This past weekend I had a change from my normal routine of late and visited Handle Lake on the Milton complex of Mid Kent fisheries.  It’s a lake that I am sure holds one or two surprises as a big common is known to be present and uncaught for three years, last time out she went 39lb so her size now really is unknown.  Along with the big common are a number of 30lb mirrors.  This lake has also seen a stocking of new small carp which I am sure will greatly enhance the prospects of a bite.
 
i've not fished for Carp for a few weeks as i've been after the big Tench, but with my new syndicate starting on 1st June I wanted to respool my reels and give the line a stretch in preparation for some big carp hunting next time out.

I prepared a spod mix of some Sonu Hemp n Maples, Hemp n Corn, Elliptical pellets and a sprinkling of 10mm Strawberry Action boilies.

Over this i've fished a 9 inch hooklink with the last inch stripped back, size 8 hook with a little bit of shrink tube to create the flip effect.  To hold the hair in place i've been using the superb hook beads by thinking anglers.  For hookbait a 15mm Strawberry action boilie with a 10mm pop up on top snowman style, to this i've attached  50p size stocking of 2mm S-pellet Feed.

I spombed 10 spombs to a far tree line which has a nice depth of 5ft and fished all three rods in this area.  If I know a number of carp are present having all three rods in one area is a tactic I often employ.  On a number of occasions I’ve caught one with another soon after, therefore I will not recast after a take knowing that I still have another two rods on the money.

A couple of hours after spombing i've had a lively 6lb tench that thought it was a carp and gave me the run around, then shortly after this i've managed an 8lb common.  Into the evening another small carp this time  9lb mirror.  Just before dark i've spombed out again to keep the treeline topped up.

Another stocky gave me an early morning wake up call followed by a bigger tench of 7lb 8oz, a lovely fish.  Again i've put a little more bait out as im sure the tench and small carp will have cleared me out overnight.  Into evening and i've finally connected with a better fish which proved to be a cracking mirror of 23lb.  Not the biggest fish in the lake by far but just what I needed to get back into the groove ready for next weekend.