Willows Lake - Thatcham

2000 - 0500

Warm (min 16ºC), overcast and drizzly most of the night especially early on.

8 Carp; biggest 18lb 5oz - all the rest between 5¾lb - 9¼lb. 1 Tench - circa 1lb and a skimmer.

A night of 2 halves - started float fishing the margins targetting the lake's rare but large crucians - and sure enough had crucians rolling in my swim repeatedly as it got dark - so hopes were high! Alas the carp kept getting to the bait first and when I didn't connect with a fish that went screaming off it was the wrong species. Still - my first tench from here in yonks - think a few must have been stocked in the winter. By midnight I'd had enough of trying (and sometimes failing) to bully carp in on inappropriate tackle so it was out with the feeder rod. First up was a lovely large mirror - which at over 18lb is my biggest from this lake in 37 years of fishing it! First light and the rain had stopped so it was off for a couple of hours kip and a late breakfast!