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One Mans Journey…

Entries in this blog

27lb Carp On Deadbait..!

Maybe I was attacking the Main Lake all wrong at the weekend. A friend of mine has just informed me that he had a cracking 27lb+ mirror out of the same lake on a small deadbait last week! What can you say to that! It appears he cast out the small roach tail and sat back to let it develop. Shortly afterwards the rod rattled off and he thinks he’s into a decent pike. A few people gather by his swim to see how big the pike is going to be, only to be greeted by a cracking fully scaled mirror hooked

Julian

Julian

New Pb Surface Capture..!

What can I say, when I left the house last night I had no idea what was to come. I’d been watching the weather out of my office window (at home) all day but had not been outside. I live in an old Town House and my office window faces out north so its afternoon before the sun comes through the window, and as such it can be deceiving as it often feels colder than it is until the sun pokes through. It was about 3pm when I nipped outside to speak to a neighbour and I was gob-smacked at how warm it w

Julian

Julian

How Does This Work Then..?

Right, let’s have a go at one of these Blog things then, eh?   I suppose I’d better kick off with a bit about myself for those that don’t know me. I’m in my early thirties and live in Leek (Staffordshire) with my wife Lisa; we’re busy renovating an old Town House at the moment and have a young’un due next March.   My main work is with Elton, running http://www.anglersnet.co.uk along with many of his other ventures! In addition I run my own website for carp angling in the North-West of Eng

Julian

Julian

What's Going On With The Weather!?

Typical, last night was the first Wednesday night I’ve not nipped up to the Top Pool for a quick overnighter and the weather forecast last night said it was going to be one of the warmest on record for this time of year for us Northern lot. Ho Hum.   That said, they gave out today as a scorcher as well, so who knows, I may just sneak out for an hour after work to try and sneak an October carp off the surface. Yes, mad I’m sure you’ll agree but I’ve set myself a challenge to try and bag a fi

Julian

Julian

Isn’t It Funny..?

Isn’t it funny how life seems much richer in the days immediately after a big fish? After my little floater fishing expedition the other night I keep catching myself smirking or grinning for no particular reason. Funny that.   My ‘fishing’ mind is now firmly fixed on tomorrow as I’m hoping to do a day on Capesthorne Main Lake. After a good initial session last Saturday on the Garden Pool end I’m looking forward to the new challenge this water offers, not to mention the possibility of banking

Julian

Julian

One Of Those Weird Sessions...

Did a day on the Main Lake yesterday.   Did not catch anything but felt I did almost everything I could. Got down there about half seven and had a good look around before setting up. There was a strong wind heading right down from the shallows to the bridge with a proper chop on it (about 18-20mph wind). The garden pool was calmer but already had about six people on. I decided as it was so warm I would set up right in face of the wind (fool I hear you cry!) where it hit the bridge as I was su

Julian

Julian

Fishing Tomorrow, Love..?

After spending all day Sunday fishing at Capesthorne, I was somewhat surprised last night when Lisa asked out of the blue if I was doing an overnighter on the Top Pool tonight - especially as the tone implied she would be happy irrespective of any answer I might choose to give. Never one to miss an opportunity I thought I’d dip my toe in the water and offered that I might have a bash if she were OK with the idea.   That was it, with no objections raised from the floor (I gave her all of five

Julian

Julian

More Off The Top..!

Picture the scene; yesterday (Saturday) morning and I awake after a nice lie in – well, 9am is a lie in for me! Lisa was going out for the day to meet up with some old work friends and I had an unplanned day ahead of me – a rarity nowadays. As we lay there she asked what I was going to do and at that precise moment I had no idea. That is, until the sun poked through the cloud outside and suddenly lit up the bedroom through the curtains, “Hmmm, well, I might just nip down the road for a few hours

Julian

Julian

As Suspected…

Had an enjoyable session on the Top Pool last night, although as suspected, I returned home fishless. Not that it matters much up there; it’s never an easy water and only gets harder during the winter months. Some people say I’m mad fishing on the Top Pool through the winter when I could easily be catching on other local venues, but where’s the challenge in that? After all, when they do come along it gives you such a sense of achievement that all the blank sessions just melt away. I remember doi

Julian

Julian

Thoughts On Weed…

What a day, I’m heady with thoughts of big fish – mainly due to the fact that after two days work I’ve just finished transferring around 165 reviews to the new forum section: Here. I finished by adding some book reviews, and there are some cracking reviews on titles by the likes of BB, Sheringham, and Sharman – well worth a read.   Anyway, after the excitement of my weekend surface captures, I’m back down to earth with a bang this week - house work all the way. I have the plumber starting tod

Julian

Julian

Help!

What a week, seems like I’ve not had a minute to myself. I’m in the throws of renovating the bathroom at home and had just five days to get everything done! Spent Monday night ripping out all the old suite and sorting a first plumbing fix for the new one, then spent Tuesday and Wednesday night stripping the old floor back to the joists in order to fit a new oak floor, have a plasterer in there going mental as we speak and then have to get all the sheets up as soon as he’s gone to get a few coats

Julian

Julian

All Change...

All Change…   It doesn’t seem a minute since my last entry, nearly six months ago!   Although when I think back, a lot has happened in that time, not fishing wise, I think I’ve only managed two or three sessions since January, each being a few snatched hours here and there, but the house is pretty much unrecognisable from what it was and of course I’m now a dad!   House wise we still have a fair bit to do but I got the bulk of the messy stuff done by the skin of my teeth before baby I

Julian

Julian

Caught on film...

I took Izaak for a walk around my new target water early on Saturday and Sunday morning. Primarily this was so Lisa could have a few hours sleep but also because I want to spend as much time at the water as possible before the season kicks off on the 16th.   I found a few nice fish lurking in various areas over the two reconnaissance sessions and I can’t wait to start my campaign on there. The fish are not massive but there are a few nice examples. I’ve been concentrating my observations on

Julian

Julian

Fully Scaled Mirrors R Us!

I managed to sneak a few hours surface fishing on Blackwood last night. I actually went down to a day ticket water in Cheddleton first but there were a few folk on and quite a rip on the surface, so I went up to Blackwood where Mart and I had the place to ourselves.   It took a while to get them going and they were quite spooky, I had the feeling somebody else may have been up there surface fishing earlier in the day but there was no sign of any floaters anywhere.   We got them feeding off

Julian

Julian

Not This Year...

Ahhh… The 1st June. Traditionally the first day of the season on Stoke-on-Trent AS waters for those who have completed work party’s and historically the time when you’ll find me stuck up on the Top Pool for two weeks solid before the crowds arrive on the 16th – but not this year.   Commitments elsewhere meant I was unable to complete the work parties and even if I had, I doubt I’d have been able to get an away pass from home. As such, last night was a bit of a weird one; I still found mysel

Julian

Julian

Well and truly knackered!

I did another session on my new little water yesterday morning; I set the alarm for 4am and was at the water for around half past, just as it was coming light. It was only my third time on the water, and like the previous two sessions, I went after the carp off the surface, armed with one rod, net, mat, essentials and a big bag of flavoured dog biscuits!   The last session had brought a lovely 17lb plus common to the net, one of nine fish I took during a few hours fishing, and whilst well chu

Julian

Julian

From one extreme…

Went back to Deep Hayes last night for a few hours surface fishing. I went in the evening as a friend has joined but he’s not as keen on the early morning sessions as me so we went down after work!   Straight away I noticed a massive difference in the behaviour of the fish. Although they were about in numbers like normal, they were much more on edge and were much harder to get going – no doubt because for most of the day they had been subjected to all manner of ‘approaches’ from the local sch

Julian

Julian

Frustrated!

Did another early morning session today – first time on another new water! I’m getting about a bit lately! Lovely lake of about three acres with more features, bays, points, snags, pads and back waters than you could shake a stick at. I went up with Izaak for a quick reccy at the weekend but he started balling ten minutes into the job so I had to come home, but saw enough to know it was worth a stab (couple of good doubles and one perhaps a scraper twenty).   Got there at dawn with the inten

Julian

Julian

Christmas Comes Early…

What is it about preparing for a big fishing trip that makes us behave like little children?   I don’t know the answer but it’s an interesting thought. I used to have one big ‘build-up mission’ prior to the ‘off’ on the Top Pool each June, where I would spend a whole week in pursuit of genuine Leney originals, but with Izaak’s arrival this year my fishing to date has consisted of one rod and a bag of dog biscuits - so not much sorting required there!   However, last weekend I got the green

Julian

Julian

The stuff that dreams are made of....

Having just re-read my last entry, I have to raise a wry smile. I added it just before I set off for a few days fishing with Elton down on the syndicate lake. In the entry and wrote about how I just had a feeling that it was going to be a good session as all the omens were looking good.   Just how good it actually ended up being surpassed any hopes that I might have had before hand, and looking back I still can’t believe how everything just seemed to fall into place. That’s not to say it was

Julian

Julian

Birch Grove Bonanza!

Finally managed to sort my Birch Grove Pictures from the week before last.   It was a great week even though I had to go home a few days early for my brothers wedding, how selfish was he - getting married during our week on Birch!!   It was a great week as usual, although it was a little sad in one regard; Anne who has been the Landlady at the Admiral Duncan for the last six years or so has decided to move on, and things definitely won’t be the same without her, and typically, she held a

Julian

Julian

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