2013 02 March 29nd Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

Good Friday, the start of the first holiday season of the year. True, however no one thought to tell that to the weather!

Working on the principle it couldn't be worse than the week before I was up, loaded and out by 6:30. The temperature was hovering around freezing point as I drove down the deserted Bank Holiday roads towards Edenbridge.

It was just after 7 when I entered the car park. Deep shock, there was someone else there! I saw that he was on the far side so I took my time loading up the trolley and headed for my favourite 'winter' swim at the top of the lake.

For once the sun was shining and the lake was calm as I set my two rods up. A light waggler and a small leger, exactly the same as the week before. In fact, the method of attack was going to be exactly the same. The conditions promised to be the same, so why not use the same approach, at least to start with.

I made my first casts at around 8am. It was about this time that the sun disappeared and was replaced by a blanket of heavy cloud. The wind also began to blow from the car park side of the lake.

About an hour into the session I was joined at the top of the lake by another angler who turned out to be DAVEBIKE.He was on the pole from the off fishing about two thirds of the way across. For the entire morning neither of us had a touch.

After an excellent serving of Oxtail soup and a packet of crisps I thought I saw the float move. I stared (or rather glared) at it and lo and behold it went under. I struck and in came a roach of about an ounce, No blanking for me today at least.

I managed to bag another couple before Dave's swim sprung into life. Finally there appeared to be a days fishing to be had.

I tried switching hook baits throughout the day between corn and maggots but it appeared that the latter was all they fancied today.

The roach kept coming on and off for the rest of the afternoon. The last 2 were bigger, the first about two ounces and that last one about 6.

A solitary skimmer bream made an appearance at the end of the day which made my total, nine. Eight roach and a bream.

Here's a photo of how my swim looked late in the day:

I packed away the leger rod first as it hadn't had a single knock all day.

Dave gave up about 4:30 and I followed at 5. I was second there and last to leave. I was cold but satisfied that I had done all I could.