2014 08 April 24th Chittenden, Edenbridge

Today was going to be my last visit for this season to the club's carp lake at Chittenden. My last visit had yielded a personal best carp so what would today bring, that was the question.

I arrived at the fishery around 6:10 or so. There was one other car there so I quickly checked to see where he was. As it happens he was at the top end of the lake. I planned to fish the swim at the bottom so no problem there.

When I arrived at the swim I noticed that all the vegetation behind and to my left had all been removed. What was the point of that?  

I was set and ready by about 7:10. The first rod to be cast was the feeder. I then set about positioning the chair, box and rod rests etc for the float rod. I didn't have a chance to finish before the buzzer went off. I knew straight away it wasn't a carp. When it came in I saw it was a bream which went 2 lb 4 ozs when weighed. A good start to the day.

When I was finally ready to cast in with the float rod I made a decision to start on bread flake rather than the single maggot. I didn't have to wait long for the float to go under. The result a carp of 6 lb 1 oz. 

The first hour ended with a small skimmer with a liking for bread. I felt at this stage that I was in for a good day.

I stayed on bread for the next hour or so and was rewarded with two carp, the first went 5 lb 10 oz and the second was a couple of ounces bigger at 5 lb 12 oz. Three small skimmers also made the virtual net.

Things slowed down considerably during the next hour. I only netted one small bream. 

As things had slowed down somewhat I decided to change baits from bread to corn. Again it was slow going. I did manage a couple of skimmer bream though.

The lunch hour was even worse, the float never moved. The feeder buzzer did go off but only for a small skimmer bream.

The afternoon session was very dire, from 12:40 until 16:20 I only caught two fish, both of them bream. The first was on the float the second, the larger of the two at 2 lb 6 ozs came on the feeder. During this time I also switched baits to meat.

The last two hours weren't completely barren. I did manage to hook two carp but couldn't land either. The first I lost when it went under the pallet and the second spate the hook when I tightened up the clutch too soon. 

I was so inactive in the afternoon that I heard a fellow angler on the other bank ask his mate if he'd seen the guy in the corner move as I think he could be dead!

I finished the day on 14 fish, not the return I was hoping for. The lake is closed now until June 1st so I will have to wait until then to have another crack at it.

2014 07 April 17th Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

I decided to take the day before Easter off and head out to the club's premier fishery at Nursery Fields for probably my last visit of the current club season.

I was up at 5am and out of the house by 5:45. The weather was good for the time of day as I made my way to Edenbridge.

It wasn't a surprise when I arrived at the fishery to find the car park empty. I loaded up the trolley and made my way up to my peg. The lake looked great, it had a slight mist covering it which I guess would disappear as soon as the sun gathered some more strength. 

I was going to fish the same swim as I did on my last visit. I was also going to use the same tactics. A waggler line halfway across and a feeder line close to the reeds lining the island. 

I made my first casts at 7.20 am. On the waggler rod I started, as usual with a single maggot. It didn't take too long for the float to dip and I was into the first of seven roach which I caught in the first hour. 

The feeder rod wasn't quiet either. The tactic of using PVA mesh with a combination of halibut pellets and some monster crab boillies was paying off. I lost two carp before finally netting the third. A specimen of 7 lb 10 ozs. A good start to the day.

I switched to corn on the waggler rod but to avail, they weren't interested. The PVA mesh was still working though, this time a barbel took the bait.

The time had moved onto 10:30 and I was back on the maggots. The fish were not having it today, just two small roach made the net this time.

The next hour I drew a blank on the waggler however the feeder rod chipped in with the first tench of the day.

The following hour was all about the feeder rod, three fish came in, two more tench and a small barbel. 

Over the lunch period I added another 5 fish to the virtual net. Yet again the waggler rod yielded very little, the first bream of the day and a small roach. The feeder rod chipped in with 2 more tench and another barbel.

The rest of the afternoon followed the same pattern. Bites were hard to come by and there were long periods of inactivity. By 17:15 I'd only added another 2 roach.

These two kept me amused during the long spells of inactivity.

The feeder rod however had been quite busy, 3 more fish, another small tench was joined by a couple of carp, one of 4 lbs exactly and the other coming in at 3 lbs 15 ozs.

With 45 minutes to go in my day I decided to try my luck by the reeds to my left. I first tried bread flake but never got a touch. I switched to maggot and managed to get 3 tench and 5 roach.

My total for the day was 32, not a bad haul in the end. Peter the bailiff said that everyone was having trouble that day so perhaps it was just one of those times when the fish didn't want to play ball!

2014 06 April 11th Chittenden, Edenbridge

Today was going to be my second visit of the season to the club's carp water at Chittenden.

As this venue tends to be more popular than Nursery Fields, I decided to rise out of my pit at 5 am instead of the usual 5:45. This earlier start meant that I arrived at the fishery at 6:30. My plan worked, I was first there.

I wasn't alone long though, within five minutes another angler arrived. I had a brief pleasant chat with the other member before setting off to my peg.

Last visit I fished the top of the lake, today I was going to do the opposite and fish my favorite peg at the very bottom. I loaded up the trolley and headed off past the new pond (no fishing!) and down to the dam end. 

The peg looks fantastic, from the left there is a reed bed that runs across the entire bottom bank. Just the place you would think the carp would live. There is open water in front and to the right. I intended to waggler fish towards the reeds and feeder fish in the open water.

I made my first casts at 7:30. On the waggler rod I started with a single maggot. The action was not instantaneous, the first hour yielded one small roach and a skimmer bream.

I wasn't here for the small ones so for the next hour I switched to corn. Two more bream made the net.

I was still on the corn for the next hour and was rewarded with 2 bream, one of which was 2.5lb. I also had my first carp of the day which went 5lb 15ozs. 

By 11:30 the swim had gone quiet producing only one skimmer bream.

Just before lunch I lost a carp of around 6 lb or so when it spate the hook as I was about to net it. My disappointment didn't last long though as a few minutes later the feeder rod's buzzer went off and I was into a good fish. This one belted off up the lake however with the confidence of having 6 lb line on the reel I was able to pressurize it and make it tun back towards me. It didn't come in easy though. It kept going back and forth, trying my patience. I held my nerve and eventually got it in the net. It was by my standards a whopper. I quickly photographed and weighed it and found it was 11 lb 4 ozs. A season's best for me.

By 13:30 after a hearty lunch of cocktail sausages and mini Cornish pasties two more skimmers made the net.  

I was still on the corn. My feeding pattern during the day had been 2 big balls of ground bait containing brown crumb, corn. pellets and hemp initially and then one big ball every hour. This tactic paid dividends when the float dipped and all hell broke loose. The fish shot off up the lake, taking yards of my 5 lb line off the reel. With just a 2.5 lb hook length I knew I couldn't bully it. Eventually it stopped and I was able to retrieve some line. It was had work, for every two yards of line retrieved it seemed to take one. I was sweating with a combination of nerves and tiredness. The situation was made worse when I the float re-appeared and I saw the monster. I kept telling myself not to panic as it went back and forth in front of me. I was winning though and after what seemed like an age I finally had it in the net.

I couldn't believe how big it was in the net! I quickly unhooked it and took a photo before I put it in the weighing sling. The scales put it at 14 lb 13 ozs after allowing for the sling. A personal best for me!

I put the carp back into the landing net and then into the water to recover while I went up the bank to find someone who would take a photo of me holding the fish. As you see from the photo below I found someone. A big thank you to them.

Another hour and another carp on the waggler was in the net. This one was a small in comparison, 4 lb 2 ozs.

By 15:30 I'd only added another 2 bream to the total. I was confident however that the day's action was not over.

The last 90 minutes of the day yielded four more fish, 2 bream and 2 carp. The carp weighed 2 lb 13 ozs and 4 lb 4 ozs respectively.

So what a day, a personal best carp of nearly 15 lbs and what was for an hour or so a season's best carp of 11 lb. I can't wait to have another crack at that swim!

2014 05 April 4th Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

To start April off I thought I would make a return visit to Nursery Fields. Assuming I had choice of swims I was going to go back to my favorite, the one at the top of the lake. 

As usual I left home at 6:30 and arrived at the fishery just after 7am. I wasn't the first as there was one other car in the car park. After loading up the trolley I made my way up the lake towards my swim. The other angler was in the corresponding swim at the bottom of the lake. 

It was the normal plan for this swim today, one waggler line about midway between the bank and the island and a feeder line fished as tight as I could manage to the far reed bed. 

I was set up and ready by 8.05. On the waggler rod I started with single maggot. On the feeder rod I started with a 10mm monster crab boillie.

As it turns out I had a terrific first hour. On the waggler I had 7 roach and a tench. On the feeder I had a tench and a carp of 3lb 2ozs. A great start to the day.

The next hour was similar to the first except that the feeder rod didn't produce anything. The waggler however produced 3 bream, 1 tench and 5 roach. All going well!

After catching another two roach I decided to try corn. This was a bad decision as I didn't so much as have a tickle!

For the next hour I switched back to maggot and the fish started coming again, 1 tench, 1 bream and 5 roach. The feeder rod also chipped in with a small barbel.

Back to corn again for another hour and yet again zero results. The feeder rod did spring to life though with this carp of 3lb 2oz.

Change of tactics again just after lunch. This time I thought I would give bread flake a go. This change was by today's standards a success. Three skimmer bream and a tench made the virtual net. 

Back on the maggot again for the next hour, This time I added eight fish to the net. For the first time today I caught a barbel and a gudgeon, accompanying these were 6 roach. One of the roach was taken by the reeds close to my left. 

The reed bed to my left has in the past been very productive for me. So every time I caught a fish I threw 2 or 3 pieces of corn close to the reeds. At around 4pm I dropped the float with a big bit of bread flake on the hook close to the reeds. Within seconds it went away and I was in. Boy, did it run. I was only on 4lb line and 2.5lb hook length so I let it run and run. First it went to the left and then over to the right, each time skirting the reeds on the far bank. When it came to the surface I saw it was a cracker! Eventually I had it in the net. It was a nice carp of 9lb 6ozs. 

The following two hours were very lean in terms of fish caught. Three roach, a bream and a tench bought my day to close for a total of 48 fish. A personal best carp for the season so the day can only be called a success.

2014 04 March 28th Chittenden, Edenbridge

Today was going to be my first visit to the club's carp lake at Chittenden.

As usual I left home at 6:30 and was pleasantly surprised to see that the temperature was 6 degrees. I was looking forward to the day already.

First surprise of the day was when I entered the car park and saw the new pond! It looks like it has potential but that of course depends on how it's going to be set up.

I intended to fish the far side of the first island today so first I walked through the trees to check that it was free. It was, and so I loaded up the trolley and headed off on the short walk to the peg.

The channel between the bank and the island is quite narrow and about 3 foot or so deep. The island is about 20 yards or so long so the plan today was to fish 3/4 of the way across with a waggler and 15 yards down the channel with a feeder rod.

I made my first casts at 8:15 and then with the sun beating (!) down on me, sat back and waited for the action to start.

It turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax as there didn't appear to be anything about. By the end of the first hour all I had was one roach and a skimmer bream. Still some days you just have to be patient.

The next hour was much the same as the first except that I got 2 roach and a skimmer. I'd noticed that the guy fishing by the first island on the near side had been joined by three or four of his mates. It was listening to their chatter that I first realised that I recognised one of the voices. More of that later.

Around 10:15 the buzzer on the feeder went off and I was in. What a tussle it was. I had to be careful as this time last year a fish of similar size broke my rod! Anyway this had a happier ending. An 8lb 4 oz mirror carp! Brilliant.

Another 4 very small roach made the net in the next hour. I decided that I had nothing to lose so for the lunchtime period I would switch to corn. I was rewarded with a bream of 1lb 9ozs.  

Another skimmer followed shortly afterwards and then the float dived and I was into something that wasn't a skimmer. It ploughed off to my left taking line at a right rate of knots. I was on 4lb line with 2.5lb hook length so I had to very careful when applying pressure. Eventually it started to slow down and I was able to retrieve some line. Nearer and nearer it came. When the float appeared I began to get very nervous. I was patient though and after a long battle it was in the net. The prize 9lb 5oz mirror. The switch to corn had sure worked! 

With the feeder rod needing a re-cast and feeling knackered after the fight I decided to have a stroll round the lake to find the owner of that voice. Sure enough it was my uncle. We'd been fishing together a while ago when we'd both been members of WADAS but had lost touch since. After I brief chat I returned to my swim. I'd listen out for him again on future trips.

Over lunch I had another two skimmer bream on corn. The first hour after lunch was also very quiet, just another three skimmers.

The feeder had been quiet for about 5 hours but that period came to end at 15:30 when the buzzer sounded and I was into another carp. This one wasn't as big as the previous one but it still came in at 7lb 6ozs on the scales.

It wasn't all good news though. I hooked another good carp on the waggler which followed the pattern of the first. That is, it took me all around the area before letting me retrieve some line. This time, however when it came into the side it spat the hook. I was gutted but hey that's fishing isn't it. You win some you lose some.

By the time I packed up at 17:15 I'd added another three bream including my best of the day at 2lb 2ozs to make my total for the day 22.

Tackle used

Rod	Reel	Mainline	Hook Size	Bait
1	12' Shimano Alivio Float Rod	4lb	18	Maggots Corn Bread
2	12' Maver Abyss Feeder Rod	6lb	16	Monster Crab 10ml Boillie

2014 03 March 22nd Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

This trip was going to be my second of the season. The weather however was completely different from the first. It was going to be windy and cold.

I left home at my usual time (6:30) to make my way to Edenbridge. When I arrived thirty minutes or so later I found the car park empty.

I loaded up my trolley and started to head off to my swim. As I reached the little bridge I heard a voice say "Morning". After regaining my composure I turned to see Peter the bailiff standing by a tree. He was apparently hunting the club's mink. So the camouflage jacket etc does work because I hadn't a clue he was there!  

Today's swim was one I hadn't fished before. It was the top swim right on the corner of the near bank. It has open water directly in front of the platform however on the right there is a patch of lily's (when they surface) in front of a reed bed. It was here that I planned to fish the waggler. I intended to fish the feeder rod three quarters of the way across to the island.

I was set up and the swims fed by 8:05. As the weather was really cold I made my mind up to fish exclusively with maggots. This tactic seemed to work in the first hour as I caught 10 fish including 6 roach and 1 each of bream, gudgeon, perch and a surprise crucian.

The second hour was slower, producing only 5 fish. Two roach, a gudgeon, a 1.25lb cruian and a skimmer on corn. I was shivering but happy.

Down to four fish the next hour. They were all small and all on maggot. They were 2 bream, a perch and the first rudd of the season. God, it was cold when that wind blew.

As noon arrived I'd now slowed to two an hour. Both of them roach. Had I emptied the swim? The feeder rod showed no sign of movement either. Time to get the soup out.

During the lunch hour I bagged another crucian with a liking for a single red maggot.

After lunch I tried bread flake for an hour. It wasn't too successful however I did manage a solitary bream. The quality didn't increase but I held out hope that it would so I stayed on it for a while longer. I was rewarded with another skimmer bream.

I switched back to maggot and almost instantly the float dipped, I struck and off went the fish. I managed to stop it about 10 metres in front of me. I couldn't however get it off the bottom, so I let it run back and forth across the swim. I was being careful because of the light set up. Eventually though the fish surfaced and it was a barbel, my first of the season. When I weighed it I found it to be 3.25lbs, a personal best!

Buoyed by my success with the barbel I kept up the maggot attack until I packed up about 17.00. In that time I had my first tench, another 7 roach and another barbel, this one was 1lb 14ozs.

One last surprise awaited me, the feeder rod went off! I was dumbfounded. The reward for my patience was a tench of about a pound.

I ended the day with 37 fish, including a personal best barbel, so despite the cold weather I had an absolutely brilliant day.


Tackle used

Rod	Reel	Mainline	Hook Size	Bait
1	12' Shakespeare Match Rod	4lb	18	Maggots Corn Bread
2	12' Maver Abyss Feeder Rod	6lb	16	Monster Crab 10ml Boillie