After a wee absence from fishing it was back to Colnbook Front Lake to take on the second of the 24hr Rod Race challenges. Today's task was to catch 7 species of fish from one lake. 

Having arrived at the lake I could see that my chosen swim had already been taken as had most of the car park bank so I walked around the lake in search for signs of fish. The weather was warm and the carp as always were showing on the surface. The carp were never going to be a problem, what could prove diffficult would be the tench, bream and crucians. Historically I have only caught these species from the middle of the lake and when I arrived on the opposite side from the Car Park bank with a cool breeze blowing into my face I arrived at what used to be my favourite swim, a swim responsible for my Common Carp PB and Tench PB.

With Lily pads to my left and a overhanging tree to my right I set up for the challenge ahead. My targets were the Common & Mirror Carp, Tench, Bream, Crucian Carp, Roach, Rudd & Perch, my tactics were freelined bread on my stalking rod, Crab Pellet on my hair rig and maggot/sweetcorn/krill pellet on waggler.

  Float/Ledger fished in 8ft depth.

 Freelining Bread under the overhanging branches.

As my stalking rod was already made up I threw out a few pieces of bread either side of my swim and the wind blew them back against the edge of the lily pads and under the overhanging branches. It wasn't long before I had carp feeding on both sides. As I intended to fish close to the lillies with the waggler I didn't want to disturb that part of the swim too much so cast the bread in front of the tree and waited as the bread drifted under the branches and within reach of the feeding carp. In no time the bait was sucked under and I was into a carp. My first cast and I was into a pretty good fish as far as the fight was and I was not disappointed when I brought it to the net. 

A nice Common of 13lb 9oz to start the day.

As the swim settled down I made up my PVA bag consisting of maggots, chopped boillies, trout pelllets and dog mixers. I'm sure a few people will wonder why I put floating baits in the PVA bag, well for one they tell me where the bait is resting once the mixers come to the surface and two, with the wind blowing in my direction they would eventually feed my swim. With no more action coming from under the tree I decided to put my stalking rod away and cast out my waggler with single sweetcorn. I had already put a few handfulls of loosefeed in so it came as no surprise that the float shot under no sooner had I had a chance to sit down, unfortunately I missed it as I did a few times after that. I changed to a single maggot and this time hooked a small roach which dropped off before it reached the bank.

My bite alarm bleeped once, twice then screamed out. Tench, Bream or Crucian I thought but the bend in the rod and strength of the fight told me otherwise, another Common! However 30 minutes later it went off again this time a different kind of fight, I saw a very dark shadow come to the surface but when it turned I saw a it's white belly...... a Mirror Carp? I have seen the odd Ghost Carp and also the odd Orange Carp swimming around so when I finally banked it my first thought was Koi Carp. The photos don't show the orange as vividly as it was but for the challenge I was claiming it as a Koi. 

Both sides of my 5lb 10oz "Koi" 

While my ledger was out of the water I threw a few pieces of bread under the branches while I made up my PVA bag. A few Carp rose up and took the offerings, one of which was a mirror. I cast a piece of bread alongside a branch and no sooner had I put the bail arm on the bait was gone and my line was going out into the lake. A good fight ensued and as luck would have it the Mirror Carp was soon in the net! 

My third species, a 15lb 4 oz Mirror Carp

During my battle with the Mirror I had brought my waggler in to avoid the lines crossing, although the float had gone quiet it was soon bobbing about only a few feet from the bank. I lifted the rod to find a small Perch on the end and my fourth species! Having caught the carp I packed the stalking rod away and my ledger went back out in the hope of either a Tench, Bream or Crucian. I also changed my float to a depth of two feet and dropped it not far from where I caught the perch. a steady stream of maggots also went in. The float bobbed again and disappeared under the surface, a better Perch although a tiddler. Still today was about species not about size! 

Although the Carp were out in force cruising the surface looking for food I had to show restraint and carry on in search of new species. How bizarre it felt to have carp cruising the surface waiting to be caught yet there was I dropping a single maggot in the hope of a roach, I even started cursing the roach that dropped before I put it on the bank before the float tilted and made along the swim. Finally a Roach that I managed to keep on the hook! Species number 5! 

My Hair rigged Crab Pellet went off three more times each one being a Common Carp, all I had to do was catch two more species! My sixth species came as yet another surprise. My float bobbed a few times without going under, I lifted the rod and felt a small fish on the end. The fish turned out to be a Gudgeon! After all the years fishing Colnbrook I had never caught or heard of a Gudgeon being caught here. It also added 12 points to my League total so that also came as a pleasant bonus!

The unsung beauty of the Gudgeon!

Although a 24hr challenge I only had 9 hours and my time was almost up. Like all anglers I vowed my next cast to be my last and I was thankful when my bite alarm sounded off again, thankful as the gates to the lake are locked at Dusk and the sun was getting low. Once again the strength at the end of the line told me I had another Carp and once again it turned out to be another Common. 

Of the seven species I only caught six so I had 85% success as far as the challenge goes, but more importantly to catch my first Koi Carp and  Gudgeon means that I get points added to my overall score! 

Tight Lines and I'll see you at my next challenge!

Anyone who has met my wife will know that I like a challenge and my first 24hr challenge was certainly going to be that! When I started this website one of the first things I did was speak to the man himself, Matt Hayes whom I found to be very encouraging and it was he who suggested that I should try some of the 24hr challenges. 

So on the 16th of June of all days I took up the challenge of catching two 20lb carp, one off the top and one from the bottom. Now those of you who have followed me will know that my PB Carp is only 18lb 4oz so this could be a memorable challenge or a complete disaster..... maybe I should have started with something a bit more easier!! Just to make it more of a challenge I decided to fish a lake I had never fished before, Colnbrook Back Lake.

Previous to my challenge I spent a few visits walking around the lake, looking for signs of fish and speaking with those who were willing to chat, most of whom were but you always get a couple of people who like to keep things to themselves. The general comeback was that they only come out at night and you won't see much on the surface, not what I wanted to hear as my 24hrs were actually going to be 12 hours. 

So after a full English I arrived at Colnbrook Lakes, walking past the front lake I could see a few carp cruising the surface however the back lake was a different story. I walked around the lake hoping for signs of fish but the lake was not throwing up any clues. I decided to fish a corner where I had seen the odd carp on previous visits and as the wind was blowing in that direction I thought it was as good as place as any. 

Plenty of cover and overhanging trees! My kind of swim!

My tactics were to be Crab Pellet on ledger and sweetcorn on waggler in the margins with my stalking rod already made up (as it always is) should I see any activity on the surface. With the ledger I attatched a PVA bag with some chopped boillies, trout pellets, satay paste (more about that later) and some mixers. The idea of the mixers is that, one, they let me know exactly where and when the PVA has dissolved, two, it prebaits any carp near the surface should they be about as the wind blows them back towards my swim! 

A few hours had passed and nothing had happened nor was there any signs. Another angler had taken a swim further along the bank and he too had seen no action. I threw a few pieces of bread near the margins hoping the wind would blow them close enough into the overhanging branches to bring a carp or two into view. Unlike the front lake, the back lake was square and featureless, despite being in the opposite corner three ducks were soon on their way and into my swim. Catching a carp off the surface was not going to be easy! 

Although no more than 100 yards from the front lake the back lake couldn't be more different, I'm talking about the carp. In the front lake the carp happily cruise the surface and can be seen foraging the vegetation in the margins, the back lake however the carp seldom show themselves no matter if the sun is out on a warm summers day. Could it be that the back lake is more directly under the flight path at Heathrow? That could answer why the fish feed after the flights finish around midnight, who knows? What I did know was that I hadn't seen any signs of encouragement in front of me. 

Six hours had passed and I was half way through the challenge, timewise at least. I brought my rods in and decided to walk around the lake again, as before there was nothing showing. I stopped off and spoke to the other angler who was still having no joy. I decided to take a look at the front lake, although not holding many 20's I had heard of a couple being caught and thought I had more chance there then staying on the back lake. It was back to my favourite corner and straight away I could see carp feeding in the margins as they always do. 

The waggler was put away and the stalking rod was out, however it was the ledger that sounded the first bite of the day. Feeling the fish I knew it was less than 5lb, I hoped it would be a tench, bream or crucian, three species I was still yet to catch however a Common Carp of no more than 2-3lb graced the net!

Not quite a 20lb!

The sun had brought a lot of Carp to the surface, unfortuantely most of them were smaller carp and one after another I was catching Commons no bigger than 10lb. A swirl to the right of me just below an overhanging branch exposed a nice sized Mirror. I dropped a couple more pieces of bread and the mirror soon came up for more. Third time lucky as they say and I placed my bait in a similar spot to the previous freebie. Soon after the bait was taken and line was screaming from my reel. This felt a lot better than the previous Commons I had so far! A short but good fight ensued before the Mirror was safely in my landing net, my initial reaction was that it may be close to the 20lb mark. Although not the target weight it was still at new PB for me at 17lb 13oz!

A new PB of 17lb 13oz

I mentioned earlier about my satay paste, I have never been a fan of boillies so have made my own pastes instead. This time around I had the idea of making a Thai style paste made with Peanut Butter, Coconut Milk, Chilli Powder and Bread Crumb. Here's how it's made.....

1. Empty 1 jar of smooth peanut butter into a large bowl

2. Pour in 2/3 of the tinned coconut milk into the bowl and stir until the peanut butter becomes loose.

3. Add a heaped teaspoon of chilli powder and stir (At this point you could use as a marinade for chicken!)

4. Cut the crusts of a loaf of sliced white bread and discard, blend the remainder into crumb

5. Mix the bread with the paste until firm enough to make into a paste. 

Another good thing is that the oily paste doesn't affect the PVA Bag either!

As I had used a few slices of bread already my paste wasn't as firm as I would have liked however I did find it useful when hiding the hook and the bread still floats! The carp were also less hesitant in taking the bread, a result of the paste? Who knows? 

The new deadly duo! 

I caught 11 Carp that day, 10 off the surface so as far as the challenge goes it wasn't good but how can I be disappointed having caught a PB as well as finding out that my Satay Paste worked! I had to take a double look at my final carp as it was very chub like in shape, hardly any depth at all considering it's length.

Until next time, Tight Lines everyone! 

There can't be many lakes I have fished that are as beautiful as Stoke Place Lake in Berkshire. Designed by none other than Capability Brown back in the late 1700s the lake and surrounding landscape remains in the same stunning sceanery as I'm sure it did over 300 years ago. Catching fish here really is just a bonus! 

The sun was out on my first visit to Stoke Place Lake, a lake known for it's Tench and Bream, two species I was still looking for and given the conditions I was confident of adding to my points tally. However arriving at the lake the water was quite clear and the weed was the thickest I had ever seen it. I chose to fish the far bank where there seemed to be more open spaces as those on the car park bank were not getting much action. A few Carp were seen cruising around a swim I had previous good results from a couple of seasons ago and so it was there I threw in some pellets and sweetcorn while I started to set up. 

Although my target species were the Tench and Bream I had never caught a Carp from Stoke Place and there are even the odd Koi Carp in the lake, rumoured to have come from one of the Hotel Staff's garden pond many years ago. I had seen the odd "ghost" like Carp but never heard of anyone catching one. I decided to start with sweetcorn on the float, fished just off some lily pads while I had my stalking rod made up with a piece of bread should the carp come round again. 

My chosen swim at Stoke Place. 

Although situated in the Stoke Place grounds Intertype Angling Society have fishing rights to the lake and when I received my permit back in April I read that the lake was stocked with more Roach and Skimmers and it was the roach who were soon taking the sweetcorn only a few minutes from casting out and like the Roach and Hitchum Ponds they were of a good quality. 

First fish of the day!

A couple of Carp made themselves known as they moved into my swim, brushing alongside the weed that was out in front of me. I threw out a couple of pieces of bread and one carp of about 5lb broke away and went to explore what had just dropped into the water. Without hesitation the carp swam, opened it's mouth and took the bread with precision. It's been a while since I've seen a Carp take a surface bait as confidently as that. The reason could be because of the amount of ducks and geese on the lake, so surface fishing is not really a method used and it wasn't long before a Moorhen broke the paddling record and moved into my swim from some distance and looked at me waiting for it's turn to be fed. The stalking rod stayed on the rod pod as I concentrated back on the float rod hoping the Moorhen would lose interest and move away. 

The roach were coming at a fish a cast but no other species were showing, I decided to change bait and tried Krill Pellet which had got me some good Tench in the past. I also threw some small mixers in the hope the carp might start feeding without the ducks noticing too much. Moments later a few swirls appeared as the carp moved back in however as feared the movements on the surface caught the attention of a fleet of geese that were patrolling further along the bank. It was time to put the stalking rod away and get back to my target species, out came the ledger!

One thing about Stoke Place Lake is the depth, or lake of it. In most areas you are fishing in no more than 3 feet of water and with the water as clear as it was the bottom was very weedy and I retrieved eveyr cast with my hook covered. I decided to move to a more central part of the lake where the weed on the surface was less of a problem in the hope that the bottom would be the same. 

The pellet wasn't getting me any results so I moved back the the ever faithfull sweetcorn and was soon back into the roach. Although no-one else on the lake looked to be catching other than silvers the day was simply glorious. With Parakeets squawking above, horses neighing in the field behind me and Dragonflies hovering over the water I felt that an poor day's fishing was better than a good day at work! 

The biggest Roach at 5.9oz

By early evening the Roach went quiet, my ledger hadn't had a touch all day as did anyone else's that I could see from where I was sitting. A small shoal of Rudd could be seen so I fished a small piece of sweetcorn about 18inches from the surface with no weight so it would naturally fall. The rudd soon snapped up the bait but the biggest was only 3oz in size. Knowing I'd be back out again in a few days time I decided to call it a day. Despite catching a good quantity of Roach and Rudd none of them were any better then those caught at Hitchum therefore my points earned from today was a big fat "0" 

My next venue and my first 24hr Rod Race challenge laid ahead at Colnbrook Back Lake, a venue I had never fished before. What time I would save today by finishing early would be spent at Colnbrook looking for clues as to how I would approch my next challenge! Until then.. Tight Lines! 

So there I was driving home from Hitchum Ponds having escaped the thunderstorms, driving towards Heathrow on the M4 and I could see blue skies, maybe the day was not over after all! I arrived at Colnbrook Front Lake as the only person on the lake, just how I like it. Not because I'm greedy but the attitude of some anglers amazes me as you will find out later. 

I threw a few offerings of bread into my favourite corner and waited for a response but nothing happened. A few swims away I saw a couple of fish break the surface and proceeded to that area. Again a few pieces of bread went in and a few pieces disappeared. another fisherman turned up and took the corner swim I had previously come from. He cast a ledger into the margins to his right. A few more pieces of bread went in and as the carp started feeding I decided to cast out. A Common came up and knocked my bait, turned around and took a freebie before coming back to my bait and slurping it in. with the line straightening out I struck...fish on! A good fight was rewarded with a golden Common. Although not the biggest, the colour and perfection of the scales were fantastic and I was pleased to see the photo done it justice.

A beautiful golden common!

I noticed that other the carp were still feeding on the surface and threw out some more bread and even more carp showed themselves. At this point the fisherman in the corner decided to reel in his ledger and cast it over two swims and straight into mine.... SPDOSH!! It sounded like he was using a housebrick as a weight and the carp were not impressed and stopped feeding. I pointed out to the other guy that he was invading my swim and his response was "So!"

After an hour or so the fish started coming back to the surface and feeding from my offerings. As they were feeding two other anglers turned up and seeing the fish feeding decided to park up in the swim next to mine, but instead of fishing on the surface where the fish were feeding their tactic was ledgered boillies. I was please to see that they cast out to the middle of the lake but when I heard their bite alarms I knew I was in for a long day. 

When I use a bite alarm I only turn it on once the bait has been cast out and I have set the bobbin. I give the line a little tug just to get a confirmation blip to know it is set. The volume is set that if you stood 20 feet away you probrably wouldn't hear it. The same could not be said however for these two guys. I'm not kidding it was like a f***ing fire engine screaming past. Thirty minutes later one of them decided to reel in without switching the alarm off and another fire engine screamed by. 

The feeding carp in front of me were now gone and I decided to do the same and moved to the other side of the lake and away from the inconsiderate anglers either side of me. I choose to fish a swim which is hardly (if ever) used judging by how overgrown the bank was, but that is just how I like it. An overhanging tree to my left and grassy reeds to my right I threw out a few pieces of bread either side of me. 

The over hanging tree was the first spot to show interest and I swiftly cast out within the ring of the swirl. A pair of lips came up and sucked by bread straight down, feeling my hook setting in it shot off into the lake. When fishing the margins I always let the fish go out of the swim as the last thing I need (other than inconsiderate anglers [couldn't resist]) is for the swim to be disturbed by a splashing Carp. Once I felt the fish had done it's worse I started to bring it closer. My first glance of the fish confimred it to be a Common, and a nice one at that weighing in at 15lb 6oz!

I was pleased with that being a new swim for me, and I was also pleased to see that the offerings I put into the reeds tp my right were also disappearing. A nice Mirror came up and took the last piece. I threw a few more pieces out and waited.... A fish took a piece further along the margin and I cast towards it and waited but nothing happened. What was happening was that the Mirror had popped up and took a couple more pieces from just beyond the reeds so I dragged my bait slowly back.                                                            

Looking at my bait through the reeds!

The Mirror came back and slowly and confidently moved towards my bait and without hesitation open its mouth and the bread was swallowed in. An iruption of water and a big bend in the rod told me I was in. The line came off my line at a rate I had not witnessed before, I knew this was another good fish, for my standards at least! The fish broke the surface out in the middle of the lake and the swirl put a smile on my face. Having taken me out to the middle of the lake the fish raced back over to the margins further up the bank. Keeping my rod low to keep the line away from the overhanging branches I finally brought the carp back within reach. With the landing net in my hand I was relieved to see the Mirror finally slide over and in. Looking into the net my first reaction was, "Have I broke the 20lb?" 

I took a double take when the scales only went round to 17lb 6oz. I even re-weighed it with a second set of scales I carry with me, yes a little disappointed but it was still a PB and the fish was another stunner!                                          

My new PB Mirror Carp at 17lb 6oz 

The clouds started getting dark again and the rain soon came back, half an hour later the fisherman in the corner walked past without acknowleging me, I guess he was in too much of a rush to get out of the rain! The other two soon followed and I was almost tempted to thank them, had it not been for them I would have stayed on the other bank. Funny how things work out sometimes! Tight Lines everyone! 

The weather forecast said rain but waking up I could see the light out side and I didn't want to make the same mistake as I did the week before missing out on a day's fishing down to a poor weather forecast.........Welcome to my new blog! 

Driving towards Taplow my eyes were looking up into the skies (as well as the road!) trying to assess how much time I had before the heavens opened but arriving at Hitchum Round Pond the sun greeted me with the hope of at least a few hours fishing, my target was Roach, Rudd, Tench and Crucian Carp. Previous seasons had given me some Rudd and with the sun out I was hopeful of catching more, the Crucians however had always eluded me.

Hitchum Round Pond looking Pretty as always!

Arriving at the Pond I could see plenty of bubbles on one side and it was there that I decided to try first, my tactic was float fished sweetcorn. I threw a few kernels out to three areas of the swim just to get the fish feeding while I was setting up. A few pieces of bread was also placed near the reed beds just to see if any Carp were nearby. No sooner the pieces of bread were gone, the Carp were there and feeding already. As I had never caught (or seen) any Carp bigger than 5lbin Hitchum's Round Pond I was in no rush to catch them, not until I have caught some of the target species I was after. 

I cast my sweetcorn out and a few moments later the float bobbed, bobbed again before dipping below the surface for good. A roach, first of the season was soon on the bank and it wasn't a bad size either, this was going to be a good day's fishing! Going back to my tactic, a simple float with a hook no more than three feet away, no weights so the bait would fall naturally in the hope of catching a Rudd otherwise the deeper lurking Roach, Tench and Crucian would be there to pick up the bait. My next cast and the float didn't have time to cock itself in the water, this time surely a Rudd and indeed it was although only a small one of 61g. One of my favourite pieces of "tackle" is my set of digital kitchen scales at less than a fiver from e-bay and I've used it so many times.... must be all the small fishI catch!   

A couple of hours later and the heavens opened, this time the weatherman got it right! Fortunately I carry a plastic poncho that I brought back from a wet weekend at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The Roach and Rudd were still feeding as were the Carp in the reed's but the Tench and Crucian were not showing. The Rudd were actually getting bigger so I decided to sit it through the weather. You never seem to notice the bad weather too much when you are catching! The Carp were especially on the prowl so I flicked a piece of bread next to the reeds, a few swirls later and it was gone. A decent bend in the rod told me that it was a decent fish by Hitchum's standards and it put up quite a scrap too. A small Common Carp soon slid into my net.

  Rudd of 5oz

The rain wasn't getting better and a few rolls of thunder told me that I wasn't going to be here much later, but the fish were still feeding. A flash of lightening appeared not too far away. That was a decision maker if ever there was one! My initial plan was to fish Hitchum until mid afternoon and then go to Colnbrook Front Lake for the late afternoon / evening. Feeling that I had achieved half of my targets I packed up before the Thunderstorm got any worse. Driving back down the M4 I could see blue skies over Heathrow, maybe my day wasn't over after all! 

Read how I got on, including a new PB in my next blog coming soon! Tight Lines everybody!!

If I had to name three good things about my job one would be that I work only five minutes from Colnbrook Lakes. From May until Autumn I will go to work with the minimum fishing equipment in the car with the intention of grabbing a few hours stalking carp after work. I had a cracking season last time and was confident of another good season ahead. As well as that I felt a good shout at finally breaking the 20lb barrier was on the cards.

My first session was on the 3rd of May, a sunny weekend which surprisingly gave me the lake all to myself! Although the sun there was a strong wind blowng towards the corner of the lake where there were a lot of overhanging trees. Although not a swim noted for decent sized carp I threw out a few pieces of bread and watched as the wind blew my offering under the canopy of the trees. That unmistaken slurp told me that carp were feeding and I soon saw a couple of small carp come from under the branches in search of more freebies. 

I threw in a few more freebies before casting out my freelined bread flake and soon after a small common took my bait. Only around 5lb but my first fish from my first cast, onwards and upwards! With the wind picking up I decided to go to the opposite end of the lake where it was more sheltered. I have come to find that carp don't like feeding off the surface when the water is too choppy. Luckily I always travel light when I'm stalking and I was soon in my favourite corner of the lake. As before I threw out a few freebies and waited......

Like my prevous swim this corner had plenty of overhanging branches and with the sun shining I could see movements below the surface. After a few offerings were taken I cast out to where three carp were competing with one another. No sooner had I cast out a fish took the bread. Again only around 5lb but a pretty looking Linear Carp. I don't catch many Linears so this was a pleasing catch despite the size. 

A few more free offerings went out and I waited. About 30 minutes later The carp started showing again, notably under an overhanging branch where I had great success last season. I huddled up to the tree and dropped my bait about six feet in front of me. A few minutes later a pair of lips appeared and sucked in the bread. A good fight ensued and I knew this was a better fish which was soon confirmed to me as I slipped it over my net. A nice Mirror Carp of 12lb 4oz! Now is a good time to say that I have a new camera now and it is fair to say that I haven't quite got the hang of the delayed timer! 

Having cut my head off I had better luck with a Common of 7lb 6oz I had soon after! 

My second session was a week later. An overcast afternoon turned showery but I noticed that the wind, blowing into the trees was putting leaves and twigs into the lake. The breeze blew the debris out some 20-30 yards where a few carp were picking them up possibly in the hope of finding some insects. I cast my free lined bread into the drift and a few minutes later the bread disappeared in a swirl. My eyes searched out the line and saw it straighten out. A gentle pull of the rod and the carp was on and taking line from my reel, my biggest fish this season was on! 

As I managed to bring the fish close to the bank it made a desperate dive for a nearby tree which I feared had numerous snags from the storms we had a few months ago, I had already pulled a few large branches from earlier sessions. After a patient and tactical fight a Common caught it's breath inside my landing net.....I too took a breather! The scales tipped at 16lb 6oz and was my second biggest Common Carp. It must have been my lucky day as one of the lakes regulars was also fishing nearby and he done me the honour and captured the moment, head and all! 

The rain came down and once again debris was falling into the lake and drifting out to the waiting carp, swiftly followed by some chunks of bread crusts. As the carp started feeding a rainbow appeared in front of me. 

My bread crust was drifting out until a carp mouthed my bait. It turned away and a few seconds later returned, held the bread in it's mouth before swallowing it at the second attempt. I used to lose lots of fish until I watched carefully how carp take bread off the surface. Rarely have I seen a carp take a lump of bread in one gulp. Quite often they will hold part of the bread, sink underwater a few inches before taking the bread (and hook) into their mouth. My fish hooked percentage has greatly improved since last season and I hope your's will too! Back to the carp...... and again line was soon being taken from my reel. Not as hard fought as my previous carp but a good fight nonetheless. A few minutes later and a chunky Common was laying in my unhooking mat! 

Once again a few hours fishing after work proved fruitful, almost makes going to work worth it! See you again... Tight Lines! 

    The sun is out and the bluebells are in flower and like last season my first outing of the season was to be Hitchum Ponds, my target species were the Perch and Wild Carp.

    Hitchum Ponds are situated in the grounds of the Grovefield Hotel near Taplow Common and is part of the Intertype Anglng Society. Every year I'm envious of the 3lb plus Perch on the Intertype photo gallery, is there a more beautiful looking fish than a Perch? Last year I was palgued with small Perch on maggots so this time I made a trip to my allotments and dug up a few lobworms my aim was quality not quantity! 

    Of the three ponds named Square, Round and Richard's Pond my plan was to fish the Square Pond. I was delighted to see that I was the only person which is a bonus when fishing such a small area of water

My first cast and my float bobbed a little before dipping under, had I hooked into a nice Perch on my first cast? My rod bent over and put up a fight.... I prayed that this was the Perch I had sought for the past few seasons. Unfortunately I had hooked a small Wild Carp of not much more than a pound and so it continued.

As the day went on the sun came over the trees and warmed up the water and with it brought the Carp to the surface. You will soon realise that if there is one style of fishing I love more than others it has to be freeling and stalking carp in the margins. I put a few crusts of bread along the margins that the wind was blowing into and it wasn't long before the unmistakable slurping of carp could be heard. I cast out towards some reeds and within seconds the bread crust was sucked below the surface. My line straightened and I pulled into a nice Wildie of 6lb which powered off like any double figure carp I've caught. It's torpedo shaped body with a large tail effortlessly powered along the side of the pond but a few minutes later found it's self sliding over my net.

I had 22 Carp that day, the best being 7lb 10oz which put up one hell of a fight!

So the rain finally stopped and the sun is out! Like many of you the gloom of the outdoors has been matched by the gloom indoors, waiting for the time I can finally cast out and start the Rod Race League!

My first port of call was the River Colne in Cowley, a River close to my heart from my Chub fishing days on the Boyer stretch in Denham. I had monitored the levels and colour of the water and today I felt hopeful that I had picked the perfect time.

River Colne spills into Little Britain Lake

I fished what could be called a back water of the Colne away from the still gushing current coming down mainstream. With the added depth I was at least expecting a small perch on the maggots. Two hours later and I hadn't a bite so I moved downstream where I know small fish hold up in the summer months. Again I fished away from the main flow but as before I hadn't any takers.

Calmer Back Water of the River Colne

Accepting defeat I moved on a short distance to the Slough Arm section of the Grand Union Canal where during the summer I had seen shoals of Roach by the hundred. Having never fished this section before I was hopeful when I plumbed the depth at around seven feet deep! I moved along for a couple of hundred yards but the fish were not biting!

Changing tactics and venue I drove to Harefield armed with my spinner targetting two of my most sought after Pbs, the Pike and Perch. When I tell you that my Pike PB is only 4lb 14oz you'd think that I don't catch many Pike, the truth is I do but I only end up with small jacks! For years I have tried for a double figure Pike and today was to be no different.

With the canal flowing like a river and the river strangely calm like a canal I started casting out into the middle of the river guiding my lure close to the dormant reed beds but with so many branches washed down from the recent weather I knew I was in for a tough time. Having cleared the river of some of the snags via my lure I finally felt a tug, followed by the vibration of a fish.....at last!

 Flowing Canal  Calm River

My only take turned out to be a Pike of 1lb 14oz from the River Colne in Harefield. I spoke with some locals who lived nearby and like the Cowley stretch of the River Colne the Polish had helped themselves and decimated the fish populations. Unlike it's brothers and sisters this Pike went back in and hopfully it's lesson learn't might keep it away from the dinner plate for a while yet!

My new website, Rod Race League has finally launched. I am looking forward to hearing about other anglers who have also tried this adventure since Matt Hayes and Mick Brown took up the challenge on our screens a few years ago.

I hope you will look forward in reading about my travels, catches and hopefully a few PBs along the way and I too look forward to hearing about those who have joined up with me!

Tight Lines!

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