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Diary of an average angler

Who favours traditional methods & baits

fisherman

This diary dates back to a holiday in 2003 when I think the urge to get back into fishing took off. From around 2007 the trips became more frequent with 2010/11 probably being the peak of activity.
Things again pick up in 2020 - a sort of rebirth!

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Venues
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Species
Archive
Venues & topics
Species
Archive

Syndicate Lake (9)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Carp 11lb 6oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 14.30
Weather: Cloudy with drizzle, brightening later.
Windy but this didn’t affect the sheltered lake.
Swim: Lily pads
Tackle: 10ft Fishtec compact float rod with Shimano ST5000 reel, 6lb line and 16 hook.
11’6” Hardy Marksman, Shimano Exage 4000RC reel, 8lb line, 12 hook.
Baits: Luncheon meat , worm and sweetcorn.
Fish: One nice carp, 11lbs 6oz, a few roach and a small pike.

The first bit of good news was that the undergrowth hadn’t yet taken hold so I could actually get to what I call the lily pad swim without too much trouble. There were, however, no lily pads at this time of year. They’re obviously awaiting spring/summer like the rest of us.

There were no signs at all of fish movement, which contrasts with when I first looked at the lake in March last year, when there were carp cruising during what was an early warm spell.

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Species: Carp 10lb+, Roach, Pike

Syndicate Lake (10)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
No photos message

Nothing worth photographing today

Arrival time: 12.30
Weather: Cloudy and warm becoming hot when the sun broke through (20 ℃).
Swim: Lily pads and NE bay.
Tackle: 12ft Drennan Barbel Specialist, 8lb line, 10 hook.
Bait: Luncheon meat.
Fish: A few roach.

After some unseasonal May weather the forecast was for a warm sunny day and it didn’t disappoint, although the fish did!

I started at the Lily pads swim and immediately saw carp cruising further out into the lake. I went for quite stiff tackle and started fishing the margin with luncheon meat. To my delight a few carp came into the margin, swimming literally in front of my feet, so they obviously weren’t alarmed.

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Species: Roach

Syndicate Lake (8)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
No photo message

Nothing worth photographing today

Arrival time: 11.30
Weather: Sunny / cloudy.
Hardly any wind. Very mild for the time of year.
Swim: Lily pads and SW corner
Tackle: 10 ft Fishtec compact float rod with Shimano ST5000 reel, 6lb line and 12 hook.
Baits: Used luncheon meat on the hook and sweetcorn as an attractor.
Fish: One small roach

On arrival I went straight to the lily pads swim. Since my last visit somebody had cleared a lot of the bank-side growth, exposing another platform about ten yards further along. I didn’t even know it was there. I’m always a bit suspicious when I encounter ‘clearance overkill,' my inclination being to retain as much cover as possible.

I was also a bit worried that whoever had been fishing there might have overdone the ground-baiting, a tendency that often goes hand-in-hand with over exuberant vegetation clearance. I’m stereotyping again, but I’ve witnessed this sort of ‘fishing’ in the past.

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Species: Roach

Syndicate Lake (7)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Common 8lb 4oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 11.00
Weather: Sunny / cloudy.
Hardly any wind. Very mild for the time of year.
Swim: NE Bay and SW corner
Tackle:14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, Shimano Exage 1000RC reel with 5lb line and 14 hook.
11’6” Hardy Marksman, Shimano Exage 4000RC reel, 8lb line, 12 hook.
Baits: Used luncheon meat on the hook and sweetcorn as an attractor.
Fish: Two carp and a nice roach. Best fish carp 8lbs 4oz.

My neighbour Steve accompanied me today and I suggested he fished the ‘lily-pads’ spot, as it was the most accessible place, and I had caught there previously. This left me to find another fishable spot - not that easy!

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Species: Carp, Roach

Syndicate Lake (6)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Mirror 11lb 8oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 11.00
Weather: Sunny / cloudy.
NW wind was behind me but it caused sideways drift, making it difficult to control a float.
Swim: Lily pads
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, Shimano Exage 1000RC reel with 5lb line and 14 hook.
Baits: Sweetcorn and luncheon meat.
Fish: Two carp and 16 roach. Best carp 11½ lbs. Best roach 1lb 2oz

Today I decided to try for the roach. I started with sweetcorn and took two roach with the first two casts, the biggest around 4 oz.

After this it went quiet. I was having some difficulty casting to the gap between the lily pads. The cross-wind was troublesome and the overgrown mangle of bramble and shrubs behind me limited the backcast. I changed to a light ledger but things seemed to have gone very quiet.

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Species: Carp 10lb+, Carp, Roach

Syndicare Lake (5)

Venue: Syndicate Lake
Roach 1lb 4oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 15.30
Weather: Clear blue sky and very warm.
Breeze not affecting lake.
Swim: Lily pads
Tackle: 11’6” Hardy Marksman, Shimano Exage 4000RC reel, 8lb line, 12 hook.
Bait: All fish taken on luncheon meat.
Fish: One rudd and one roach, each weighing 1lb 4oz

Back for another crack at the carp, but I was to be disappointed.

I was fishing by about 16.00. Light ledgering with luncheon meat. For the first hour I didn’t get a touch. The meat had been nibbled by small fish but nothing even lifted the bobbin indicator.

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Species: Roach, Rudd

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