilometres away where we would have a social. When we were told this lake contains a very large common, in excess of 50lbs, well that was the icing on the cake!

A short drive later and well off the beaten track, we made our way down a winding trail that opened out into a swim whereupon we were greeted with the sight of a beautiful, overgrown pit. It wasn’t massive but it contained a few nice old carp according to the lads and lined with snags, lilies and reeds it looked like heaven in the evening light. Jan, Robin and I plotted up in the big swim which was pretty much the only one on the lake, while Alan, with big commons on his mind decided to explore the overgrown jungle at the other end where the big one was seen the most. It was hard to even find the water, so dense was the undergrowth but Jan reckoned there was another small swim to be found and eventually Alan discovered it. It obviously hadn’t been fished in a long time, perfect, although I didn’t envy him the task of lugging his gear through the jungle to set up there. I went through the motions and flicked out a couple of rods, and insisted the boys did too although they had no intention of fishing either. We sat up late into the evening chatting and laughing, watching Alan’s head torch as he prepared his traps, not just for the carp… He had baited behind his brolly for the wild boar that had clearly been in the area recently, hoping to catch a glimpse.

Shortly after he went to sleep they turned up, crashing through the bushes behind him, eating all the pellets while we giggled like children!

I had a quiet night catching a small grassy and losing a mirror to a hook pull in the morning, but Alan had been hauling over in the jungle landing several carp to around 20lb and losing an upper 20 mirror right at the net. The action continued for Al in the shape of a grass carp and with the fish all over Alan we ended up staying well past lunchtime. It was only severe hunger due to a distinct lack of rations that forced us to pack up and head back into town.

Not having had a proper meal for a couple of days it was unanimously decided we were not messing around and would be going to get the biggest steak we could find! With a name like Steak Land, you expect a big juicy steak. It didn’t disappoint either!

With bellies full and a food coma falling upon us we drove down to the river to check out the spot. There was no-one around, other than one of Jan’s mates nicknamed the ‘Gypsy Boy’, who had been spinning for zander. A bit of discussion ensued and the Gypsy Boy got on the phone and used his contacts to arrange for us to fish from the other bank, opposite where we had baited inside a gated industrial park. Here we could access a part of the river that you couldn’t from the other bank, but Alan could still fish over the bait he had put in. Win, win.

We would also be able to relax a bit more, tucked away out of sight and pretty much fishing out of the car.

The river looked prime, and with a chance of carp to over 20 kilos we were buzzing to get the rods out.

As the sun set we got the gear sorted, and tied fresh rigs, both breaking out the big guns and heavy leaders to deal with the snaggy rock-strewn riverbed. This time we had actually remembered to bring some bigger leads too! With fish rolling and bubbling in an area a hundred yards downstream of the bridge I blasted out the rigs and with Robin’s help scattered TG boilies widely over the area, Jan doing the same further downstream. Alan set up under the railway bridge and positioned his rigs in the slack water behind the stanchions where he had baited heavily with Candied Tigers and boilies. We were set for the night, and full of confidence!

Exhausted after a busy day, Alan hit the sack, oblivious to the trains rumbling over his head while the lads and I sat up chatting in the moonlight.

It was just getting light when I became vaguely aware of an intermittent bleeping coming from one of the alarms. I shook off the fog of sleep. The tip was nodding but the spool was not turning. I picked up the rod, expecting to reel in a bream or a plastic bag. Whatever I had hooked wasn’t really fighting, and I was a little surprised when I found myself netting a reasonable common. Perhaps I had been dreaming? Still half-asleep and absolutely shattered I put the rod and net down and crawled back into bed only to be woken by the boys an hour later. There was to be no lazy start this morning, we had to be packed up and off on the next leg of our road trip.

Alas Alan arrived back fishless. He had also had a funny bite in the night, which he had put down to the flow and when he finally investigated had actually swum upstream and snagged him in the margin. In spite of jumping in and wading after it unfortunately he had lost his fish. We did some quick pictures of my first Czech carp, and then said goodbye to our friends. They had really looked after us well and we tried unsuccessfully to persuade them to join us for the next few days of our adventure at the incredible Lake Bled in Slovenia.

Bled is somewhere that had long been on our radar. We both knew people that had been out to fish there and when we saw our mates Pilaar and Hofman having the most lovely of times and catching some lovely big carp in incredible scenery we knew we had to make it happen, and this, finally was our opportunity.

The Sat Nav was saying just under 500 miles to Bled, passing back through Austria. Hopefully we would arrive at around the same time as the Metropolis Carp boys Bastl and Nick, who were travelling from Vienna where they live and work. This was another social we had been trying to arrange for a long time and finally we were joining forces with them for a couple of days fishing on this special lake. While Alan dozed off I ate up the miles. The scenery changed once again, and the Slovenian border brought with it breath-taking views of mountains and crystal clear lakes, giving a hint of what was to come.

It was late afternoon as we made our way into the town of Bled and down into the valley where we were greeted with the sight of the lake itself. Surrounded by mountains, azure blue water, an island with a picture postcard church on it – and lots of big carp swimming around somewhere it was like nothing we had ever seen! The temperature was well into the 30’s and there were camera clutching Japanese tourists, swimmers and bikinis everywhere. This certainly wasn’t your average carp lake!

Before we went in search of our accommodation the first stop was at the tackle shop to purchase our fishing permits. Now most of the places we visit are free fishing but Bled is different. A big draw for tourists, in order to cater for all the users of the lake and maintain it’s fairy-tale surroundings the fishing is strictly controlled by the guards – Although you can fish up to 11pm there is no night fishing and there are no shelters or camping allowed. Certain areas are out of bounds at certain times of year and fishermen have to have minimal equipment. It is proper Scope territory. The fishing isn’t cheap at 50 Euros per day, so we were determined to make the very most of it. With three days ahead of us today we would prepare, tomorrow we would hunt them down!

Temperature in the mid 30’s we stopped to get a welcome cold drink and then made our way round the lake to check out and check in to where we were staying, and we weren’t disappointed with that either. The accommodation that Nick had booked for us all couldn’t have been more perfect. Set behind electric gates in the grounds of one of the largest houses on the lake we had a wooden chalet perched on the steep bank equipped with all mod cons. Not only did we have an incredible view but we had 200 metres of landscaped private bank albeit precariously steep, a downstairs tackle room, a shed full of bikes, a jetty and two canoes. Just about everything the intrepid angler could wish for… Nick had done us proud! We settled in and waited for Bastl and Nick to join us, tunes on, with batteries charging and kit drying. After a long, hot journey there was nothing else to do but cool off in the lake before getting a couple of rods out! As we watched there were fish rolling in front of us. Perhaps we might not even have to look for them…

It was dusk when the boys finally rolled up at the gates. We were all buzzing and there was a great vibe in expectation of the fishing to come. We set about preparing the kit and bait ready for an early start. It was decided to bait heavily outside the house. There were some nice margin spots and we could fish here in the evenings, so it made sense to try and draw a few fish in. The rocky margins shelved off steeply and at 30 yards it was nearly 40 feet deep. In spite of that we had been advised that this was the depth we should be looking to fish, certainly for the bigger fish. With a not insignificant quantity of bait deposited in the swim, and the tackle all prepared we were ready for an early start. Of course it didn’t take long for Alan to get amongst them, and before we went to bed he had bagged himself a small catfish!

It was an early start for Alan and the boys, Alan getting the rods out at first light, while Nick and Bastl went exploring before going to purchase their fishing permits when the shop opened at 8am.

It was a glorious day, and Alan wasted no time in bagging his first Bled carp from under the trees in the shape of a dark football of a mirror. It’s always good to get one under your belt, especially when you have come so far to fish!
Nick and Bastl had also had a productive start to the day, having found fish feeding under their feet, just inches from the bank round in front of the casino in the town. Permits sorted, they rushed back to get the gear, and setting traps right in the edge under the overhanging bushes it was just a couple of hours before Nick opened his account with a lovely common. It’s a public spot with the footpath running right alongside the lake, with a deep undercut margin and in spite of the swelling numbers of tourists the carp seemed oblivious to the disturbance. Bastl had also had a take shortly after, but lost it. There were obviously a few fish tucked away down here as he soon had another chance, this time extracting a nice, clean upper 30 mirror from under his feet, and opening his Lake Bled account in the process.

In hope of more action the boys hung on in the rapidly diminishing shade outside the casino, chatting to the passing tourists, while Alan and I were also keen to go off exploring. The carp were obviously not in front of the house in numbers so it made no sense to sit there and wait. If we could find them it was clear that the carp were hungry and obliging. We made our way round, encountering surprisingly few other anglers on our travels. Having checked out the other side of the lake we ended up back at the house, deciding to load up the bikes and go stalking. Parking round the lake is difficult and expensive so a bike is the perfect mode of transport, and Sawn-offs the ideal rod! We headed into town, eyes fixed firmly on the lake scanning for something to fish for. There are a couple of large sets of lilies at that end and as we paused at the second, larger set there were unmistakable shapes of carp drifting in and out. I wasted no time in dropping two rigs next to the left hand side of the pads, laying the rods on the deck and nicking a small handful of Al’s TG slush from one of his panniers which I spread over the area, while he dropped a bait out on the other side. In the gin-clear water the fish immediately clocked the bait and dropped down and started feeding. As I turned to have a quick tidy up sort out the camera gear I got a shout from a family of tourists sat by the rods… I was in, clutch howling as the fish bored deep into the pads! That hadn’t taken long!

In front of a growing crowd of tourists that had stopped to watch the action, I managed to extract it, along with a few stems and bundled what looked to be a mid 20 common into the net, meaning that all of us had a Bled carp under our belts. Within seconds, as we chatted to a couple of American tourists the second rod was also off, clutch ticking. In the gin clear water we could see this was a much bigger common, and the harder I pulled, the harder it pulled back, twisting and writhing as it tried to shed the hook. The crowd had grown considerably and there was a ripple of applause when it eventually joined the first common in the net.

Between us we hoisted the net out in front of a curious crowd and took a carp each to unhook. They were both absolutely nailed, so much so it was hard to get the hooks out, before I held each up in turn for a quick picture. Both were immaculate and deep bronze in colour, the first around 25lb, the second 10lbs larger. A proper brace of commons!

The remaining fish melted away and so with the sun blazing we ended up back at the house again. Nick and Bastl had moved too, heading into the woods to search for an opportunity. Having found a nice spot and cast out, the swimmers proved too much for Bastl and he joined us back at the house while Nick persevered for a few hours.

By early evening we had all reconvened back at base and got the rods out, before tucking into a Kebab and chips. Darkness fell and with an hour of fishing left Bastl hooked a decent fish close in, but it snagged him on an unseen obstacle not far out. Rather than just pull for a break the boat was readied and he headed into the darkness in an attempt to free it. This proved unsuccessful and he returned empty handed, but that wasn’t the end of the action. Shortly after his other rod was away, and much to all our amusement he banked perhaps the smallest common in the lake. In the process of landing it somehow he manged to lose a shoe, which drifted slowly out into the darkness like a tiny boat. Luckily for Bastl a pinpoint cast from Alan retrieved his shoe unharmed!

Just before bed and the alarms set at still dark o clock, Nick and I jumped on the bikes and headed back into town to bait the casino margin and the pads ready for an early start in the morning. We didn’t go mad, just a few boilies should be enough.
Heading out just as dawn was breaking, Alan joined Nick and Bastl in front of the casino while I started off back in the pads where we had seen and caught them the previous day.
The casino margin once again proved to be a productive morning area, and it was seconds rather than minutes before one of Alan’s rods had hooped over and he was into the first fish of the day. Pretty soon he had another one too, this one a stuttery take, the end result of his instant action being a nice brace of 30lb plus mirrors.

With Japanese tourists joining in with the pictures, we got them safely filmed and returned. The sun was rising fast, once again eating away at the precious shade as it climbed. We all sat it out by the casino until midday when we were sure that the chance had gone. On the way back to the house it became clear where the carp had disappeared to as Alan’s keen eye spotted something interesting. From the path high above one of the swimming areas numerous dark shapes were clearly visible in the blue water, some of them just yards from the people swimming and sunbathing and oblivious to the noise and commotion. They know where they are safe, away from the angling pressure. Alan offered the people who ran the pool money to fish but they turned him down. Don’t ask don’t get! In the heat of the day there was nothing to do but head back to the house, chill and have a swim.

Just down the bank from the house was fishing one of the locals and I went over for a chat. It turned out to be a real character called Gasper, who’s notoriety was such we had heard of him before we had even got to Slovenia. He was under house arrest after being caught with 80 kilos of cannabis, and had to be home for his curfew each night.

He came over to the house for a chat and told us that maybe we should try the shallows on the opposite side as that was often a good area in hot weather. When Alan and I had looked yesterday there were no fish to be found but it was worth another look for sure.

Without further ado, Alan and Bastl headed off to check it out while Nick and I stayed at the house chatting with Gasper, who was a mine of information. The weather had changed and although it was still hot there was a storm brewing. There were a couple of smaller fish feeding in the margin outside the house so Nick laid a trap for them, watching them from behind a tree as they fed. Very soon the trap was sprung and he landed a small but pretty mirror. Meanwhile, with rain starting to fall and thunder rumbling round the valley, Alan and Nick had stumbled across a load of carp in the shallows just as Gasper had suggested, hanging around a couple of large fallen trees. They wasted no time in getting the rods out.

It was an awkward spot to fish; 50 yards down the margin from the nearest accessible opening and it was only possible to fish if the rods were out in the water. With the water 3 feet deep but only having 12 inch bank sticks this was going to be a bit of a problem. There is nothing like a bit of angling ingenuity however, and soon the lads had scavenged a few branches from the woods behind and woven them together to form a floating pod that the rods could be rested on. Problem solved!

Casting just off the edge of the snags they didn’t have long to wait for action. In less than five minutes the first bite came, followed by another, then another and soon it was hard to keep both rods in the water. Seven bites in quick succession, and five fish landed left the boys running out of nets and slings rapidly, and soaked to the skin as the rain got heavier.

At that point my phone rang. It was Alan, to tell Nick and I to get our arses over with spare nets and dry clothes. They had five fish waiting to be filmed. Luckily another of our new Slovenian friends Matija who had also stopped by the house for a chat kindly offered to drive us round and we scrambled our gear together and headed over to join in the carnage.

And it was indeed carnage when we arrived, but in the best possible way, with nets full of carp of all shapes and sizes and topped by a great big mirror of 22 kilos landed by Bastl. With the storm overhead spitting thunder and lightning and now heavy rain, it was perfect carpy conditions and the fish had really switched on. The bites continued to come thick and fast as the carp crept out of the depths and into the shallows to feed. In between the screaming buzzers, pouring rain and with darkness rapidly falling we attempted to film and photograph the backlog of fish, assisted by Matija and a young German angler fishing next door who had been sat there all day without a sniff and who couldn’t quite believe what he was witnessing! Fishing as a team we rotated takes between us we banked fish after fish, of all shapes and sizes, spreading the rods along the edge of the drop off and baiting with TG Active boilies over the top with a catapult. At one point I found myself stood up to my waist in water playing one fish, while Bastl stood beside me with another, lightning crackling overhead. Laughing hysterically we both simultaneously managed to steer our carp into the same net, around 80lb of common carp in total! It was the most exciting carp fishing that any of us had ever experienced. All we needed to make it perfect was a real whacker… It was Alan’s turn when finally we were rewarded with another of Bled’s big mirrors. Having worked so hard it was one that meant a lot to Alan capping off an epic evening. At 21kg it wasn’t one of the true giants of Bled, but it was reward enough for our efforts!

As 11 o’clock approached the storm finally rumbled into the distance, and soaked to the skin, exhausted and starving having not had time to eat we reeled in, observing the fishing restrictions. With 14 fish landed in a little over 4 hours fishing we were more than happy to call it a night. Having baited the area in anticipation of returning for our final day, we piled into the van and headed back to the house via the kebab shop.

After just 3 hours sleep Bastl and Nick were up and headed round to make sure they claimed the swim. As we had to check out at 11am, Alan stayed at the house to pack some of the gear, while I slept in, a week of relentless fishing, travelling and no sleep taking it’s toll!

Once the van was loaded we went and joined the boys, who had already banked one each; a small mirror and an even smaller common. Yesterday’s storm had passed and it was a scorcher of a day, meaning that the locals and tourists alike were out in force. The spot, empty in the previous evening rain was thronging with people. That meant that we couldn’t fish all the rods, as there were simply too many swimmers picking up the lines in the shallow water. There was nothing to do but sit back and wait. We were joined by another of our new Slovenian friends, a local angler named Pero and his girlfriend Simone and we chilled for the afternoon amongst the bathers, enjoying the sun and preparing rigs and bait in anticipation of another action filled evening. That isn’t to say that there weren’t carp to be caught however, and Alan and Nick spent the afternoon stalking carp in the snags using the most basic and exciting method, simply freelining a side hooked boilie and watching as the fish crept out to grab it. Who would have thought the fishing could be so up close and personal on such a large, deep lake. These were mainly smaller fish, but Alan did eventually tempt a good 30lb mirror into snaffling his bait.

As evening began to fall, the crowds melted away and we were able to get the remaining rods in position for the final couple of hours fishing. Although tonight we were much better prepared as it turned out, the change in conditions had also put the fish back off the feed, and we had just one more take. It was my turn in the rotation and after a dogged battle that had me wading right down the margin to free the fish from a snag, I landed a lovely upper 30 two-tone mirror. Although it hadn’t kicked off like the previous evening we weren’t too disappointed. In three days angling we had landed 32 fish between us, which talking to other anglers round the lake who had landed one or two confirmed that we had actually done pretty well in the end. Making the effort to find the fish rather than just plot up in one spot had paid dividends.

And so it was time to leave Slovenia and bid Bastl, Nick, and all of our new-found friends farewell. It had been an amazing 3 days, catching some incredible carp amid spectacular scenery and we vowed to return soon.

The drive back up to Austria was a tough one – spending the night in Bastl’s apartment was an option but Vienna was too far out of the way so we opted to head instead back at our initial destination, the Carpcentre lake near Gratz.

At the Slovenian border we were stopped by the police, and our luck was out. It was 12.20am, which meant that our Slovenian vignette that we purchased along with the Austrian one had expired 20 minutes previously. Despite our protestations of innocence, it cost us 150 euros to continue our journey. Exhaustion was also taking its toll, and 3 times I had to pull over to shut my eyes for a few minutes and avoid falling asleep at the wheel. Eventually, and well into the early hours we pulled up at the lake. Utterly spent, all we could do was pull the bedchairs out and fall into them. Even Alan didn’t consider fishing – that the Blair couldn’t muster the energy to get a rod out shows how tired we were!

After a short pit stop and feeling only slightly refreshed after 4 hours sleep we were back on the road, our next destination: Heideberg in Germany, where we had a hotel booked and were finishing our road trip with a night out at Hospitality, and a bit of angling on the famous River Neckar. This is another river that contains the odd massive carp, so it would be rude not to get the rods out. With another 500-mile leg completed, it was late afternoon when we arrived in the city of Heideberg to baking 40C heat. It was stifling and air conditioned cool beckoned but before we checked in to the hotel, we had decided we both wanted a fresh pair of trainers for our night out having ruined the pairs we had bought with us, and so we hunted down the local Foot Locker. With new Air Max purchased we headed to the hotel for a shower, a well needed steak and of course to prebait the river that ran just feet away.  The plan was hopefully to get the rods out for a couple of hours when we returned from the rave.

Alan’s brother Mati had sorted out guest list at Hospitality for us, and it turned out to be a wicked night, both of us dancing well into the early hours with the friendly German crowd. It was the perfect end to the perfect road trip. By 4am, and fairly well inebriated with Jager we had danced all we could and jumped in a cab back to the hotel. Actually fishing in this state really was as step too far, and once we had finally found our way into the hotel via the underground parking we both fell into our beds, sleep the only option!

With heavy heads we dragged ourselves down to check out in the morning and with our mammoth road trip finally at an end we set the satnav for home and drove back towards England (stopping off for an hour’s angling in Belgium of course!) wishing we could just turn around and do it all over again…

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