2015 23 August 23rd Chittenden, Edenbridge

Confidence was high as I leaped out of bed ready for my next assault on the club's carp lake at Chittenden.

I was up and out of the house by 5:45 ready for the run down to Edenbridge. It takes about 35 minutes with a following wind and so it was around 6:20 when I pulled in to the car park.

Full of enthusiasm, I unloaded the car and quickly made my way down to the far end of the lake where hopefully, my favorite swim would be free.

My luck on this occasion was indeed 'in' as when I passed the island I could see that all the swims were free. As soon as I arrived at the swim I fed both my intended swims with generous amounts of maize. It worked before so why not today?

Next, I set up both my rods, a waggler rod for the corner reeds swim and a feeder rod for the maize fed sleeper swim. By 7.05 I was ready to make my first casts.

For the waggler rod I started on corn and was rewarded with a bream, par for the course really. For the feeder rod the first hour brought a carp that I estimated was about 3 lb.

For the next hour I switched to meat on the waggler rod and managed to bag a carp which weighed around 4 lb.

I got nothing on the waggler when I switched back to corn for the next hour. I did however manage to snag a carp of 5 lb or so on the feeder rod.

Nothing on the waggler for the second consecutive hour, I was beginning to get worried. To help keep my spirits up the feeder rod chipped in with another bream.

The next three hours, which for arguments sake we will call lunchtime, was very quiet. The waggler produced a solitary bream. The feeder rod however, produced the best carp of the day so far, a specimen(!) of about 7 lb.

The afternoon session was all about carp, three of them to be exact. A 7 lb one on meat was the waggler rod's contribution and a duo weighting 8 lb and 3 lb was the feeder rod's.

Between 16:00 and 18:00 it all went quiet again. I was back to using corn on the waggler and yes it attracted just the bream. One to be exact.

After 18:00 and before I packed up at 19:00, I went back on the meat and was rewarded with 3 carp, 2 small ones and one about 3 lb. I finished the day off with a small bream.

So sixteen fish in the day, not my best but a satisfying one all the same.

2015 22 August 14th Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

Although I'd had a really good session the previous week at Chittenden I felt I hadn't really cracked it at Nursery Fields this season, so today I made the decision to try and put that right.

I arrived at the lake at about 6:20, by now you'll know that I always arrive at this time in the summer months - creature of habit or what!

I unloaded the car and set off for the far side of the lake where, in my opinion all the best swims are and (by and large) there are less people.

Same approach as normal again today, one waggler rod swim by the lily pads and a sleeper feeder rod into a swim baited heavily with maize.

I made my first casts at 7:20 and then sat back and waited for the action to begin. For the waggler rod I started with corn as the hook bait.

The first hour wasn't very productive just the one bream however there were signs of fish in the swim so I remained hopeful.

The next hour was pretty barren to. I'd switched to meat to see if that could generate any interest but alas, no, all the swim gave up was a small rudd!

I was back on the corn for the third hour, the result, a bream of around 2 lb and a small roach. I'd doubled my total!

Another switch to meat brought my first tench of the day as the time reached 11:20. I also got my first carp on the feeder rod, although it only weighed about 1.5 lb.

Nothing on the waggler during the next sixty minutes however the feeder rod chipped in with a bream that was about 3 lb and a tench.

Lunchtime brought one fish from each swim, a 2 lb carp from the feeder and a bream from the waggler. Quiet but steady if you get my meaning.

I was back on the corn for another hour. The result was a rudd and strangely a small perch! It upped the species count if nothing else.

The afternoon session, especially the early part was very quiet although towards 16:00 it did pick up. The waggler produced a bream of 2 lb and the feeder rod produced another tench and a brilliant carp of 9 lb 14 oz.Just a few ounces short of being a double! I was made up.

The next hour was my best of the day, a roach and a rudd on corn and a nice tench on meat was the waggler rod's contribution and a two tench, another carp was the feeder rod's. Six fish in a hour at Nursery Fields a miracle by this season's standards.

By the time I packed up at 18:40 I'd added a further three fish to my day's total. Two carp on the waggler using meat and a bream on the feeder rod.

So by my calculation that makes the day's total 24. I'd call that a success in anyones book.

2015 21 August 7th Chittenden, Edenbridge

A disappointing day at Nursery Fields the previous week prompted me to make the decision to give the club's carp lake at Chittenden a go this week.

As usual I was up at 5 am and out of of the house by about 5:45. The sun was shining and it felt even at this early hour that it was going to be a hot one.

I arrived at the fishery around 6:15. I unloaded the car and quickly made my way to my favorite swim at the bottom end of the lake.

Yet again, I was going to use my trusted two rod attack, a waggler by the reeds and a small bomb on the feeder rod a little to my left. I was determined to stick with the maize. I fed both swims heavily on arrival with handfuls of the stuff.

I was set up and ready to make my first casts at 7:22. The session had started, I wondered what it had in store for me today.

I started on corn for the first hour and was rewarded with a couple of the lake's bream. A good start to a good day?

After that first hour I switched hook baits to meat. It was really just to see if any non bream had been attracted to the handfuls of maize. One had, a carp of 6 lb 14 oz! The maize on the feeder rod also went into action, a carp of about 3 lb! My confidence was now quite high.

A switch back to corn slowed proceedings down somewhat for the next sixty minutes. My only capture was a small skimmer bream.

The feeder swim in the next hour seemed to have attracted some bream as three of them were caught on the maize. The waggler chipped in with a couple of fish on meat. A good carp of 8 lb 6 oz and another bream. A day I couldn't complain about so far.

As lunchtime approached I was back on the corn and so apparently were the bream. One on corn and one on it's big brother the maize.

The lunchtime session brought another four fish, two on the feeder rod (a 4 lb carp and another bream) and two on the meat loaded waggler (a 4 lb carp and a smaller one of about 2 lb).

By 14:20 the fish were still coming on both rods, a 4 lb carp on corn and a 2 lb one on the maize. I was enjoying this!

Then it happened, at 15:20 I was using corn on the waggler and when the float went under I thought it would be another bream however when it shot off I knew it wasn't. I played the fish as best I could and eventually it came in the net. When I saw it I suspected it could be a double. I was right 10 lb 6 oz!

Between when I released the carp and when I packed up at 18:00 the carp in the swim seemed to go mad. Five of them made the net, all of which took meat. Two of them were about 3 lb, two were about 4 lb and the last one of the day came in at 8 lb 4 oz.

What a great day I had, 24 fish in all, one of them a double. I shall be back.

2015 20 July 31st Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

After a very wet trip to Chittenden the previous week it was good to see that the sun was shining as I got up at 5 am to get ready to head off to the club's mixed fishery at Nursery Fields.

The car park was empty when I arrived which was an indication that the lake was still not fishing well. The majority of members clearly staying away.

I loaded up the trolley and headed off to the far side of the island where to be honest most of the swims are isolated from the ones on either side. I like it that way.

Two rods in action again today. The waggler fishing close to the lily pads and a feeder rod about 10 yards away by some reeds, As usual this was using maize as the hook bait.

I was set up and ready to make my first casts by 7:30 am. The sun was shining and I was feeling confident of  having some good sport today.

The Feeder swim:

I had to wait until 11:09 for my first bite. It came on meat and the culprit was a small roach. Oh dear.

Over two hours later I got my second bite, again it was on meat and again it was just a small roach.

Half an hour later I caught my first non roach of the day, it was on corn and it was a rudd!

Six minutes later and again on corn I was into another rudd. Boy, could this day get any better.

At 14:50 normal service for the day was resumed. Again another roach and again it was taken on meat.

Between 15:45 and 17:00 I went back on the corn. The action on the waggler was just as sparse, two small roach was my reward.

Also just before 17:00 the feeder tip went round for the first time and I found,  much to my surprise that I was into a carp! I did get it in. I estimated the weight at around 7 lb. I had to estimate the weight as the rain last week had killed my electronic scales.

As the session came to a close I decided to have a go with meat down the edge. To my surprise the float disappeared straight away and off went the fish. After a few minutes I landed a carp of 10.25 lb. My first ever double from NF.

So all the action in the last hour! Fishing, that's why we love it.

Nine fish caught in the day. I'll be back as things can only get better, can't they?