March 12 PB Tench + Mobile Phone - Private Pond, Holland, Surrey

As in 2009, I had most of March off to get rid of my excess annual leave so for me the 2010 year/season started today.

With only 3 fishing days to end of the club's season I decided to pay a final visit to the Private Pond in Holland, near Oxted in Surrey.

As expected when I arrived at the pond at 8am there was no else to be seen. I put it down to the fact that it was a Friday and also that the weather was very cold! I made my way to peg 1 which is my favourite swim there.

As the lily pads from the summer had died away I decided to fish diectly in front of my platform about 1 rod length out.

I initially fed some groundbait, hemp and a few casters and then it was a few grains of hemp every cast.

Around midday I finally got my first bite which was a small roach. I had been seeing signs of small fish moving about but nothing had shown any interest in my bait.

I had quite a few of last year's seafood 10mm boillies left so all morning I 'd been feeding a swim about 3 rod lengths away to my left with 2 or 3 boillies every 30 minutes or so.

At 13:30 I decided to cast to the swim using my feeder rod, size 14 hooklength and 6 pound line.

Less than 45 minutes later the rod tip went round and in came this 3.5lb tench, which is a personal best for me.

If you look closely you can see it is unfortunately blind in one eye.

2 hours later, around 16:08 the tip swung round again and in came this 5lb common.

At 17:05 this 3 pound common also took a fancy to my boillies and that as they say was that for the club's season.

I can't leave this report without mentioning the mobile phone incident.

Around 3pm, I was on my way to answer the call of nature when my phone rang. Now, in March it's not too easy or comfortable to go for a jimmy so I was saving it up until the last minute. I answered the phone call as quickly as I could, replaced the phone in my arm pocket and had the aforementioned jimmy. Returning to my swim I threw out some hemp along with my phone - in my haste to relieve myself I handn't re-zipped my pocket!

November 14th - Dunks Pond, Holland, Surrey

The weather was fine but heavily overcast with very little wind when I made my to the club's pond in Holland, just outside Oxted in Surrey.

Having come to the end of my 'carp' season for the year I decided to give this pond a go using standard 'winter' tactics, maggot and bread and small hooks.

The pond was empty so I had the pick of the swims which was good considering I'd never fished the venue before. It's the club lake that juniors can use so I tend to keep away during the summer months.

I made my way round the pond until I found a swim with lily pads directly in front of me that I thought I would be able to fish to.

Remembering the old maxim, "little and often" I hadn't brought any groundbait, just some bread and a pint of maggots. I set up my float rod with a 2bb float, 4lb main line and a size 18 hook to 3lb hooklength.

I was now ready to start.

In went 3 or 4 magggots and out came a small roach! Lovely.

For the next 2 hours or so I caught roach after roach on maggots and bread plus the occasional perch.

After making such a good start, the day then turned totally crap as the heavens opened and the biggest rainstorm of the year decided to pay a visit to Surrey.

The main problem was that I was fishing on a platform and had no where to stick the umbrella in! I have now managed to get an umbrella holder attachment for my box!

Although getting wetter by the minute I was still catching a fish a cast however by 2pm the rain was showing no signs of abating and as I was shivering like mad so I decided to call it a day for the session and as it turned out the year.

I will return to Dunks Pond some time in the furture for a 'proper' session.

Sorry no photos available as the batteries went in my camera as well!

October 30th Boulthurst Farm, Limpsfield, Surrey

The day before Halloween saw me at Boulthurst for what turned out to be my final carp hunting session of the year.

Weather was good although you could tell we were well into the autumn.

I was set up and ready in the beach swim by 12:32 according to my camera although from my notes I actually cast in at 11:50!!

In addtion to the comments below I did feed white chocolate boillies evry 30 minutes or so as freebies to get their confidence up before actually using them.

Rod 1 was initially set up with a carp pellet boillie.

Rod 2 was set up with a pineapple boillie.

At 12:10 I lost one on rod 2 when the cap decided to spit the hook out, how inconsiderate!

There was no action at all on rod 1 so at 12:55 I decided to switch baits to a tutti fruitti boillie.

Five minutes later rod 2's buzzer went off and I thought this was the one however just as I got it to the net this carp decided to do what his brother did and he spat the hook as well. I was gutted - was it going to be one of those days?

Rod 1 was still not working so at 13:55 I switched baits again, this time to a Monster Crab boillie. At the same time I switched baits on rod 2 to a shellfish boillie.

The next hour produced nothing at all, was I heading for my first blank of the season? Rod 1's bait was changed to pineapple while rod 2's was changed to Tutti Fruitti.

At 15:30 rod 2's bite alarm went off and in came a 1.5lb common - not a blank day today then!

At 16:00 I decided that I'd fed enough white chocolate boillies so on rod 1 I put one on the hair and out it went. I did the same on rod 2 at 16:30.

Just after I cast rod 2 in, the buzzer on rod 1 went off but disaster - somehow the line was caught on the pod and it broke immediately. It must have been something decent.

Ten minutes later rod 2's buzzer went off and in came this 2 pound common. My last carp of 2009.

25th October - Boulthurst Farm, Limpsfield, Surrey

Another Sunday, another session at Boulthurst Farm.

The weather was really good for the time of year (little did I know what was coming a few months later!).

I managed to bag the swim at the far right of the pond. There was someone else there I didn't recognise, at first I thought it was KENT TROTTER who I knew was intending to join the club but on reflection I don't think it was.

As noon arrived I cast rod 2 loaded with a crab flavoured boillie into the margins swim.

Twenty minutes later I landed thsi lovely 6 pound common.

I had set up rod 1 with a shellfish boillie and cast out by 12:40.

I also had no more runs on rod 2 so at 13:20 I switched boillies to a pineapple one.

I also had no more runs on rod 1 so at 13:40 I switched boillies to tutti fruitti ones.

At 14:05 the buzzer on rod 2 went off again and this time I landed a 4.5lb common.

There was still no interest shown on rod 1 so at 14:40 I switched baits again this time to a carp pellet boillie.

At 14:50 rod 2 sprang into action again but after a few minutes the carp decided to part company with the hook!

Carp pellet boillie on rod 1 wasn't woking either so at 15:40 I sent out a crab one to see if they fancied that.

At 16:20 I had my last run of the day which felt a really good fish however for the first time in a long while a fish made the snags and that as they say was that!

At 16:40 I made my final bait change of the day on rod 1, I thought I would give pineapple a go. No success.

As soon as I lost the light I packed up and made my way home.

18th October - Boulthurst Farm Limpsfield Surrey

After the previous Friday's success I was keen to return to Boulthust for another session at the earliest opportunity. It was nice and warm but a tad windy.

Today, someone was in the "beach" swim so I switched to my favourite one at the far right hand side. See photo:.

As usual I set up 2 rods, one fished in the margins to my left and the other in clear water to my right.

I cast rod 1 out at 11:55 with a carp pellet boillie, rod 2 went out at 11:45 with a monster crab boillie.

I didn't have a bite on rod 1 for an hour so at 13:00 I changed baits to a pineapple boillie, there was no action on rod 2 either so I switched baits on that one to a tutti fruitti boillie.

The change to tutti fruitti worked because at 13:25 I landed a nice 7 pound common! (sorry about the quality)

The Pineapple boillie on rod 1 wasn't stirring up any interest so at 14:00 I switched to white chocolate boillie.

There was no further action on the tutti fruitti boilie on rod 2 so at 14:25 I switched to a shellfish one. At 15:00 on rod 2 I lost what seemed like a good one, it spat the hook.

On rod 1 I switched baits again at 15:30 to Monster Crab.

At 16:00 on rod 2 the buzzer went off and a 6 pound common with a taste for shellfish boillies was in the net!

The last fish signalled that start of something good because 15 minutes rod 1's buzzer went off and in came a 4.5 pound common.

Forty minutes later rod 1 also produced a 6 pound common followed 10 minutes by the last fish of the day, a 2.5 pound common.

I packed up at 17:15 as the light was going.

16th October - Boulthurst Farm, Limpsfield Surrey

I had the afternoon off so I decided to head down to Boulthurst for an afternoon session.

The weather was warm but breezy and needless to say there was no one there.

I managed to get the beach swim again as can be seen from the photo below:

As usual I set up 2 rods, one fished to the left, the other to the right on the outside of a set of lily pads.

First out and almost straight away, on carp pellet boillie was this chunky looking six pounder.

Having just returned the above fish the second rod's alarm went off and in came this five pound common:

Six minutes later this seven pound common fell to a tutti fruitti boillie:

Another seven pounder joined the virtual net next. 

Next up was this six pound beauty:

Here's another:

And the last one!

My session lasted from 13:00 to 18:30 - a great session!

10th October - Boulthurst Farm, Limpsfield, Surrey

Anothe Sunday in October and another short session at Boulthurst Farm, 1pm till 6:30.

On arriving at the venue, I decided to fish the 'beach' swim again (see previous post) however when I got to the swim I discovered that the water level was up so high that the 'beach' had all but disappearred. Undetterred I set up in the swim anyway. (See photo below).

The session favourite in terms of bait this time was Monster Crab. All six fish caught in the session were all tempted by this seafood bait.

The best fish of the session was this mirror that went 7 pounds:

Next up was this 5 pounder:

The highlight of the session and somewhat of a surprise was this chub, I didn't even know the club had stocked chub in the pond.

In all I had a good session with 5 carp including a 7, 5, 3 and a couple of small ones plus the chub!

Until the next time.

7lb best

7,5,3 and 2 small ones plus chub!

all on monster crab

lovely day

1 to 6:30