"In the heat of noon day....."

Midday seemed to take ages to come. It was a few minutes before when I exited the building and headed for the car. A quick stop at Co-op on the way for a bite to eat and I was signed in and in position by half past. This time around I opted for a different swim, one with a little shade from the sun.




I fished there next to the pads for about an hour, and although it was kind of cool with the big oak sheltering me from the intense afternoon sun, I caught one small roach and all the time pined for my usual pitch. Another ten minutes went by and as I starred at a motionless float I made the decision to return to where I felt more confident.

One of those afternoons....

With bags to do and limited spare time I was delighted to find a few hours on Saturday afternoon to angle. There was one place on my mind when I knew I could go, the most at Sultan and another crack at those elusive crucians.

A Summer Weekend Adventure...

I used to have plenty of time at my disposal, and no doubt someday I’ll get that time back, being free to meander from water to water in search of dreams. But, for now, I have to make the most of my time and plan trips carefully in order to get full enjoyment from them. This weekend was such an event, a weekend away with three great friends at a local venue with the makings of becoming a very special fishery.

I have known it in the past as Greenridge Farm, but the now called FLE Fishery at Ampfield, just outside Romsey in the heart of Hampshire, has recently undertaken a change which I’m sure with propel this wonderful haven into one of the most popular lakes in the south. The pool itself is around an acre in size with an island and a series of bays. There are 15 stunning carp present that range from 20 to over 30lbs, so when that float dips you can be sure whatever is hooked is certainly going to be a bit special.

The TFF Board Meeting 2014

It was time for the Annual TFF Board Meeting, which is about as far removed from a board meeting as you could possibly imagine. The only discussion about the forum is usually something along these lines….

“Forum’s doing well….”
“Aye….”

And then the tea is poured, the cake is sliced and the fishing commences.

As always it was held at Fernhill Farm in deepest Oxfordshire, a venue central to all of us, with three of us all around 2 hours away it is the fairest way of choosing a location, it just so happens that Nigel is 3 miles away….lucky git.

My June 16th Celebrations...

The glorious 16th June, never meant a lot to me before, just another summer’s day. This year it should have meant so much more having removed myself from coarse angling for 12 weeks, but alas I failed shy of the mark with only 6 of those weeks accomplished. Still something that I’m proud of, as an angler who ‘needs’ to fish and with limited time these days I think I did well lasting that long.

I’d already booked the 16th off work for the occasion so relished the chance to spend a day at my favourite local pool during a quieter week day to see if I could stalk one or two of the lovely carp that reside there. The initial plan was to arrive dead early the hope that one might slip up due to not being fully awake.



I told the wife I was going to be up very early in the morning, to which she suggested I stay at my parents so I didn’t disturb her and Jessica, that worked perfectly for me, I did visit my parents, but grabbed a chunk of crusty bread, some tackle and headed for the pond. I arrived around 8pm in the hope of finding no other anglers, oh how wrong I was.

Lazy Summer Evenings....

Joyous Christenings....

 

Isn't it wonderful using,new kit and catching your first fish on it ? This evening after putting Jessica to bed I left the house and headed for the pool to meet my pal, Steve.

I got there about 7pm and after a chinwag left to bait up a few marginal spots with crust. The rod I was using was the 11ft barbel rod I recently purchased from Mickey and my new Cardinal 66.

An Early Birthday Present...

Due to being a user of fine fishing tackle, rods of cane, vintage reels and nets constructed of ash and bamboo, I tend to lean towards favouring those smaller, more secluded pools. Reed fringed, tree lined havens with lily pads to place my quill beside and deep margins eliminating the need to cast too far. This does not make me a lazy angler, no, quite the opposite. So, with all that in mind, you can begin to realise that having a 15 acre windswept lake on my doorstep really isn’t much use at all.

Yes, its large stock of mediocre sized carp can be fun on light gear, at the right time of year you can employ various methods to catch them, but there are only so many 5lb carp one can catch before feeling the desire to catch something else, something bigger, maybe something prettier. I always knew there were other species in the lake, but with so many pitches to choose from it always seemed such a daunting affair. The smaller pools giving me the feeling I’m never too far away from my target fish.

Confessions of a Coarse Fisher....

Yep, it’s confession time. I really hoped I could see it through, and I was doing so well, so where did it all go wrong?

It started easy enough, a little dabble in the sea, there’s enough of it around me living on an island. I think the beginning of the end was the change in weather and the visits to the local moat to observe and photograph the carp there among the out of bounds section. A strong yearning to catch one resulted in a few hours after work just to get it out of my system, but two fish later (one being a mid-twenty common) meant that there was no going back. Like a smoker who says he’ll just have the one then going back to the habit he thought he’d kicked into touch.