2013 17 July 14th Nursery Fields, Edenbridge,Kent

Today was my first true carping session of the season. For me a good session is arriving at the lake at about 3pm and sitting behind some buzzers soaking in the sunshine and generally chillin' until the light gives out.

The temperature was a good 27 degrees as I left my house at 3pm to make the drive to Edenbridge. 

On arrival I saw there were a few cars in the car park but nowhere near what I was expecting. I loaded the trolley and made my way up the lake to the top end where the casting distance to the island is the shortest. 

The vegetation on my favourite peg at the top is too high by the fishing platform so I parked myself in the next one along.

My set up today was 2 rods, both with 6lb main line to size 14 hooks and 15mm boillies. One had pineapple flavour and the other had tutti fruitti.

I made my first casts at 16:40 and then settled back and waited for the action to begin. 

I had to wait just under 2 hours for the first take. When it arrived it was a good one. Because of the island the fish can only run right or left so the only snag to keep it out off was the lilies on my right. Minutes after the bite I had a lovely 7lb common on the bank. On this occasion it was the pineapple boillie that tempted it.  

I only had to wait 35 minutes for the next bite. When it came I knew straight away that it wasn't a carp and sure enough when it broke the surface I discovered that I'd hooked one of the lake's small tench. This one fell to the tutti fruitti boillie.

Just over an hour later the same rod went off again and just like the previous run I knew straight away it wasn't a carp. Sure enough when it too broke the surface I was proved right when I saw it was a small barbel.

Less then ten minutes after returning the barbel to the water I was back in again on the pineapple rod. This was not a small fish. After struggling for what seemed an age I managed to land it and after a quick weight in discovered that it was an 8lb common.

The swims then went quiet for just over an hour before the silence was broken by the buzzer on the pineapple rod going off again. This was another carp but no monster as it only weighed in at a couple of pounds.

My last fish of the session came at 20:50 and yes it too fell to the pineapple boillie. Alas it was not a carp but another of the lake's small tench.

That spelled the end of my first carping session of the season. Six fish caught but only 3 of them carp. Pineapple won four against two so I shall be using that again.