Rob's day

Back at Hall Farm today after a week or so of rain most days but with temperatures up to 10 degrees today. The level at Hall Farm pretty close to normal now after the rain and water pumped in from the stream, but with a rusty tinge to the water.

8 of us today so 4 each bank, I was last to draw and was left with peg 26. Hadn’t fished this for a while, but a lot of fish had been settling at this end of the lake over the winter so hopeful for a few bites. Set up hybrid and maggot feeders for over to the reeds and a couple of pole rigs. Started on the hybrid feeder with a wafter but after 30 minutes not a touch, thinking it might be harder than we thought today.

In the meantime, Barry on peg 2 had a couple of carp on the pole, seemed quiet elsewhere although Fred on 24 mentioned they had caught further along the bank. A change to a maggot feeder brought an instant response though and I had three small carp in as many cast. Kept on the maggot feeder for a couple of hours catching the odd carp – most tight to the reeds opposite. The middle of the match went quiet – went an hour or so without a bite – fish seemed to disappear somewhere for a while. Nothing on any pole line so back to the feeder.

Looking across Jeff had a few carp now fishing the pole and Steve on peg 10 seemed to have caught a few on the tip. Not sure about our bank, although Fred had one carp going into the last 30 mins. The carp seemed to have returned by the end and I finished with a good run of 4 to 5 carp although most seemed small (spoilt by the size of Beggar's carp!) last fish on the whistle which also brought back a float that had been stuck in the weeds across all match.

Weighed in the low bank first – Barry sadly just the two carp caught early but weighed 10lbs 15oz – Terry one carp, Jeff catching five to win the bank with 18lbs 1oz and Steve second with 15lbs 9oz. On the high bank Bob on peg 20 weighing a good 22lbs 10oz, John Carter 12lbs 6oz from 22, Fred, who added a couple of fish near the end for 11lbs and my fifteen or so fish going 53lbs 5oz – one on the hybrid feeder, the rest on a maggot feeder. None on the pole today. So, fishing hard for most today, but at least we all caught at least one carp. Photo today is Bob Fox.