I was surprised to find myself the only one in the car park at 7am, even if the temperature had fallen again to two degrees. What did they know? I spurned the popular Willows lake for the comparatively ignored adjacent Alders given my bream and tench haul of yesterday. Given I'd missed so many finicky bites, I'd brought a swimfeeder mix to chuck out with a longer hooklength than my usual method feeder, thinking to outfox the wary bream. I set up and soon wilted as my totally disproportionate hangover deepened (after a paltry two cans of beer - something to do with my age and the position of the moon, I reckon), it taking all my remaining resolve not to lie down on the bank and sleep. Fortunately, nothing fishy disturbed my malaise for some hours. I was so relieved when 11 o'clock came as I could start on my packed lunch with impunity, the calories in which miraculously brought me back to health.

Reinvigorated, at midday I switched back to method feeder - better to be missing bites than getting none at all. The next three and a half hours were some of the best since I re-line found fishing last year. I had no end of bites, but rather than the hesitant nibbles of yesterday, these were all positive hits. I had two breakages, several fish drop off and numerous missed bites, but landed bream of 4lb 6, 5lb 6, 4lb 2 and 3lb 8 either side of a trio of tench of 3lb 15, 4lb 1 and 3lb 10. Fab! As far as I know, the five anglers who fished Willows during that time caught a (beautiful) 2lb 12 Crucian, with another losing a 'nice Common' at the net.