I have approximately four weeks available for May and June, so if you are looking for an adventure holiday, browse through this website for more details. On the Make Contact page is an availability calender. Decide on dates, and get in touch. All of my March clients had great results, and all have, or are planning to re book. That alone is testament to the fact that they had a great holiday, they left very content, and the lure of the big fish in Sierra Brava is what brings them back. A holiday with me is not just about the size of the fish though. I am with you every step of the way, from start to finish, and apart from the professional guiding, I cook great food, I provide great equipment, and my dog Flash will keep you amused during your stay. Add to that the scenery, sunsets, wildlife, and atmosphere of the big public water, and you have all the ingredients needed for a memorable experience. 

My latest trio of clients left this morning after a terrific week’s fishing at Sierra Brava. The Gowar family made the journey from Liverpool, after group leader Neil, booked the holiday last November. A loyal follower of my blog, since 2009, and after a couple of disappointing Ebro trips, the Gowar family arrived on Wednesday evening, hoping for a holiday to remember. 

Opting to hire a car after touching down at Madrid airport, the family arrived on cue, shortly after 8pm, with Ian at the helm, and a sat nav guiding them to my base. Dinner was cooked, a few beers were sunk, and a quick visit to a local bar, to sample the Amstel lager, was obviously the best way to end the day, before we got our heads down for the morning departure.

After last week’s results I knew where I was hoping to take the guys, and I smiled with a huge grin – the same swim was free! As a guide you need to know your lake, but when you know the fish are holding up, you would be daft not to fish the same area. The conditions were more in our favour too, and as we climbed out of my vehicle, carp were literally everywhere, right in front of us! You could not ask for more!
The tactics were the same as last week and the Gowar family used 40kg of Banana GLM boilies, 22kg of Hemp and Halibut, 30kg of maize and tigers, and maize flour to bulk up the spomb mix. Not really familiar with spombing, I taught them how to hit the clip, teaching each angler where they were going wrong with their casting technique, and by the end of the week, each member of the Gowar family had got the hang of basic casting skills, all looking extremely comfortable. Quite often the slightest problem can be the cause of a bad cast, and I pride myself on teaching clients to use the rod, time their casts, and improve their technique.

44 well-earned carp were caught by the Liverpudlian group, and only eight fish were lost. When the conditions were in our favour, ten carp were caught during the day and the action was fast and furious. It also gave me a chance to observe the anglers as they played their catch, which in the hours of daylight, is always a more pleasurable experience for the angler concerned. 
Roy caught the biggest carp of the week with a new PB common weighing 36lb 2oz, and Scouse G took ‘Top-Rod’ spot with seventeen carp to his name. He was ounces of a PB mirror and happily got his sought after 30lb’er this morning. Neil went home with more confidence under his belt and a new PB common, and the Gowar’s are set to return for another week in November – I can’t wait!

My next clients arrive on Sunday – lets see if we can have another great week on the banks of Sierra Brava.

Cheers

Jake and Flash.Go to client gallery to see the Liverpool lads fine captures.

With my first booking of the year looming after a long break, I have been fishing on and off at Brava since February, whilst putting the finishing touches to my house. The weather really has been dreadful for a painstaking duration, and rain has not fallen with any volume for months. The lake level is low, the fishing has been tough, and although you know the carp are there, they just haven’t been tempted to feed with any vigour. 

With a trio of clients arriving for a week, and one of them, a long-time friend from Bristol, the pressure was really on to deliver the goods, and ensure they caught some carp. As a guide you must do your utmost to provide your clients with every chance, but when the conditions are ball-breaking it really can test your knowledge to the limits, and sometimes, as all good anglers know, when they aren’t having it, it can be a frustrating game.

My friend Paul, who I have known for many years is a keen carp angler. Along with his two companions, Paul and Henry, they touched down on the tarmac, slightly late, but full of fire. I have a taxi service for transfers, but as Bristol flights are late in the day, it meant they either hired a car, or I chauffeured them in my 4 x 4. Judging by their beaming smiles as they floated through the arrivals lounge, I suspected they probably weren’t in a fit state to drive, after a beverage or three on the plane, so the chauffeured option was a wise choice.

Back at my house and after a hearty meal, we got our heads down for an early start the following day. I had done a recce earlier in the week, and from previous experience, and a hunch, I knew where I was heading for at the lake. Fuelled with Spanish coffee, and secured into my Navara, we set off, towing the ‘uber’ trailer filled to the brim with tackle, bait, food, and lots of beer! Flash was obviously onboard, keeping a watchful eye over the guys luggage in the back of my truck, and after a short drive we soon approached the turn off, and neared closer to our destination.

Henry, a fishing companion of Paul back in the UK, was particularly keen, and after guiding at a lake in Gran Canaria for a few years, I was starting to feel the pressure as we made our way across the dam. Guiding is all about delivering a service, and although you can’t guarantee anything in fishing, with a friend on board, and an ex-guide, I was going to have to hope that my intended swim would come up trumps.

The lake had a few anglers present as we bumped our way along the dusty tracks, and eventually we made our way down the last part of the descent to the swim. It was free, which brought a broad smile to my face, and I felt a good omen was possibly on the cards for my first group booking of the year. This was also my first ever group of three, so in order to keep standards high, I was going to have to work very hard indeed.

I had communicated extensively with the guys through the group leader before they arrived. Once the booking is confirmed, and deposits are paid, I nominate a group leader who is responsible for passing on information to the rest of the group. With two Paul’s on the trip, Paul senior was the nominated leader, and after meeting him briefly in Ibiza last year on a stag weekend for my Irish friend Greg, and after listening to his countless tales of other fishing trips he had experienced, I was confident he would prove a good choice. My mate, the other Paul, probably only checks his email once a quarter, so he was tactfully not given the responsibility!

Communication leading up to the trip is important, and I pride myself on giving regular updates on how the lake is fishing, and also what the group need to bring with them. Yellow pop-ups are always a winner at Sierra Brava, so after parking up by the side of the lake, I was pleased to see the lads had come prepared, and they had read the SBD website thoroughly before leaving England. My new choice of boilie (Vital Baits Banana GLM) has proved succesful and Dynamite Baits fluro banana and pineapple pop-ups would certainly compliment them well, but I was given a surprise. A few years ago when I was briefly involved in selling bait, I imported Imperial Baits from Germany. When I left the UK in 2008 with half a tonne of the stuff in the back of my van, I left several boxes of sundry items with a friend. I told him to give it all to Paul a year later, so when he produced 5 year old yellow V-pops from his bag, I was intrigued to see whether the old yellow pop-ups would work. They aren’t flavoured but being bright in colour, I was confident they would, but I couldn’t help laugh at the fact that my friend had bought them with him.

The trio had been briefed on fishing tactics, so in my usual manner I told them to either listen to me, or they were free to try their own methods first. I have no problem with confident anglers who want to try their preferred methods, but I also know my method is proven, and sometimes listening to the guide can give you a head-start. All waters are different, and Sierra Brava is huge, so a few pointers in the right direction are often worth digesting. I started setting up camp as the lads prepared their rods and rigs, and as always there was an air of confidence, shadowed by nerves and uncertainty.

The two Pauls took the left hand side of the swim and Henry opted for the last peg to the right. I am always fascinated to watch other anglers and listen to their ideas, and Henry was certainly sure of his tactics. I always recommend areas to fish to, and then like to hear the views of the angler concerned. Where to fish can be a hunch, a feeling, or gut instinct, and reading your swim is half the battle. Sierra Brava is a beautiful water to fish as it always offers plenty of options and although anglers may have different ideas about where to place a bait, I have recognised a formula at Brava, as the carp are creatures of habit and can usually be relied upon to turn up on cue. The weather was the only niggling problem though and creatures of habit can sometimes play hard to get when conditions look bleak.

As dinner was served hopes were high, and friendly banter was dished up for dessert. The lads had decided on a few bets between themselves on the flight, and a competitive atmosphere was clearly evident. I have never seen my friend Paul fish but his skills were evident. His casting was adequate, and after tuition with the throwing stick, baiting up was soon achieved with modest accuracy. However, as always, I am always keen to see how anglers deliver a spomb, and how consistent they are. Only time would tell how precise they had been, but after keeping a watchful eye on them all as I got everything arranged, I already had a fair idea who had paid most attention to my advice.

With every booking carp have been caught on the first night and this night was to be no different. The first run came and Paul carefully played his first Brava carp into the net. I looked at his first carp and told him he may very well have a new personal best common with his first carp. There are lots of big carp in Brava but it isn’t often that an angler starts his account with a cracker. The common was hoisted off the ground and 29lb 12oz was recorded. Missing his personal best by a few ounces he got the rod back out, using his line clip on the reel. This was just the start of things for Paul as he went on to pull a few more strokes.

I am always tired on the first night after much planning and preparation, but when the alarm sounds, I am as excited as the angler concerned. His second carp of the session put up a great fight and we stood quietly as he played the carp like an expert. I netted the fish as it admitted defeat and couldn’t quite believe what I was witnessing. Two good commons on the trot and this one was definately a new PB. I don’t think Paul could quite take in what had just occurred either, as 34lb 7oz was read out. After shaking hands with my long-time friend, who had put his faith in me to deliver a good holiday, this was then followed by photos of the carp in question. “You can relax now”, I said, and realised that I too could breathe a sigh of relief. Fish were here and they were being caught.

By the morning four had been caught by Paul. You sometimes have to establish a swim but at Brava it usually isn’t the case. If the conditions are right then bait is usually found along with your hook bait. Paul’s friends were aware that they maybe needed to tighten up their baiting and important cast, so as the second night approached, extra work had been done during the day to tempt success.

Group leader Paul got off the mark with a pretty mirror and ‘tother Paul added a couple more to his belt. Henry on the other hand was scratching his head and although there was nothing at fault with his angling ability, it just wasn’t happening where it mattered.

Moving swims is an anglers choice first and foremost, but giving the swim a chance to build is sometimes the key. The conditions on the second night were a stark contrast to night one, and although carp were caught by good fishing, it couldn’t have looked less inviting. Henry decided a move was on the cards so by mid-afternoon he was set up in his new stall to the left of Top Rod Paul. A new wave of confidence was showering Henry and we all hoped his strategic plan would pay off.

Group leader Paul had now aquired a new name or nickname rather – Mole. For the purposes of the write-up it will make life easier, and happy with his new label, he was equally happy with his carp he had caught. Mole has fished for many species all over the world and has held some big fish in his arms but I could see some areas in his angling that could be improved. I took the Mole under my wing for a day or so, and we worked on his accuracy with his casting and baiting up. I can’t stress enough how important this aspect is at Sierra Brava, and over the next few nights his tally of carp grew, as did his confidence and smile for the camera. The other thing you could always rely on with both Paul’s was their staggering snoring skills, so much so that they were named the ‘Chain-saw Brothers’ by Henry which aptly described the noise made by both sleepers!

Paul was cracking on with things and apart from a stop-start run, he was catching every night. Mole was steadily creeping along, and his third carp was a new personal best common. His fish playing skills were second to none, and I took pleasure in watching him gently coax the carp towards the net without so much as a splash. It made guessing what he was playing more difficult, but I guess with the number of species he has landed over the years, he has a natural gift for staying calm and finsihing the job in hand. With a new PB common already added to his portfolio, I was supremely confident that his previous best weight of 11kg would also be beaten. This was a mirror carp, and as he had already sneaked the only two mirrors of the session into his net, I knew a big mirror had his name on it. 

Paul was next to shine as he experienced another night of action. His stamp of fish was impressive, backed up by his thirty four pound common, but eventually a Brava mirror ended up in his net and it was an awesome looking carp too. I teach anglers how to deal with lively fish when doing photographs, and holding them firmly and with confidence is key. Their pectoral fin and anal fin can be used as handles when picking them up, and for balancing them for trophy shots, but attention needs to be paid in case the fish starts to wriggle. I provide great unhooking mats, but quickly turning the fish upsidedown and holding it in your arms, can soon calm the fish and make it more manageable for photos. All the guys left with new tips and skills and it was a pleasure to teach them things I have learnt over the years, partly because they were willing to listen. 

Henry was, to put it bluntly, struggling. It is never nice to be in that position and it puts a true angler to the test. Also an ex-teacher, we never like to be told what to do, and he held his corner, as I would have stubbornly done, determined to bank one on his own terms. After the swim move did not meet his hopes, and after witnessing his two friends with regular bends in their rods, he opted to move back to his original swim. It was a cunning plan and I am sure a part of him wished he had stayed there all along as the following morning he finally got what he had come for – a Sierra Brava carp. There are many strains in Brava and his prize was an odd looking shape, but it was a carp and it counted, and Henry was finally off the mark. The carp count had now risen to 16 and during that Saturday night, the Mole sneaked out another personal best, as a long warrior-like mirror was beaten and 28lb 12oz was his new biggest ever carp. I have seen people smile when they achieve their goals but his face was a picture! 

The weather was poor all week and the lads fished their socks off. Sunny days were ended with cold nights and although the carp are seeking out warm water to begin spawning, it just isn’t being allowed to warm up. I had chosen a holding area deliberately as I hoped the carp would be wallowing around in the distant trees in the daytime, and then moving to feed as darkness fell. Daytime takes are frequent at Brava but only when the conditions are in your favour. We sat it out every day, hoping for a daytime take, but apart from an early morning take on Henry’s rods at 8am, that was all that materialised. It would have been easy to write-off the nights as each one looked bleak, but the full moon that joined us for the week, probably played a part in the guys success. One very interesting thing we noticed was the takes only started once the moon had actually climbed into the sky. This happened later each night after the actual full moon had passed, but reliable as clock-work – the carp came, they fed, and were caught.

The last night beckoned and a good mood was echoing round the camp. The boys enjoyed the food that was served up by myself and pork chop, saute potatoes and carrots were wolfed down as darkness enveloped the water. The place was now empty after the weekend anglers had departed and with the thought of packing up the following morning, all three anglers were wishing for their hopeful targets.

As it turned out the night could not have gone better. An hour after the moon had appeared in the sky, Paul had his first fish. Mole was next as he dealt with a 20lb common. Mole was soon weighing another Brava carp and this one was rather special – another mirror and another personal best at 29lb 5oz. The fish looked stunning and is a classic example of the quality of the Brava carp.

Paul was next to add to his list of fish and a fine common was hooked and landed; it was now all down to Henry, and I had joked with him that he also needed a PB as he was letting the side down. The carp must have heard me, and Henry’s prayers were met as a plump, deep common, was successfully defeated, and I had a great deal of admiration for Henry as his joy became apparent. He had had a tough week and admitted he should have done things differently from the start, but he turned it around at the final whistle, and also returns to Bristol with a new PB in his fishing log – a 27.5lb common. Well done Henry!

The tea-guzzling team ended up with a total of 21 carp between them, with many upper twenties and four personal bests to boast about. For myself as a guide I couldn’t have been happier for them as they fished well, they worked incredibly hard, and they were consistent once they found their groove To top it all off they were a real pleasure to have on the bank.

Apart from their impressive three carp a day catch they also made a few new records.180 cans of drink were consumed, several gallons of tea was drunk, they did not lose a fish whilst playing, no fish were snagged, and they only lost a single set of terminal tackle during the whole week.

Repeat bookings are something I strive for and I have my Dutch clients returning at the end of the month. I am also thrilled to say that Paul, Mole, and Henry have already booked a return week in November, such was their satisfaction from the trip. I have devised an offer for clients during their trip to secure return bookings, as all of my clients to date have hinted at returning.

As from today if you want a return booking you will be given 5kg of boilies each, and if you pay the deposit within a week of returning home, a free case of lager per person is also included. That will save you 74 Euros per person and once the deposit is received you can then relax till your holiday dates arrives.

The yellow V-pops did work in case you are wondering? Any yellow bait seems to get a pick up, and most of the fish fell to single 20mm or trimmed yellow pop-ups and also to snowmen arrangements using blow-back rigs.  I supply 15 and 20mm boilies and either size can be used as a bottom bait. The fact there are no nuisance species to bother you means the bait stays on the hair.

It just remains me to say thanks guys – it was one hell of a week!

Cheers

Jake Langley-Hobbs

Well, I have finally made it out onto the banks of Sierra Brava since my short Christmas session. There have been a few times since that session when the desire to go fishing has crept into my mind, but I have been quite busy with other things in January, such as my trip to Prague, and working on my house. These things were priorities. I also go fishing when I want to these days and not because I have to. I think you should fish on these terms to get the most from the sport and when I feel I am just going through the motions and enduring it, rather than enjoying it, I don’t want to be on the bank.

I am fishing a new swim. I have decided that over the next month I will try to get on the bank at least once a week to explore some new territory. I have favoured areas but the water level is really low at the moment and not how it was at this time last year. This has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is the fish are easier to find as there is less water for them to hide in, but the disadvantage is the access around the lake is very easy with a normal car meaning areas that were quiet last year, might not be this year. Last year there were some great areas that could only be reached if you had a good 4 x 4 and you basically had this certain section of the lake to yourself. However, this certain area would not be the same at the moment as the water levels are low, so I suppose it doesn’t matter anyway!

The plan therefore is to do some homework and find some swims that offer really good fishing for myself and my clients, and fortunately on Sierra Brava that is never hard to do. For example I have only been fishing 24 hours and I have caught two carp already, from a brand new swim I have never wet a line in before. This is what I love about Sierra Brava – the whole lake fishes well to be honest and if the conditions are right and the carp are having it, most people stand a good chance of getting a bend in their rods.

I am using the new boilie I mentioned in my last post. Vital Baits Banana GLM (green lipped mussel). Banana flavoured boilies seem to work very well at Brava and many Spanish anglers use a banana boilie that isn’t exactly high in nutritional value, but it works well all the same. The Vital Baits boilie is packed full of NV. GLM, birdseed, and a subtle, smooth, banana flavour. I knew this bait would work and I have always been a huge fan of baits with GLM; now we have a great combination. I will be buying this boilie for my clients to use as I think they will have very good results with it.  
Nicky Hedin at VB has also launched some new products for the angler who likes to use little tricks up his sleeve. A stick mix containing halibut, and another product containing crushed hemp and halibut. Extra attraction is sometimes needed, especially at certain times of the year, and when the water is cold, I think extra attraction can be very beneficial in drawing in some fish to your hook bait. 

I have been playing around with the new products today and one of the things I did was to roll some of the boilies in the sticky krill glug. I then rolled these in some of the halibut stick mix powder and made sure they got a good coating. You can repeat the process several times if you like and effectively build up a thick layer of paste. I have seen this technique done before many times before and it has already worked for me, as I had a take at long-range at 5pm this afternoon. I was having a siesta and was woken by the run and the carp put up a nice account of itself. It came in straight as a die to begin with, like a dog on a lead, and then began to kite a little as I got it near the bank. A bit of side-strain turned it and I soon had my first twenty pounder of the year in my net. This fish would probably have weighed about 15lb last summer, but it was incredibly fat, and the extra weight pushed the needle to 20lb. First twenty of the year always deserves a photo. 

My other carp was caught at 4am this morning. I caught this one using a single VB Banana GLM 20mm boilie. Yesterday when I arrived at 4pm I got the rods sorted immediately and two were put near a tree sticking out of the water at about 40 yards range; the depth is about 25 foot. I then put a kilo of the boilie around the general tree area with my throwing stick. I wanted to see if the bait would work without a stringer or any other hook bait attraction aid, and I am pleased to say it did. I think that is good proof of a good bait. 

It was hellish windy when I was setting up, which made everything more difficult than normal. I had to set up my bivvy using my Navara for shelter. It was a peg by peg erection that took some patience and technique to stop the whole thing taking off. The weather is how I like it at the moment, in the fact we are getting some really strong winds in the daytime. North westerly’s blowing up to 25km/ph, which on a big lake like Brava is enough to get a really good chop on the water and white horses racing across the lake. The days are sunny and the nights are chilly and I have timed my session in accordance with the full moon, the wind, and the fact that last night, tonight, and possibly tomorrow night are milder.  2+ as opposed to minus 4-6. It is still winter and I know ‘real’ winter has arrived in many parts of Europe, so Spain is going to get some of the knock on effects! 
The short session continues into its third night, and the carp count is now at number four. I have not long ago returned the fourth and biggest of the session; another common and an 11kg/24lb 2oz specimen. The rod is back on the spot, the carp has been photographed and released, and I am sat in my bivvy drinking tea, so I thought why not write a quick blog too! 

Carp number three appeared yesterday evening at 9.15pm. Caught from the same long-range spot as the previous capture, and although  it put up a better fight than its earlier 20lb cousin, it weighed a couple of pounds less. I released the fish immediately after weighing and whacked the rod back out in the dark, using a distant tree on the horizon as my marker.

Nothing else happened during the night so at first light and after a coffee I got the rods sorted for the day. I firmly believe in certain situations that it is better to move rods in the daytime to increase your chances of a take. For example the carp at Brava do have a habit of going out into slightly deeper water from about 10-11am. You can often see fish topping in the morning as they move out towards the deeper areas. I started doing this technique last year, and it generally works. A small bright pop-up, a one bait stringer, and a few boilies put out with the throwing stick. The idea is you cast as far as you can, but not as far that you can’t reach it with a throwing stick for baiting up. The number of bolies does not have to be huge; 20-50 is ample, topping up after a run/fish/recast. As the day begins to draw to a close, I then normally bring the long-range rods in, and put the rods back to their close range spots. It is effectively doubling your chances of catching in the day and catching during the night.

Tonight’s carp has come from the close range tree where carp number one was caught from. I put out about 3 kilos of spod mix this evening using the Vital hemp/halibut mix I showed you in yesterday’s post. I added some maize flour, maize, tigers, and 15mm Banana GLM boilies. It was windy when I put this out with my spomb so I made sure the casts landed to the right of my marker, as the wind that was blowing to the left. This just ensures the spomb mix trickles to the bottom, roughly where you want it, and not away from your intended spot. I got these rods out by 6.30pm and had the take at 11pm. A four and a half hour wait for a nice looking carp is always welcome. 

I will be packing up tomorrow morning and heading back to my house. It is going to get very cold here in the next few days and I am hoping to get back out after the cold snap has passed.

Cheers till then.

Jake Langley-Hobbs

Jake recently undertook a nine night session at Sierra Brava and walked away with two new personal bests. The winter haul included thirteen carp in total with a 40lb common and a 38lb mirror being the biggest of each species.

Jake knew he was in for some bad weather but was fully prepared for the worst and in fact had been patiently waiting at home for the weather to turn. He took full advantage of the situation and fished at close range in open water, baiting quite heavily with maize, tigers, and Vital OR-O boilies. Catching from night one, Jake consistently caught throughout the session, taking a few carp in the daylight hours, but most were caught under the cover of darkness. The final carp of the session was a stunning mirror carp weighing 38lbs beating Jake's previous best mirror carp at Sierra Brava by 3lbs.

Sierra Brava fishes throughout the winter and never freezes over so if you are interested in a winter break - contact Jake. Jake himself will be fishing a lot over the next few months so watch this space for more impressive Sierra Brava captures.
Catch you soon.

“Without doubt one of the simplest, yet best, inventions, to hit the carp fishing market in the last decade!”
Jake Langley-Hobbs

I have been using Spombs for a year now and I supply, and sell them to my clients. The reason being, they are the best bait delivery tool on the market with no spillage, a fast retrieve, and they fly straight as an arrow. I have used other types over the years but there really is no comparison!

Most importantly the Spomb really does allow my clients to get the most from their bait during their holiday, as all of it ends up in the lake and not spilled all over the bank. They are so easy to use!

I give lessons if necessary to clients that haven’t had experience spodding before. It does not take long to learn the art and using the line clip on your reel is the best method to achieve that all important accuracy combined with either using a landscape marker or a separate marker rod, to ensure you hit the same mark each time.

The retrieve of the Spomb is very impressive as it literally runs across the water towards you as you reel in. I supply my clients with Diawa Emblem Spod reels – the best spod reel on the market with an incredible 1m retrieve per revolution.

The Spomb is designed to be filled with your bait of choice and when fully loaded it weighs no more than 5-6oz. The Sonik SK3 4.5lb/tc Spod Rod is well up to the job of casting a fully loaded spod.

I always use braid when spodding and my clients reels are loaded with the same. I always recommend you wear a finger guard or a glove to protect your finger from braid cuts that can be very painful and will certainly put an end to anymore casting.

The Spomb company have recently made a very important change to their product in the shape of a new material used to manufacture the spring, responsible for opening up the two sides and keeping the spomb open so it retrieves well. I sometimes noticed that after prolonged use this spring would sometimes break so I spoke to Bryan who was already aware of the small change that needed making.

Thanks to the newly designed spring, breakages are a thing of the past, meaning clients can now take their purchased Spombs back to their home country and carry on spombing to their heart’s content.

I often hear of anglers complaining that the Spomb sometimes opens during the cast – the Spomb is not to blame! There are clear instructions printed on the packaging explaining how to turn the front button for a stronger latch and you may need to see which strength suits your bait the best.

The Spombs are available in an assortment of colours, black, and white; and I have even seen a pink one that was made for a known lady carp angler!!

If you haven’t tried a Spomb - what are you waiting for!!!

GET SPOMBING..........

For more details go to www.spomb.com

My latest booking saw Northern lad, Mark Carrick, turn up for ten day’s fishing at Sierra Brava. I enjoy taking single bookings, and as it turned out, Mark had booked a single person trip for very personal reasons that he told me once we arrived back at my base. Sadly his mum, Sue, died last December, after a long struggle against cancer. “She would have wanted me to go fishing, so that’s why I am here.” “If I can catch a thirty pounder, I know she will be proud of me, and it will be the icing on the cake!”

As Mark arrived late at Madrid airport there was no chance to fish on night one. Instead, after a quick meal at my house, we headed out to sample the local Spanish Lager at El Parador. The heavens opened as we sat outside supping our pints, and it looked like the forecast was correct – we were in for some stormy weather.

Bright and early the following morning, we got the last few bits into my trailer, hitched it to the Navara, and we were soon driving down a dirt track to our intended destination. I had done a recce over the weekend prior to Mark’s arrival, and had pinpointed a good swim that would give access to passing carp, and also to the holding area out in the middle of the large expanse of water that hid ghostly Oak trees beneath.

Another reason Mark had booked with me was he was keen to pick up some new skills, he was prepared to work hard, and wanted to catch carp from the off. Within 30 minutes of leaving my lock-up, we were both stood staring out at a small part of Sierra Brava. “What do you think Mark,” I enquired? “It looks amazing but I can’t believe I am here to be honest!”

As my short range tactics have been working well, I decided that just because we were in a different area of the lake, I was certain they would work here too. We walked out the rods to get our accuracy matched to the spomb rod, and then Mark set about getting his end tackle sorted. I showed him the basic spod mix that has been producing the takes, and within two hours, and after Mark had decided on some landscape markers, the rods were out and the waiting game began. 

I can get drinks to client’s requests if requested, and Mark had enquired whether or not I could get him some of his favourite tipple – Guinness. He sat back enjoying a cold one, whilst I prepared the dinner for the first evening. Pork chops, sauté potatoes, and chargrilled courgette was soon being devoured as we got to know each other a little better, and Flash looked on enviously, wishing his meals were as tasty!

My predictions with clients have so far been pretty accurate, in particular the times that they can expect action on the first few nights. As predicted, one of Mark’s rods tore off, and carp number one was landed. As we did the photos, another rod took off – Mark was getting a warm Sierra Brava welcome!

By the morning four carp had been landed and the fifth one, duly arrived, just as my 11am window was drawing to a close. I always recommend that clients don’t touch their rods until that time has passed. Instead, enjoy the sunrise, eat your breakfast, and expect a take, rather than reel in, rebait, and recast over fish that probably have their heads down on your already prepared spots.

Mark was on carp number six as we approached the next 24 hour stint. Would lucky carp no 7 come easily? Typically, Mark was then put through the Brava experience, suffering three hook pulls, and a breakage. I wisely told Mark from the start to respect the awesome strength of the Brava carp, and he was beginning to understand what I meant. When they want line, you have to give them some, and only if they are heading for a snag, do you try to stop them with side-strain. We had very little snags in front, so Mark learnt this lesson quickly, and was soon flying again. The action remained consistent and the bad (good) weather looked set to stay. You can certainly choose specific dates when you book a holiday but you can’t always pick the conditions. Mark could not have timed it better with regards to the weather.

Approaching the half-way point of Mark’s session, he had by now landed 16 carp and been treated to a few of Sierra Brava’s spectacular mirrors. Mark’s pb in France is a 35lb mirror, but his common carp pb was around the 26lb mark. Three nights on the trot we were treated to a upper twenty pound carp before darkness fell, the first a 27lb mirror, followed by a 28lb common, and then a gorgeous mirror arrived, promptly on the evening cue. The lone long range rod that I whacked out was delivering the goods, and Mark now had a new pb common to be happy with. Sadly the weather then changed the following morning and the barometric pressure went off the scale; clear skies and hot sunny conditions kept us company for the next couple of days. This resulted in the action slowing a little, and it was now time to possibly consider a move?

By this point however, Mark had caught a few more, but unfortunately suffered another hook pull after a long and dour fight on Saturday evening. I was certain we still had good fish, and many of them, in our area, so I asked Mark whether he wanted to move, or stay for that big fish? He didn’t need to enter the numbers game as he had already proved his capabilities, I wanted him to catch that special thirty, so after a discussion, we decided to stay put. Would Mark pull it off?

One afternoon I nipped back to my base to replenish food, drink, and bait stocks. I returned with a different rod, topped up my big baitrunner with more line, and we were now getting a few extra yards on the long range chuck. This made all the difference, and in the next couple of hours Mark had four takes, landing three. As we approached the final 24 hours, Mark had landed 22 carp and lost eight. Would the last night be kind or cruel?

Mark displayed consistency and accuracy during the whole of his time at Brava and he learnt very quickly. The one thing I admired about Mark was the fact he put his trust in the guide. Mark used 30kg of Vital K-12 boilies, 35kg of maize and tigers, 10kg of maize flour, and other additions, such as Dynamite Baits Pineapple liquid attractor, Vital’s K-12 glug, and Mainline’s Tiger Nut liquid attractor. There is no point spending all the money booking a holiday and then scrimping on bait when you actually get here. The carp in Brava can soon mop up beds of food, and although you don’t need to chuck in massive amounts, you would be ill advised to try and sit on a 5kg tub all week! Mark knocked up spod mixes as and when he needed them, never running out, and  always had pva bags and new rigs ready, waiting to be attached if necessary.  Speed is of the essence when you have a shoal of hungry Brava carp clearing you out, and Mark caught more fish, by rapidly getting his rod back out after a capture, and topping it up with more spombs of bait. It was a good display of angling.

Hooks are very important at Brava and I would always recommend clients bring curved patterns such as the Korda Kurvs, or long shanked curved patterns such as the Fox series 5 or Arma points. I am paranoid about hook sharpness, and big hooks, tend to keep their effectiveness longer than smaller patterns. Mark tried one of his own hooks with the blow-back rig, which was a straight shanked version. After three hook pulls, I firmly told him, to stop using them, and bang on a Kurv. He didn’t drop another fish after that and he will be pleased he did as he was told, as the final afternoon at Brava proved the perfect ending to Mark’s personal quest at Sierra Brava.

After a take on his right hand rod, and a slow, protracted fight; I slipped the net under Mark’s first thirty common.  I didn’t tell Mark he had caught a thirty; instead telling him to get the rod back out to his mark. I carried the carp to the weighing tripod and watched as the scales swung round and settled on 15kg/33lb. To say Mark was made up would be an understatement!

The action continued and an hour later Mark was holding his second thrity pound common, a 30lb 14oz specimen. This fish put up a tremendous display of power, and I was glad Mark had experienced the unbelievable power of the smaller ones first; as he now looked calm, and in control, when playing a fish, and was prepared for any possible and sudden response from the carp.

As we prepared for the final few hours, I packed away most of the kit, ready for a quick getaway. Mark’s final carp of his session proved to be the icing on the cake that he hoped for. Yes, he had already had, not one, but two thirties; but his final fish was yet another pb common – this time a beautiful two-toned 34lb’er. Three thirties in the last twelve hours – Mark could not believe it!

In total Mark caught 28 carp and had 38 takes. One lost fish got snagged, and the rest were down to hook pulls. Yellow once again proved a winning hook bait colour and Mark used a combination of pop-ups, and the snowman arrangement. His DNA PB Candy Sticks that he bought with him, resulted in a lot of his captures at close range, and it is always a good idea to bring a few of your favourite hook baits with you.

While Mark was in my care, he improved his casting action by 100%, and really tightened up on his accuracy with the spomb, taking into account wind direction, and casting confidently to the clip, whilst applying the brakes at the last minute. I really enjoyed watching Mark grow in confidence as the session progressed, so much so in fact, that I felt I could give Mark free reign and as a result, I pulled back a little towards the end of his session, letting him get on with it. His last fish was expertly played and skilfully netted, all by himself, and as it was another new pb, and a big personal goal achieved, I am sure it was a much more memorable moment, rather than having the ‘yapping’ guide stood by his side trying to assist!

Well Done Mark – see you next year, or later this year if you can sweet talk your wife Louise!

I an writing some 4 hours after our return to normal life from Sierra Brava – still in a bit of a daze. After Alan and I had met Jake at his home on Tue 3rd of May, we very soon set off for the lake in Jakes 4×4 towing what turned out to be an incredibly well equipt covered trailer. I must confess that our first sight of Sierra Brava (7000 acres) a little intimidating but, we were soon to learn that Jakes vast knowledge was going to shrink it more into perspective and put fish in our pitch.
On arrival at the chosen pitch, we were amazed at Jakes incredibly comprehensive kit that emerged from his 4×4 and trailer, it became immediately obvious this guy had spent a lot of time on the bank fishing long sessions in all weathers. Everything needed for a weeks session was there and of very high quality to. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to fish in many camps around the world from Siberia to Tierra del Fuego. I have eaten from a tin, answered the call of nature in a bucket or a hole on the ground, slept in a sack, and washed in a cold lake/river. If you fancy any of that, dont go with this guy…….. fresh food 3 times a day, hot shower, excellent private chemical loo, and Nash “indulgence” bedchairs to kip on. A bit 5* you may think – but after a day or so, we loved every moment of it, including the ever available stove and tea/coffee pot.

I have no need to go on about the fishing as Jake has covered that in his Blog but, as a word of advice – if you go with him – you would be foolish not to heed his sound advice and assistance.

Thanks once again Jake from Alan and I for a most memorable trip. All we have to do now is work out when we can return.

Pete Ellis & Alan Hylands.

Trawler skipper Alan and Seafood distributor Pete, both from Sussex, have just spent a week’s holiday at Sierra Brava. My taxi driver Carlos proved safe and reliable, dropping the guys off at my base last week on Tuesday afternoon. Raring to go and topped up with tea, we were soon heading to the lake to begin the Sierra Brava Dreams experience.

I had been monitoring the weather prior to the guys arriving so on that basis I knew exactly where we were going to begin. Within two hours the guys had their rods out, their dinner was on, and both were brimming with confidence.

Purist Pete has fished all over the world and for all species with many impressive fish to his name including a 15.5lb brown trout (Chile), a 31.5lb salmon (UK), and a 106lb Tarpon (USA). On the other hand, Alan has only been carp fishing for two years but I could immediately tell he had an insatiable hunger for the sport. “I have come here to catch carp”, he confidently told me as we sipped our drinks in my kitchen!

In life there are always two or more ways to do something. At Sierra Brava you either do it my way, or you are welcome to fish how you see fit. I gave both guys my advice from the word go and told them they were welcome to follow it, or to fish how they wanted for the first 24 hours. If their way wasn’t working then I would step in and point them in the right direction – my goal as always, is clients catch carp.

After twelve hours had passed Pete had unfortunately lost one but then landed his first Brava carp shortly afterwards. The boys were off the mark! Alan did not have a beep, so after breakfast we sat down, had a chat, my tackle box appeared, and rig school, and carp fishing tuition began.  Alan’s rigs weren’t a million miles away but he was trying to over-complicate things – keep it simple! His casting also needed some attention, in particular casting to the clip, and spodding accurately, paying attention to landscape markers. Alan listened, and watched, and learnt very quickly; and to prove the point by the following morning he had caught not one, but two Sierra Brava carp. What a happy chappy!

There was lots of carp activity and we clearly had lots of carp in the area we were fishing. Line bites are always a good sign that carp are on your spot and the pattern was quite consistent. One beep, would generally be followed by another minutes later – a screamer would then often follow.

Day three was the most eventful of the trip. The lads were treated to eight chances and six of those were landed. Alan’s personal best in the UK is a 26.5lb carp he recently caught before arriving in Spain. I confidently told him he would beat that and I am thrilled to say he did. A 31.5lb common was caught on one of the long-range rods and captor Alan did everything right. As I slipped the carp into the net I instantly knew he had done it. My star pupil!

Pete was having fun and games too! He had a few quick takes one morning which kept him on his toes and one carp in particular led him on a merry old dance. Using his own split cane rods and wearing what can only be described as real-tree pyjamas, he was soon stood in the lake by an Oak tree, up to his knees in water, doing his best impression of a tree hugger. A strong Brava common carp had kited into the margin and the line was caught up on the jagged rocks. The Pro-Tough shock-leader proved trustworthy and he skilfully got the fish free, but this fish wasn’t coming in easily and had other ideas as it then managed to pick up a stray piece of driftwood in the margin. Amongst much laughter and camaraderie the fish was finally beat, much to Pete’s relief, and I am sure it is one fight that he won’t forget for while!

Sierra Brava carp are very strong. Most of the carp have finished their annual spawn so the carp are now even stronger. It is not uncommon when you get a run, for the carp to take another twenty or thirty yards. You have to be ready for sudden surges and you must have your wits about you – otherwise the carp wins!

The forecast weather was spot on for the first few days but the expected change which would have increased the action sadly did not materialise. We watched as the winds built up but the direction changed every half an hour and the rain I hoped for did not appear. Four more chances came in the next twelve hours but then the action seemed to dry up a little, especially during the last day when the carp got preoccupied on an evening midge hatch – you just can’t predict the conditions or a freak occurence like that! The last chance saloon did however offer a long-range take at 1.30pm on a blisteringly hot afternoon. Sadly though the hook pulled but it mattered not as the guys had thoroughly enjoyed themselves and both are planning a return trip.

The guys fished hard and well and in total had 25 takes landing 16 carp to 31lbs 8oz. Most carp fell to a yellow pop-up of some variety fished over a spod mix containing Vital SB-X, maize, tigers, and liquid attractor.

Cheers

Jake Langley-Hobbs