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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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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 (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 (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

River Indrois (1)

Venue: River Indrois
Common 6lb 5oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 16.00
Weather: Warm with little wind.
Swim: River walk at Montrésor
Tackle: 12ft Greys’ Rova Float rod, 5lb line, waggler, 14 hook.
Bait: All fish taken on bread flake.
Fish: One carp of 6lb 5oz and a very small catfish.

We were in France for three weeks so I took some tackle. I had bought two rods from the Greys’ Rova range and on this occasion used the float rod.

We had walked along the river the previous evening and I spotted a couple of carp under the lily pads. It always helps if you know where the fish hang out.

I returned the next afternoon (Saturday) but the river bank was quite busy with people taking a stroll. Many stopped to talk, which helped me practise my French, but didn’t do much for the carp.

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Species: Carp, Roach, Catfish

Fields End (91)

Venue: Fields End
Mirror 10lb 2oz

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

Arrival time: 13.30
Weather: Clear sunny sky and very light easterly breeze.
Swim: Reed End
Tackle: 12ft Greys’ Prodigy Rova Specimen, 5lb line, waggler, 12 hook.
Bait: All fish taken on bread flake.
Fish: Three carp, best 10lb 12oz, and a tench.

It was the end of March when I last went fishing. The weather has been somewhat wet, to say the least, but I have also been doing other things that have kept me away from the water.

It was also an opportunity to try out a newly acquired Greys’ Prodigy Rova Specimen rod. This is a six-piece 12 foot rod designed for travelling. Now in the past such rods have not come anywhere near matching the performance of two or three-piece blanks. However, this had good reviews and I wanted something I could pack in the car when going on holiday that didn’t need to be laid through the car boot and into the space between the front seats.

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Species: Carp 10lb+, Carp, Tench, Roach

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