Carp angling today is a million miles away from what it was when I started fishing. The digital age and social media just two of the reasons it’s the beast that it is. Don’t get me wrong I’m not complaining, I like today's scene as much as I liked the early days of my [...]
I arrived at the lake at about 1pm on a very miserable Wednesday afternoon and managed to get straight into the swim that I hoped would be available. I had just the one night to fish and with this limited time, I chose an area that I knew there was the possibility of [...]
Due to a hectic work load of late, it had been a while since I'd last had the pleasure of doing a 48 hour session. However, I had now managed to get much of my work load completed and it was finally time to take a couple of days off and get some [...]
I woke up early and I couldn’t get back to sleep, it was still dark outside and raining heavily. I looked at my weather app and the forecast was rain, rain and more rain, but the temperatures were good. As the family were still fast asleep, I grabbed my rods, gear and bait and [...]
It is a pretty rare occurrence for me to have a Friday off work. I arrived at the lake just after 6am, got the barrow loaded and headed on down to the lakeside knowing that I had three days fishing ahead of me. With only four other anglers on I had quite a few [...]
It has been a busy time of year, with work and family commitments I have struggled to get into a routine on any particular water. Not being the type of person to give up, I had to find something to fill the little time I had available. After a bit of thought and a [...]
The old canal in Belgium is a venue that I have been fishing on and off for more than a decade, and I still love angling this little piece of heaven! The canal is around 25km long, with many different sections/stretches. During the last couple of years I have been concentrating on a few [...]
Over the last couple of years I have been fishing a large pit in Kent with my sights firmly set on catching a new PB common. My current PB common is a fish of 42lb 8oz, which I was lucky enough to catch in 2010 from a weedy Oxfordshire syndicate lake. Having my new [...]
During early August I began thinking about my autumn fishing, and where I wanted to fish more precisely. During the summer school holiday months I tend to only do single nights, fishing close to home and taking the kids for a few sessions. I’d taken my older boy to a club lake a couple [...]
My most memorable catch will always be this common back from May 2013. It was around the time I was taking my exams. I had started fishing an extremely hard, low stocked gravel pit that was packed with weed in the September of 2012 and to be extremely honest, I hadn't a clue what [...]
After what seemed like an eternity of catching nothing of note this summer, I finally managed to slip the net under something a bit special. I had been trying to break my old perch PB of 4lb 1oz for many years and although I’d managed to land a few big 3’s last year, I [...]
After a month away from the bank, I was keen to get the rods back out. Arriving at my chosen venue, I decided on several laps of the lake, which gave me a good idea of where I needed to be. It was obvious to me as soon as the first night drew in [...]
Angling for me is all about the anticipation, the chase, the buzz of trying to work out the quarry and piecing together a tactical plan. Recently I’ve had a lot on my plate, a lot of things to contend with both myself and my family and to be honest my head really hasn’t been [...]
For as long as I can remember my barbel fishing has been focused around location. Finding where the fish like to be at different times throughout the season and once located keeping my methods minimalistic and simple. The less components that are used to make a rig, the less there is to go wrong. [...]
I simply cannot believe how fast this year has gone! I’ve had a really hard year, trying to find the time to get the sticks out. When I have managed to go I’ve really savoured the moment of just being there, rather than concentrating on my angling. It was during one of these savouring [...]
We all dream!! It’s what anglers do best. The dream keeps the passion and the fire burning, pushes you on when times are tough and if you’re lucky, that dream someday becomes reality. Then your dreams changes to the next milestone. Well like most I had a dream, yet my dream was classed as [...]
After a lengthy time away from fishing due to the passing of my Father in Law and starting a new job the time had finally come to start organising things ready for my first fishing trip in almost five months. This was due to be a memorable trip to the Amazing Carplantis Lake situated [...]
I got down the lake to find out that there were no swims free on my local club lake, so after a little talk with a friend of mine, Oscar Thornton, he allowed me to double up with him in a swim called 'the steps'. I was only on for a quick night, and [...]
Short sessions to some anglers may be something like 30 odd hours on the bank. That sort of time for me these days would be heavenly! At present I manage a very quick night three times a month, literally heading for the lake at 8pm and finding my way home by 10:30am the following [...]
My fishing has taken a back seat of late as we had the sad news that my Gran was loosing her battle with cancer and there was nothing more they could do. My family and I were all devastated and understandably fishing was the last thing on my mind. On the couple of occasions [...]
