Tuesday - My usual evening session. it took me three rubbish casts to realise I'd wrapped the line round the rod when putting the sections together. An odd evening with many trembles on the rod tip that refused to develop into proper bites.  I swapped baits to try and encourage some positive takes and in the end was happy to settle for mirrors of 5lb 4 and 6lb 4 plus commons of 5lb 10, 4lb 5 and 6lb. I'm delighted to report that the last fish was Blinky, the one-eyed common, who I last caught on 4th October, and have had four times overall. 

Friday - With low air pressure and rain sweeping in, I took my brolly to Dobsons. Spent most of the day huddling underneath it, stepping out only to address bites. I had a few. Bream of 3lb 10, 1lb 6 and 2lb 2, commons of 6lb and 5lb 15 (this one having curious patches of goldfish on each side) plus a stonking fat tench of 5lb 1. There was one much larger fish that powered me into the snags and never came out.

Home and dried, the rain got worse and teemed down for hours, so next morning fearing swollen water levels, I forwent a planned river trip to the calm waters of Willows. I hear my fears were unfounded as other bloggers caught well on the Kennet, while I enjoyed a pleasant sit in the sun for just three carp of 5lb 8. 6lb 10 and 3lb 10. I lost another fish to a submerged snag in a lake when I've never previously encountered a snag in open water.