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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

Fields End (80)

Venue: Fields End
Barbel 5lb

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 07.00 (started to fish at 07.30)
Weather: Bright start but clouded over later. Fresh NW/W wind.
Swim: Tree Corner.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, new Shimano Exage reel with 5lb line, 16 hook tied direct. Insert waggler.
Baits: Bread flake and luncheon meat.
Fish: Two carp, best 7lb 8oz, three tench, best 3lb 11oz, two barbel, best 5lb, five crucians, best 1lb 14oz, and four roach, best 1lb 1oz.

I took a chance on the wind today (the forecast was far better for tomorrow but I had things to do) but while it was fresh, it wasn’t too much trouble in the Tree Corner. The story of the day was plenty of bites, almost one a cast, but most were unhittable. I expected this on flake, but a change to luncheon meat produced similar problems. I can understand how a small fish can tug at flake and register a bite, but the missed bites on lumps of meat remain a mystery: crucians perhaps.

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Species: Carp, Tench, Crucian, Barbel (lake), Roach

Fields End (79)

Venue: Fields End
Crucian 2lb 7oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 07.00 (started to fish at 07.45)
Weather: Cloudy start, bright later. Strong SW wind.
Swim: Tree Corner.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, new Shimano Exage reel with 5lb line, 16 hook tied direct. Insert waggler.
Baits: Bread flake and luncheon meat.
Fish: Three carp, best 12lbs, nine crucians, best 2lbs 7oz, a 2lbs 9oz tench and a few roach.

The forecast was for a warm day, but windy. The morning was, in fact, far from warm. Cloudy with a strong SW wind it was quite chilly. I benefitted from being in the Tree Corner, which is protected from south-westerlies.

Having succeeded with luncheon meat on my last visit I started with this bait. A couple of missed bites in over an hour convinced me that, today, this bait wasn’t working.

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Species: Carp 10lb+, Carp, Crucian, Tench, Roach

Fields End (78)

Venue: Fields End
Barbel 5lb 3oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 07.00 (started to fish at 07.30)
Weather: Relatively mild, bright and calm.
Light SW breeze freshened during the day before dropping late afternoon.
Swim: Tree Corner.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, new Shimano Exage reel with 5lb line, 16 hook tied direct. Insert waggler.
Bait: Luncheon meat
Fish: Two barbel, best 5lb 3oz and two carp, best 9lbs 1oz.

Up until lunch time I thought this was going to be another disastrous day. Not a bite until about 11.00 and then tricky ‘unable to hit’ bites. Managed a few small roach, none of which needed the net. I had been using sweetcorn and bread, the former being the more successful.

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Species: Carp, Barbel (lake), Roach

Fields End (76)

Venue: Fields End
No photo message

Nothing worth photographing today

Arrival time: 08.00 (started to fish at 08.30)
Weather: Clear and reasonably mild. Colder later.
Light SW breeze that freshened after lunch.
Swim: Tree Corner.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, centre pin with 4lb line, 16 hook tied direct. Insert waggler.
Baits: Bread flake, sweetcorn and worm.
Fish: Three small roach

I was full of anticipation as it had been mild the previous day (12C) and the forecast was for another mild day. A light SW breeze didn’t affect the Tree Corner so everything seemed nigh on perfect.

Expectation was soon replaced by disappointment as I didn’t get a touch. Not a tremble on the float, not a line bite; nothing.

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Species: Roach

Fields End (75)

Venue: Fields End
Common 4lb 5oz

Only one photo today.
Larger light-box version in the full report

Arrival time: 08.00 (started to fish at 08.30)
Weather: Misty and cold.
Light E breeze veered to S after midday.
Swim: Reed end (NE reed corner)
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, centre pin with 4lb line, 16 hook tied direct. Insert waggler.
Baits: Bread flake and sweetcorn, with hempseed as an attractor.
Fish: Carp of 4lbs 5oz and some small roach

I was a bit undecided whether to go today. The forecast was for an easterly wind, albeit light. When I arrived it was cold and misty. There was little wind and I debated whether to go for the Tree Corner, which has fished quite consistently over the last few weeks. However, an easterly wind would blow right into this swim.

Also, there was a chap already in the pitch to the right. I decided therefore to go to the other side of the lake and fished the end of the reeds in the NE corner - what I call the reed-end swim. This pitch fishes well in the summer.

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Species: Carp, Roach

Fields End (74)

Venue: Fields End
Roach 1lb 4oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 08.00 (started to fish at 08.45)
Weather: Started clear and reasonably mild. Colder later.
Light SW breeze during morning but calm after midday.
Swim: Tree Corner.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, centre pin with 4lb line, 16 hook tied direct. Insert waggler.
Baits: Bread flake and sweetcorn, with hempseed as an attractor.
Fish: Carp of 8½lbs, two tench, best 3lb 10oz, a few roach, best 1lb 4oz, and a 1lb 11oz crucian.

Second time at the lake this week. Taking advantage of reasonably mild weather and lack of wind. The Tree Corner was calm being protected from the light SW breeze. The morning was bright and mild; almost spring-like. The birds were in song and it was difficult to believe it was mid February. The wind dropped completely at midday after which it became colder.

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Species: Carp, Tench, Crucian, Roach

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