 A
visit to Cuttle Mill
It
must be 25 years ago when Colin McNeil introduced me to Cuttle Mill
Fishery, at that time I was back into 'carping' and he was going to
show me how it was done - on a 'big boys' water.
The tales of big fish - no - 'monster' fish - had even reached my ears,
so I couldn't wait to give it a try!
He picked me up in his sporty MG, with all the fishing gear stowed inside,
so it was a tight, cosy ride to Whishaw and the place of legends...
That first trip
was a blank for me (nothing changes really) but Colin landed a 18lb
carp and was then broken by an unstoppable fish making off around the
island in front of the pontoon swim.
That day left a place in my heart, and a longing to return back to the
place of my dreams.
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Ten years later
I went back with my old friend big Alan Jones, it was late November,
it rained and snowed and I blanked again... but I still had the longing
to try again, and last week I revisited this famous fishery, this time
with AnglersTimes writer D.D. - to complete my hat trick of visits and
hopeful to catch a fish
A 5am
start from Chesterfield got us to Cuttle Mill Lane at the back of the
Belfrey golf course for 6.20am, and whilst standing outside the car
waiting for the main gate to open, I noticed how cold it was, still...
things would soon warm up, I hoped.
The gate opened at 6.45am and a short drive up to the house to draw
our pegs, Damian picked peg 2 out of the bag, so I had peg 3, as peg
1 was already taken.
I remember from my previous visits, that the first cast usually caught
a fish, so I quickly tackled up, I'd opted for a method feeder with
cockles on the hair - I know for a fact that the carp here have seen
every type of boilie in the world - so a 'natural' might give me the
edge, or so I hoped.
Well it didn't, nothing touched the cockles, I had a liner or two but
that's it. So to ring the changes I tried Antbaits' boilies, then worms,
then maggots, then corn, then my Staffy's favourite dog treat - (a sure
winner) - but all failed.
Nothing
even came close to enticing a fish to my hook.
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Above:
Cuttle Mill 20 years ago...pictured from peg 11 the famous pontoon swim.
Note the original Optonics and monkey climbers not many of them around
now!
Below:
Cuttle Mill 2003...taken in the height of summer A new conservatory
on the front of the house but little has changed
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I tried floating
crust with slow-sinking bread flake on the hook - nothing! I fired in
some dog biscuit, thinking the fish would be near the top - again nothing,
except some interest from the resident roach.
I just couldn't buy a bite - and D.D. in the next peg was experiencing
the same thing...he'd tried everything in his bait boxes - all to no
avail.
Then around 4pm, just as depression started to kick in - D.D. had a
liner - or a dropped run - we don't know which, but he needed oxygen
to get his nerves back under control! At least there was fish in the
area - and just maybe we would catch one!
The sense of anticipation was incredible, the atmosphere hung heavy
in the warm early evening haze, here we were - at the famous Cuttle
Mill - with fish in front of us... the tightness in my chest indicated
just how tense and excited I was - (how I love this sport!).
But alas, it was not to be, no more indications of feeding fish, no
more heart-stopping line-bites or twitches of the rod top. It was just
not to be.
In desperation I put a controller out with a size 8 hook and 6 maggots
crammed around the shank - and then started to spray maggots around
the float, hoping to stop any fish in their tracks - which I did - roach!
Yep! Size 8 hook, a huge controller float, and roach were sinking it
like a stone! I guess not many people want to catch roach at Cuttle
Mill, but I didn't care, they were a welcome break to a long, blank
day.
Around 7pm we started to put the kit away - I'd been up since 4am and
was starting to feel the strain, but a chat with the other anglers around
the lake reassured me a little, there was only two fish caught that
day, so my terrible performance wasn't too bad.
One of the locals told me it was his fourth consecutive day without
a fish, apparently the lake wasn't fishing too good this season - I
wish I'd known that before - but I would still have tried my hand anyway,
there's something about the place that grips and holds you, or maybe
I just getting sentimental in my old age. Never the less, I'll be back
to try again, who knows what will happen, just maybe I'll get lucky...I'll
let you know.
Good fishing to you all,
Kevin Miles
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