2015 19 July 24th Chittenden, Edenbridge

Well today didn't turn out like I planned but let's start at the beginning and work up to it.

After a disappointing visit to Nursery Fields the previous week I decided today to visit the club's carp lake at Chittenden.

I was up at 5 am to ensure that I got a nice early start which hopefully would enable me to get my favorite swim down at the far end of the lake

I arrived at the fishery just 6 am with the sun shining on the sheep in the nearby fields. "What a glorious summer's day" I thought to myself as I drove down the track to the car park. Only a car or two in the car park so my plan was coming together.

I unloaded the car and made my way down to the dam end of the lake where my favorite swim was awaiting me. The lake looked in fantastic condition, I was anticipating a great day.

As usual today was going to be a two rod attack, The first would be a waggler set up of 6 lb line to a size 16 16 hair rig hook on a 6 lb hook length. The second was a straight bomb using maize as the bait fished at an angle of 90 degrees to my left.

With the swims fed I was set up and ready to make my first casts at 7:05. The sun was still shining.

I got off to a flyer on the waggler rod. I started on corn and immediately the bream were on it. Five of them in the first hour,to be exact. It had now begun to spit with rain.

I switched to meat for the next hour and was rewarded with one of the lakes smallest catfish! The rain was getting harder and the skies were very dark.

It was quiet for the next sixty minutes, the only action was that I missed a good carp with a liking for corn. The rain was really coming down now. It was time to put the umbrella up.

Between 10:00 and 13:00 the rain really came down. The wind also got up to make matters worse. Most of the people around the lake had packed up and gone home. Only the idiots remained! Still one bream in three hours kept my spirits up!

Just after 1 pm the feeder rod's tip went round and I was into a fish. It didn't dash away with any power so I knew it wasn't a carp. I was right as when it broke the surface I saw it was a bream that weighed 3 lb exactly. Nice one!

On the waggler I was still using meat as my bait. I was rewarded with my first carp, which came in at 6 lb. I and everything else was totally soaked by now.

They were going mad now, a few minutes later I was into another carp with a liking for meat. The one was bigger coming in at 9 lb 7 oz, almost a double.

My 13th fish came in soon after, this was another carp with a weakness for meat however at 8 lb 10 oz it wasn't as big as the previous one.

The rain was really crashing down now and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable and cold. Did I pack up and go home? No, this moron stayed on. By 15:00 I'd added another four fish, three bream and another carp, this one came in 2 oz under 10 lb. Not my day was it?

I was back on the corn for the next 90 soaking wet minutes. I did get a couple of fish, both carp and both estimated as it was now too wet for the digital scales. The first was about 8 lb and the second a bit smaller at 5 lb.

Between 16:00 and 18:00 when I packed up I managed to get another five fish, four of them on meat. Three bream and a carp of 9 lb. The fifth was my second fish on the maize, a carp of 8 lb 6 oz.

I did have a bit of luck at the end of the day, the rain stopped when I was about to pack up!

So despite getting absolutely drenched I finished the day on 22 fish, one of them almost a double. Not too bad, Sting in the tail when I got home it was raining again so got drenched unloading the car!

2015 18 July 19th Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

After my somewhat unsuccessful trip to Boulthurst farm a couple of weeks back, I decided today to return to the club's mixed fishery at Nursery Fields.

For a change today's main bait tactic was the small (6 ml) halibut pellet banded on a size 18 hook. I would still use a feeder rod with maize as the bait as back up in case the pellets failed. 

I was up at 5 am and out of the house around 5:45. The drive was uneventful despite the rain! I wasn't looking forward to setting up in the wet.

I arrived at the venue at around 6:15. I loaded up my trolley and headed off round the back of the lake.

The rain was still coming down as I set up my Shimano float rod and my Maver feeder rod. It generally takes 45 minutes to an hour to set up which includes, mixing the ground bait, setting up the two rods, plumbing the depth, feeding the swims and organizing the peg so that everything is to hand.

With the pellet safely banded on the hair I made my first cast at 7:13. The first hour passed without any action. It wasn't until nearly 9 am that the float finally dipped and I was into a fish. The result a skimmer bream of about a pound.

The going was tough, I began to doubt whether or not my choice of tactics for the day was correct as first one hour passed and then another without a bite. It wasn't until 11:49 that the float went away again and I was into another skimmer bream.

After another two hours of inactivity I put a piece of corn on the hook and was rewarded with another skimmer. It was now just after two in the afternoon and I'd only caught three skimmer bream. Oh dear.

The pattern was now fully established as I had to wait until nearly 16:00 before I was into another fish. This one was taken on the pellet and was indeed another bream however the good thing was that it weighed 2 lb 13 oz very nice.

At 16:31 I caught my first tench on pellets. So that was something to be proud of!

For the last 90 minutes of the session I decided to fish down the margin using cubes of meat. This was fairly successful as I caught three fish of differing species: a bream, a tench and a barbel. None of them unfortunately were of any size.

That's was it for the day. eight fish caught, none on the feeder rod, half on the pellets. Was it my tactics or something else? I shall have to go back.

2015 17 June 29th, Boulthurst Farm, Oxted. Surrey

Today I decided to take myself back to one of my old favorite venues, the Holland A.S. controlled small pond at Boulthurst Farm in Oxted, Surrey.

Today's target was not the carp that everyone goes for but the crucians. Could I get one and if so could I get a good sized one?

When I arrived at the small car park (there are only 5 swims on this pond) I was glad to see no one else there. Choice of swim was therefore all mine. There is only one swim with lily pads to fish to and it was this one that I chose.

I was set up and ready to make my first cast at 7:05. For bait I started on single maggot. Immediately I could see fish activity in the swim. It was however only the usual small roach, I caught two of them in the first hour.

It seemed to me that if I stayed on maggot I would always be bothered by these small roach so for the next hour I switched to corn. The result was another roach albeit slightly bigger than the previous two and the first small skimmer bream of the session.

I used the same tactics for the next hour however my reward was less, just the skimmer bream. Perhaps it was the heat. Today felt like it was going to be a really hot one.

Due to the slow going I set up a feeder rod, baited a swim with maize and cast that out. By noon I'd only added another four fish, three roach and a skimmer bream. I think the extreme heat was affecting the fishing.

For the next three hours I decided I would try small cubes of meat. I did get five fish, four roach and a carp but not the crucians I was looking for.

The next two hours was just the same, blazing heat and next to no fish. One small roach and that was it.

Just before I packed up, the feeder rod's tip went round and I was into a carp. They like maize here apparently.

Sorry about the photo, I had to use my phone as my camera has broke.

I decided at point to call it a day. Sixteen fish in the day wasn't what I was expecting. I think the sun and the heat had beaten me on this occasion.