Diary Entry

...there was a fishing match on and so Horseshoe Lake was closed. I therefore set up on the smaller match lake, not very hopeful of much action and I was right. I ledgered and float fished, both rigs were with shell fish boilies, hard on the bottom. After three 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 befo...

...mall carp.The venue is quite remote, but not very far from Sproughton. The bailiff was very friendly, and said that the carp got to about 15lb, and responded well to bread off the top, and luncheon meat, which was handy !. I think I will go there next week because it's easy to catch carp, even though the average size seems quite small. There was an extremely tame duck that hassled me for ages while squeeking at me in a really cute way. Luncheon meat caught most of the carp, though I had a few bigger carp (get off) later in the evening on fishy (crab) boilies, hair-rigged.

... 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 almost immediately started to catch small carp. Sam caught about 5, and I got 7, the biggest being about 6lbs. All were caught on hair rigged crab boilie, some on float and some on bolt rig. It was a really enjoyable day and we had a lot to eat, caught the sun, and lost several carp in the reeds.

...What is happening to this countries weather ? It was bright sun shine all day long, with light winds, but I did not hold out much hope as it was -5c this morning, and snowing all of last week. It really does not feel like spring.Anyway, I learnt a few lessons today. I am not going to catch much unless I scale down my tackle. I think I am going down to 10lb (or may be even 8lb) main line, with a fluorocarbon hook length of 6 or 7lbs. I need to take a larger selection of bait (may be maggots) and get some ground bait and bait bands. Next week there should hopefully be some more...

Rather Good Start To The Fishing Year. Today I decided to return to Marsh Farm Fishing lakes, even though it was very windy, the forecast said it would be 19c. This would be the third fishing trip of 2013 and I desperately wanted to actually catch something. I had fined down my tackle to 8lb mainline, with a 7lb low diameter hook length, and had a load of fresh boilies and pellets to use.My hopes were high at first, but I quickly became despondent as the cold started to seep into my bones from the constant gale force winds. It was freez...

... I suspected would have something lurking, and got a carp. Finally, later in the evening I eventually got a carp from a “carpy” place I had spotted – under some trees, on the back bank behind the island, near the up turned boat.  Sometimes I am determined to catch a carp from a certain spot, just to try to validate my watercraft skills i.e. I was right about this spot, so maybe I can trust my instincts. Here's hoping... The day was freezing cold and windy, but I still managed to have a nice barbecue outside the tent.

...e far bank, by the old boat, close into the margin, I soon started getting interest.The man told me that it was £1200 to keep a caravan at Marsh Farm for the year, and I am seriously considering the idea. It would be great to come down here at the weekend and just chill out and catch big carp. Check out http://www.marshfarm-caravansite.co.uk/fishing-lakes Anyway, back to the fishing. It was hot (as usual) and overcast, but with quite a strong breeze to keep me cool. This seemed to be perfect conditions for the carp, but not so much for my tactics. I can be lazy at ...

...oduced an 8lb chubby and fairly short common.  So, to sum up, the good points were: My new carping barrow was a success and made getting to the bank much easier The sonar fish finder is probably not going to be much use. Going fishing in March it is possible to catch carp, however fishing is probably better in the mid day sun that the usual twilight witching hour, presumably because the water is at its peal temperature. Its a shame that I never got to try out my new Wychwood Carp Rod, take a look, its pretty cool.

...et up.I found a nice lagoon, and baited up, and soon my float was surrounded by bubbles. I assumed they were cause by small bream, because every time I struck, nothing was there. But when I decided to change to a small piece of lucheon meat, rather than a large one, I started to catch fish. A lesson is to be learnt here. Bigger baits do not alway equal bigger fish, and may sometimes put off proper bites.

... "runs" water, Two Pole Lake, and almost immediately caught a small carp.After an hour or two of good fishing, things suddenly went blank, after about 6pm. Strange. I also lost a large carp earlier (under a tree) and this proved to be a fatal mistake, as I never got another chance to catch a big carp at Woodlakes. Will I go again ? In two minds. Its is an amazing place, but the lake outside the cabin is just so difficult to fish. No one was catching anything all week. I need to find a "runs" water in front of a cabin, if I really want to enjoy the trip.