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.

Things then quietened down completely and I was beginning to think that I was in for one of those non-productive sessions. I kept an eye on the margin reeds for movement but there wasn’t anything that looked like a carp foraging around. I did try placing the bait in the margin and actually lost what could have been a nice roach, but no sign of carp.

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Eventually at 18.10 I had just cast again to the space between the two lily beds, and was setting up the bobbin, when the line pulled through my hands. I tightened into a good fish that clearly wasn’t a rudd. It felt heavy but was a bit lethargic. There were no powerful runs and after a fairly short while I coaxed it to within netting range. There were two or three last minute lunges but it was safely netted. It was a common of 11lb 4oz. It looked healthy bar a strange growth around both nostrils, which may account for its lack of fight.

I had forgotten my camera so had to use my phone for the photograph. As space is so restricted where I fish it’s not really possible to take a ‘posed’ shot so there isn’t much indication of size. I was using a large carp net and my scales are to the side of the shot.

There was a fair amount of commotion and I wouldn’t have been surprised if I hadn’t caught anything else. I had set 19.30 as my packing up time, given it is now getting dark around 20.00. I missed a number of ‘rudd’ bites, then at 19.20, ten minutes from my deadline, a positive bite resulted in another good fish on the line. This one fought harder and it was initially a struggle to keep it from the lily pads. It also tried to get into the marginal reeds as I brought it nearer the bank. I was worried at times that I was perhaps stressing the terminal tackle too much, but fortunately it ended up in the net. The light was fading and the photo from the phone is rather poor, but it was an 11lb partially scaled fish with a characteristic small hump on its back.

So, what started as a doubtful session ended with two very respectable fish. The great thing about this lake is that I don’t really know what’s in it. So with every bite I’m full of anticipation.

Added to this is the total isolation, and on this occasion sight if a kingfisher. I’m in my element.