Back to Fields End on a pleasant day sandwiched between heavy rain and wind the previous day, and more of the same predicted for the following day.

Today I went to the opposite end of the reed bank to the left of my usual reed-corner swim. A chap was there last week and did well, but more importantly it seemed easier to fish than the reed-corner swim, which is now a bit awkward since a new platform has been installed.

I don’t like platforms and have been sitting to the side of it. However, this makes access and egress difficult with a high risk of stumbling.

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The other end of the reeds is still difficult, but one has the advantage that you can apply direct opposing pressure against the fish running into the reeds, which is not possible in the reed-corner swim.

It took a while to get used to the swim, but it didn’t take long to get my first fish and from then on I caught throughout the day. Nothing exceptional but very good sport, with a bonus tench. Moreover, I lost only two fish, one in the reeds, that may have been a foul-hook, as a scale came back on the hook; the other was simply failed hook-hold. Here’s a summary of the day:

08.25 - Common 5lb
09.00 - Common 5lb
(Looked very similar to the first one but I can't believe it was the same fish.)
09.15 - Tench 3lb 3oz
09.35 - Common 3lb 5oz
10.40 - Mirror 3lb 10oz
13.00 - Common 6lb
13.30 - Mirror 6lb 6oz
14.00 - Mirror 6lb 14oz
14.15 - Mirror 5lb 8oz
14.45 - Mirror 11lb (photo)
16.00 - Mirror 8lb 10oz - luncheon meat
16.50 - Mirror 8lb 13oz - luncheon meat (photo)
17.35 - Mirror 6lb 4oz

I packed up at 18.00.

All fish were taken on bread flake except where indicated.

Conditions allowed float fishing all day, which is my preferred method. The weather was kind and amazingly I didn’t lose any tackle. Even with the fish I lost in the reeds, the terminal tackle popped back undamaged - amazing.