Wednesday - A last short afternoon of the season as the gardening season has properly kicked off, and I have to pay for the maggots some how. Arrived at Willows at 2:30 to two surprises: There was only one other chap fishing, and the carp were up on the top everywhere. It was a still afternoon, certainly not the warmest, but there they were, sucking at the surface, some only 3ft from the bank, with groups of 3 or 4 fish seemingly liable to pop their heads up at any point. I fancied I’d either catch a hundred, or none at all.

I fished a pop-up on a hook length long enough for me to see it bobbing on the surface. Casting at small groups, my bait was mouthed and spat out a couple of times before one took it. A 9lb 4 Common. Then the temperature dropped and so did the fish. Eventually I changed to a float and corn and lost a big ‘un after a 10 minute fight when it decided it’d had enough of toying with me and turned on the afterburners.

Friday - It was zero degrees when I arrived at first light, and felt much colder with a solid northerly breeze. I knew it would be a tough half-day, but one can only fish in the hours ordained, and if you stay at home, like all of my other angling brethren, you can’t catch a fish. At least the snow showers of yesterday had passed. And it was tough, just the single bite around midday for a perfect 8lb Mirror which made it all worthwhile.

Hmm. A cormorant took advantage of me being the only angler, and worked the lake for much of the morning. I rarely if ever see one on the water if there are a few more of us on the bank.

Saturday - Even colder. Minus 2 start plus the same wind. Froze my pop-ups off, it did. Nothing all morning then just as it warmed up slightly, I had a 4lb Mirror and 5lb Common in the last 45 mins. Highlights of the day were watching a territorial Canada goose and equally territorial Egyptian goose having an all beaks and wings fight. Violent stuff, oh, and a duck limbo dancing under the impromptu otter fencing. 

Roll on Spring