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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 & topics
Species
Archive

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

River Welland (7)

Venue: River Welland
Chub 4lb 1oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 09.30
Weather: Bright frosty morning but soon warmed up in the sun.
Calm to start with but fresh easterly breeze blew up.
Swim: Roving
Tackle: 12ft Korum multi-feeder, Shimano bait caster, 6lb line, 6 hook tied direct. Two SG shots on a short link.
Bait: Bread flake.
Fish: Three chub, best 4½lbs.

After the disappointment of missing a couple of cracking bites on my last visit to Stamford this was my last chance to put things right before the close season.

I used the quiver-tip top on my Korum feeder rod to present less resistance. Having sold my Mitchell reel, I used one of my small Shimano bait caster reels with 6lb line.

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Species: Chub

Fields End (77)

Venue: Fields End
No photo message

Nothing worth photographing today

Arrival time: 07.00 (started to fish at 07.30)
Weather: Cold frosty start with clear blue sky.
Light SW breeze that freshened considerably after lunch.
Swim: Tree Corner.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, new Shimano Exage reel with 5lb line, 16 hook tied direct. Insert waggler.
Baits: Maggots
Fish: Tench of 3lbs and some small perch and roach.

Again I was hopeful of a good day. The night was cold but the forecast was for a day of sunshine. Driving to the lake the Fenland scenery was spectacular. White frosty fields with a large orange sun shining through the mist. The magic was completed by a barn owl flying across the road in front of me and settling on a gate post.

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Species: Tench, Perch

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

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