Alan D

He he! I was thinking of just wrapping my upper body and each leg with two layers of industrial bubble wrap. Should ensure I can`t injure myself in the course of fishing!

I think its fair to say I`m cursed and should have expected it LOL, I played them and handled them with the care of a nuclear physicist handling plutonium then gently eased them back into the water with a whispered goodbye. I`ll be back soon I hope to step up to some bigger ones and hopefully not maim myself in the process!

Well, I`m back from my day at Stanwick Lakes and had what we could call a very interesting day. Got there just after 7:30am and it was blowing a bloody gale. Swan lake where I`d planned to fish was at one end of the complex and was extremely exposed and choppy. As I walked around I noticed Mallard Lake (very similar to Swan as far as the rang and size of fish goes) seemed to be a bit calmer in a few areas but I found Coot lake which was a tiny lake in comparison to the rest and it looked gorgeous, lots of reeds and lilies plus I could see bubbles coming up all over the place. I setup and had my method feeder out containing dynamite halibut groundbait, hemp, sweetcorn and some chopped curried mussels. I had a tutti fruity boilie on the hair and within 10 minutes had a 2lb mirror which was a very good sign. However, after that it went quiet for the next 90 minutes so I moved round to the other end of the lake and setup there. within 15 minutes I had a nice 3.5lb common carp then my best fish of 4lb, which was another mirror. Sadly my day went badly pearshaped after this. I had a small tangle in the end of the rod and on walking to the tip of the rod I slipped on a very muddy area behind the peg and went over backwards scratching my arm to buggery on the bramble branches behind and ever worse I landed awkwardly on my left ankle. The pain was staggering. I could barely catch my breath. I had to sit down for 10 minutes to recover then decided that although it was much earlier than I`d intended to finish that I`d done some serious damage to my ankle and decided to pack up very carefully and hobble back to the car with all my gear which now weighed twice as much. I went to the doctors later that afternoon and was advised to go to the hospital for an x-ray. 4 hours after getting to Northampton General Hospital and checking in at the A&E department I was finally seen by someone to be told no fracture but major tissue damage around the ankle. I`m now strapped up, off work for the week and hopping around as I can`t put any weight on it! Despite this I had a great time at Stanwick, I will definitely be going back again, dont know when now and think the knackered ankle was worth the pleasure of catching 3 nice carp, the best haul I`ve ever had in one session which shows how little I`ve achieved so far. Next time I`ll beat my pb of 5lb!

Though the shock of catching something decent might mean the legs go to jelly for a bit

Cheers Andy, I definitely wont be breaking the cardinal sin of standing up and holding a big fish (IF I do catch one), instead I`ll be kneeling down and keeping it just an inch or two of the ground. Thanks for the kind words!

LOL, I just snorted half a cup of tea through my nose reading that last post wellyphant. Nice one ;-)

He`s streets ahead in the confidence stakes! As far as he`s concerned he`ll soon be catching sharsk, whales and Nemo`s!!!!

Cheers Neil. I popped by this lake today with my 2 year old to have a bit of a lookaround. Really like the look of it. The fish were really active and I`m praying the mild weather continues another week so I give myself the best chance of catching some decent fish.

No pressure then! ;-)

Cheers Wayne, looks like I`d better catch something big a week monday then or I`ll look a right numpty after all this! ;-) Only joking, half the enjoyment for me is just being somewhere nice, by the waterside with only the sound of nature to keep me company!

Believe me mate, nothing would make me happier than to catch a nice sized fish and let him see the photo to show him he`s been sniffing too much tippex ;-)

LOL, cheers Colin. I am going to be float fishing with a second rod so I dont end up sitting on my hands all day. Cheers for the tips. i`ll definitely take some corned beef with me.

Cheers Andy, while one day in the future I do fancy a go at piking, its one form of fishing I dont have the tackle for and dont want to attempt it unless I have someone more experienced with me to show me how to handle one safely (thats me AND the fish) and remove the lure/hooks. For now I`ll content myself with trying to catch a nice fish anything bigger than 5lb. I`m planning on using a medium/heavy feeder rod with matching reel and most likely 8lb mainline and a 6lb hair-rigged hooklength and either a semi-fixed method feeder or a free-running leger. I haven`t a clue how I`ll do but I`m confident I`ll come back and have a story or two to tell. Cheers for all the kind words and support lads. You really are the best bunch

Cheers John, I`m truly touched by so much goodwill. I agree that the only way to learn to handle/land a bigger fish is to catch one and learn as you go. I`m confident in my ability and common sense so I hope now that I can catch a nice sized fish and thank you all by showing you a photo!

LOL, he lives in the same town as my parents so I dont fancy winding him up further ;-)