This northeast wind is really hampering trying to target any specimen fish so it really is a case of going to venues that are going to give me a few bites.

Monday l decided to treat dad to a day at Willingshurst Fishery in Cranleigh as he hasn’t been out lately and l knew that by getting him a bend in his rod would be welcome. Setting up on Christmas Tree lake l cast method feeders to the island whilst dad sat just a few feet behind and cast PVA bags into Pittance Lake. Starting at around 10-30am and finishing at 4pm we weren’t really expecting too much but dad caught steadily all day with carp to 7lb plus a bonus 5lb tench. I managed five immaculate, hard fighting doubles, the best a shade under 14lb. 

Tuesday l made an 80 mile round trip to bait up a southern gravel pit. My target was bream and knowing the first night in a swim is normally slow l preferred my bed so after depositing some fifty balls of groundbait laced with pellets and corn l returned home dreaming of monster slabs. Returning the next day l found the wind on the change and loads of carp showing at the eastern end of the lake whilst out in front of my chosen spot things looked bleak. At 10-20pm the liners started, indicating bream were around, however these continued all night without so much as a pick-up. At least the bait had attracted them, however lm going to target the opposite side as l know the winds going to change soon.

I was in two minds whether to head back to the gravel pit on Friday as l knew it would be busy with carp anglers, however l felt that if l left at 4pm l would beat the 5pm rush, how wrong l was. When l arrived the fifty acre lake that is home to around twenty-five swims looked well and truly stitched up but one swim l fancied was free so although on the back of the wind l made the long walk around the lake. Depositing around 10kilos of bait made up from Sonubaits crushed halibut pellet, 6mm and 8mm hard feed pellets, hemp and hali crush, sweetcorn, all laced in a good helping of CSL and F1 flavouring on a clear spot at around 90 yards by means of a sling shot, all l could do was sit back and await any action. An hour passed and out of the blue and unexpected the bobbin danced and l opened my account with a bream of 7lb 9oz, a baby for this lake but at least it was a start.

It soon became apparent that ld attracted a shoal of small fish as by morning, six more had fallen, all around the same size with the best going 8lb 12oz. Sometime during the night l thought l was connected to a massive bream but it turned out to be a strange looking carp that l think is a brown goldfish, and weighing in at 9lb 11oz will be well over the British record if identified as my suspicions suspect. I was feeling well and truly happy with my second nights taking but couldn’t help feeling somewhat unlucky, especially after talking to a carp angler around 100yards away who had taken three bream, all doubles during the night, the best 15lb 4oz!