What a day. The back end of May, and I'm in thick jumper, gilet and coat as the lakes are once again buffeted with 40mph winds the whole day, flipping the lilies up off the water while with on/off (mainly on) rain flattened them down again. 

My plan to fish Willows was blasted away by the sou'westers, as all I could do was huddle under my brolly, which I'd had to lash to the otter fencing behind me for fear of it ending up in Slough. 

With the incessant lowing flipping the lilies and creating more special effects on the water than a Mission Impossible movie, the only break in a slow morning was a vey welcome 3lb 14 tench, with the next fish, a rather nice 6lb 10 bream not making a show until lunchtime. No sign of its shoal-mates however, and it was another wet hours wait for a 3lb 6 tench. 

With two hours to go, I chucked in my hand and took my chances on the even more exposed adjacent Willows. The wind from the left made casting accurately impossible, and tightening up slack line a tricky and lengthy process. My landing net was called into action to rescue my hat that the wind blew into the surf. It also made the rod tip bounce around like a pogoing punk at a Pistols gig, but still the four bites I had were easily spotted, so fierce were the takes. The first and last fish both dropped off the hook, but the day was made a good one by a 7lb 8 Mirror and a long and lean Common of exactly the same weight.