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Back to Academy searchAlex Bransby
Alex Bransby has a growing reputation as a forward thinking angler with a great innovative mind.
His strong technical ability can often see him refining and adapting his approach to an individual water for the fresh challenge it brings.
For over twenty years Alex has been cutting his teeth on a wide variety of venues, quietly going about his business of catching specimen fish of many species before specialising in Carp some fifteen years ago.
Alex believes that the key to successful Carp fishing is a mix of sound watercraft, sensible bait application and learning to trust your instincts.
Throughout his angling career Alex has caught many thirty plus Carp from a number of different waters and has a current p.b of over 38lb.
Alex has also found success as a writer, having articles published in magazines such as Total carp and Crafty carper.
News from Alex - 15th June 2010
"After rushing to get the car packed at the end of a long day at work, I made the familiar journey to Bluebell’s Swan Lake just as the light was starting to fade that evening. In the back of my mind I knew where I had to be as the wind was due to turn to a northerly heading straight down towards the shallow weedier end of the lake within the next few hours. As it had been a while since the Carp had spent time in this part of the lake I guessed there would be plenty of naturals to keep them interested on their arrival, especially as the Tench had recently spawned in this area."By 5.00am there was a steady chop on the water and the air pressure was dropping by the minute….it was all looking text book Carpy!
"At around 8.00am my mate Ben turned up and we were just sat there chatting about how spot on the conditions were over a brew when the conversation was abruptly interrupted when my right hand rod screamed off!
"Straight away the heavy lead was dumped off the clip as planned and I was left attached to what was obviously a very large and powerful fish. With Ben on netting duty I could fully concentrate on steering the fish away from all the overhanging snags as the fish repeatedly made it’s best efforts to shed the hook.
"Moments later as I began to win the battle a very large set of shoulders broke the surface and Ben looked up at me. He didn’t have to say a word. We both knew which fish it was from that moment on. I could hardly contain my relief as the one fish I really wanted glided over the net cord and into the confines of my net.
"As well as being my target fish for this year it was also a new personal best at 46lb 12oz….Job done!!
"The big mirror is the icing on the cake of what has been a very successful spring campaign on the pressured day ticket water, that has seen me bank several good thirties leading up to the capture of my target fish.
"Successful tactics were small beds of mixed particle and crushed Mistral i40 boilies with a trimmed down balanced boilie as hook bait.
"Rigs were constructed from - ACE camo core 15lb (weed), elements leadclips and leadcore, ACE velocity mono (15lb), size 8 wide gape hooks and 4oz ACE stubby leads. Rods - Greys Torsion 3.25tc."
News from Alex – 13th May 2010
“I think I speak for all of us when I say how glad I am to see the back end of such a brutal winter. I don’t think I can remember such a sustained period of sub zero temperatures as those experienced these last few months.
“Personally I had so much going on from December onwards, what with selling and buying a house and then dealing with a serious family illness that if I could have chosen a few months off then what better time.
“With the arrival of March came the long overdue change in conditions and I was once again chomping at the bit to get out on the bank. Although there was a cloud of uncertainty hanging over my head as I was still unsure of my water for the coming year due to waiting for tickets to be confirmed. I couldn’t hang around any longer, especially with spring just around the corner. So a decision was made for a return to swan lake on the bluebell complex. Maybe by default put after putting in the groundwork last year with a certain degree of success, and the fact that there were still a few stunners yet to grace my net, all was not lost.
“My first trip down was mid March and to my surprise there were only a few on. However, with a fish yet to come out this year and a very cold northerly blowing down the lake I wasn’t massively confident. To cut a long story short, I received a drop back and pulled into what was obviously a very large fish that kept low and plodded about in the deep water for a few minutes only for the hook to pull…OUCH…that hurt!
“My next trip down saw me reacquainted at first light with a fish I caught last year affectionately known as pebbles mate at a healthy 36.08. A recapture but such a stunning scaley fish and looked amazing in her winter colours.
“Next session down and conditions are looking proper carpy with a feeling that spring is at last in the air. Fish were starting to show more regularly and I was able to move onto them due to the banks being quiet for once. My actions were rewarded with 3 twenties up to 25.03. Not monsters but very welcome all the same. It can be a strange water like that, as in the smaller fish would often feed at totally different times to the larger fish.
“Next trip down and the lake is now starting to receive serious amounts of angler pressure. I guess you have to expect it with this type of water but it can be very frustrating turning up and having to squeeze in somewhere that is sometimes highly unfavourable. However, I have learnt a lot from angling such busy waters over the years and find it an extra challenge to deal with the cards your dealt. Or to put it another way, make the best of a bad situation. The lake had not given much away what with the increased pressure taking its toll, but by staying quiet and making the least amount of commotion in my area as possible, fish gradually began to seek the quieter water and I was duly rewarded the following morning with a lovely mirror of 31lb.
“As I sit in my bivvy writing this it’s the first week of May and spring is very much in bloom with ducklings chasing insects along the grassy banks and daphnia starting to cloud up the margins once more. As is becoming the norm, the banks are very busy which is frustrating to say the least. If any of you out there fancy a trip down to swan lake then please take this into consideration. The reality is that I am sat here on a Thursday morning with around 20 other anglers whose approach seems to be the “thrash your swim to a foam and spend the day spodding tactic!”
Suffice to say there have only been 3 fish out all week, 2 of those to myself and lumps they were too. Both commons of 34.08 and 33.10 respectively! Moral of the story…be stealthy and don’t follow the heard!
“Well that brings us bang up to date with my spring so far and I hope to bring you more regular updates over the coming months. Spring has very much sprung so time to make the most of it, but remember less can very often be so much more when out on the bank.”
Catch ya soon….Alex
News from Alex – 8th December 2009
“With conditions continuing to stay on the mild side for November, I loaded the car early that morning full of hope that maybe, just maybe I hadn’t used up all my luck for this year.
“These last three or four months had seen me hit good form over on bluebell’s swan lake having landed many of the larger known fish and as it turned out I was on a bit of a roll. However, I was under no illusion that this would last forever. Experience tells you that a lean spell is never too far away in this game.
“A couple of hours later I pulled up to the lake to be greeted by quite a refreshing change. There was only three other anglers on the whole lake, which ment I actually had a fair bit of choice for once. Knowing one of those anglers was my old mate Jimbo, who was set up in the shallows at the southern end, I popped over for a brew and a catch up. After watching the water for a bit there was nowhere that particularly looked favourable so I pitched up next door until any signs of fish activity were forthcoming. We stayed up long into night watching the water but the whole lake just looked dead.
“After a few hours kip my eyes were once again glued to the water at first light in the hope that something would give away its whereabouts, but still nothing. Of course it would have been so easy to stay put for my last 24 hours and enjoy the social aspect but when I don’t get that “feeling” I just can’t settle and Jimbo knows this.
“Twenty minutes later the gear is all packed away in the motor and I’m scanning the water down the other end for signs of fish. Typically after monitoring the lake for half an hour I decide to dig the brew kit out of the motor when I hear a good fish crash out somewhere. Dam it…where are ya?.....BOOOSH!.....aha…I spy!
“As luck would have it they were starting to show over a familiar spot I had fished a few weeks previous. It’s an area of light silt that rapidly drops off from 11ft to 14ft at around 70 yards range and happens to be very rich in bloodworm, which they had obviously began to harvest. Two rods were duly dispatched to the spot about ten foot apart, each baited with balanced Mistral i40 hook baits followed by a small amount of spod mix containing chopped i40 boilie and mixed particle. All was quiet that evening and I was left wondering if I had made too much disturbance and should have perhaps just stuck to fishing singles to the area instead?
“ It was now about 10 am the following and I was due to pull off around midday. Time was running out and I was coming to terms with what was going to be my first blank session in a while when I receive a single bleep and saw the bobbin fall to the deck to signal a drop back! On making contact with the fish it kited straight around to my right margin and broke the surface. I could see it was a good common and after going in the net first time of asking the scales confirmed this by recording a weight of 39lb10oz….result!
“ Jimbo came down to do the photography and after congratulating me through gritted teeth we both saw a good fish roll right over my spot. Not wanting to make any further disturbance I decided not to replace the rod but to just leave the existing rod to fish on its own. Besides I had literally an hour left before I had to leave. Having just packed everything away in the motor apart form the single rod and net I was now starting to count down the minutes when the lone rod tightened up and held. Seeing the rod tip then bounce was all the indication I needed and on picking up the rod the resistance on the other end told me another large carp was the culprit. After a slow dogged fight taking place in the margin I finally netted a stunning scaley mirror that spun the needle around to settle on 34lb 8oz…surely now I’m riding my luck!
“Be lucky and remember its not over till its over!”
Catch ya soon!
Alex
News from Alex – 9th November 2009
“My first session of October saw me back down on Swan Lake, armed with a large amount of mixed particle and chopped boilie. My plan was to introduce this to an area out in the centre of the lake where I had seen plenty of activity the week before.
“To cut a long story short it wasn’t until my last night that the fish eventually found the bait and were willing to feed, as that final morning I had a mirror and a common of just over twenty pound a piece. If only I had one more night I’m sure now they were on it more action would have followed.
“The next session was back on Swan Lake once again towards the end of the month. Surely by now the big girls must be ready for a munch up leading into the colder months. With this in mind I had prepared a right old feast incorporating a mixture of various particles, chopped and whole boilies along with a few other attractive bits and pieces. The whole lot was dispatched to an area where hard clay met light silt at around 70 yards range.
“How could they resist I thought? Well they certainly did for the first 36 hours with no activity to be seen anywhere on the lake.
Late that evening whilst thinking about bed a large fish showed right over my baited area. I then decided to stay up and watch the water for a bit and glad I did as for the next hour I was treated to a display sea world would have been proud of!
“All of a sudden, like someone had flicked a switch it went completely dead as I hit the sack with the feeling I had just been done.
“Next thing a knew I was scrambling to get the boots on to the sound of my delkim in meltdown. Thankfully the fish had already disposed of the heavy lead which made for a nice controlled fight, with just couple of slow but powerful lunges as I steered the fish towards the net. On dropping the net to land the fish I ended up hitting it’s under belly with the net cord pushing it away! This immediately signalled just what a deep framed fish I was dealing with. Taking this into account the second attempt went a lot smoother as I was soon staring down at a very large common.
“Apparently it was a rarely caught fish that last came out 15 months previous. On the scales she went 45lb12oz….and a new p.b!
“I replaced the rod to the same spot and topped up the area with a few spods of the mix in a bid to hold any fish that were in the area for longer. The following evening I heard a fish crash over what I thought was my spot, but I couldn’t be sure as it was a very dark night.
“Same time as before, an hour before dawn and I received an absolute one toner on the repositioned rod and I was soon doing battle with what felt like another good fish! After a very determined fight I shone the head torch onto the rather fat mirror known as the “football” that pulled the needle round to settle on 34lb1oz.
“Well chuffed, I drove home that morning with a big old smile on my face while reflecting on what turned out to be a very memorable session.”
Till next time…be lucky! Alex
News from Alex - September 2009
“A trip down to Swan lake earlier in the month coincided with an abrupt change in conditions. One moment the wind was blowing a steady southerly then all of a sudden it turned on a sixpence and began belting down from the north bringing with it scattered showers. Having foreseen this change, I had earlier that evening firmly planted my ass down the southern end of the lake in anticipation of fish making their way down on the new wind, hopefully in numbers.
"Around 3am I was woken by a good fish crashing out up the margin to my left. Kettle on, eyes peeled and ten minutes later another fish crashed down the left margin, this time a little closer to my left hand rod. Moments later it ripped off and after a short scrap there in the net lay a nice mirror of just over 22lbs. Soon enough it was time to pack up but they were definitely getting on this wind even if they weren’t feeding too heavily.
“My next session was several days later and that cold northerly wind was still hammering down. Unsurprisingly there hadn’t been much out to other anglers during this time. The lake was very busy for mid week with not a lot of swim choice. I decided to plot myself up the north end against the causeway in the hope that many of the fish had had enough of the cold wind and be seeking shelter from it. I was right!
“At 2am that morning I received a Tench like bite from open water that I was convinced was just that, right up until I shone the head torch on it. To my amazement staring back at me was the flank of a mirror that tipped the scales to over 29lb.
“After not getting much sleep, I was lazing on my bedchair as dawn broke when I had a single bleep on the margin rod. On further inspection the bobbin was flat on the deck. I quickly picked up the rod and must have gained at least ten yards of slack line before meeting a solid resistance that plodded around my margin for several minutes. As the fish broke surface I straight away clocked the lateral line of scales down it’s side and immediately recognised it as the big linear! After netting her first time I hoisted her up on the scales to record a weight of 36lb and a few ounces. I was over the moon as she had been on my wish list for this year.
“Around midday while having a much needed kip I received an absolute screamer on the long range rod. A few minutes later I caught sight of the fish, a good common. Trouble was it was stuck in the weed to my right. A decision was quickly made that it was worth getting wet for, so off I waded towards the weedbed. Once over the top she popped out and went straight into my waiting net with ease. Back on the bank I weighed her at over 33lbs and was made up, even if I did have to spend the next few hours in my pants waiting for my trousers to dry off!
“Having repositioned that same rod, an hour later it signalled another take. Resulting in a lovely scaly mirror of just over 20lbs. All too soon it was time to make the journey home and I was happy in the knowledge that on this occasion I had got location spot on as there hadn’t been much out elsewhere.
“Till next time….be lucky!
Alex
News from Alex Bransby – September 8th 2009
“Since March last year I have been concentrating my efforts a on 12 acre pit known as Swan lake on the Bluebell complex in Northamptonshire.I think there seems to be a common - my perception is that the carp residing in Swan lake can’t wait to join you on the bank. Well I can assure you that the reality is quite different indeed!
“You don’t have to be a mathematician to do the simple equation of anglers to the ratio of fish caught to work out that you need to be switched on to have any chance of action. Being one of the busiest day ticket waters around it was set to be quite unlike the pre quiet, out the way kind of waters that I usually prefer.
“My first session way back in March was met with strong south westerly winds that inevitably meant that all the likely looking swims at the Northern causeway end were taken, as you would expect on such a busy water.
“After a walk around I finally pitched up after finding fish down the southern end on the back of what was a very cold wind. I planned to stick to “bit” fishing through March, using P.V.A sticks cast to various clean spots and move about plenty if no action was forthcoming. This mobile approach would also help me get to know different area’s of the lake far quicker than remaining static.
“Well that first morning produced a lovely mirror with big old scales on its flanks that tipped the scales to 23lb. Strange, looked a lot bigger on the mat, although still chuffed as always with the first fish from a new water. I walked down the bank and got Derek Ritchie to do some shots for me before grilling him for as much information on the place as possible ,as I knew how successful he had been the previous year on there so hopefully I could get the knowledge to give me a head start.
“My next session towards the end of March was almost a carbon copy of the first. With again the causeway end rammed due to another strong south westerly and I again found fish on the back of it down the opposite end. An hour later and the sticks were out on nice clear spots awaiting some attention. Soon after, while getting my first brew of the day on the go, the left hand rod let out a single bleep. Having walked over to it I noticed the indicator rising and dropping ever so slightly. “Bloody Bream” I thought, lifting up the rod. Well the curve my 23/4 tc Vantage took on soon indicated that this was definitely no Bream. After a spirited fight in the deep margins I was soon greeted with my prize in the shape of a pristine common of 37lb12oz!
“With the lack of action coming to other anglers during March I felt I had the tactics right for what was still a very cold month. But how long would it last?
“April arrived and with it slightly warmer weather. Which I hoped would get the fish moving about a bit more on the search for grub. I still persisted with my mobile “bit” fishing approach on the next session and hooked into something that felt a bit special as dawn broke on that first morning. Twenty minutes later and whatever was on the end was still 90 yards out and not giving an inch. All that was going through my mind was that if it was a carp on the end then there could only be one culprit at that time….the creature!
“Moments later I saw at range what I thought was a big tail slap on the surface, then it dawned on me that I was in fact attached to a big old catfish.
Once on the bank it was weighed at 43lb plus and although not what I was after, was welcome all the same.
“My next trip down turned out to be quite a sad affair. Upon arriving I stopped off for a brew and chat with my mate Steve for a run down of recent events and it turned out he had earlier that morning found the creature “belly up!” A sad time for all concerned and to be honest took the wind out of my sails a bit as the big ‘un was my target fish and the main reason I wanted to fish the place.
“After a couple of social sessions elsewhere I was back on Swan lake with a much clearer head and a fresh set of tactics. With the warmer weather almost upon us I decided to change my approach so started to use a fair bit of particle and incorporate plenty of 10mm boilies into the mix. As by now the fish were really starting to get their heads down in certain areas.
“To cut along story short these last couple of months being warm and changeable have really suited my small baits and particle tactics, far out fishing the standard boilie approach adopted by many.
“These last couple of months I have managed to bank numerous twenties and several thirties with the pick of the bunch being a stunning mirror known as Pebbles mate at 36lb08oz.
“As I write this it is August bank holiday Monday and I can already feel a change in the air as well as the nights drawing in rapidly. Although I have received action today in the shape of a pretty 32lb02oz mirror, I’m getting the feeling things are at last starting to slow down with the particles, so I think it’s coming into that time of year to go all out with the boilies and capitalise on what should be a productive period, as the carp go on the munch to make the required gains to see them through the long winter.”
Speak soon
Alex
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