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Diary of an average angler

Who favours traditional methods & baits

fisherman

This diary dates back to a holiday in 2003 when I think the urge to get back into fishing took off. From around 2007 the trips became more frequent with 2010/11 probably being the peak of activity.
Things again pick up in 2020 - a sort of rebirth!

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Venues
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Species
Archive
Venues & topics
Species
Archive

Syndicate Lake (6)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Mirror 11lb 8oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 11.00
Weather: Sunny / cloudy.
NW wind was behind me but it caused sideways drift, making it difficult to control a float.
Swim: Lily pads
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, Shimano Exage 1000RC reel with 5lb line and 14 hook.
Baits: Sweetcorn and luncheon meat.
Fish: Two carp and 16 roach. Best carp 11½ lbs. Best roach 1lb 2oz

Today I decided to try for the roach. I started with sweetcorn and took two roach with the first two casts, the biggest around 4 oz.

After this it went quiet. I was having some difficulty casting to the gap between the lily pads. The cross-wind was troublesome and the overgrown mangle of bramble and shrubs behind me limited the backcast. I changed to a light ledger but things seemed to have gone very quiet.

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Species: Carp 10lb+, Carp, Roach

Syndicare Lake (5)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Roach 1lb 4oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 15.30
Weather: Clear blue sky and very warm.
Breeze not affecting lake.
Swim: Lily pads
Tackle: 11’6” Hardy Marksman, Shimano Exage 4000RC reel, 8lb line, 12 hook.
Bait: All fish taken on luncheon meat.
Fish: One rudd and one roach, each weighing 1lb 4oz

Back for another crack at the carp, but I was to be disappointed.

I was fishing by about 16.00. Light ledgering with luncheon meat. For the first hour I didn’t get a touch. The meat had been nibbled by small fish but nothing even lifted the bobbin indicator.

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Species: Roach, Rudd

Syndicate Lake (4)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Common 11lb 4oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 15.30
Weather: Overcast, brightening into evening.
Light wind not affecting lake.
Swim: Lily pads
Tackle: 11’6” Hardy Marksman, Shimano Exage 4000RC reel, 8lb line, 12 hook.
Bait: All fish taken on luncheon meat.
Fish: Two carp, best 11¼lbs, and a rudd just under a pound.

I decided on a late afternoon / evening visit. The brambles had grown back, so the first job was to clear a few hanging tendrils that were both an annoyance and a hazard. It’s certainly back to nature at this lake. No freshly mown banks and spacious platforms.

It was a slow start but at 16.10 a good indication on the bobbin resulted in a nice rudd of 15oz.

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Species: Carp 10lb+, Rudd

Syndicate Lake (3)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Rudd 1lb 4oz

Only one photo today.
Larger light-box version in the full report

Arrival time: 08.30
Weather: Cloudy bright with no discernible wind.
Swim: Lily pads
Tackle: 11’6” Hardy Marksman, Shimano Exage 4000RC reel, 8lb line, 12 hook.
Bait: All fish taken on luncheon meat.
Fish: A couple of rudd, best 1lb 4oz, a small pike and a small roach. Broken by a carp.

Today I tried a morning session. My main reason for doing this was to avoid the mosquitos in the evening (I’ve been eaten alive this year), although it did also mean I could grab a round of golf later in the afternoon.

The lake was very enticing when I arrived. A mirrored surface with the only noise being that of bees and other insect workers among the overgrown banks. Some of the blackberry thorns had re-established since I had cleared them on my last visit.

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Species: Rudd, Roach, Pike

Syndicate Lake (2)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Rudd 1lb 2oz

Only one photo today.
Larger light-box version in the full report

Arrival time: 14.30
Weather: Bright sun and clouds with hardly any wind
Swim: Lily pads
Tackle: 13ft FishTec multi float, 8lb line, waggler, 12 hook.
11’6” Hardy Marksman, Shimano Exage 4000RC reel, 8lb line, 12 hook.
Bait: All fish taken on luncheon meat.
Fish: A couple of rudd, best 1lb 2oz, and a lost carp.

Second trip to the syndicate lake.

This time I took some shears and cleared the blackberry thorns from the path. I also opened up a route round to the east bank. However, I fished the same spot as last week. An Environment Agency chap was there checking licences when I arrived. Only the second time I’ve been asked in 50 odd years!

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Species: Rudd

Syndicate Lake (1)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
The Lake - First view

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 15.30
Weather: Bright with a light wind
Swim: Lily pads
Tackle:13ft FishTec multi float, 8lb line, waggler, 12 hook.
11’6” Hardy Marksman, Shimano Exage 4000RC reel, 8lb line, 12 hook.
Bait: Bread and luncheon meat. All fish taken on luncheon meat.
Fish: A couple of carp, best 7lb 12oz, and a couple of roach.

First trip to the coarse lake on my syndicate water.

As mentioned in my last diary entry, the coarse lake on this syndicate water is hardly fished. So I’ve found what for me is an ideal location. One could imagine it as one of those lakes mentioned in carp fishing books, with all the mystery of possible whoppers. But perhaps I’m romanticising too much.

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Species: Carp, Roach

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