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NAA Stillwater, Widmead 1830 - 0800 Heavy evening showers giving way to clearing skies - feeling quite cool by dawn (12ºC) 3 Tench; 6lb 14oz, 3lb 6oz, 2lb. 3 Bream; 5lb 3oz, 4lb 5oz, 4lb 1oz. 4 Carp biggest 5lb 14oz. 4 roach & 4 perch. Slow but steady night - quite a lot of activity which didn't translate to bites! Paul had a much quieter session ( he did sleep through most of it!) with just a blank saving bream to show before he packed up at first light! * All carp (and biggest bream) on the feeder, others caught float fishing the margins. Biggest ever tench from this venue. *Paul has asked me to point out that his half hearted attempts at trying to catch something were due to his ignoring his wife's advice (she's a nurse by the way!) not to go fishing when he wasn't feeling very well. A night on a chilly, damp lake bank is probably not the best cure for a streaming summer cold!

NAA Stillwater - Widmead 0415 - 1015 High cloud - warm. 15º -> 20ºC 4 Carp; 10lb 1oz, 9lb 6oz, 9lb 0oz, 7lb 11oz. 1 Crucian; 3lb 2oz. 2 roach, 1 rudd (all 3 of which needed the net to land.) Despite the splendid crucian and the hard fighting commons - a quiet morning bite-wise. Crucian on float fished meat - in the margins - pretty much only bite of the morning - apart from the roach and rudd - wasn't even 'carped' as is the norm. Biggest common on the feeder - other 3 all caught on bread in the last ¾hr when they started to feed on the top. My biggest crucian from an NAA water for 14 years - and first crucian from this lake since '06 - well chuffed.

NAA Stillwater - Thatcham 1300 - 0930 Hot and sultry (again!). Max 25ºC, Min 12ºC. 4 Carp (but see below!) ; 14lb2oz, 9lb 7oz, 5¾ & 4¾lbs. 3 Crucians; 2lb 14oz, 2lb 2oz, 1lb 9oz. 4 roach & 2 rudd. A very quiet night - saved, for me at least - by a very productive last 2½hrs when I had the 14 (on floating crust from right under my feet) and all 3 crucians on float fished meat - hooray! Paul and I had set ourselves a target for the session of a double figure carp and a crucian each - so job done for me! Paul didn't manage a cru and his only couple of fish of note to show for nearly 19 hours on the bank, carp of 11¼lb and 7½lb were both caught on light float tackle rigged up for the crucians! I had a couple of more fish on the bank in slightly strange circumstances A 9lb mirror hooked in the tail on my light float tackle is perhaps not that unusual (though the fight was long and tiring - for me!) Paul was quick to point out that it didn't count as it was hooked at the wrong end! (Paul once had a 20 hooked in the derriere - he had 'fun' getting that in!). The 2nd capture was truely bizarre. I had a run on my method feeder rod - was fishing tight to the bomb - and after the usual 4/5 minute tussle landed a fiesty mirror of 11½lb. Put it on the unhooking mat and looked for the hook only to find that the fish had somehow managed to tangle itself up in the mainline - which was wrapped about 8-10 times around its lower jaw - and obviously had sufficient purchase for me to land the fish. Really struggling to understand how this could have occured - it was most weird. "That doesn't count either" retorts Paul - "You didn't hook it". "Ah - but at least it WAS caught with rod and LINE" replies me!

NAA Stillwater - Widmead 1200 - 0800 Warm day (25ºC), balmy night with light southerly breeze keeping the dew off - lovely night to be out. 11 Carp - all commons, best 9lb 3oz most circa 5lb, 7 Bream - best 4lb 14oz, most circa 4lb, 3 Tench - 6lb 9oz and a couple of 2lbers, 4 roach (one of 13oz) and 3 rudd. A productive session fishing with Paul - who had avery similar return after a slow start. Most carp and all the bream & tench caught float fishing meat under my rod tip. 6lb tench was very obviously a male - quite possibly my biggest ever male tinca!

NAA Stillwater - Widmead 0600 - 1030 Bright and sunny - chilly (8ºC) start. 1 carp 5¼lb, 1 roach, 3 doz+ rudd & perch - mainly rudd. Slow morning - only 1 bite on the lead - resulting in the carp - all others margin fishing maggots - though had to switch to meat after 15 mins - the place was heaving with small perch and rudd.....

Newbury AA Stillwater - Thatcham 0530 - 0830 Bright and sunny - 12-15ºC 2 Carp: 3 & 4¼lb. 1 skimmmer, ½doz perch & roach. Float fishing - aledgedly for crucians! Lake very quiet.

Newbury AA Lake - Widmead 1500 - 0800 Bright and breezy, calm and clear overnight, rain at dawn. 12 Carp - all between 5-8lb, best 8¼lb, 1 Tench, 3lb 1oz, 3small perch. This was meant to be a tenching session - and all seemed to be going to plan with a tinca first cast. Alas it was my only one - the carp obviously muscling in on the action. Bread, pellet and meat - all caught.

Newbury AA Lake - Thatcham 1500 - 0900 Very breezy with heavy drizzle to start, fine clear night. 5 Carp - best 8lb 1oz, 1 rudd, 1 roach. Very very quiet night on a usually very prolific water. Paul did somewhat better in the next swim with 10 carp to 12lb 6oz. Tried - and failed miserably for one of the lakes few big crucians

Newbury AA Stillwater - Thatcham 0700 - 1300 Calm and cloudy with sunny spells, 11º - 15ºC. 8 Carp (best 2; 8lb 11oz & 8lb 6oz, rest 3½ - 5lb), 7 Crucians (Smallest 1lb 2oz, 4 over 1½lb, biggest 1lb 11oz), 1 small Tench, 9 roach, & a perch. At last, a decent crucian session!! All crucians caught between 0930 - 1130. All fish on float fished meat - lift method, except 3 carp - including biggest 2 - on freelined breadflake.

Newbury AA Lake - Widmead 1900 - 0700 Warm and overcast, temp didn't get below 17ºC all night (Just as well as I'd forgotten my shelter AND thick shirt!) 2 Carp (10lb 9oz, 8lb 15oz), 2 Tench (5lb 6oz, 3lb), 2 Rudd & a perch. Another slow night after tench in seemingly great conditions. Biggest carp early - on float fished meat other & tench on Method Feeder/Pellet.

Newbury AA Lake - Widmead 1800 - 0500 Mainly cloudy - breezy at first. 20º - 13ºC 14 carp - (best 4; 10lb 5oz, 8lb 2oz, 7lb 15oz, 7lb 3oz all others in 5+ - 6+ bracket), 5 Bream (5lb 6oz, 5lb 2oz, 4lb 14oz, 4lb 2oz, 3lb 11oz), a doz rudd, roach and perch (mainly rudd). A busy night!! Most carp on pellet, though had 4 carp and 4 of the bream on float fishing margin tactics - meat, corn and maggot all catching. Packed up at 1st light to beat the rain!

Newbury AA Lakes - Thatcham 0500 - 0900 Bright and sunny - warm (even at 0500) 15º - 19ºC 2 Carp (10lb exactly, 6lb 3oz) ½doz perch & roach A frustrating morning chasing crucians - had big ones rolling in the swim but no hittable bites. Both carp in last ½ hour when I switched to floating bread in the margins just to get a bend in the rod!!!

Newbury AA Stillwater - Widmead 1900 - 0600 Mild (min16ºC) , overcast and drizzly - dry during dark hours, breezy. WT 19ºC 2 Carp (13lb 2oz, 8lb 14oz), 1 Tench (4lb 5oz), ½doz Perch - best 1lb 6oz. Very quiet night - place seemed lifeless despite conditions seemingly being OK for fishing! My night was rescued by a busy hour just after midnight when I had all three fish. Tench on float fished meat both carp on pellet. Perch on maggot in the morning. Paul fared no better - a solitary 6lb tench - caught early in the session on meat saving his blank...

Newbury AA Stillwater - Widmead 0500 - 0900 Bright and breezy - water levels well up after yesterday's rain - and lake looked rather lifeless. 1 carp (4lb 13oz), 2 tench (2-3lb), 7 Perch (one of 1lb 6oz), 2 Roach (13oz & 1lb) (!), 3 Rudd. Fished VERY,VERY tight to margins - hoping - in vain for a crucian. Most on meat - roach on floatfished bread.

Newbury AA Stillwater - Thatcham 0500-1100 Showery and breezy 15ºC 2 Carp (3-4lb), 2 Crucians (both circa 1¼lb), 1 Tench (scraper pounder), a dozen roach & perch. Slow morning. Long periods without a bite interspersed with short bursts of activity - even struggled for bites on maggot at times. All fish caught float fishing

Newbury AA Lake Thatcham 0430 - 0930 Hazy sunshine, 10ºC - 14ºC 6 Carp ( 14lb 11oz, 7lb 7oz, 6lb 12oz, 3X5lbers), 4 Tench (1½lb-3lb), 1 Roach (14oz), 2 Rudd, 1 Perch. Pleasant session. Fish on a variety of baits and methods. Meat, s-pellet & floating crust all caught. Biggie was a opportunist fish right at the end - was packing/packed up when I saw the fish had moved into the margins to hoover up some of my groundbait that had dropped in. Re-tied a hook and lowered a piece of meat onto its nose - to be snaffled immediately!

Newbury AA Lake - Thatcham 1330 - 0830 Overcast and almost no wind. Light persistent drizzle started at 1600 and continued uninterupted until 0400 when heavy persistent drizzle kicked in! 12º - 16ºC 9 Bream ( best 5lb 13oz, 7 between 3.08 - 4.10 & a skimmer), 6 carp (smallest 5.08, biggest 8.01), 2 Tench 1½lb & 4lb 10oz, 2 doz roach and rudd (mainly rudd), 1 perch. Very pleasant session - despite the rain!! All carp on ledgered pellet but most other fish on float fished margin tactics. Red maggot or sweetcorn catching most of the fish. Paul had a similar haul of carp and bream - though didn't find any tench.

Newbury AA lakes - Thatcham 1430 - 1100 Sunny becoming overcast. Breezy becoming VERY breezy. 13ºC-18ºC. 9 Carp (3½ - 8lb) 3 roach and a rudd. Disappointing session on a usually prolific water. Paul did much better (eventually) and had a dozen on The Method - including a brace of 10's. Had hoped to do some surface fishing but legions of terns, ducks & geese made this sadly impossible - the buggers were insatiable - and did we try and sate them! Float fishing the margins - another - usually -winning formula, produced not a single bite - poo!

Warwicks Water 0600 - 1200 Warm and sunny (at last) 15 Crucians (all between 1¼ - 1¾lb), 7 Carp (2¾ - 6lb), a dozen roach/rudd. Fished meat, 4mm pellet and bread - all crucians on meat. Lift method - a couple of the carp on freelined bread.No bites for the first hour then the swim was really fizzing. Most fish caught before 1030 - final hour and a half switched to floating crust for the carp.

River Kennet (Woolhampton) 2000 - 2300 Dry, Clear and breezy. 1 Common Carp (9lb6oz), 2 Chub (both <3lb), 1 Bream (<3lb) Halibut pellet - as usual! Carp last cast!

Dixons Mere 0000 - 1200 Warm night, Showers 3 Carp (best a mere 4lb 13oz) 1 Tench (3lb 3oz). 3 doz. bits (Rudd, Roach, Perch) Slow start to the season though Paul faired much better in the next swim - he had half a dozen tench and a similar no. of carp. I didn't get a bite until well into the morning - and that was only after I decided to get some IAC Species Race* points on the board! Tench - Float Fished maggot Carp - Free-lined Imitation Chum Mixer * Species Race web site: http://www.iac07.42inch.net/