29 Mar 2010 Saltfeetby Fisheries ,Lincolnshire

Yeehaaaa its great to be on holiday from work ,Having a spare day to go bathe the spare maggots from Saturday I decided to go visit a not so local fishery and enjoy myself ,well enjoy myself was not how it started I'll tell you that for nothing ,lashed it down with rain on the way there ,thought about turning round ,but what the hell its just water same as in the pond .when I arrived there's no rain,

So paid for my days which was six pounds at reception (does a mean brekkie or bacon butty) got my matchbox with new brolly setup, Decided to start with a maggot feeder and three pound hooklink with a size sixteen hook and fished to the far bank near some overhanging tree.Not long after bathing the maggot bus the rod was bent over violently so lifted into the fish ,and you guessed it straight under the damned tree where it got away ,This happened twice more till I got the little bugger it was a small Mirror Carp about a pound in weight, carried on with this tactic till I had run out of patience with being dragged into the tree and losing hooks, That tree ought to have a health warning it must be pierced with hundreds of hooks and no antiseptic (must have at least six of mine) .

So knowing I said I would be home for five and it was now about two I changed the maggot feeder for a middy small pellet waggler using the korum running bead with clip from the maggot feeder and gave myself four feet depth and no extra shot just so it fell as natural as possible .BINGO well if only I had done this earlier. I would not have lost hooks and or my patience.I was in, this was it,I was catching almost every cast they may have only been small, except for a decent roach,a skimmer, and a nice chub, so time went by, and I got lost in the moment and was nearly seven oclock so I decided to put on a single white maggot and chucked the last hundred in at the deep end put the last survivor in with his diving buddies.
so leaving my rod slightly unattended as I was packing away ,leaving the bailing arm open so the rod sat while I had chance to finish the worst part of my trip (hate packing away),well I heard a whoosh and turning round seeing the line ripping from the reel I went carefully to the seat just as I sat down the damned rod shot off the rest an decided to try water skiing ,well I grasped out and caught the rod butt.after spend a few seconds getting the fish under control I had a quick look at my reel and there it was. the  knot from hell ,this stopped the line peeling off after getting a few turn back on the spool the fish took off listening to the ticking of the ratchet I hoped it never got to that damned knot which it never did, but it was back and forth fighting what seemed like a whale, for about 20 minutes always weary of that damed knot and realising I was set up for little fish it was there a fine common carp of about seven pounds,

 nice end eh! well I rang home to tell my sweetheart of a wife I was coming home to which I got an earful and the remember what time you said speech and the tea would have been in the dog lecture oh and yes the dog would have loved curry .
if you visit saltfleetby bait is available (but no maggots or worms)from the tackle shop/reception/butty shop . toilets are on site enjoy a great days angling.

Saltfleetby Fisheries

27 Mar 2010 Novartis Pond

Since this is the first time I had drowned a few maggots in three months and needless to say it never went well. Set up with a simple loaded waggler fishing to approximately to a depth of three to four feet, with a size sixteen hook to three pound hook length of eight inches in length, Feeding few and often (most arriving at my feet due to the wind) caught six small rudd of two ounces each. Not one of my greatest days I have to admit but it got me out into the fresh air (at times it was more than fresh and had a waft of bran). well out of the guys who fished I ended up last but no blank, thank god for small mercies and few stray fish.
  Well if its any consolation if only to myself and a good deed for the day I helped a friends son and yes he did better than me so congratulations to him and even bigger applause HE SAT STILL ,good to see youngsters on the bank catching and I understand if they are not how boring it must be ,to be honest its still as bad for us oldies too.