Monday night l was booked in to create a video on catching spring catfish on worms. Everything was going to plan but unfortunately the cameraman rearranged for the following night. With all my kit ready l headed off to Badshot Lea big pond, as l knew my brother had been getting good results with lots of small cats as well as one proper fish weighing 29lb. The swim l fancied was taken so l headed over to an area where the wind was blowing inwards and after ten minutes landed one of around 6lb. Things then went quiet apart from the perch that constantly nibbled at the bait.

My brother and his ten-year-old son Max came over in the hope of tempting a cat on a plug, but with no joy settled in my swim as darkness fell. They were just about to leave when my reel went into overdrive and after an awesome fight, that tested my Korum Precision Specialist 2-75lb rod to the limits finally some twenty minutes later scooped up a catfish weighing exactly 57lb. Young Max was shaking with excitement and obviously had a good reason to be late home and tired at school the next day.

The following night l was back in the swim but a shoal of bream moved in making it a very frustrating night. My friend Steve had joined me and dropped in next-door and managed six cats to 26lb 12oz, which made things even worse for me. Unable to move due to the lake being busy l finally dropped into Steve’s swim once he had used up all his worms and eventually caught a 10lb cat for the camera.

I was really looking forward to fishing with Chris ‘The Pons’ Ponsford on Thursday and Friday at Cemex Frimley but Chris had to cancel last minute. Once again, having all my kit sorted l headed of looking forward to chilling and hopefully banking a few fish. Target was to increase my tench and hopefully bream weights for the Cemex Challenge Cup and on the first night caught two tench to 6lb 11oz, an 18lb 6oz common along with a modest bream.

I was really hoping to get a double figured bream and a seven-pound tench and the second night didn’t disappoint as five tench came to my net, the best 7lb 9oz 8 drams as well as a bream weighing exactly 10lb. Most of the tench fell to triple red maggot, fished helicopter style over a spodded bed of Sonubaits Hemp and corn, however l removed the corn for hookbait on the second rod. Fishing a corn stack just off the baited area, l fished scaled down carp tactics using a small inline lead which had Sonubaits 6mm hard pellets moulded around which had been scolded and included a few free offerings.

I nearly didn’t go on the Friday evening, but looking at my diary and knowing next week included a bank holiday knew that my time on the bank would be limited so made the extra effort, thank god l did!