2013 09 May 20th Sidewinder Lake,Morehouse Farm Fishery, Haywards Heath

Today was going to be my first visit of the season to Morehouse Farm fishery on the outskirts of Haywards Heath in East Sussex. I've been there before so I knew the potential was there to have a good day.

The fishery gates open at 7am however due to roadworks at the end of the M23 I actually arrived at 7:15. It didn't seem to matter though as I was the first person in the fishery.

After I'd paid my money in the honesty box, I unloaded the car and walked to the lake. First thing I noticed was the fish activity on the top, the second, was that for my favourite swim the platform had been moved a couple of yards to the left which made the bay more accessible but which made fishing along the reed bed impossible.

Undeterred I set up my match rod to fish about 3/4s of the way across where the fish seemed to be and my new feeder rod (as I broke the last one) to fish as close to the far bank as I could about 15 metres to my left.

I mixed up a generous amount of ground bait with the usual brown crumb plus meat, hemp, maggots and corn. Next I threw in three large balls directly over the area where I saw the fish movement. On the leger set up I decided today to use 15mm pineapple boillies so I threw in several free offerings of those and the smaller 10mm variety.

I made my first casts at 8:36. I was using maggot initially on the float rod. Although I caught a carp of about a pound on the first cast it does take me a while to get myself sorted and in some kind of a rhythm which goes some way to explaining why I only caught three carp in the first hour when it should have been more. 

For the second hour I switched to corn however although I was getting bites I just couldn't hook them. It wasn't a completely barren hour though as I got a carp on the feeder rod. Not a large one, around 2lb I would say.

I changed back to single maggot and immediately started to hit the bites. I caught 3 carp and a solitary bream in that hour however it could have been more but for the buzzer going off 3 times and me having to move to land three nice carp.

The hour before my lunch was just as quiet as I switched back to corn. I netted three more carp plus another nice one on the leger rod.

I decided it was time for a break so I poured myself a cup of tea to go with a few small sausage rolls, savoury eggs and some cocktail sausages. As luck would have it I dropped a cocktail sausage and was about to bin it when I thought "would carp like this?" So I took a bit off the end, threaded the hook through it and cast out. Less than 2 minutes later the float went and in came another carp.

In the afternoon I decided to retire the maggots and concentrate on the larger hook baits. As before I started on the corn. Four more carp came in on the con plus one on the leger rig. 

The photo below shows a typical carp that I was catching, it wasn't the biggest nor the smallest.

The time was now 14:30 and so I decided the time was right to give the meat a go. Instead of loose feeding corn I began to feed the meat. Three carp in the next hour fell to these tactics plus another on the pineapple leger rig.

The next hour didn't produce the mad rush on meat that I had expected, it only yielded a further three carp. However all the action came on the leger rig, 5 carp with a taste for pineapple all made the virtual net. 

I always take a slice or two of bread with me just in case everything else fails. I'm not keen on using it when the swim is full of small roach as the real bites are hard to see. Anyway for the last 90 minutes of the day I thought I would give it a go. It turned out to be an amazing decision as with just one slice of bread I caught 18 carp!  Oh, and I still had time to land another one on the feeder rod.

As I packed up I had a quick count of the day's catch, 51 fish, consisting of 50 carp between 0.5lb and 4lb (13 of them on the pineapple boillie) and a lone bream. The previous week I'd caught 113 fish at Gabriels but weight wise this haul had that well beaten.

On the downside the field of llamas had been replaced by horses!

Just before I left I went over to Canal Lake, the fishery's premier match lake. With pegs on just one side it is designed definitely for the pole man but peg 1 as you enter has a lot of water to the right of it that contains some lillies. I didn't see any fish movement but it still made me decide to try it next time I visit.

2013 08 May 11h Swallow Lake, Gabriels Farm Fishery, Edenbridge

Due to work commitments I had to forego a Friday session in favour of a Saturday one. I was going to go to Morehouse Farm fishery in Haywards Heath but decided against it as I thought it would be too crowded on a weekend. Instead I decided to return to Gabriels Farm and try Swallow Lake.

At the crack or dawn the dog decided to get up and play and so, as the fishery opens at 7am, after loading up the car I found I had enough time to watch an episode of Coronation Street before I left. 

Even though I drove as slowly as possible I still managed to get to the fishery 10 minutes early. Luckily for me I was let straight in and so I made my way to the car park directly below Swallow Lake.  

As no one else was about I took the opportunity to have a good look at the pond before selecting my swim as I'd only ever fished it once before. With the swim selected, I returned to the car for my gear. I didn't need the trolley today as the car park is very close to the water.

Having had a glance at my report from the last time I was here, I discovered that the pond contained a lot of small carp, from 2 ounces to maybe a pound and a half. With this knowledge in mind my set up remained light and unchanged. That is to say, match rod and 4lb main line to a size 18 hook. 

I fed the swim with the usual mix of ground bait with a good helping of my proposed hook baits for the day, maggots, corn and meat. I also added about half a pint of hemp. I had some maggots left over from my previous outing which although I had kept them in the fridge had turned to castors. I added some of these as well.

The castors turned out to be floaters but the effect on the swim was obvious as fish after fish came to the surface for a free meal. Buoyed by the sight of this I finished setting up and made my first cast about 7:35. At this stage the weather was chilly with a bright blue sky.

I started on single maggot and straight away I was into a small carp. Although small they do make the rod bend. I fed 3 or 4 maggots every cast. Eight carp and two gudgeon came in the first hour. 

For the next hour I switched to corn to see if anything bigger would take an interest. Although I did get one about a 1lb the rest were all in the range stated above. No gudgeon this hour though but I did get  17 carp.

Back on the maggot for the third hour saw a reduction in the number caught but an increase in the number of species. Eight carp, 2 gudgeon and 1 roach. I began to think that I may reach the magic ton of fish (100 I mean not the weight!).

The last hour before lunch saw me switch back to corn, the result 11 more carp. It was about now that I was hit with the first rain shower. Nothing to worry about at this stage though.

The re-introduction of the maggot sparked the gudgeon into life and for a while it was carp then gudgeon however by the end of the hour I had 12 carp and 8 gudgeon.

After lunch I was back on the corn which if nothing else it gave the gudgeon a rest. Ten more carp came into the virtual net.

The showers had now increased in intensity to the point where I had to put the umbrella up. It didn't seem to put the fish off though as 13 carp and 2 gudgeon with a liking for maggot came in.

This carp was my best of the day and came in about 2:15.

It was now that the rain started to come down so hard I couldn't see the far bank. I packed as much stuff away as I could but still lost all my remaining maggots as they managed to crawl out of the bait box. Each time I got up I had to tip accumulated water off my chair before sitting down again. Even the umbrella took flight at one stage forcing me to put it away and sit in just my waterproof jacket and trousers.

My notebook was soaked so I had to resort to keeping count in my head. Also my mobile stopped due to the wet conditions so I had no idea what the time was. I was also fishing into a strong wind which gave me several problems involving tangled line!

Eventually even I had to say enough was enough. The white flag was shown and I decided to pack up. When I got back to the car I discovered it was 5:15. By the time I got home and had a shower I managed to catch the second half of the cup final.

With the 17 carp I caught in the afternoon added to the total in my notebook I had caught 113 fish. My first +100 fish of the season!

2013 07 May 3rd Silver Lake, Gabriels Farm Fishery, Edenbridge

With the Club closed down for the month of May I had to find an alternate venue for my fishing adventures. Gabriels Farm Fishery in Edenbridge was my choice today. It is one of the most attractive fisheries that I have come across and can offer some good fishing to boot.

Somewhat surprisingly the temperature read 0.5 degrees as I headed  through the countryside on the way down to Edenbridge. The fishery opens at 7am and I reached the barrier about 6:55, perfect timing. There was one angler in front of me so I knew that with 5 lakes to choose from I would get a good swim today. 

I unloaded the car and made my off to peg 1 on Silver Lake. I've had some really good sessions on this peg before so it was really an easy decision to make for my first visit of the year.

I mixed up the usual ground bait concoction and then set up my one and only rod of the day. My Shakespeare 12' match rod. I was still using pretty light tackle. Four pound main line to a size 18 hook. I then attempted to plumb the depth. I soon discovered that my original chosen line contained a submerged lily pad bed which had yet to rise to the surface. I had to move my projected line 2 metres or so to the left to find a snag free bottom.

I made my first cast just before 8am. For hook bait I started on single maggot. The float barely touched the surface before it disappeared and I was into my first roach of the day. 

Another roach and a skimmer bream accompanied the roach into the virtual net by the end of the first hour, however the highlight of that hour was a 1.5lb common carp with a taste for maggots.

A good start and with the carp around I decided to change hook bait and go for the sweetcorn. Disaster, not a sniff for an entire hour so it was back to the maggots.

At 10am I went back on the maggot and the action resumed. It was almost a fish a chuck but not quite as 8 roach, 1 perch, 2 gudgeon and another skimmer made the net.

At this stage of the day I made the decision to alternate on an hourly basis between maggot and corn. So on went a piece of corn. I sat back and waited. Imagine my surprise when the float went and in came a perch of about 3/4lb! To complete the hour a 3lb common carp also with a liking for corn came in.

Another hour another change of bait, this time back to the maggot. Yet again it seemed like a fish a chuck although they were a lot smaller than the ones on corn. I managed 12 roach, 4 perch and a solitary gudgeon.

Lunchtime arrived, sadly only for me as just 2 roach fell to my corn bait. As well as changing bait every hour I was also throwing in a large ball of ground bait to keep whatever was about interested.

Business as usual for the next hour when I switched back to maggot although this time the perch really made it onto the scene, 7 roach, 6 perch and a gudgeon all fell victim to the little grub. It was now 3pm and so I decided to retire the maggots for the day.

I had one last go on the corn before I started using meat. The result was 1 roach and a 2lb carp.

For the next 90 minutes I used meat as the hook bait. I loose fed the swim corn and maggots in an attempt to draw the larger fish in. I was only fishing about a rod lengths distance from the bank. In that time I had 9 carp between 2 and 3 pounds. They went absolutely wild. Each one was a fight as I was only using 4lb line and my match rod.

A great finish to a brilliant day. I ended up with a total of 62 fish. I shall be back at some point in the season.

Man v Fish

One of the carp decided at the last minute to get itself snagged up on an underwater lily pad weed bed. For the life of me I could not get it out. Right side pressure, left side pressure and straight up pressure could not shift it. I was thinking it was all over when it occurred to me that if I slackened of the line it might come out. So I put the rod on the rest and watched the float. Sure enough less than a minute later the float moved and out it came. A short time later it was in the net. Man wins battle of wits with fish.

2013 06 April 29th Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

Today was going to be my last visit to NF before the Club's May break. Due a large overdose of alcohol the previous Thursday evening I had to break with tradition and go fishing on a Monday. 

The sun was shining for once as I loaded up the car. I had a feeling that today was going to be a good one - mind you I always feel like that!

Surprisingly there was no one in car park as I entered the fishery just before 7am. As I have done three times already this season I unloaded the car and made my way up the lake to my swim. As I left the car park a second car turned up. Today I was not going to be alone. 

As I did at Chittenden last week I started setting up by mixing some ground bait. This consisted of brown crumb, some red attracter, corn, meat, maggots and about half a pint of hemp. I then left it for 20 minutes to settle. In the meantime I began to set up my waggler rod.

For the waggler set up I used my new Shakespeare 12' match rod, 4lb main line tied to a size 18 hook with a 2lb hook length. After plumbing the depth I fed the swim with three handfuls of ground bait and then while it settled I turned my attention to the leger set up.

The leger rod due to my 'accident' at Chittenden was now my Shimano float rod. For this set up I used 6lb main line, 1/4 ounce leger, size 16 hook to a 4lb hook length. For bait it was the trusty old 10mm Monster Crab flavoured boillie.

I made my first casts at 7:50 and then settled back for the action to begin. Up until today I'd always got off to a slow start but this was not the case on this occasion. By the end of the first hour the float rod had yielded 4 roach, 1 chub, 2 gudgeon and a crucian. Not to be out done the leger rod swim gave up 3 tench! At this rate I felt I was going to empty the pond!

I got a bit over confident in the second hour as I switched from single maggot to corn. The result was a barren net. The leger rod gave me another tench to stop it being a complete disaster. 

For the next hour I switched back to single maggot although I did catch some fish, 2 roach, 1 rudd and a perch the action had slowed dramatically. Had I missed the boat? Even the leger rod had a barren hour.

Here's a visitor to my swim.

I rang the changes again for the last hour before noon. The swim appeared to have died so really I had nothing to lose. Yet again the float swim produced nothing however the leger rod sprang back into action with 2 tench and a very nice crucian of about 1.5lb.

The first hour of the lunch period was no better, 1 gudgeon and a perch to maggot on the float rod and 2 more tench on the leger rod.
Those tench seemed to be loving the monster crab boillies.

Perhaps these fish were just early morning and afternoon fish. This was seemed to be the case because by 3pm the float road had added 2 roach, 2 rudd, 2 perch and for the first time today 2 bream. Not to be out done the leger rod yielded three more tench.

Another quiet hour followed, just one other tench with a taste for crab came to the net. 

As the evening session started I switched the hook bait to meat. This proved to be a successful tactic as I got the day's first tench on the float rod and the first carp! Strangely I also caught a rudd on meat! Three more tench came in on the leger rod.

I started to pack up at 6:30 but not before I'd added 2 more tench and a carp on the float road and 3 tench on the leger rod. My decision to end the session was for two reasons, I lost the only carp that fancied monster crab and my face was burnt to a frazzle. Where's that sunscreen when you need it!

In conclusion I think I had a fantastic day. I caught 18 tench on monster crab boillies which I truly did not expect and a further 29 other fish making a grand total of 47 fish!

I can't wait for June to arrive.

2013 05 April 19th Chittenden, Edenbridge

After four successive trips to Nursery Fields I decided today to visit the club's carp lake at Chittenden. 

I do have some trepidation about going there mainly due to the fact that it seems to attract the fishing commentators. From the angling point of view though it's a great fishery. 

Anyway, I arose from my bed at the usual time and was loaded and on the road just before 6:30. The car seems to run on auto-pilot at times and this was borne out by the fact that I went the wrong way at the crossroads and ended up shooting past the bottom of Roodlands Lane! I quickly reversed the car and headed back in the right direction. This in fact worked out well for me as another angler arrived at the gate a few seconds before me meaning that I only had to get out of the car to lock it. 

I drove slowly down the lane until I arrived at the car park. I knew, obviously I wasn't the first there but on arrival I discovered that I was actually the third!

I unloaded the car and made my way to my chosen swim which was  on the far side of the lake behind the first island. 

I chose this swim because since the island's vegetation had been cut back which means that you can easily cast tight into the far bank with a waggler or a small leger. 

As the weather had been improving over the week I'd decided to use some ground bait on this session. I kept it pretty basic, brown crumb, some carp attractor, a few pellets, about a pint of hemp and a generous helping of corn. Once mixed I let it stand for 20 minutes or so before throwing 3 big balls in about 2 thirds of the way across. Next I set up my waggler rod. I normally use a 3bb waggler but today I chose to go up a weight for the extra casting distance so it was a 2aa that went on. I also went for a bigger hook (size 16) as a precaution. 

The leger set up was the same as normal, size 16 hook to 6lb main line on my feeder rod.

As I was setting up one of the anglers who had arrived before me saw my match rod and remarked that "I was to be careful as there are some monsters in here, you can get them in but they will take you all round the lake first". I should have listened. 

I made my first casts just before 8am. The leger rod was cast close to the island on my left hand side, the waggler was cast directly in front of me just past where I had fed the ground bait. For bait I used  a monster crab and shellfish 10mm boillie and single maggot respectively. 

I didn't have to wait long for my first bite. As the float disappeared I struck and in came my first skimmer of the day.

Buoyed by my instant success I re-cast and yet again the float went however this time it was a small roach that was responsible. I stayed on single maggot for the first few hours. Another roach and a  few more skimmers made the virtual net before I decided to switch hook baits to corn.

The gamble paid off as soon after changing I was into another skimmer, this time it was one of the larger ones (see below).

At 9:15 the buzzer went off on the feeder rod and I was into my first carp of the day. There's a lot of room at Chittenden so I was able to walk down the bank to play the fish away from the other swim. A few minutes later this 7lb mirror was in the net.

A mere 15 minutes later, the buzzer went off again and I was into another fish. I could tell that this one was bigger than the previous one so I played it very carefully. Soon the fish, which I still hadn't seen was swimming directly beneath my feet in about 2 feet of water. Despite the pressure I was applying it still refused to come to the surface. Suddenly there was a loud crack and my feeder rod broke! With the broken rod in one hand I grabbed the line with the other and managed somehow to get the fish in the net! The culprit was a 9lb common (see below).

After returning the fish to the water I set up my Shimano rod as the leger rod and re-cast.

Back on the float rod the skimmers kept coming. I continued to feed the swim with ground bait every hour and loose fed corn every cast or so. 

Around 2pm the float slid away and I struck. I knew straight away that this wasn't a skimmer. Round and round the fish went, I was playing the fish very carefully as I was only using my match rod and was a rod down on the day as it was! My patience was rewarded when this 7lb mirror was on the bank (see below).

The skimmers kept coming through the afternoon. The leger rod was quiet. This all changed at 5:30 when the buzzer went and I was into another carp. A small fight followed in which I came out victorious again. The victim this time was another 7lb mirror (see below).

I called it a day at 6:30 having had 16 bream, 4 roach and 4 carp at a cost of one Maver Abyss feeder rod! Still had an enjoyable day though especially as the commentators didn't show.

2013 04 April 12th Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

The good news for this week was that the temperature was forecast to be around 10 or 11 today. I wasn't worried too much about the expected rain.

It was indeed raining as I loaded car up and headed up the road towards Edenbridge. The car's digital display showed 6.5 degrees, a lot warmer the previous week.

An uneventful drive through the Surrey/Kent countryside saw me arrive at the fishery a little before 7am. Once again the car park was empty.

With the trolley fully loaded I set off for the swim. On the way I noticed from the water movement that the wind was coming from the opposite direction than it had the last few weeks. Another good sign.

The rain was still falling as I set up my two rods. I used the same set up as before, waggler on one rod and a small leger on the other. For bait I had brought maggots, castors, corn and bread. After a brief flirtation with strawberry boillies last week I was back on my original choice, monster crab.

I fed the swim with hemp, maggots and a few pieces of corn as I was setting up. I was ready and casting by 7:48. The rain was still falling so for the first time this season, up went the umbrella. I was now set for a days fishing.

For three hours the float never moved. I began to suspect that today wasn't going to be my day again. All that changed though when the float slid under and I was into a small roach of about an ounce. No blanking for me today.

I loose fed a few more maggots and soon the float went again. As the fish came in I thought it was another larger roach however it turned out to be my first NF chub!

The small roach kept coming, until I struck into something that was a bit more substantial. After a brief fight I had my first tench of the day in the virtual net.

A few more roach followed and then the first crucian of the day made an appearance. At this stage I was still loose feeding maggots and apart from the occasional castor I was still using single maggot on the hook.

After my lunch break, another lovely tin of oxtail soup, I decided to ring the changes. Initially I started to loose feed a few pieces of corn and then after an hour or so I began to use corn on the hook. It was quiet at first but then the float went and in came a small skimmer bream. This was followed in quick succession by another crucian and my second tench.

By this stage of the day (aound 2pm) the leger rod had been silent then in what I can only describe as a mad hour the swim went berserk.

First to take the bait was a 4.5lb common (see below). It fought very hard before I was able to slip it into the net. A few minutes later a tench followed it. Fifteen minutes or so further on the rod went again, this time the culprit was a 6lb common.

It wasn't all plain sailing though because when the buzzer went for the fourth time I was playing another skimmer on the float rod. By the time I'd unhooked it the fish on the leger had gone.

Strangely, that was it for the action on the leger rod. About an hours worth I would say.

I went back on the maggots when the swim appeared to die and was  rewarded with a perch and four mighty gudgeon. The roach were also more inclined to take maggots than the corn.

I had brought some bread so as the afternoon wore on I decided to give it a go. After a bit of a wait the float went away and I was into my final crucian of the day.

I kept the bread on and waited to see what would happen. After ten minutes or so I noticed that the float moved slightly against the direction of the wind so I struck and immediately I knew I was into a good fish. The match rod was bent right over and the drag on the reel was doing its job. I was a bit worried because I was using the match rod and this was a good fish. I needn't have been though as after 5 minutes or so I landed a mirror of 6lb. With that fish in the net I decided to call it a day.

As I packed up I did a quick tally of the day's catch:
14 roach
4 crucian carp
4 gudgeon
3 carp
3 tench
2 bream
1 perch
1 chub.
A haul of 32 fish. A better result than the previous week that's for sure. Have we turned the corner weather wise? Let's hope so.

Aside from one angler who turned up lunchtime and was gone before I left I hadn't seen another person all day. That will change over the coming weeks I'm sure.

2013 03 April 5th Nursery Fields, Edenbridge

Today was episode 3 of what I now call Ken's winter series!

I knew I was in for trouble when I had to battle through a snow storm to get to the tackle shop for my maggots the night before.

First mistake of the day was that I forgot that the clocks had gone forward on the previous Sunday and so when I went to load the car up at the normal time I found I struggled to see the garage padlock numbers!

Anyhow I managed to get in and load up with no further trouble.

A positive 1.5 degrees showed on the dashboard as I left my courtyard and headed towards Edenbridge. This proved to be somewhat of a false dawn as on the way down I noticed that the fields were all covered in snow.

Seemingly like clockwork, I again arrived at the fishery at 7am. Unlike my previous visit, there was no one else parked up. I wasn't a bit surprised.

With the sound of a woodpecker building his house in my ears, I unloaded my gear, packed it on the trolley and headed up the lake.

There was not much wind at this point in the day so the lake was fairly calm as you can see from the photo of my swim below:

I set up my gear in the same way as the previous two outings, the only difference being the flavor of boillie. I'd run out of monster crab so had to use strawberry instead.

After feeding my swims with maggots and boillies respectively I made my first casts at 8am on the dot. I sat back in my chair and pondered what the day had in store for me.

Well nothing as it turned out. Just like the week before, after an hour or so the early sunshine(!) was replaced by a layer of thick grey cloud which was accompanied by a very cold wind.

Undeterred by the weather and with only a few ducks for company I continued fishing throughout the morning and the lunch period. It was during this time when my day truly hit rock bottom. Believe it or not, snow began to settle on my waterproof jacket and trousers!

As the afternoon wore on even the ducks had the sense to disappear. I didn't have one indication that the fish were going to bite. The only time I had a bleep from the leger rod was because of a strong gust of wind.

I'm nothing if not stubborn so I continued to fish with the hope that maybe a small gudgeon might fancy a free maggot, however it was not to be. Reluctantly I had to admit defeat and so at 4:30 I decided to jack it in for the day. My first (and let's hope only) blank of the season.

They said it was going to be 8 degrees today.... THEY LIED!