Bob Goes Fishing | Welcome

Please rotate your device

This page is best viewed in Landscape orientation
(or tap anywhere to view in Portrait orientation)

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!

QR code

YouTube channel

Venues
& topics
Species
Archive
Venues & topics
Species
Archive

Syndicate Lake (17)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Carp 9lb+

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 15.00
Weather: Warm, bright and cloudy with a light southerly breeze.
Swim: SW corner, Lily pads and east bank.
Tackle: 10ft Fishtec Compact Float, Shimano bait caster, 8lb line, 10 hook.
Baits: Luncheon meat & sweetcorn - all fish on luncheon meat.
Fish: A roach and a 9lb carp.

Second time at the lake this year. Hard work but managed one carp.

Today I had planned to fish the SW corner. A tricky swim that requires you to clamber down a steep slope, with about ten feet of water over the edge should you fall. Overhanging trees make it even more difficult to fish but I have had past success with carp on the couple of previous occasions that I’ve fished it.

Read full report

Species: Carp, Rudd

Syndicate Lake (14)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Carp 8lb 3oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 11.00
Weather: Very hot with no wind to speak of
Swim: NE bay.
Tackle: 12ft Drennan Barbel Specialist, 8lb line, 10 hook.
14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, Shimano Exage 1000RC reel with 5lb line and 14 hook.
Bait: Luncheon meat.
Fish: Three carp, best 9½ lbs.

Hard work due to heat but 3 carp caught.

My neighbour’s father, Mick, was house-minding for them and we arranged a trip to the lake. He hadn’t been before as he usually fishes Fields End when he’s up here. We arrived at the lake at around 11.00 and I showed him to the Lily Pads swim, being probably the easiest to fish of the few swims that are not totally overgrown. I settled into the NE Bay.

Read full report

Species: Carp, Rudd

Syndicate Lake (13)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Rudd 1lb 5oz

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

Arrival time: 15.30
Weather: Warm but not too hot after the recent very hot spell.
Swim: NE bay and Lily Pads.
Tackle: 12ft Drennan Barbel Specialist, 8lb line, 10 hook.
Bait: Luncheon meat.
Fish: One rudd 1lb 5oz.

Too much going on recently and I was surprised to note that my last visit to the lake was back in June!

There had obviously been a working party as the brambles had been cleared back and more swims were actually fishable. There are rarely any ‘return’ slips in the hut so I really don’t know how many people fish the lake. There were signs that anglers had been there, witness the fishing-related litter. I don’t know why syndicate members would leave litter so I suspect some of those fishing may be there as unofficial visitors. A pity, but it’s the way of the world.

Read full report

Species: Rudd

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.

Read full report

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.

Read full report

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.

Read full report

Species: Rudd, Roach, Pike

< Previous Page Page 6 / 8 Next Page >

© 2025 Robert Bassett

Report bugs to webmaster

Built in RapidWeaver
with Shaking The Habitual's
Source micro framework

Your privacy
Cookies are only used for the correct functioning of this site and to prevent you seeing this message every time you visit.

Read more about third party cookies ☞

Note that links to third party sites can result in cookies being loaded. For example, there are links to YouTube to display the embedded videos from my channel.