2013 02 March 29nd Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

Good Friday, the start of the first holiday season of the year. True, however no one thought to tell that to the weather!

Working on the principle it couldn't be worse than the week before I was up, loaded and out by 6:30. The temperature was hovering around freezing point as I drove down the deserted Bank Holiday roads towards Edenbridge.

It was just after 7 when I entered the car park. Deep shock, there was someone else there! I saw that he was on the far side so I took my time loading up the trolley and headed for my favourite 'winter' swim at the top of the lake.

For once the sun was shining and the lake was calm as I set my two rods up. A light waggler and a small leger, exactly the same as the week before. In fact, the method of attack was going to be exactly the same. The conditions promised to be the same, so why not use the same approach, at least to start with.

I made my first casts at around 8am. It was about this time that the sun disappeared and was replaced by a blanket of heavy cloud. The wind also began to blow from the car park side of the lake.

About an hour into the session I was joined at the top of the lake by another angler who turned out to be DAVEBIKE.He was on the pole from the off fishing about two thirds of the way across. For the entire morning neither of us had a touch.

After an excellent serving of Oxtail soup and a packet of crisps I thought I saw the float move. I stared (or rather glared) at it and lo and behold it went under. I struck and in came a roach of about an ounce, No blanking for me today at least.

I managed to bag another couple before Dave's swim sprung into life. Finally there appeared to be a days fishing to be had.

I tried switching hook baits throughout the day between corn and maggots but it appeared that the latter was all they fancied today.

The roach kept coming on and off for the rest of the afternoon. The last 2 were bigger, the first about two ounces and that last one about 6.

A solitary skimmer bream made an appearance at the end of the day which made my total, nine. Eight roach and a bream.

Here's a photo of how my swim looked late in the day:

I packed away the leger rod first as it hadn't had a single knock all day.

Dave gave up about 4:30 and I followed at 5. I was second there and last to leave. I was cold but satisfied that I had done all I could.

2013 01 March 22nd Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

March 22nd marked the start of my 2013 season. A week or so later than than my normal start time. This was due to the exceptionally wintry weather we were still experiencing in the deep south.

I planned from the off to have Nursery Fields as my debut venue mainly because at the same time last year I'd had a cracking day fishing the peg right at the top of the lake. The weather though was a lot different, last year I'd fished without a coat on! Certainly couldn't do that this year!

I was out of bed at 5:45, packed and on the road by 6:30 for the 40 minute journey to Edenbridge.

I arrived at the fishery at 7:10 to find the car park empty, not really a surprise. I unloaded my gear and then put on my brand new waterproof trousers, fishing boots and jacket. I felt a bit like the Michelin man but snug as a bug in a rug at the same time. With Chelsea hat on my head I made my way up the lake to the swim.

As I made my way I was somewhat dismayed to see that all the trees on bank side had been drastically pruned. See photos below:

The swim didn't look too bad, there was a slight breeze blowing left to right and the sun was trying to break through the very cloudy sky.

The plan today was to fish a light waggler set up straight in front me and a smaller leger set up on my feeder rod about three quarters of the way across to the island on my left hand side.

Before setting up began, I fed the waggler swim with some maggots and about a third of a pint of hemp. The leger swim I fed with about a dozen 10ml seafood boillies, which I fired in using my brand new catapult (never had one before).

Next I set up the waggler rod which was my brand new match rod (what an advantage having a birthday in February so close to Xmas!) with a small waggler on 4lb main line to a size 18 hook. Did I forget to mention my brand new match reel! Finally I set up the feeder rod with a very small leger, 6lb main line to a size 16 hook. I also had a brand new feeder reel as well. For bait I used single maggot for the waggler and 10ml seafood boillie for the leger set up.

I made my first casts at 8:10 and then sat back and waited for the action to begin. I waited and I waited. By 11:00 I hadn't had a twitch.There was no indication at all that the fish were going to be active today.

At 11:30 the float dipped and then shot away. I struck and the rod bent over and I was into my first fish of 2013. It was now that I noticed the difference a match rod makes. I could feel everything. A minute or so later I had a nice tench in the net (see photo below).

At least I hadn't blanked on my first outing of the season.

I recast and waited. Nothing for the next hour. It was now time for lunch, so out came the hot oxtail soup. A proper life-saver on a day like today. Just as I finished the cup the float lifted and went away and in came a lovely crucian. The time was 13:10.

At 14:00 the float went again, this time it was a roach of about an ounce. I now had a virtual net with three fish in it.

Despite feeding about 6 boillies every hour, the leger rod never moved. I hadn't seen any sign of any bigger fish all day. That changed at 15:10 when the tip shot round and I was into a fish. I suspected it was a tench but I saw it was a carp pretty early. I could tell it was big by the fight, it took me all around the swim, it was a good job I'd taken the float rod out or else it could have been trouble. A few times I thought it had given up only to see it make off again. I was a bit concerned because I was only using a size 16 hook but it held on  until I eventually got it to the net.

When the fish came to the net I could see how big it was. I was gobsmacked. I took the hook out and photographed it before I weighed it. When I did, I found it be 11lb which equals my personal best. Suddenly it wasn't so cold anymore!

I recast both rods and waited to see what else the day had in store for me.

I had an hour of my session to go as I wanted to be out of the fishery by 5pm which meant that I had to start to pack up by 4:30. It seemed that some small roach fancied some afternoon tea as I caught three of them in the final hour along with another tench.

And so at 4:30 after a chat with the bailiff I packed up. I'd had a wonderful day despite everything the weather could throw at me although to be fair it didn't rain much all day just a sprinkle at either end.

Going out again next week!