Sunday 19th June

Well, what a surprise, waking to the sound of the wind again! That said, we're lucky that the venue is pretty sheltered, and on walking round the wind was only periodically swirly in just some of the pegs. I have to say the lake looked nice, but in the back of my mind I knew that the Tuesday evening summer league match was a struggle with three or four people blanking.

I had two pegs in mind going in to the draw queue, and by the time I went in the bag one of them had gone. Once I put my hand in the bag the other one came out - peg 37.


On putting my nets in I actually spooked a carp in the right hand margin, so I knew there were fish present. I only had the two lines of attack for the day, one rig for the far bank and one for the margins. I had a good ten to fifteen minutes plumbing along the far bank, trying to find a nice depth tight to the island, but where there was a gap in the roots. In the end I settled for an area pretty much directly infront, at about 15m. Here I had about twenty inches of water and the rig was on .17 line to a .15 hook-link with a size 18 Fox Series 2 hook. Float was a Nick Gilbert XTM and the lakky was Preston 15h. The margin rig was originally intended for the left side under a tree, but after a good plumb round I actually preferred the depth and the bottom contours of the right side margin at about 6m. A .2gr DC5 float in 3ft did the job here, on .19 line to a .17 hook-link and a size 16 Fox Series 2, matched to purple Hydro.


On the whistle I fed a dozen or so 6mm pellets across, while the margin got a small helping of corn, meat and hemp. Quite negative feeding for the time of year but the recent results suggested the fish were still in a funny mood having not spawned yet. Going over on an expander I missed the first bite before hooking a rudd of about 3oz which came off halfway back. For about ten minutes I had odd indications from silvers before they died off, so I picked up the catty and started flicking in a few pellets hoping the noise would draw some carp.


I had nothing in the way of indications for a while coming up to the forty-five minutes mark, while 33 was the only other angler I could see and they had one carp. As they were playing their second I had a bite which led to me landing my first carp, a decent one too at a good 4lb+. A liner followed but then nothing more so while still flicking a few pellets with the catty I decided to get the casters out of the cool-bag, that I'd bought simply as it had been fishing hard. I topped up with a reasonable pinch of casters but swapping to them on the hook gave me just two small perch.


It was a good hour later before I had any signs of life again, before a decent mirror of about 5lb made a mistake. A bite next drop saw a smaller carp of 2lb quickly netted, and again a bite pretty much instantly after saw me play a decent fish for a few minutes before losing it near the net. It looked a good 6lb and on day when bites had been hard to come by I have to admit I said a few choice words! I topped up with a few casters again but the swim had predictably quietend off. I was just about to try the margins when a bite out of the blue gave me a common of a good 7lb, but next drop gave me a little perch! I had a quick lifeless try on the margins but didn't give it too long before going back across.


I had a lifeless spell across but kept plugging away as the fish were of a good stamp - I had one fish less than peg 33 but I was thinking we had a similar weight as mine were bigger. The next action of any note was a rather frustrating period, firstly I lost a good fish which charged miles along the bank to my left and through a huge weed bed. I got it out of the weed eventually and played it infront of me before the hook pulled. I got a glance of it under the water and it looked to be nearing double figures, although the angle it was swimming suggested it may have been hooked in the cheek rather than in the mouth. A few minutes later, after again topping up with casters I lost a fish of about 4lb near the net when the hook-link parted. That was bad angling on my part as it must have been damaged on the last fish and I didn't notice.


The swim died off for a while, and the margin had never shown signs of life. I could see peg 33 pulling away from me now after a run of fish from their margins. I kept flicking a few pellets across too, hoping the noise would attract some fish. An odd person walking told me that it was the same for everyone. Coming in to the penultimate hour I started to see odd fish cruising, and a switch to half a worm caught me a perch of about a pound and a half followed by a common of about 3lb. Then the next few drops all resulted in wasp perch on the drop so I topped it up and went back to the edge.


It was nearing the last hour when I had another bite, strait after my last spell in the margins. A mirror of about 5lb fell, and then next chuck I played a fish of about the same size to the net before the hook pulled! This again slowed the swim, while I could see peg 33 still nabbing an odd fish swapping between the edge and across.


With fifty minutes to go I decided to try something with the top-up feed, giving the 50/50 caster and pellet mix a good squirt of Dynamite Baits Swim-Stim Natural liquid. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, it's been in my bag for three years! Dropping strait over it produced a dumpy 4lb+ common, and another followed a few minutes after, again of about the same size or perhaps a touch bigger. The drop after that gave me gave me a fish that wanted to go through the same weed as the lump I'd lost earlier, it didn't make it though, and after a good tussle absolutely mint double figure common was in the net! I had twenty minutes left after that but the swim seemed a little lifeless, so it got another helping of pellet and caster through the pot, with the same good squirt of liquid!


With ten minutes to go I hadn't had any more bites, then with me wishing for one more I got it, panning a common of about 3lb with three minutes left by my watch..... Time for another one then? Rig back out, I flicked four pellets over with the catty and away went the float! Another 3lb'er was panned and I had the rig back in the swim again, but didn't manage to get a bite in the twenty seconds or so until the whistle!


I was the last to weigh (as the peg to my left had gone, but I couldn't see them) so I packed away and got to follow the scales all the way round for once. Infact, somehow I ended up on the scales which was supposed to be the first two pegs job! Going round the lowest weight put on the scales was just short of 20lb, with the weights pretty tight until peg 33. They had more fish than me and weighed in just over 40lb - I knew I had that! My silvers net (well, everything in it was green and stripy!) went 2lb 3oz, while my 11 carp bottomed out the 55lb scales! Not a bad thing as it happened as it meant I got to weigh the double seperate (thinking about it when I got home I should have got a picture of it!). The remaining fish went 46lb 13oz, while the biggy on it's own went 11lb 10oz giving me a total of 60lb 10oz.


What was noticeable after the match was that most had caught late on, so the golden hour wasn't just in my peg - did adding the liquid to my feed make any difference? Who knows, but it can't have done any harm to the peg so it's something I'll bear in mind to try again. Incidentally, when I left my peg to find the scales the swim was solid with carp feeding across, a good forty minutes since any bait had gone in. Everyone also suffered a few hook pulls, as I also did last time on the same lake. It's not something I've had before and I can only put it down to the fact they aren't feeding properly. I did learn one lession mind, be carefull if you buy cheap correcting fluid to mark the depth of your top-kits as it tends to be very runny and prone to dripping - I now have a blue bib and brace with white polka-dots on it!

Sunday June 12th

Firstly I'll start by apologising to everyone who checked here last week for a blog that never appeared - I had every intention of fishing when I wrote my last blog, but instead ended up at a barbeque in Milton Keynes!

On arriving at the lake the drizzle started but I had a walk around anyway. There wasn't really anywhere I didn't want to draw, and when my hand went in the bag and came out with 66 I was quite happy, being as it has good recent form, and I was a second off the peg a few weeks ago.

I had three lines of attack on the peg; a rig for tight across, one for 5m and one for the left hand margin at about 10m down the bank. The rigs were standard fayre and anyone who reads regularly will know them! Across was a NG Floats XTM in about 16in of water on .17 line to a 6in hook-length of .15 tied to an 18 Fox Series 2. Lakky on this was Preston 15h. The 5m line was in about 4.5ft of water, float was a .2gr Ng Decker. Line and hooks were the same as the previous rig, while lakky was black Hydro. Last up was a margin rig, a .2gr DC5 float in about 3ft of water. As per usual for the margins the gear was stepped up with line being .19 to .17 and a 16 Fox Series 2 and matched to purple Hydro.

On the whistle I fed about twenty pellets across via cup, and then half a cup of hemp and corn on the 5m line. I elected not to feed the margin yet as it's a line I've never caught that much off in the past, and also with the match being a later start than usual I wanted to keep some bait back just incase the fish moved in numbers in the early evening!

Going across on an expander pellet produced a small roach, and then the next drop the pellet was shredded by small fish. This led to me slipping a band on the hook and trying a hard pellet. I still got knocks from roach but at least I wasn't losing my bait quickly. I picked up the catapult and started to feed pellets across. At 16m across I was having to break the pole down twice, and didn't fancy a pot on the end! Also, I hoped the regular noise (easy to feed more often with the catty than a pot!) would draw some fish.

After about forty minutes the drizzle turned into rain and with no proper bites I decided to make an unusual decision for me and put my brolly up! I didn't fancy sitting in the rain (probably due to the late night before!). A switch to the close line didn't produce and nobody I could see had caught a carp. I rotated the lines and on the 2hr mark I decided to feed the margin line to give me somewhere else to drop in on, while carrying on feeding across with the catty.

Not long after feeding the margin I started to get signs of life on the 5m line and carried on on this line, dripping corn in by hand over it too. I missed the first bite on this line but the next three drops all produced carp quite quickly. Nothing big, all about 3lb. The swim started going strange and the I had lots of indications and no bites. After playing with the depths a fourth fish fell, a little bigger at perhaps 4lb. I started to see signs of fish across but dropping over all that happened was that I spooked a fish.

No more fish came for a while, with no signs of life at all in the edge. I changed to fishing meat on the 5m line which is something which I've often found works, but all that gained me was a missed bite. Eventually a fifth fish fell on the 5m line to corn, but no more bites came after. I started to up the feed on this line but that had a negative effect as indications slowed down, so I backed off on the bait, while still keeping it dripping in.

With two hours to go the catty-fed pellets seemed to have drawn a few fish across, so slipping a pellet in to the band I went over. This time the fish didn't spook and I found myself playing a fish. The next hour produced a steady run of fish. I put a small Cad-Pot on the pole in an attempt to tighten up the feed and get bites faster. All this done was produce more line bites so I took the pot off and carried on with the catty, which was so much easier in the rain too!

I got up to nine carp before losing the tenth when it ran behind a bramble rooted in the water. A new rig saw me carry on catching fish steady, and many of the bites didn't need me to lift! None of them were big, fish averaging 3lb. I was up to fourteen fish with half an hour to go when I lost another fish in the bramble, even the lakky was in the bramble, meaning I lost the whole rig (and a precious float!) in process. The next fish I lost when it went under my net! Something that wouldn't have happend had I not had my umberella up! To be honest it was in the way when playing fish but with the rain now lashing down I wasn't taking it down.

The two lost fish seemed to slow the swim a little and I finished on sixteen carp and then had to pack up in the peeing rain. I could see that a few people had caught late but I was ahead of everyone I could see. When the scales got to me top weight was 38lb, and my estimate of having just about 50lb was close when they totalled 50lb 10oz and good enough for the win, and a reward for spending the day out in probably the grottiest June day's fishing I've known! Infact, the fish felt warmer than I did....

Sunday 29th May

Well, what a mad dash the morning turned out to be! For whatever reason my alarm didn't go off when it was supposed to, leading to me getting up at great speed at 7.15am. Oh, and it was windy, still....


With a near full house again there would be a few pegs in that I wouldn't want, that said, the wind wasn't that bad on the lake considering. I was pretty happy with my draw, with peg 33 offering a decent margin plus shallow water over. It's also a peg I've done well on in the past, although it's quite a while since I last had it.


Rig-wise, I had three tops set up. The first was for tight over to the island at 16.5m, right on the point of the island in about 16in of water. The second was for at 16m on the slope up to the island in about two and a half feet of water. The last was for 11m along to my left margin. Depth was the exact same as the slope rig as the margin, so that would double up as a lighter rig for the margins too. Terminal gear for the far-bank rigs was .17 to .15 and an 18 Fox Series 2 with Preston 15h. Float on the shallowest rig was a NG XTM, while the deeper one was a .2gr DC5. Margin rig was a .2gr DC5 on .19 to .17 and a 16 Fox Series 2 matched to purple Hydro. Typically, carrying on with the rushed theme to the day for some reason I managed to not be ready at the start and was only pumping my expanders as the whistle went, hence why the picture is from after the match.


When I was eventually ready I cupped out a pinch of pellet to the island on the slope, electing not to got too tight immediatly. As I was shipping the cup back the angler on the next peg was netting a skimmer of a pound. I put a quarter of a cup of hemp and corn down the margin, then as I baited up to go across the next peg was netting another skimmer of about 2.5lb!


My first half an hour only produced a single liner, although I could see odd fish coming along the island just short of where I was fishing, and then turning back and running along where people weren't fishing tight over. I fed a small pinch of bait right in to the island and started to fish there. I was feeding a few pellets with the big cup every twenty minutes or so to keep something going in, as well as topping up the margin line every forty-five minutes. I'd like have fished with small pot on the pole but the wind being a bit swirly it was unmanagable, and the last thing I wanted was to snag the island at that distance on summer gear!


On the two and a half hour mark I was getting worried, not only was I still biteless but along with my neighbours two skimmers I'd only seen one small carp caught! The fish still most definetly have spawning rather than eating on their minds. With nothing to lose I got the casters out of my cool bag that I buy every week and most often feed the birds in the garden with - nothing to lose by trying! I started introducing them 50/50 with the pellets and noticed that it started to bring odd signs of life to the swim. I was also happier in the conditions as it allowed me to lay some line on the bottom fishing double caster, something that doesn't really work (for carp anyway) with pellet. Just after the second top-up with caster I hooked a fish and then lost it, then on the third go, dead on the three hour mark and halfway in to the match I landed my first fish, a common of about 4lb.


The swim had definetly seemed to benefit from introducing caster, with more knocks and indications. I even foul-hooked a carp when the wind gusted and yanked the pole round! There were odd fish there, but most definetly not interested. With two hours to go I dropped in down the edge and had two very positive liners, but a spell trying both meat and double corn, and single corn on the light rig failed to get a bite. Quite surprising really, as before I'd always caught down the edge on this peg, even if they were smaller fish.


With an hour and a half to go and still being no better off I had a plan! I needed to do something, I could see peg 35 now catching a few fish but word had come round that it was slow everywhere. I'd put in my carryall all the bit bags of groundbait we all have, so I mixed the lot together so it was quite damp and dumped the lot down the edge via the biggest cup I had, with the intention of fishing a whole worm over it. A right motley mix of Dynamite, Sonubaits and some Marukyu crumb went in, and five big pots of it!


I left the edge to settle and with an hour to go, just as I was going to drop in on the edge, I had a small mirror of about 2lb across and then I lost two fish on the bounce - one of which looked a good 6lb too. I took the hook-length off and changed it, even though the hook seemed fine. I then topped up the far bank and had a look over the margin line, but it produced nothing.


With a little over half an hour to go I was back across and instantly had a small black, gold and silver koi of about 2lb, followed not long after by a common of the same size. Topping up a small amount with the cupping kit was slowing me down a touch, but the wind at times was just making it awkward enough that I didn't want a pot on at length. The next fish was definetly much bigger, and after a lively fight a ghostie of about 7lb was panned. With only peg 35 catching from what I could see I reckoned with one more decent fish I'd probably make the frame, and with ten minutes to go I got my wish! It's not often I've wished I was using a pull-bung on lakky as strong as 15h but I'm sure I'd have got it's head up quicker (or lost it!), but eventually a common of about 12lb was panned. I literally had time to bait up, ship across and lay the rig in. I immediatly had signs of fish but the whistle went! Still, not a bad ending to an albeit slow day.


I was one of the last few to weigh and when the scales got to me 22lb was winning and 19lb second. My mostly last hour frenzy totalled 29lb 3oz on the scales, but I was sure peg 35 would have that. I was wrong however, as the fish I could see them catching must have been small as they totalled 21lb for third leaving me in first.


With the weather set to pick up during the week hopefully the fish will spawn and get munching on the new lake, it's frustrating as there are fish there that just aren't interested at the moment. Everyone who had carp also lost fish that weren't foul-hooked, and I think it's just that the fish are not feeding properly at the moment. Still, I may not be on that lake next week as the first Sunday in June is the blind pairs match. Hopefully it wont be so blooming windy!

Sunday May 22nd

Sundays just lately seem to have developed a distinct theme - wind! For the third Sunday in a row I was greeted by the sound of the wind when I got up at 6.30am.


I hadn't walked round the lake before the draw, but I fancied any of the pegs in the open water as they were the least affected by the wind and also I feel offer the best chance of catching short should the wind get worse. There were a few of those pegs left when I put my hand in the bag too, but instead I drew 59, one of the pegs in the line round the island that really struggled last time.


When I got to the peg the wind was blowing down both arms of the island and into me, but I was shielded from the worst of the wind by the island with just a bit of ripple coming round the corner. The wind didn't prevent me from fishing across, and 14.5m was enough to reach tight to the island in about 16in of water. I wasn't going to place too much faith in this line, if the island produces it does so early on. The two main lines were a 2+2 line, in about five and a half foot of water a .4gr NG Decker was the choice, a very stable pattern and plenty up to the tow I had. The last line was the one I hoped would go, the margins. The peg has a long margin to the right to draw fish from and while there was nothing moving in my peg I was confident the wind pushing my way would move some in. This line was at about 9m down the bank into a nice bay in the bank in a little over 2ft of water, using a .2gr DC5 float. Lines on the far and middle rigs was .17 to .15 with an 18 Fox Series 2 hook, while the margin rig was on .19 to .17 to a 16 Fox Series 2. Lakky's were 15h on the far and 2+2 line and purple Hydro for the margin.


On the whistle I fed a pinch of 6mm pellets across, while the 2+2 line had a pinch of hemp and corn. The margins had half a pot of hemp and corn. I'd elected not to feed any meat on the margins due to the tow, keeping to heavier baits to keep the fish on the deck. On the first drop roach shredded the expander so I went over to a banded pellet and started to drip pellets over the top. On the forty-five minute mark I'd only had roach knocks across so I topped up the margins (the pegs either side had a fish each from their edges) and went on to the 2+2 line, where I'd been dripping corn.


I'd spent half an hour on the closer line with just one line bite from a fish I could see cruising, which was the first carp I'd seen in my peg, so I went back across. I had around twenty minutes across with just roach nudges on an expander to show so I dropped in on the 2+2 line again. I had an odd liner which was encouraging, then as I looked up at the next peg to see them net a fish I felt a tug as a fish hooked it's self. The result was a common of around 3lb or so, and was followed with similar sized fish on the next two drops. Predictably, as it was early for the line to produce it faded away, so I topped it up with a decent pinch of hemp and corn and had a drop in the margins, although this never produced.


A fishless forty-five minutes saw me half way in to the match so I decided to push the margins a bit by feeding a bit more often via the large cup. With just over two hours left this paid off with my first bite down the edge on double corn, although the fish was my smallest at about 2lb! Topping up with a large toss-pot of hemp and corn the next three drops all produced carp around the 4lb mark before the fish seemed to back off. I topped up with half a pot and dropped back on to the 2+2 line where I lost a fish before a spell of liners with no bites led me to nudge the float up a bit to give a little more stability to the bait, plus trying double corn. This had the effect I wanted as a fish fell strait away, and another the next drop before a large tail waving over the margin led me to want to try that again!


Over the edge the fish drifted off as soon as I dropped over them, and while I'd just pulled away from the pegs either side I had no idea what anyone else had caught, I decided with just over an hour to go it was time to force the margins! A whole pot of bait was noisily slapped in to the edge and then I dropped in over it with a lump of meat. The next fifty minutes or so gave me a steady run of fish, and if a bite didn't follow after I topped up with the toss-pot a whole big pot worked! Not massive fish but they were coming steady. With twenty minutes to go I put my fifteenth carp in the net, and then on the next drop hooked a fish which felt much bigger than all the others. I carefully played it back to the top-kit when the hook pulled! The last spell of the match was frustrating as I missed five bites down the edge, the only bites I missed all day.


I had no idea what others had apart from those either side but I guessed I had somewhere between 50-55lb. When the scales got to me 30lb was the top weight and my fish went 52lb 10oz, almost dead in the middle of my guess! This was comfortably top until peg 70 pushed me very close putting 51lb 4oz on the scales. I didn't see the others weigh in but those weights were enough for a Spurs fan 1-2, with I think that 30lb weight from the first peg being third.


I have to say, the win aside, I enjoyed the day! I felt I worked hard at the swim and made the right decisions with the feeding and even though it took me a while to put a few fish together I was always sure I would get a few should I keep plugging away, and it was nice to be able to influence the swim and get a result from a peg that, to be honest, I didn't want! Next week is a bank holiday weekend so I'm not sure what day I'll be fishing next weekend, but I will be out!

Sunday 15th May

With a full house again this Sunday I wasn't really sure where I wanted to draw on the New Lake, my only request was a peg out of the wind! When peg 23 came out of the bag in my hand I was well happy, as not only was I off the worst of the wind but I also had a fair bit of room! I've tried to upload the picture of the peg but for some reason it won't (I will try again later!) but it's the same peg I drew on my first blog, should you want to look!

Obviously the first line of attack was a small method to the island. Normal gear here was my trusty 10ft puddle-chucker and a small 30gr Preston in-line method. Normally I'd use Dynamite Swim-Stim for the groundbait but I'd decided to pick up the bag of Marukyu something or other that I was given by a mate to try - it's been in the shed for ages so I thought I'd use it! Standard fayre otherwise, with size 16 Kammy Animals on .18 hook-links completeing the set-up. I had two lines ear-marked for the pole; a 5m line and a margin rig in to the bay to my left at 13m. The 5m line was in 5ft of water using a .4gr NG Decker. Line was .17 to .15 and an 18 Fox Series 2 on black hydro. I had two rigs for the margin in 2ft of water, both .2gr DC5's on .19 line, just one with a .17 hook-link and 16 Fox Series 2, the other with a .15 hook-link and an 18 hook. The stronger was on purple hydro and the other on Preston 15h. I wanted a lighter option as sometimes the fish are smaller in the peg, or so I've found.

With the whistle blowing I started off by feeding both the pole swims, both a bit lighter than perhaps normal for the time of year in the cold north-westerly wind. Starting on the method to the corner of the island it was a good twenty minutes before I had any indications, with the next two chucks also giving liners before the tip finally yanked round with a fat 4lb+ common, funilly enough on the first cast after I'd buried the bait right in the feeder instead of leaving it on top of the mould. Thinking I had it sussed I did the same again, but I most definetly didn't as no bites followed on the next two drops so I had a brief (biteless) spell on both pole lines.


Pretty much first chuck back on the feeder and another bite saw me attached toa fish that felt bigger, but it wasn't really much bigger, just one of the black and gold/silver koi that inhabit the lake and fight like stink!


As seemed to be the theme for the last few weeks the swim totally died, and I coudln't get a bite! I'd bought worm with me and started to introduce choppy and caster to the margin in a bid to draw some lif e in to the swim, but it just didn't work! And it was the same for everyone, apart from peg 27 who I could see was nicking an odd fish.


With an hour to go a brace of big commons started to cruise in and out of the bay to my left so I abandoned the feeder and plugged away more on the pole in the edge. I decided to feed whole cups of loose groundbait to give a fair amount of attractant with little feed. Fishing a fair size dendra over the top I started to get an odd liner with half an hour to go, then with just ten minutes to go the float went and the lakky followed! After playing what was obviously a lump for about five minutes the hook just in-explicably pulled.... And I swore very loud.


As the scales came round 20lb was top weight with 16lb second. I tipped back 9lb with two fish and the late lost fish was most likey a double costing me definetly third and in all likelyhood second, with 32lb winning and that 20lb being second. The only saving grace was listening to van der Vaart smash one home from 2o yards as I was packing up, then Modric stabbing in a (dubious) penalty as I left the peg on the radio as Spurs completed the league double over Liverpool (sorry Carl!) Still, it enlightened my day when everything in the fishing seemed to want to go against me!

Sunday 8th May

Having little time to sit at the laptop and write this weeks update will be a bit brief!


With a near full house I wanted to draw a peg in the open water with a bit of room. What I actually drew was the narrowest peg around the island, peg 53! It can be a good summer peg as it has a long margin, but my hopes there weren't great as peg 55 was in, which is seldom used.


To save the boredom I'll not drag out my two carp and three roach for about 9lb! I sat in a row of six pegs where only two people weighed in, and to be honest I don't know why they bothered. The days frustrations weren't helped by the angler on the next peg firing pouches of corn down the margins into my peg and words were had, although in truth it probably had very little effect as the fish just wearn't there to catch! The open water pegs fished fairly steady with a few close weights and 47lb winning.


With a bit of luck the fish will spawn soon and spread out looking for some grub - allowing me to try and make something happen. It's frustrating sitting in summer weather catching less than I was in February.

May Bank Holiday Pairs

Well, the year is certainly rolling in! May already, bringing with it the annual May Day pairs match.


As per usual I fish the first lake in the pairs and was sent to draw the pegs, coming out with pegs 70 and 20, which we were happy with! On sitting down at the peg just one thing concerned me - the wind! Walking around the lake it was the windiest area of the lake, blowing right to left and then hitting the big tree's behind the lake and swirling back.


First line of attack was the pole at 16.5m in to the bay in about 15in of water, this rig was on .15 direct to an 18 Fox Series 2 to Preston 15h lakky, with the float a Nick Gilbert XTM. I also put up my 10ft Puddle Chucker to fish a small method as the wind was so bad. My second line was at 5m, using a .4gr NG Decker on .17 line to a .15 hook-link and an 18 Fox Series 2. This was in about 6ft of water. Last up was a rig for 10m to my right in the margins in about 2ft of water. This was on .18 direct to a 16 Fox Series 2 and matched to purple hydro with the float a .2gr DC5.


On the whistle (well, not quite as I was catching up with a mate who I'd not seen for a while) I fed the 5m line with half a pot of corn and hemp, while the margin received a whole pot of meat, hemp and corn. Shipping across and the wind was a bit of a hand full but it didn't take long to start getting signs of fish. On the half hour mark I got fed up of hanging on for grim death in the wind and quickly knocked up a bit of crumb for the method. I'd seen others catch in their more sheltered swims and didn't want to fall too far behind!


I had a quick try on the 5m line while waiting for the crumb to soak up the water but it was lifeless (I wasn't surprised so early) so I topped up the margin and loaded up the method and flicked it across to were I'd been fishing. It didn't take long for the tip to yank round and in four chucks over about twenty minutes I had four carp in the net for about 14lb. My thinking I had it sussed didn't last long as the next few chucks met with no response.


A brief try on the two closer pole lines wasn't met with any joy so I made the most in a lull in the wind by dropping in on the long pole. I was just toying with bringing it in and trying closer when a bite saw me playing a fish bigger than the others I'd had. After a lively fight an 8lb mirror was in the net and the day was looking much more interesting, especially when it was followed by a 5lb common next drop. Then however, the wind intervened and I couldn't hold the pole still across again.


The next hour was frustrating, I couldn't hold the pole still enough to get a bite but the fish were most definitely there, while the method seemed to make fish back away. The wind carried on picking up and got to the point where I didn't dare put the pole across (it bought down a large tree not too far away with an almighty crack!) and the fish totally vanished from across. I couldn't get a bite from either of the two lines and upped the feed in the margins in the attempt to bring it to life but I ended the match on the six carp I'd caught early. The only movement of note later in the match was when I had to get up and put my coat on as the cold north-easterly wind was making me rather cold!


On the scales I totalled 28lb 3oz for fifth on the lake, just 5oz off fourth with the two top weights coming from the two most sheltered pegs on the lake. My partner had managed a lake third and overall we managed third pair, two points behind 2nd and three points behind first, saving what had been a frustrating day where there had been fish there that I wasn't able to fish properly for. In hindsight I wished I'd bought worm to fish choppy, something that I think fish hang on to for longer and lets you fish over depth, both a help in rough conditions! Next week should be back to normal Sunday matches and will hopefully see me in to a few fish.