March 25th - Mill Lake, Stubpond, Nr Felbridge Surrey

March 25th saw me back down to Stubpond fishery. The fishery opens at 8am and by 8:37 I was set up and fishing in my favourite swim. 

Usual tactics for this venue to start with. A healthly amount of groundbait thrown in along with some hemp and a good three or four handfuls of maggots. This was allowed to settle in while I set up. I was using my Shimano float rod, 5lb main line, size 16 wide gape hook with a 4lb hooklength and a 2bb float.

In the first hour I used single maggot with an occasional piece of breadflake.

By the end of the first hour I had the following:

1 2lb Common Carp

1 1lb Cruician Carp (see later note)
2 Perch
8 Roach/Rudd

By the end of the second hour my virtual net now contained an additional

2 Crucian Carp - one 2.5lb (see photo below)
2 Perch
5 Roach/Rudd

When I initially caught the above I thought they were Crucians because of the brightness of their colours but now I think they are F1's. Could someone please confirm.

Around lunchtime I set up my feeder rod and fed a few shellfish boillies towards the far bank - almost immediately I was rewarded with a 3lb common.

As well as the aforementioned carp by 12:30 I had increased my net by:
1 Crucian
3 Roach/Rudd
1 2lb mirror (on bread)

From 12:30 to 14:30 the heavens opened and I got drowned despite having my waterproofs on!

The next hour and a half was very productive with both rods bringing in fish, maggots and bread on one and shellfish boilies on the other.

Added to the net were:
1 7lb Common Carp

2 5lb Mirror Carp
3 Roach/Rudd
1 Crucian Carp
8 small Carp various sorts.

In the final hour I had 2 more carp plus I lost what I felt was a good one. All fell to either bread or meat which I had only just tried.

When all said and done despite the weather it was a great day.