“No ordinary lake,” explains Adam Roots Everyone maybe has a place that`s dear to them, it could be from a nice childhood holiday with good times and memories with the family, but in my case it`s a lake.
You see this is no ordinary lake, it`s `my place` a small paradise in the madness of the twenty-first century. The lake is small and very intimate. When I was eighteen I literally discovered it one day when I was out on my battered Honda cb 125 twin, way back in the 80`s...I happened to look over the hedge for no real reason, and there she was sparkling in the summer sunshine, even better were the black shapes moving around without a care in the world in the weedy shallows.
I didn`t realise it but that moment the small pool became part of mine and my family’s life.
Above the lake is the grey manor house, a knock on the door gained me permission to fish...Now, although the Major and his wife have passed on they kept the promise to honour whoever owns the lake would allow me to fish for my life time there.
As far as I`m concerned there is only one god father of Cornish Carping and that man is Haith`s very own Mr. Ken Townley. A man whose famous writings inspired me as a young man....and many times with Kens words in mind I visited the pool, sometimes without success.
Time and tide has moved on, and I have had the great privilege of meeting the great man and his wife at their home .On this occasion I bought a lovely stalking rod from him.
Recently I visited the pool for a short evening session with my son Mike, a keen all round Angler...Before hand I hand rolled a small batch of 14mm boilies made from Haith`s prototype Super red base mix with cream cajouser /cranberry flavours.......and then glugged in Liquid Robin Red, a combination which has been very kind to me all over the county of Cornwall..Mike and me settled into the most snaggy, tight and mozzi infested swim known to man...Using the Haith`s baits we very quietly baited up with a handful of baits in the tight swim .Our tactics were simple, Kens rod, 12llb mono and freelined /hair rigged baits with a trout /sight bob for immediate indication.
The old carp in the pool are lean and mean fightin' machines .It wasn`t long before the sight bob disappeared from the fast fading light and after a short tussle which I won a lean powerful carp was landed..this was repeated one more time, whereby I then passed the now lucky rod to my son who also landed a feral looking common.
So...special times with my son with a special rod.
All the best from Adam
Written by Adam Roots
