Fishing Tales And Stories

Welcome back to another fishing adventure. Trip 30 Carp Fishing - The Double Gravel Swim – September SessionAfter a good look around the lake earlier in the week, backed up by studying my old records, I decided the Double Gravel swim was my best bet. It wasn’t an easy decision, but with no other clear signs of carp activity elsewhere, it stood out as the most logical option. This swim has produced...

Welcome back to another fishing adventure. With the weather all over the place from midweek onwards, I found myself juggling gardening jobs and studying forecasts more than I’d like. The plan had been to head to the lake on Wednesday morning, but after a closer look at the charts, Tuesday afternoon was clearly the better choice. Rain was due to sweep in around 5 p.m., and I needed to be set up wel...

Welcome back to another fishing adventure. With heavy showers forecast over the next few days, I shuffled around my gardening work, pushing jobs to the end of the week. That gave me a chance I couldn’t ignore—two nights on the bank. The car was already loaded before I had time to second-guess myself, and by mid-afternoon I was crunching down the familiar track toward the lakes. I was surprised to...

Welcome back to another fishing adventure. West Stow Country Park Carp SessionFishing sessions often carry a strange sense of anticipation, as though every trip holds the possibility of something special—something unforgettable. This week’s trip was one of those rare occasions when the excitement had been building steadily for days. Not only was I heading back up to West Stow Country Park, a place...

I must admit, I nearly didn’t bother going this week. After a run of scorching hot days, the thought of sitting lakeside in 30-degree heat with the carp sulking in the margins wasn’t overly appealing. Yesterday had hit 30°C, and the forecast promised the same for the end of the week, but today was a different story altogether—just 22°C, overcast, with a welcome breeze moving across the lake. A sho...

Three Choices, One Bay, and an Eighteen-Pounder It’s not often you walk onto a carp lake and find yourself with options — real options. Not the “one free swim nobody wants” kind of choice, but the sort where you actually stop and think for a moment, weighing up which peg might put you in front of the fish. This week, luck was on my side. Meadow Lake, usually busy at the best of times, had space. T...

After missing out on the lakes entirely last week—bar a few fleeting, frustrating hours by the river—I was itching for a proper session. The river had been enjoyable in its own way, but watching Chub ignore my hookbait for five hours tested my patience more than usual. You can catch up on all the drama from my last blog or video, but suffice to say, I was ready to return to somewhere with a proper...

Back on the Riverbank For the first time in a good few years, I found myself back on the riverbank—rod in hand, heart quietly hopeful. I wasn’t under any illusions of grandeur; this wasn’t about hauling out a barbel first cast or breaking personal bests. This trip was more of a test run—to see if my kit setup was workable and to rediscover that old river rhythm. As it turned out, I wasn’t burdened...

I wasn’t planning to arrive at the lake on a Monday night—not originally. But sometimes the stars align, or in this case, a shift in the weather, an open diary, and a nagging sense of timing all came together. I’ve learnt over the years not to ignore that instinct. A large southwesterly weather front was sweeping through, bringing cloud cover, warmth, and that rolling, humid air pressure that ofte...

Session Journal – Early July With the heatwave finally taking a break and a couple of free nights in the diary, I found myself back on the bank in early July. Reports from the lake weren’t exactly encouraging—it had been fishing hard, and water levels were the lowest I’d seen in years. Still, it was all to play for. Ian had arrived the day before and mentioned that the lake was very busy. I messag...

A Blowout, a Buzzer, and a Battle – A Session to Remember With the weather nudging into the high twenties—26, maybe even 28 degrees—it was too hot for my liking. I knew sleep at home would be a restless affair, so the lake felt like the best escape. I wrapped up my last gardening job by 11, shot home to load the car, and just had one last task—drop the eldest off at her boyfriend's. From there...

Welcome back to another fishing adventure. It’s been a week longer than I originally planned, and to be honest, I’m still not 100% sure I should even be out fishing. But after surviving a couple of days back at work and feeling reasonably okay, I figured some bankside recovery time was just what the doctor ordered. The man flu struck hard while I was away camping in Wales. I ended up coming home t...

There are moments in carp angling when instinct kicks in—when the changing sky and shifting pressure whisper that now is the time. After a prolonged spell of still, bright weather, a dramatic change had been forecast. A low-pressure front was moving in, bringing with it a band of rain followed by patchy showers. To any seasoned angler, this was a beacon—conditions that just scream feeding spell. I...

There’s a certain freedom that comes with two nights on the bank — a kind of rare permission that makes every cast, every move, that much more purposeful. I’d been granted that freedom once again, thanks to the understanding of my wife and family, and I wasn't about to waste it. After a couple of tricky sessions that ended in blanks, I was determined to get it right this time. If the carp were...

July Update

With limited time available to me for the rest of May, I really need each trip to count. After a few hours of gardening this morning, I arrived at the lake in the early afternoon. The conditions weren’t ideal—there was a fresh northeasterly wind blowing across the water, bringing a chill with it. Still, I’d seen no signs of spawning since Sunday, and that continued today. Unfortunately, visible si...

After a false start on Wednesday, which saw me heading home just a couple of hours after I arrived, I found myself once again back at the lake. Somehow, I’d gravitated back to the same swim—tucked under the trees, shaded from the harsh sunlight, and blessed with a cool breeze that occasionally drifted across my face like nature’s own sigh of relief. It felt familiar. Safe. A natural corner that al...

Originally, the plan was simple. I was meant to meet up with my mate, who’d finally secured a place on my syndicate after being on the waiting list for what felt like forever. We'd been planning it for weeks, talking tactics, swim choices, and baiting strategies. You know how it is — the kind of excitement that builds up when two mates finally get the green light to fish together. Unfortunatel...

It's been a strange trip, full of highs and lows.

After a few days of scratching my head, poring over weather apps, wind charts, and half-forgotten notes, I finally made the call. Easter Sunday morning. Something about the timing felt right—maybe not scientific, but instinct counts for a lot in this game. I loaded the gear and headed back to a place that has lived in my head for years now—Airfield Lake. The mythical monster common had been circli...

Trip 12 Carp fishing- more Nutrabaits Blank Saver Testing

We tried

The Blank Saver Test: A Week of Unexpected Turns This week didn’t turn out quite the way I expected. Things changed, and the fishing trip I had planned was completely altered by circumstances beyond my control. At one point, I seriously considered not going at all. But then, I thought that would be silly—a wasted opportunity.  Instead, I opted for my club lake, mainly for the peace and quiet...

After a false start on Wednesday, which saw me heading home just a couple of hours after I arrived, I found myself once again back at the lake. Somehow, I’d gravitated back to the same swim—tucked under the trees, shaded from the harsh sunlight, and blessed with a cool breeze that occasionally drifted across my face like nature’s own sigh of relief. It felt familiar. Safe. A natural corner that al...

It finally feels like we've turned a corner with the weather. Night time temperatures are now holding at 6-7 °C, with daytime reaching a comfortable 15-16 °C. The pressure is dropping nicely for a day or two—just about perfect conditions. I wasn’t sure I’d even get a swim for this last full week of fishing. With so many anglers planning trips, I half-expected to end up on Airfield Lake—somethi...