Helen was working at Chipping Norton on 3 September so we stayed in the town overnight and I visited the local Butlers Hill Fishery.

I was first on the fishery and took a corner swim on the first lake. This is the deepest of three lakes with allegedly the biggest carp. It is a small lake but very 'inviting'. The corner swim was ideal for stalking carp up against the reed beds.

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I caught a few smallish (unweighed) carp on bread and crust during the morning, the best fish coming to floating biscuit just after lunch. A 3lb 1oz common rounded things off just before I packed up.

I had eight fish in all:

Mirror (approx. 1½ lb) - crust [09.45]
Common (approx. 1½ lb) - bread [10.00]
Mirror (approx. 1½ lb) - bread [10.20]
Mirror (approx. ½ lb) - bread [11.00]
Crucian (approx. 1½ lb) - bread [11.40]
Mirror (approx. 1½ lb) - biscuit [13.00]
Mirror (4lb 12oz) - biscuit [14.30]
Common (3lb 1oz) - bread [15.30]

All fish bar one were taken on a light carp rod with 8lb line. I dropped to a 3.5lb hook length at one point but after landing a small fish was broken by a larger one.

The 4lb 12oz fish was feeding right on the edge of the furthest reed bed and I needed to drop a free-lined floating biscuit just in the right place - after about 20 minutes I succeeded!