2012 16 June 24th Christmas Mill, Edenbridge, Kent

Having fished the previous afternoon and evening I couldn't get up as early as I wished for my second trip to this club water. Even so I was out of the house and on my way at 6:30.

Much to my dismay the rain had arrived with a vengeance the night before and it was still coming down hard as I went down the semi flooded lanes.

Christmas Mill only has five swims and of those only one of them has lily pads close enough to make waggler fishing possible. This was the swim I fished on my last visit and was the one I planned to fish today.

When I arrived at the postage stamp size car park I was dismayed to find another car there. I feared the worst. Dejectedly I made my way to the lake through the water soaked woods until I arrived at our swims. My fears were confirmed when I found the swim I wanted occupied by none other than Keith who I met on a recent outing to Broxham. Incidentally on that occasion Bill and the aforementioned Keith had also nicked my swim that day! I think they should be suspended from the club!

In the end I chose the second of the five swims with the intention of fishing around 2 rod lengths out in clear water. At least it was a plan of sorts.

I set my waggler rod up with a 3bb float, 5lb main line and a size 18 with a 3lb hook length. My intention was to target the tench and bream.

After setting up the rod I ground baited the swim in my normal way and then set up my chair, box, bait, tackle bits and pieces and most importantly the umbrella as it was still raining hard. Once done I picked my rod up only to discover that when laying it down some line had got caught up in a tree. I did sort it out but the result was that I found my terminal tackle was so knotted that I would have to set up again! After I cut the line and was ready to start again I pulled the line to get some off the spool. The line did not come off easily and the rod bent round so much that it snapped making it three breaks in three years! I investigated and found that the line had snagged around one of the several logs on the bank.

As I set up my spare rod I began to suspect that today wasn't going to be my day.

I was still somewhat upset when I finally made my first cast of the day at 8:30! I started with corn on the hook as I wanted to avoid the very small fish that I knew would almost certainly take a maggot.

Almost immediately the float went under and I was into a fish however I missed it. Buoyed by the fact that something took the corn I tried again. This time I was successful and in came a roach of about 3 ounces. This was quickly followed by another.

With the rain still coming down heavily the swim then died. For the rest of the morning I persevered with the corn but was totally unsuccessful. As a confidence booster before I had my lunch I went on single maggot and caught 5 rudd, 2 roach a little perch.

After lunch the rain stopped being persistent and went into sporadic mode. I have to say it still felt chilly except on the few occasions when the sun came out.

The afternoon session followed the same pattern as the morning one. The going was very dire. There was no sign of any decent fish activity in my swim. Elsewhere on the lake I could see fishing jumping.

I carried on with the bigger baits, corn, bread and meat but apart from the occasional tickle from smaller fish nothing showed.

By four in the afternoon Keith had called it a day and left to watch the football. I decided to have another dabble with the maggots and 'pulled' in another five minutae roach and rudd before I too called it a day at 18:00.

I will go back but only if Botany bay is free.

Wildlife Update:

During the afternoon I heard a rustle at my feet and looked down to see a mouse run up to my corn and with two paws on the edge of the box lean over and make off with a piece. A few minutes later he came back and did the same with the strawberry flavoured variety. He repeated this several times before in fear that would have none left if it continued I complained and he disappearred! Absolutely amazing episode.

2012 15 June 23rd Broxham Pond, Edenbridge

I decided today to yet again tackle my nemesis which is the club's Broxham Pond in Edenbridge.

Currently my record stands at 2 visits, 3 bites and 1 fish, albeit an eight pound common.

The aforementioned carp was taken on a 10mm strawberry boillie in the channel between the headland and the far bank.

My plan today was to fish from 15:00 to around 20:00 using just my carp gear.

The sun was shining as I set off at around 2pm for the pond. If there were other anglers present I planned to go to either Chittenden or Nursery Fields.

I didn't have to put this plan into action as the car park was empty and there were no cars parked up at the pond. I let myself in and then made my way up the field to the pond.

Having unloaded the car and made my way to the swim I set up both rods. Both of them used 6lb main line to a size 14 hook with a 5lb hook length. On the rod which I was going to fish the channel I put on 10mm Monster Crab boilie and on the one in open water I put on a 15mm Pineapple Frenzy one. Next I threw in some free offerings before setting up my chair and landing net etc. I made my first cast around 15:30.

The first hour passed without incident. I reeled in both rods to check the bait and then re-cast. The wind began to get stronger as evident by the waves that began to appear. The buzzer on the rod in the channel kept blipping but I put this down to the wind.

Around 5:30 another EBAS member turned up for a look and a chat. He told me of the days when this pond was full of fish! I must say his visit did break up the monotony.

Time passed. The afternoon turned into the evening. The buzzers remained silent. I could see no movement on the surface depicting fish activity. I feared the worse.

As the evening wore on my supplies of sweets and tea began to dwindle. The wind was now strong enough for me to begin to get cold. Yes this is still June.

Finally I had to admit that it wasn't going to happen today. They (if they do exist) had beaten me again.

I packed up, loaded the car and drove home arriving just in time to see France surrender to Spain.

Wildlife Update:

As I made my way across the field I counted 5 rabbits as I came in and a dozen on my out! How many actually live there is anyone's guess.

2012 14 June 15th Nursery Fields, Edenbridge, Kent

Today was going to be my second visit of the summer season to the club’s Nursery Fields lake.

I was up bright and early and out of the house by 5:30. There was moisture in the air but not really any rain as I made way from Shirley to Edenbridge.

I arrived at the fishery around 6am to find the car park empty. This meant I had the choice of any swim I fancied. I loaded up the trolley and headed out. On my last visit I had fished the swim at the very top of the lake so this time I chose the other end. Most of the swims have lily pads to fish to on the near bank and it was one of these (peg 7) that I selected for the day.

I set up a waggler rod with a 3bb float, 5lb main line to a size 16 hook with a 4lb hook length. The feeder rod I set up with a small cage feeder, 6lb main line to a size 14 hook length.

I fed the float rod swim heavily with a mixture of ground bait, hemp, maggots, meat and corn. On the hook I decided to start with homemade strawberry flavoured sweet corn.

It was about 7am when I made my first cast. I was still the only one on the lake.

The first hour on the float rod was a bit slow. All that was interested in the corn was a solitary skimmer bream. On the other hand the feeder rod got off to a flyer. One bream, one tench and a 4lb common carp all fell to a 10mm strawberry boillie.

On the hour I topped up the swim with another ball of groundbait and some hemp, a pattern I repeated though out the day.

During the second hour the feeder swim went quiet however the float swim sprang into life. Eight bream (one of which was a proper one) and a tench all came into the net. I began to suspect that I could be in for a good day.

By 10am another angler arrived. As he passed me we had a small chat about recent visits etc before he disappeared up the lake. I never saw him again!

By 10am the corn was still working well, 2 bream, a tench and my first barbel (albeit a 5inch long specimen) made the net. I also had one more tench on the feeder rod.

The swim was now really alive. During the next hour I had five more of the small barbel as well as the first showing of roach (4), rudd (1) and the might gudgeon (1). The feeder rod had gone really quiet though.

As lunchtime loomed the swim was still producing. I was really enjoying myself (and so far the rain had kept away). Five barbel, 4 tench, 2 more bream and a rudd made the virtual net. I was still using the strawberry corn.

I had my lunch, small Cornish pasties and some cocktail sausages plus a very well earned cup of tea before resuming the fishing. The swim yielded just 2 barbel, 1 roach and a bream in this period however the feeder rod came back to life with 3 tench.

By the end of the lunch period (2pm) the swim was still going strong, 3 barbel, 1 tench, 2 roach and another rudd were added to the total. The feeder rod also produced a tench.

The afternoon session saw ot let up in the productivity of the swim. By 15:20 I’d added 8 barbel, 3 roach, 3 rudd and 3 more bream to the overall total. The feeder rod was going through another of its quiet periods.

As the afternoon started to make way to the evening I switched hook bait from corn to meat. This decision was rewarded by a further 3 barbel, a tench and a 5lb common carp. Two of the barbel came in at around the 2lb mark. The feeder rod also chipped in with a solitary tench.

 At 16:00 the heavens opened and the rain arrived. It was so heavy that I had to bring the rods in and just sit it out. Luckily for me it only lasted for half an hour or so.

The final part of the session followed the same pattern. Five barbell, one of 2lb, a tench and 3 bream one of which was about 1.5lb. The final two fish of the day came on the feeder rod and they were again tench.

The session came to end when I went shallow and had a look close to the bank with a piece of meat. The float shot under straight away and into the lillies the fish went. I exerted as much pressure as I could before the line broke and the float ended up in a tree.

The main reason I packed up when I did though was because I had to get home to watch the England game.

In conclusion I think I had a fantastic day. Eighty nine fish in one day is a very good total for me. I can’t wait to get back there.

2012 13 June ?? Christmas Mill, Edenbridge, Kent

This season I'd made a conscious decision to fish EBAS's other waters rather than stay on the safe Nursery Fields and Chittenden paths.

Taking that in mind I decided to have a go at the club's Christmas Mill pond.

The lake isn't accessible until 7am so there was no need to leave home at the crack of dawn. The previous evening I'd used GOOGLE MAPS to show me where it was and so when I left at 6:30 I was confident I knew where I was going.

I found the lane easy enough and made my way down until I reached the small car park. I unloaded the car but before I made my way to the lake I thought I would walk through the woods till I found the swims (there are only 5). I followed the path into the woods and after about 50 yards I saw the lake. The woods were quite thick and went right to the waters edge making fishing impossible. I carried on following the path and finally made it to a small cutting containing a park bench. On the bench it said 'Botany Bay'. It was as good a place to start as any so I went back to the car for my gear.

The swim looked very fishy, about two rod lengths out there was a set of lily pads. Strangely they weren't very thick. I decided to fish right in front of them. I left the feeder rod in its case today as I wanted to learn the water first.

I mixed up a bowl of ground bait and left it to settle while I set up the float rod. The weather was warm and still so I decided to use a 2bb waggler. I had no idea what if anything I would encounter so went for a size 18 hook with the idea of starting with single maggot.

I made my first cast at 8:00am. The first hour was quite slow. I didn't panic though as I believed that the feed would draw any fish in. I was right, after 30 minutes the float moved to the side but I couldn't hook the fish. This happened several more times before I finally landed one. It turned out to be a roach of about an ounce. By 9:00am I'd added another.

Every hour I fed the swim with another ball of ground bait and some loose maggots. After the first hour I dotted the float down a bit lower. This worked as I managed to catch another 13 roach in the next hour.

None of the roach were of any great size so I made a conscious decision to start loose feeding larger baits with the intention of trying it on the hook later on in the day.

So now I was fishing with single maggot on the hook and feeding with corn every cast I landed a fish. By 11am I had caught another 8 roach and a solitary perch.

Leading up to lunchtime I kept doing the same thing as regards feed. I wanted to wait for the better fish to arrive so I resisted the urge to go on the corn too early. Another 12 roach were added to the net in this time.

The next hour followed the same pattern as the previous one, the only difference being that I only caught a further 10 roach.

After lunch I gave the corn a try, apart from the occasional knock from a small fish the going was slow. I was rewarded with a roach which was bigger than what I had been getting.

Around 2pm I experimented with a small cube of meat. After a few minutes the float dipped and I struck. Immediately I felt some non roach resistance and then the fish started to slowly move away. I was just getting prepared for a fight when the hook was spat and the fish was gone. I assume it was a bream by the way it reacted.

Of the next 10 roach caught five of them came on corn and five on maggot. I went back on maggot after I lost another fish which bolted into the lilies. This one spat the hook as well. This one was either a carp or a tench certainly not a bream.

As the afternoon began to break into early evening my plan seemed to be coming together as I lost 3 more good fish. One broken hook length and two more that spat the hook. One of them was a bream as it reacted in the same way as the first.

By the time I packed up at 18:45 I'd added another 14 roach to the total making a grand total of 82. All bar one were roach.
In conclusion I really enjoyed the day. It was back to real fishing. Turning up at the bankside not really knowing what to expect is what it is all about. The setting was fabulous. There is no doubt that I will be back in the near future.

2012 12 June 1st Nursery Fields, Edenbridge, Kent

After losing April due to the unfortunate closure of the lake the wait for the start of the new club season was longer than ever however today it had finally arrived.

I suspected that there would be a fair few down there on opening day so I decided to make an earlier than normal start to get a good choice of swim. I had three or four in mind for my first session of the year.

I was up at 4:45am and out of the house by 5:30 or so. Not surprisingly there wasn’t much traffic about and so I arrived at the fishery in good time. My concerns were confirmed when I discovered that I was the 7^th car there.

My first choice of swim was the one right at the top of the lake facing the island. This is the shortest point between island and bank. After loading up the trolley I walked to the swim and found it empty. Lovely.

I decided on a two prong attack today. The waggler rod to fish down the centre and the feeder rod I would fish close to the far bank.


I set up the float road with a 3bb waggler to a size 16 hook. The waggler was of the clear crystal variety. The feeder rod I setup with a size 16 hook length with a 1/8 ounce bomb to 6 lb main line. Both of these setups contained flaws which showed up during the day. For hook bait I used single maggot and 10ml strawberry boillies respectively.


I made my first casts at 6:46 and sat down and waited for the new season's action to begin.


To be honest the initial going was a bit slow. A fair proportion of this I felt could be attributed to the fact that I couldn't see the float amidst all the shadows on the water. After 20 minutes of eye strain I gave up and changed the float.


Instant success, the new float disappeared almost as soon as it hit the water and in came my first bream of the summer season. This was quickly followed by my first roach and tench.


The feeder rod was also into the action early, 2 small tench with a taste for strawberries also made the virtual net.


Five fish in the first hour wasn't a bad start so I persevered with the same tactics. For the next hour the going on the float rod was very slow. Only three roach made the net. The surprise was the feeder rod. The tip flew round and in came my first NF carp of the season. It was only a 3lb common but it made my day (I'm easily pleased!).


I kept feeding the swim with groundbait (on the hour) plus three or four maggots every cast. I could see/sense fish in the swim but by 9:45 I'd only added 1 roach and 1 bream to the total. The feeder rod produced another strawberry liking tench.


It was at this point that I realised my second set up mistake. I should have gone with a size 18 hook. The 16, I had to load with 2 maggots and the fish were just not taking them and when they were I was missing the bites. On an 18 I could have swopped to single maggot.


I didn't change hooks, instead I chose to swop hook bait. I went on corn and meat and was rewarded with a bream on meat and a tench on corn.


The hour or so leading up to lunch time was very quiet. I was still going with the larger baits on the float but to no avail. The feeder rod did break the monotony when a 2lb common took the bait.

At noon I took a 5 minute break to consume my lunch. I've learnt from past mistakes not to eat lunch while staring at a float. One reason you could miss your mouth and the second is that you KNOW the float will go under while your hands are already occupied.


By 1pm I'd caught my first barbel of the season. Not a monster, it was about 5 inches long! On the feeder rod I got a cracking bite but unfortunately lost it when the fish spat the hook.


At the end of the lunch period (14:45) I'd added just a couple more of the small barbel on the float rod and I'd lost another good one on the feeder rod. This one had broken the hooklength.


I now realised my third set up mistake. A size 16 hook was not big enough on the feeder rod. I changed to a size 14 after I was broken and had my decision justified when I managed to land a 4lb common at 15:15.

I knew that NF picks up again in the late afternoon so I carried on using meat on the hook. The bites weren't terribly frequent but they did happen. On one such occasion I landed a 1.5lb bream. This was my biggest of the season so far.


At 16:05 just as I was beginning to feel the effects of the early start the tip flew round and I was into another 3lb common. This fish was the last I would have on the feeder rod.


The fish kept coming on the float rod, 4 bream, 3 tench and another small barbel until 18:00 arrived when I decided to call it a day.


So what made me pack up for the day when I did? All through the session I'd been feeding grains of corn and cubes of meat just in front of the reed bed to my right. One or two of the fish mentioned above came from this swim when I'd been 'having a look' during the day. As it was late in the day I changed the depth so that I would just touch bottom (about 2 feet) and dropped the bait in. I drank a cup of tea and then the float dipped and started to slowly move away. I struck and the fish shot off towards the back pegs at a great rate of knots. When I felt it slow I adjusted the clutch and started to apply pressure. At this point all the terminal tackle headed back to me in the air! It had spat the hook. Devastated I decided to call it a day.


In conclusion, a day of mixed fortunes which on the whole I can't complain about. I caught fish (29) and lost a few. I will be back soon.


Wild life update: None seen today. The bailiff has shot everything.

2012 11 26th May Hare Lake,Gabriels Fishery,Edenbridge

After last week's blank at Bloxham I decided to return to Hare Lake for a well deserved confidence booster.

The week leading up to the Saturday had been really hot so I assumed that there would be a fair few at the fishery today and so because of this I left home early enough so that I would be there as the gates open. The temperature was 15.5 according to the car and it wasn't even 6:30 yet, lovely.

I arrived just before 7am to find two other cars in the car park. Lucky for me they turned out to carpers from the night before. Before I loaded up the trolley I took my rod holdall to the swim and 'bagged' it! I then took all my equipment, minus fleece, sweatshirt and coat to the swim.

I could see the effects of loads of life in the water as fish after fish was topping. I felt I was in for a good day.

I prepared my normal groundbait mix and then set up my float rod with a 3bb waggler rig. I decided I could get away with increasing the amount of initial feed and so with that in mind I fed 2 very large balls of groundbait coupled with a very generous helping of maggots.

I made my first cast at 7:36.

I decided to start on double maggot as for the first time this season I began a session on a size 16 hook. In went the bait and down went the float, the result was a roach of about a couple of ounces.

The small carp on my last visit didn't show up until mid morning however today they were there from the start. They displayed a liking for my maggots. By 8:12 I'd caught 3 carp, 3 roach, 3 rudd and a solitary bream.

My best carp from this lake came in this first half hour. A 4.25lb specimen which I wasn't expecting to get on 2 maggots!

I then swopped hook bait to strawberry flavoured corn to see what effect that would have. It took a while to take off but when it did they went for it big time. By 10:22 I'd caught another 8 carp, a bream and a rudd. The rudd was a good one going about half a pound I would say.

I decided to switch hook baits again, this time to small cubes of meat. This did not turn out to be a good move as by 11:42 I'd only had one more small carp and a rudd although this rudd appeared to be the twin of the one described in the previous paragraph.

After the failure of the meat I switched back to maggot and the next half hour saw six carp, and 1 of 1 each of bream, rudd, roach and my first perch of the session.

Confidence restored I switched back to corn, this time the normal flavoured variety. By this time the sun was high in the sky as was the temperature. I could feel myself beginning to burn. My sunscreen was in the garage in my other box so that was no help! The hottest part of the day coincided with a slowing down of the day's action. In fact in took the best part of three hours to land ten fish. These were 5 roach, 4 carp and a perch with a liking for corn.

The time now was just after 3 in the afternoon. Dismayed by the poor results of the corn I went back to maggots and in 20 minutes had another ten fish. Five roach, 4 bream and just the one carp.

The strength of the sun was now beginning to take it's toll on me but I wanted to fish on if only for a while until the evening session started. I was concerned that apart from the early carp I hadn't had anything of any size and to this end I began to up the size of the baits and to introduce bread flake.

Unfortunately this ploy did not bring the bigger fish out to play either. The small carp (6) and roach (4) were still the main diners.

After one more small carp I decided to pack up. The time was 18:00.

In conclusion, I had a good day relative to my recent disappointment at Broxham. I caught 72 fish which can never be regarded as a bad thing. It was a shame only one of lakes larger inhabitants showed up although a rudd of half a pound is a good fish.

Wildlife Report:

Apart from having a swan swim past me (the first I've seen at this fishery) the only thing of note to mention was that a couple of Canadian Geese families took up residence on the bank next to me for a great proportion of the day.