Celebrating 10 years of the Tempest Bivvy with a Birthday Bash!

Time was passing quickly and with only two months to go before the Tempest 10-year Birthday Anniversary, the reality of this life changing opportunity began to set in. I was about to spend 48 hours in the company of Team Trakker.

Entry to this competition involved a review of your Tempest bivvy/brolly, explaining why exactly you love it so much, including all the key points about what makes your session comfortable.

The prize we were all after was a limited-edition Tempest X Bivvy with a Titanium block and the event was to be held at Wraysbury South Lake with the famous iconic Dredger.

With all this in mind I knew it was time to start planning for the trip ahead and gather as much information as possible, this included what rigs I would be using to overcome any situation I may encounter when it came to the surface of the lakes bed. Many hours were spent at work and at home watching videos about Wraysbury and other peoples approaches to maximize my potential of catching a Wraysbury carp.

The day of the event was finally upon us and I’ll never forget the joy and excitement I felt that morning when pulling away off my drive and making the 2-hour journey.

On arrival at the gates, I was greeted by three other competition winners whom all looked as anxious as I was. Shortly after Simon Ablard and Adam Johnston were seen driving to the gates to welcome us and see us in safely. We drove about 200 yards to a car park where we had the opportunity to let reality sink in, have a chat and share each other’s angling journeys.

It was now time to meet up with Team Trakker to find out whom we would be spending the next 48 hours fishing with, bring our angling knowledge together to win this limited-edition Tempest. We took it in turns to draw a ticket from a bucket and I was over the moon to be paired up with Ben Harris, who is a true gent and great angler. Ben informed me that we were going to be on hut island, which is a great social area with a fire pit right in the middle.

We made our way back to our vehicles and drove to the closest area we could park, near to where we were going to be fishing. I was not expecting what I saw next... the Dredger. I managed to park the closest and was truly mesmerised by what I was seeing.

The compact barrow was soon loaded up to tipping point with the kitchen sink being last on and with the help of Ben, we were soon making tracks over the bridge, taking us to Hut Island.

Arriving at the swim I was confronted by acres of open water with the margins steadily disappearing into the abyss of unknown ground. We had roughly two hours in which to find our spots and set about tackling the best and most effective way of what was in front. Whilst observing the water for fish activity, I was soon fixed on a carp head shouldering from the water, which began giving me goosebumps from head to toe, whilst I tried to contain my excitement... time after time there were shows, but the question was ‘Are they out of my reach?’ The only way I would find out was to load my propel spod/marker rod with the biggest Cygnet marker lead I owned and give it my all.

With Gaz Hood standing behind (no pressure) I was to make my first cast in Wraysbury.... CRACK!!! The lead flew further than I’d ever cast. Only problem was… I wasn't attached to it that time. I then remembered I hadn't taken the marker braid out of the clip from my previous session. What a start, first cast and Gaz Hood had filmed it. Putting this behind me and tying another marker lead on, I put on the chest waders and waded in as far as I could to give me the maximum distance possible. It was too good to be true as I found out, as I couldn’t reach them.

I continued leading around until I found a good crack down (no not the lead this time) and found it was an area of around 8ft square with a gentle slope surrounding it, consisting of light Canadian weed and Silk weed. I made my way back to the Tempest to get my rigs tied and have a brew with Ben while waiting for the horn to sound the start of the match.

I opted to use a hinged stiff rig set up on a helicopter, as this would mean it would be presented perfectly over the terrain that I was fishing. With the boom being able to slide up the line for around six inches and the hinge side would settle slowly resting on any debris. The boom section was 7 inches of Cygnet semi-stiff coated hook link and the hook being a size 4 Cygnet curve shank. The rig I opted to use, for the carp laughing at me in the distance where I couldn’t reach, was the naked chod, as this was my only option to cast a single bait out knowing I was going to be presented over any terrain that I landed on.

With time to spare and everything prepared I sat patiently waiting for the horn to sound, all I could do now was observe the water in front of me, as if I was in the front row at the theatre, glancing at the carp’s performance, making a fool of me for cracking off earlier that morning. With the horn echoing in the distance, it was game on. The chest waders were on. I couldn’t wait to deploy the chod rig as far into the abyss as possible, having every intention of getting as close to the showing carp as possible. I only had one chance to cast as far as I could and gave the Trakker propels everything I could.... well, I was in line but about 20 yards too short. Knowing I gave it my all and feeling a drop, I was confident to leave it there, so not to spook any carp in the area. With my rod on the rest and the Cygnet clinga set to dance, the first rod was set.

The second rod was only about 80 yards out, after wrapping up I was quickly on the spot with about ten spombs of boilie, pellet and corn placed tightly on the spot. With both rods in position on the spots, there was nothing left to do but retreat to the bank and settle down with another brew before catching up with Ben Harris, Marvin Wait and his partner.

With no sightings of carp in my area, after casting out, I was still confident the carp would return to find the banquet I had laid on for them. In the meantime, while catching up with Marvin, the word soon got around that former England Rugby International player Josh Charnley, who was a guest at the event, had landed his first Wraysbury carp, which turned out to be a stunning mirror.

The thought of catching a carp from Wraysbury myself was now beginning to feel like it could happen and with the wind now starting to pick up and a change of direction, Ben and myself set about talking tactics should the carp decide to switch on and start showing in different areas within our swim.

Chris Holmes and Gaz Hood joined us in our swim to have a catch up of what was happening around the lake with the rest of the teams. John Walker and partner Colin Scott were having the time of their lives just around the corner from me, catching what sounded like every carp that was visiting their patch. With my left rod positioned mid-way between us, I found myself focused on the rod in that area with anticipation and visions of the alarm screaming into action.

While the bobbins were swinging gracefully in the afternoon breeze, it was time to start thinking about cooking dinner for myself. The burner was on and with the steak sizzling away, I was joined by Simon Ablard who informed me that all the guests had tickets in a bucket with the names of the horses that were racing in the Grand National and if you were fortunate to be drawn 1st, 2nd or 3rd, you would receive extra raffle tickets for the Tempest draw at the end of the 48-hour session. After dinner, Simon Ablard came round with the results... I had drawn 1st and 3rd! I was shocked as normally I wouldn’t have expected anything like that at all.

YEP!!... you guessed it... John Walker was in again, only this time with a stunning brace of carp. I couldn’t be happier for the pair as the day was quiet up to that point and it was now becoming apparent that this could be a one-horse race (excuse the pun). It wasn’t long after John landing that brace that Sam Cheetham and his partner were to open their account by landing their first carp of the competition, which turned out to be an immaculate linear, shortly followed by a lovely common. Gaz and John toasted their quick success in landing the brace of carp and it wasn’t long after Sam realised it could be something a little bit special. With the rod tip hooping over numerous times, as the carp bid for freedom, Sam was in full control and soon the carp was sulking in the bottom of the net. The carp weighed in at a staggering 27lb and was the largest caught so far. Photographs were taken before returning to its watery home.

There was now a pattern developing in the carp’s behaviour of staying well clear of angler’s lines and far from the reach of casting distance, by moving up the lake where John was catching, then moving back to where Sam was fishing. It started to feel like I was watching a tennis match as the carp moved left, then right, then left, then right again. Hoping one of the carp would trip up mid-way between them.

As the evening was drawing in, the sun nestling slowly behind the horizon and the wind dying down to a gentle breeze, we decided to keep warm and talk about the day’s events around the fire pit. That evening was truly entertaining as we were joined by Gaz and Bonesy. I can only describe that evening as truly magical and in my mind, was a time I’d never forget. As the fire flickered, sending ashes high into the night sky, the atmosphere was full of laughter and the sky full of lines left behind from the planes taking passengers to their holiday destinations. It was time to reside to my bed, make a brew and spend a couple of hours soaking up the magic of Wraysbury South.

The morning soon came around. The night was uneventful with no sight or sound from the carp’s whereabouts. As I lay glancing at the morning sky breaking through the mist with a brew in hand, it was clear as to why so many people have a passion for angling. It was breath-taking. Soon the wildlife broke out into a morning chorus, it was music to my ears. Especially with the swans gracefully gliding in front of me, feeding on any marginal weed that had drifted in the night, with numerous swifts doing a fly-by, catching insects hovering close to the water’s surface.

WAIT!!! .... was that Ben’s alarm breaking the silence...? YES!! We were off the mark, as Ben shot like a desert lizard from his sleep and straight into his waders before plunging into the lake and connecting with an angry carp that realised his breakfast wasn’t what he thought it was. As Ben skilfully guided the carp over bars and through weed beds, I rushed out with the net waiting for the opportunity to punch the air with joy as the carp gave up and admitted defeat. Our account was well and truly open. With the fish safely netted we retreated to the unhooking mat where she was weighed. This was followed by Ben’s capture being photographed, which I was a part of. With the carp safely returned and the kettle whistling away, I sat back with what I could only describe as “the smile of all smiles” (if anyone saw me, they would think I was mad). As I sat staring at the water, I heard a voice say, “Hello mate”, I turned around only to be confronted by Dean Macey who had popped over to see how the match was turning out.

Later that morning Ben was away again but this time with a slightly larger resident from Wraysbuys depths. If this was to continue, it meant we could be within touching distance of a podium finish. The day continued with no further action for us... to be honest my dreams and expectations were already filled by the magical atmosphere within the company of Team Trakker and newfound friends (I really was beginning to feel a part of the family).

The day was turning into evening with no further action this end, apart from John Walker catching steadily with a few mid to low twenty’s finding themselves gliding over the net cord. I did take a few minutes to walk away from the swim and catch up with Adam Johnston, who was fishing the opposite side of the island.

Adam must have had what I can only describe as one of the most sought-after swims in the entire lake, with the bridge to his left which took you to the island and straight out was the dredger with heavily slung over bushes in the margins cascading gently over the water’s edge.

The time was upon us to bring the rods in for a couple of hours and meet up with everybody in the Wraysbury lodge to exchange stories of how the trip was unfolding so far and pick the brains of Team Trakker on their knowledge and experience.

The inside of the lodge was like a Tardis with a vast open space to one side and a bar spanning the full width of the lodge to the other, covered in a sea of beers and ales. I sat down with some of the other competition winners, as this was the only rel time for us to introduce ourselves and get to know each other. What happened next was truly magical as out of nowhere, I heard the words “Pizza delivery” echo across the room.... “Oh yes” I muttered to myself with the second biggest smile of the trip, we had a large Domino’s pizza each.

I found a spot between Ben Wales and John Walker. I jumped on in when Jerry Bridger vacated to visit the gents, only to find that I was there on his return. We were joined by funny man Scott Maslen from the TV soap Eastenders who was fully entertaining.

During the evening I thought that I would surprise my daughter Poppy. Knowing that she loves to watch Trakker videos, I thought that this would be an ideal opportunity to face-time her so that she could meet Bonesy.

With the evening drawing in and the sun setting low, it was time for everyone to retreat to their swims and cast out for the last evening, before gathering in the morning for the prizes and to say our farewells. It was also decided that the pairs on hut island would gather around the fire pit for the last evening and toast to what was so far, a session of dreams and great banter. The evening was chilly but after a few beers it soon warmed up as the evening mist decided to roll past and join the gathering. Around 10pm we set off back to our swims and settled down for the night.

I, on the other hand, sat at the water’s edge with a fresh brew, making the most of Wraysbury’s scenic views. I retired to my bed around 11pm, hoping that I would be woken by my alarm, sending screams of joy around Wraysbury South.

With the sun slowly rising over the horizon, burning its way through the morning mist and the sight of swifts swooping like spitfires over the water’s surface to catch their first meal of the day, I just sat back to absorb the magic that was cast over me in the last 48 hours. Before I knew it, it was now time to start the slow pack down, load the van and head over to meet up with everyone for the prize draw. There was one final treat install for everyone.... a breakfast roll filled to the brim with bacon and a can of Coke (no tea this time) in which no-one wasted any time in tucking in to, whilst sitting on the grass for our final social of the trip.

Now that everyone had eaten their breakfast rolls it was time for Bonesy to start announcing the results of the competition...

Sam Cheetham and his partner got 1st prize with the capture of a stunning 27lb bar of gold, whilst John Walker and partner came 2nd with most carp caught throughout the session.

The time was now upon us for the main draw with the chance of winning the Tempest Aquatexx 150 DPM with the Titanium block. At this point you could hear a pin drop from miles away as Scott Maslen had the honour of pulling a ticket from the bucket and reading out the winner. Well... would you believe it... It was Sam’s partner who also got 1st prize. A round of applause filled the air replacing the eternal silence. The grin on Sam’s partner face, was that of a Cheshire cat. It was now time for everyone to say farewell and head off safely back home.

For me personally it was a very emotional time saying goodbye to such an iconic venue and newfound friends. It was great meeting the guests, Josh Charnley, Dean Macey and Scott Maslen, whom all shared their experiences and stories.

A huge thank you and much appreciation to Simon Ablard whom organised the event so well.

Last, but not least a massive thank you to ALL of Team Trakker for giving us competition winners such a momentous occasion to remember always and NEVER forget.

Hopefully meet again soon,

Yours forever grateful,

Darren Apps