Diary Entry

...hours of no bites, but catching a bit of a sun tan, I quickly moved to the main lake as soon as the match was over. I fished in my favourite swim, the round shaped bay, and got a steady number of bites, but missed them all. No activity on the bolt rig. I actually hooked into two medium sized carp for a few seconds before their mad dash for the reeds got them off the hook. Very frustrating. I stayed until it was nearly dark (about half six) in desperation to catch a fish, any fish, so I could try out the fish catch app. Typical. I really must get myself some surface fishing gear. I think...

First Trip To Manor Farm Fishery. Today was my first trip to Manor farm at Swilland, Ipswich. I caught nine carp (I think, will have to check my notes). It was quite nice weather, cold but with some nice sunshine. The bailiff was very friendly, and I should consider going back there, especially if I want plenty of runs from small carp.The venue is quite remote, but not very far from Sproughton. The bailif...

...ds, and the bailiffs were really nice. The lake is really just a pond, but was spotless and quite picturesque.Saturday was really mild and without a breath of wind. I thought I would try somewhere new again, in my relentless search for somewhere to replace what I had at Marsh Farm i.e. loads of carp with an average size of 10 lbs, in beautiful surroundings. There was a match on so I was restricted to one half of the small lake. It is about two and a half feet deep all over and a funny lime green colour to the water. They are very friendly there, with several people coming to talk to me,...

Great Day Out With Sam. Took Sam fishing today at Bromswell Lakes. We caught loads of carp in the very hot humid sunshine, and generally had fun. There was hardly any wind, and it felt very clammy. We stayed until it got dark, mainly so I could make sure I caught more fish than Sam...We set up, or rather I set up (Sam doesn't know how to tackle up) at my favourite swim, and almos...

...ing day of the year, but I must admit I did not like the look of the fishery. It seemed very scruffy and neglected, and certainly not as nice and intimate as the photos on their website made it look.I cast one ledger rod to the far bank, where the warm wind was blowing into, and I had seen some carp jumping, and float fished in the margin on the near bank. After about 40 minutes I got a tentative run on the ledger, and was into something very heavy and slow moving. I played the fish for a few minutes, when it zoomed towards me, and because I didn't reel in fast enough, it spat out the ...

... a bite. I missed a couple more, and assumed that it was skimmers, as they are a problem at Marsh Farm, especially when float fishing with luncheon meat. But I was wrong, and within 15 minutes I had landed a 10-11lb Common. Then, for the next few hours I caught more bream, and had another large carp on, but it spat out the hook.  On my last cast of the day, just as it was getting dark, I hooked a monster. It really was the most exciting bit of fishing I have ever experienced. It bent my Korum Power Float rod double, but it held, and I managed to steer the beast away from the tree t...

...t spot, on the back of the cold wind. It looked reasonably promising, and I caught three small fish. While I was sat there, I noticed a dead fish floating on the surface, and recalled that some guy had told me that the lake had an otter problem. As the light faded I started to get bites from carp, and had a couple on briefly before they spat the hook. Then I had an almighty take, the fish making a dash for the tree that I was fishing against. It felt big and powerful, and then it snapped me. If I'm clever I should learn a couple of things from this. Firstly, it is a balancing act...

...a is still blowing and I was in full winter clothing. I dream of a warm sunny day where I actually have to put sun cream on and do not have to struggle to keep warm.I'm pretty sure that the cold wind is killing the fishing, which is a shame because this is probably the best time of year for carp fishing, where they are busy fattening up for spawning. I still managed to quite enjoy the day, and got constant bites from bream. I also caught another one of those strange hybrid fish. It is the golden colour of a carp, and fights extremely hard like a carp, but looks like a giant rudd. If it...

... but the wind was bitterly cold, and as usual I was covered from head to toe in thermal clothing.I really could do with a good trip soon. This one was boring, cold and not much fun at all. I was tired and probably did not fish very well. The young lad, who I regularly see there, caught loads of carp that only added to my depression. But thinking about it, he was constantly trying new swims, which probably is what I should have been doing. I eventually got a medium sized carp from underneath the tree on ledger, and it fought like mad. Then the bites ran dry and I packed up before it got ...

..., specifically my hook lengths and hooks, let me down badly, and I was snapped many times, and even had my hook bent straight.It was a mild day (cold for mid May), but I was cozy in my bivvy. Within 10 minutes of casting out the ledger I had a screaming run and managed to bring in an 8lb Mirror Carp, quite possibly the most beautiful carp I have ever caught, so of course I had forgotten my camera, hence no photos today. In the next few hours I had a succession of violent takes, from small but very angry carp, who proceeded to snag me or snap me all evening. I think I need to step up my ...