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Harris Lake, Marsh Farm Fishery, Milford 1500 - 2300. Hot and sunny with a stiffish southerly breeze - clear, warm evening. AT 28ºC and still 17ºC when I left. 7 Tench; best 6lb on the nose plus a variety of sizes (1X5lb+, 2X4lb+, 2X3lb+, 1X2lb+). 2 Crucians; 2lb 6oz, 1lb 13oz & 1lb 11oz. 20+ Roach up to 10oz. 3 Rudd - all around 8-10oz, 1 Perch- small. The return of summer put me in the mood for some more crucian fishing - though in truth they didn't get much of a look-in amongst the tench. Both smaller crucians in daylight but once it started to get dark the tench moved in - despite me giving them NO free offerings! Thankfully tinca time was over by 10pm and my only bite in the last hour came from the bigger crucian. Biggest tench from here since 2020....

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm Fishery - Milford 1430 - 2300 Hot and sunny with a warm southerly breeze all evening - very welcome as it kept the mossies and dew at bay. AT 25º and still 18ºC when I left. 5 Crucians: 3lb 4oz, 2lb 14oz, 2lb 10oz, 2lb 3oz, 1lb 13oz. 9 Tench - various sizes from barely a lb up to a best of 4lb 14oz. 16 Rudd - all handsized with 3 netters of around 10-12oz. 5 Roach& 6 perch - all small. Fabulous evening's sport. Only my second trip over to Milford this season and whilst the pre-occupation with tench in one of my local club lakes has saved me a bit of petrol money this summer - it has been at the expense of catching another of my favourite species - crucians! So today was all about rectifying that - and the evening got off to a great start with the 2-10 the first on the scene - just as I was taking a first bite into a sandwich for my tea! I then had to wait a couple of hours for my next bite (from a fish!)- but it resulted in a new lake best Crucian for me! I have been fishing this lake since 2007 and had a 3lb 3oz fish on that first visit - which I haven't bettered from here since! There then followed a frenetic evening as it got dark and as the tench moved in - though there was still time for 3 more crucians - the last one (and smallest) part of a double hook up just before 11pm which got me into a bit of a tangle and prompted an end to proceedings - though I'd already said to myself 'pack up next fish or 11pm whichever comes first'!

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm, Milford 0730 - 2315 Hot, sunny and sultry. AT around 25ºC all day and still 18ºC when I drove off at a little before midnight. 11 Tench: various sizes from quite small bars of soap up to 5lb - biggest 5lb 3oz. 2 Crucians 2lb 4oz & 1lb 2oz. 30 Rudd - most handsized - with a few a bit bigger, the one I deemed worthy of the scales went 14oz. A dozen roach - all small. Annual gathering of the Internet Angling Club - to remember our departed friend Paul and raise a few pounds for Duchess of Kent Hospice. Unusually for an IAC fish-in everyone caught fish - there were tench aplenty. Crucians on the other hand were thin on the ground with only 4 anglers catching them during the day (mine came after dark). Best crucian of the day fell to Howard with a fish of 2lb 9oz (closely followed by Glenn - who usually blanks! - with a fish an ounce lighter). Howard also won in 2020 and is now the first to win this twice - so I'll be accepting bribes to give him an unfavourable swim next year! I caught 9 of my tench during the heat of the day but stuck it out with grim determination to get a cru and was rewarded with 2 in 2 casts a little after 2200 - the smaller fish followed by another exactly double that next cast - should have packed up there and then as all I got was more tench - and was then smashed in the lilies - prompting a pack up.

Harris Lake - Milford 1530 - 2330 Hot, overcast and sultry - though the clouds parted somewhat after dark to allow me to see a couple of long streaky Perseids. AT 33°C on arrival and still 20°C when I pulled into my drive at home, at a little before 0100. 7 Crucians; 4 over 2lb - biggest 2lb 15oz - with all the other 2lbers around 2-04 - 2-06. 10 Tench; all over 3lb - with half over 4lb - best 2, 5lb 11oz & 4lb 11oz. 4 perch - small, 3 rudd - micro small - all took a bare hook as I was shotting my float at the start of the session. A crucian first cast was followed by a slow but steady afternoon -which in itself was a surprise as I didn't expect any bites until dusk. The hour from 9-10pm was frenetic however - with bites and fish coming thick and fast! The 5lber was the last fish landed - and then, suddenly the swim went completely dead. Fished on for 90 mins without a hint of a bite and whilst I had intended to stay until the early hours - I can take a hint!

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm, Milford. 1500 - 0000 Cool, calm and clear evening. Lovely evening for star (and planet) gazing - Jupiter is in oppostion at the moment so is particularly bright. AT a chilly 9ºC when I packed up - felt a little autumnal! 9 Crucians; All bar one over 2lb (and even that one was only 2oz shy). Best 3: 3lb, 2lb 12oz, 2lb 9oz. 2 Tench; 4lb 9oz & 3lb 13oz. 4 Rudd. Five hours without a bite (save for the micro rudd which annoyingly kept attacking a bare hook as I was trying to shot my waggler at the start!) followed by a couple of hours of frenetic activity. As so often happens here the dinner bell rang just as it got dark and by 10pm I'd had 10 fish - with the only bite after this time (nearly an hour later) being the bigger tinca. All fish caught mere inches from the bank in around 18 inches of water! (ie NOT where my float is in the cover pic). The fish here are used to the day ticket anglers discarding their bait in the margins and move in after closing time to hoover it up!

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm, Milford. 0645 - 2345. RAIN, Rain, continuous, unrelenting, nonstop RAIN! Heavy at times, slight, moderate, torrential, tropical, cloud bursts at other times. Over a month's worth in a day! Drove over in the rain, set up in the rain, fished all day in the rain. Rain eventually stopped as it got dark - so escaped packing up in the rain - though everything was pretty sodden. Thankfully my day shelter was up to the task - alas the banks weren't, so during the heaviest of downpours run off just flooded the pitch and I was left sitting in an inch deep puddle at times - fun - NOT! Oh and temps were around 14ºC down on the day before! 1 Tench; 3lb 7oz. 1 micro Roach. As Brian eloquently said on his FB page - it's going to be a bit of a grueller. And it certainly was - 15 hardy souls turned up in the pouring rain to sit under an umbrella to watch a stationary float and have their wallets emptied for Sue Ryder. A few very sensibly bailed on the fishing (I might have joined them if I wasn't the organiser!) For the first time the Paul Goulbourn Trophy - awarded to the captor of the biggest Crucian - went un-won as, err, no-one caught A crucian. In fact only Alex caught anything during the day - weighing in with 3 tench. I had a tiny roach literally first cast - really just checking the shotting on my float when it sailed off. I would have to wait 16 hours for my next fish - by which time everyone had long since left! Still it was nice to see everyone again - and amusing that everytime the rain eased a bit everyone emerged from their shelters for a quick natter before the next downpour set in. Certainly a day to remember - but not for the fishing! EDIT - Final monies raised for Duchess of Kent Hospice in Reading came to £510 - best ever amount for ones of these events.

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm , Milford. 0630 - 2330 Warm (still 18ºC when I got home at 0100), overcast and DRY - despite the forecast and the downpours the day before. There was some VERY annoying light drizzle for the last hour or so - but overall conditions were very benign - thankfully! 2 Crucians; 3lb 1oz & 2lb 9oz. 4 Tench - 2@4lb+ - biggest 4lb 9oz. 3 Perch. A doz+ Rudd (micro!!) 3 Time lucky! This is the 3rd IAC fish-in I've organised in 2020 and the first one to actually take place. The Grayling day on the Itchen in Feb was cancelled due to Storm Dennis. The Marsh Farm fish-in in June was postponed due to Covid so was thankful this deferred date got off the ground. Covid depleted numbers (some not getting time off work having only recently returned from furlough) but it was as ever a social as much as a fish-in - and raising some money for Sue Ryder in memory of Paul. All the talk leading up to the day was on what the weather would bring - with 3 of the party also fishing the venue the day before and sitting out apocolyptic amounts of rain! Thankfully we had not a single drop of precipitation until well after dark when Brian and I were the only ones left - and some VERY annoying light drizzle set in! Fish during daylight hours were sparse - with Howard winning the day with the biggest crucian, caught by the cut-off, at 2lb 7oz. (He also had the 2nd best at 1lb 10oz). As usual on these days all my action came at dusk and once the 'offical' competition had finished - with a rather splendid (if somewhat obese!) crucian on the stroke of 9 o'clock weighing in an ounce over 3lb - my biggest from this venue for 7 years.

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm - Milford 0000 - 0500 Cool and clear. (Thermo in the car was at 4ºC when I left - and it felt chuffing cold - thankfully the fish kept me busy!). Good night for observing the night sky - lots to see. ISS went over twice, perfect visibility of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. Venus rising at dawn was stunning - and could clearly see Comet NEOWISE just before sunrise in the eastern sky - twas visible for around 20mins at around 0320 - and I even saw a stunningly long meteor. 4 Crucians; 3lb 0oz, 2lb 14oz, 1lb 13oz, 1lb 11oz. 8 Tench - 3 over 5lb (6 over 4lb) - best 5lb 8oz. Succesfull salvage operation especially as I had a couple of crucians that were of Johnsons proportions - my first 3lber from Harris since 2013! Again float fishing prawn sections very tight to marginal lillies - got off to a flyer with 6 fish in the first hour or so (mainly tench). Tried a different tactic of not loose feeding at all so as not to encourage the tench - didn't work! Bites did tail off a bit after this initial frenzy - but at least when the float did go under it resulted in more crucians - 3lber was one of the last fish of the session...

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm, Milford 0000 - 0500 Clear, quite cool, still with some breeze. 11ºC - but felt chillier. 5 Crucians: 3 over 2lb - 2-13, 2-11 & 2-04. 10 Tench: most in the 2-3lb class. Biggest 2 went 6-05 & 4-04. 1 Perch. If the previous 10 hours angling had been frustrating the next 4 were totally frenetic. Fishing right under my rod tip in the margins my float fished prawn sections were taken within minutes of casting out each time. What was slightly curious was the 'catching order'. I started off with 5 tench - then had all the crucians in quick succession - only for them to be pushed out again by the tincas. Day break saw an abrupt end to the action ( I think I only caught one fish after 0415 - which was the 6lb tench) and by 5 o'clock I was staring at a completely stationary float without a hint of what had preceded!

Harris Lake - Milford 1430 - 0430 Warm and muggy with a gentle breeze - clearing ovenight with temps down to 12ºC at dawn. 18 Crucians; 10 over 2lb - biggest 2lb 11oz. 11 Tench; 5 over 5lb - biggest 5lb 12oz. 6 Perch, 6 Roach, 1 Rudd. Very busy session with over half the fish caught in daylight (for a change). Everyting caught under my rod tips - float fishing with prawn and maggot weighing in equally with fish. Fed much more sparingly than usual which seemed to stop the tench arriving en masse!

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm, Milford 0700 - 0400 Bright and breezy, mainly sunny. Lovely clear night with some high cloud and a gorgeous full moon. 9 Tench; best 5lb5oz with 6 of the rest over 4½lb. 2 Crucians; 2lb 0oz & 1lb 11oz. 2 Perch. 4th IAC Paul Goulbourn memorial fish-in. Yet again 20 of Paul's friends came together to honour his memory and try (and mainly fail!) to catch a crucian! Bites were at a premium all day though I think most anglers caught at least 'A' tench - I had my biggest pretty much first cast. However only 6 crucians were caught by the allotted time. Gary started the ball rolling with a splendid fish of 2lb 12oz - easily enough to win in previous years - however he had only seconds to enjoy the moment as news spread along the bank of a 2lb 15 (and a ½!) oz fish which fell to Alex - which naturally was the winning fish. I fished on after everyone had gone and as in previous years the fish came on the feed at 2130. I then had a lively few hours catching mainly tench until it went completely quiet at around 0200. I packed up as soon as it got light and headed home for some sleep. Money raised for Duchess of Kent Hospice was in excess of £300 meaning the IAC has now raised nearly £3K through this (and the winter Grayling) fish-in. MANY THANKS to all who came and gave.

3rd Paul Goulbourn Memorial Trophy - Harris Lake - Marsh Farm. 0800 - 0800 Hot, bright and breezy. Breeze never really died down even at night. 19 Tench - biggest 5lb 4oz with nearly all the rest in the 3½-4½lb class. 13 Crucians; 3 over 2lb (just!) - biggest 2lb 3oz. Around half the rest were 'Big 1's' (had 3 @ 1lb 15oz!). 3 Roach, 3 Rudd & 4 Perch. IAC came out in force to do Pauls' memory proud! Record attendance at this meant £400 being raised for Sue Ryder. Despite challenging conditions quite a few fish caught with the lead (prize goes to biggest crucian caught) changing hands a number of times before Ed snaffled the winning fish (2lb 5oz) close to the 5 o'clock cut off. I struggled for bites for most of the day (except when using maggot) and didn't get my first decent fish until my swim was in shade at around 1800. Once it got dark however the action was frenetic - at least two-thirds of my catch coming between 2200 & 0400 and all caught in 15inches of water right under my rod tip a couple of feet or so from the bank on float fished prawn. A great day for a great guy - still fondly remembered.

Harris Lake, Marsh Farm, Milford 1900 - 0900 Clear cool night, down to 9ºC. Not a great night for spotting Perseids due to the near full moon - still spied a few really bright ones however! 12 Tench; All over 3lb with 3 over 4 - best 4lb 12oz. 10 Cruicans; 4 over 2lb, best 2 - 2lb 8oz & 2lb 7oz. A doz rudd, half a dozen roach and 2 perch. Busy night as nearly all wish during hours of darkness - and all bar 2 on the float. Chopped prawn again accounting for nearly all fish - despite starting with meat.

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm, Milford. 1100 - 0130 Bright, hot and sunny (mainly) 3 Tench: 5lb 14oz, and a brace of 3lbers. 2nd Paul Goulbourn Memorial Cruican Fish-in attended by 16 IAC members. Fishing was hard going for most though a few crucians were caught - the biggest going to Krzystof (sp?) - who won the trophy for biggest cruican with a 2lb 4oz fish. Quite a few resorted to the training pond just to get bites! I always planned to fish on after the event and was hopeful that history would repeat itself as I had a lot of fish after dark at last year's event. 3 tench as it got dark augured well though despite briefly having crucians rolling in my swim I couldn't so much as buy a bite once it was dark. So whilst I had planned to fish till dawn I figured 2 or 3 hours extra kip was the better option!

Marsh Farm, Milford. 1730 - 2300 Johnsons 2330 - 0530 Harris Cool clear night - down to a chilly 9ºC when I packed up. 5 Crucians: Best 2lb 15oz, all others sub 2lb. 5 Tench - a brace of 3lbers and 3 in the 1-1½lb bracket. 2 TINY carp! Just back from a week in Norfolk (took Paul's travel rod and caught 'A' mackerel off the beach at Weybourne where we were staying!) Plan for tonight was to try and get a decent tench - so even set up a feeder rod. Alas the bigger tincas weren't playing ball - in what turned out to be a slow but steady night - first fish around 2100, a small tench, followed by the big crucian. Another small tench followed before the switch to Harris. Had planned to stay longer - but a warm bed and avoidance of the rush hour were a bigger attraction than a lifeless looking lake!! A couple of the carpers in the next swim seemed pretty impressed with the cru - and insisted I had it's portrait taken!

Marsh Farm, Milford 1430 - 2315 Johnsons 2330 - 0315 Harris 0330 - 0730 Johnsons Warm, slightly overcast with a full moon. Simply a lovely night to be out - never really got dark! 8 Crucians; 3lb 7oz, 2lb 14oz, 2lb 11oz, 2lb 7oz X2, 2lb 6oz, 1lb 13oz, 1lb 11oz, 11 Tench; Best 5lb exactly with another 5 over 4lb. 1 Brown Trout (!) 1lb 9oz. After the excitement of the IAC fish-in on the 16th, a quick return to MF in the hope (thankfully more than fulfilled) of some serious Crucian fishing. The session got off to a rather curious start however - with the first bite of the day producing a brown trout! Had to wait a bit for my next bite but dusk saw the crucians switch on and I had the 4 biggest ones in pretty much consecutive casts - before the tench moved in. A switch to Harris to circumvent my lack of night permit produce an hour's sleep plus the 3 smallest crucians and a 4lb tinca. Dawn saw me return to the evening swim - but it seemed to be full of tench - I don't think they were giving the crus a look in! Possibly over baited the swim! Well pleased with my 3= biggest ever Crucian... A VERY fat specimen which doesn't really come across in the photo...

Harris Lake - Marsh Farm Fishery, nr Godalming 1230 - 0445. Warm (especially overnight), overcast, with heavy showers - though the worst of it missed us. Lots of thunder rumbling away in the distance - thankfully that's where it stayed!. 18 Crucians; 7 over 2lb, 2lb 9ozX2, 2lb 7oz, 2lb 6oz, 2lb 4oz X3, 3 Tench to 3lb 10oz (all over 3lb) Informal IAC 'match' competing for the inaugural Paul Goulborn Memorial Trophy - to be awarded to the captor of the biggest crucian caught on the day. The IAC is something of a sleepy backwater of the internet and Paul was a very early member (circa 95/96) and whilst it may not have a fancy website - it does manage to organise quite a bit of fishing and fish-ins amongst it's small membership. Twas fitting then to hold a fish-in in Paul's memory at one his favourite venues - targetting one of his favourite species. I'd booked a dozen+ pegs with GAS as if it was a match - thus ensuring we could all fish together - and that we could raise a bit more for Duchess of Kent Hospice as match fees are cheaper than Day Tickets! I'd even organised a trophy to be awarded on the day - an old print of a crucian which I had mounted and framed. Because of my desire to start the season on running water I was last to arrive and was very pleased to hear that most people had actually caught crucians already - with a smattering of 2lbers. 2 Separate fish of 2lb 8oz - one to Rusty and one to Rob were tie-ing for the trophy - a situation which didn't change as little more was caught in the afternoon! I'd set a notional cut out point of 6pm to signify the end of the competition and thankfully the afternoon rain had desisted by then for some back slapping and group photos. The winning anglers! I didn't have a bite all afternoon - though I wasn't unduly worried as I was planning to fish on into the dark - boldly announcing as everyone else departed that the crucians come into the margins at dark and I'd have some sport! Well that was certainly the case. My first fish came at around 2145 and by the time bites dried up suddenly at 0300 I'd accounted for 18 Crucians and 3 tench all caught within 4 foot from the bank float fishing! Biggest crucian of the night was 2lb 9oz (which I managed twice) - pity the match had finished some hours earlier! One of the tench - look at those pelvic muscles - no wonder it punched well above its weight - took and age to land! Nice album of pics from the day taken my Glenn (using FILM and an antique camera). https://www.flickr.com/photos/glennsmithphotography/albums/72157669925120545

Marsh Farm - Milford 1630 - 0900 (Johnsons 1630 - 2300) (Harris 2330 - 0900) Warm, overcast evening and morning with a clear, cool night. (Minimum temp must have been below 10ºC) Johnsons: 1 Tench; 1½lb. 9 Micro-carp! and a Rudd (also small) Harris: 3 Crucians to 1lb 13oz, 2 Tench to 3lb 3oz. 15 Roach and a Perch Plan was to have a repeat of this session (with hopefully similar if not better results!) and confidence was high when we arrived in warm overcast conditions with a heavy shower clearing away to the East. Confidence that quickly turned to frustration as Johnsons was teeming with carp fry - many no bigger than my thumb - which attacked everything we presented - especially split shot - so trying to watch for a shy biting crucian was completely hopeless. Paul tried the fake bait approach - but to no avail - getting slightly bigger carp (6-8oz bracket) which initially gave a good impression of a crucian. He did manage a 4lb tinca early doors - but it turned out to be the biggest of the session - scant consolation for the 2 others he lost. So a slight change of plan was called for - I always intended to switch to Harris after dark -while Paul went to kip in the car - but the original plan had been to return to Johnsons for the morning - and idea we abandoned in favour of just sticking to Harris. My night started off on a flyer with 2 fish in the first ½hour - just as well as I had to wait over 2 hours for my next bite and then had a couple more fish in quick succession. Dawn revealed a lake as flat as a millpond - with no bubbling, fish rolling or activity - it looked lifeless. And so it proved - we both picked up a few silver fish on the float and Paul had a couple of small (sub 1lb) crucians. I added a solitary tench - and so did Paul - a last cast fish - caught when he'd pretty much tidied all his stuff away. Overall though, to quote Paul as we drove off - a bit of a shocker! Pic of a cute looking leather carp - in the palm of my hand - smallest carp I've ever caught!

Johnsons Lake/Harris Lake, Milford (a ) 1515 - 2330 - Johnsons (b ) 0000 - 0345 - Harris (c ) 0415 - 1030 - Johnsons Warm and sunny. Night was also quite warm despite mainly clear sky. Johnsons: (a) 1 Perch; 2lb 2oz and a micro - carp (smaller than my hand!). (c ) 1 Crucian 3lb 1oz, 1 Tench 7lb 6oz. 1 Mirror carp (only slightly bigger than my hand at 2lb 10oz!) (b ) Harris: 5 Tench; all over 3lb with 2 over 5lb. 3 Crucians; all over 2lb to 2lb 9oz. A quick return to Milford and after a night on Harris on Monday/Tuesday this time Paul and I were up for more of a challenge. Just as well as conditions were somewhat challenging. We don't have the required permit to do a full night on Johnsons so the plan was to fish as long as was 'legal' (2 hours after sunset) and return as soon as allowed (an hour before sunrise) which means at this time of year little more than 4 hours to 'kill'. My plan for this time was to nip over the fence (OK style) to fish Harris while Paul - quite literally hit the sack - and got in over 3 hours kip!. I even pre-baited and plumbed a swim on Harris so that I could drop into it immediately in the dark. So Part 1 afternoon/evening on Johnsons - and what a grueller it was. Paul and I couldn't so much as buy a bite - despite numerous changes of bait and tactics. Eventually at around 2100 he snaffled a 5lb+ tench which I went to help him with (or not as the case maybe - ask him about my new unhooking method!). On recasting my float rod - loaded with 2 white maggots I was wondering why the float wouldn't cock - until I realised I had a fish on - a nice perch taking the bait on the drop - so after 6 fruitless hours both our blanks were 'saved' in the space of 5 mins. Nothing of note followed just a TINY carp which gave a good facsimile of a crucian bite to add to my irritations... Part 2 could be described as the 'easy interlude'. Paul took it easy - while I had it easy! First cast in my new swim on Harris - over my pre-baited area produced the 2-09 crucian - bites and fish came in quick succession until the action tailed off at around 0300 - ALL my fish caught over the pre-baited part of the swim. Part 3 started with us deciding to target a different part of the lake and 'follow the wind' - which meant us setting up shop in two swims either side of a large bed of lilies - a classic looking summer lake swim if ever there was. Now at least we started to get bites - the problem was connecting with a fish. I'd bumped a couple before at last connecting with something that was solid if unspectacular in resistance - unmistakably a crucian. And when it popped to the surface like a cork it was unmistakably a BIG crucian - guided thankfully to my net - a bit of a beat up old warrior it pulled the needle down the 'right side' of the 3lb marker! Next was a small (and unwelcome) mirror carp before another bite was met with a heavy somewhat ponderous fight almost like a large bream - this turned into a fat female tench - which as I guided it to the net got me thinking - could be a pb! Not quite a PB - but my biggest tench for 4 years. All the while Paul on the other side of the lily bed had the irritation of my repeated requests for a photo - without the need for reciprocation! By now the sun was rising higher and with it hopes of a big crucian getting lower until a switch to caster at last did the trick for him, First off a lovely conditioned crucian which had us both guessing 'could be' but alas wasn't (a 3lber) missing out by an ounce. His next though clearly was and at 3lb 3oz turned out to be the day's best. By now I had quite a ripple in my swim and if I was getting crucian bites I clearly couldn't see them to hit. Paul was still getting the odd clear indication but couldn't connect. So ended a challenging session - but an ultimately successful one! Fish on! (at last!) My perch heads for some near bank brambles... but doesn't escape! Paul's 5lber - it really wasn't this dark - Perch above was caught right after....! Sunrise My 3lb Crucian (with apologies from the photographer for the lack of focus!) And my 7lb tinca.... Finally Paul's 2 crucians 2lb 15oz 4ozs heavier

Harris Lake, Marsh Farm Fishery, Milford. 1600 - 0700 Cool clear night, with bright sunshine before dusk and cloud building just after sunrise. 6 Crucians; 4 over 2lb - best 2lb 4oz. 5 Tench; Biggest 5lb 7oz. 4 Roach, 3 Perch, and a Gudgeon! Mission accomplished. Paul and I both said, rather wistfully, that we'd like a 5lb + tinca and a 2lb + crucian to kick off the summer. The crucian part of that equation being the one we thought we might struggle with as they haven't been showing very well recently from this lake - but we had a dozen between us with Paul getting 3 over the 2lb mark to 2.06. In truth it was something of a strange session. I had all bar one of my fish (my biggest tench), float fishing the margins after dark (all fish caught between 2200 - 0415), whilst Paul only had one fish of note during the night and caught the bulk of his fish in the afternoon. He had way more tench than me - including a brace of 5lbers - and a stunning and very unexpected rudd of 1lb exactly (we weighed it on both scales!). Morning saw my swim go back to sleep - and Paul (in the next peg down!)start catching again - most curious! Marsh Farm Gallery. Pics of my first tench of the summer, Paul's and my best crucian of the night and Paul's lovely rudd (a PB for him BTW!)

Having failed to catch a crucian carp during my previous visit of just under two weeks ago, I was sure this outing would be more successful. After all, Marsh Farm, Harris Lake, as per the web site, “famous for crucian carp”, and having caught nearly a hundred of them last season, my last outing must surely have just been a blip on my success rate. To further increase the odds in my favour, I was here for the night, and the hours of darkness are usually guaranteed to bring a crucian or two on the feed. Whether I would actually be able to stay awake for the night would remain to be seen. For the first time I had brought my barrow to carry my gear round to the chosen peg, about 400m from the car park. Last season I had been fit enough not to require this, but the cancer, and the treatment were taking their toll and I wasn’t as fit as 12 months ago. Setting up in the afternoon sun was very pleasant, but even though it was currently warm and dry I chose to get my overnight shelter up. One of the side-effects of my treatment is fatigue and taking this into account the large pile of equipment included a sleeping bag, with strict instructions from my wife, Kim, to use it !! I sometimes think cancer has a bigger impact on those around than it does on the patient, I can’t even try to fathom the amount of confusion, frustration, and fear that goes through the minds of Kim and my daughters, Clare and Emma, let alone the rest of my family and friends. The latest cancer statistics (2011) show over 330,000 new cases were diagnosed in that year, I wonder just how many readers of this blog know someone (me excluded!!) with the disease? Of that number, just over 10,000 were kidney cancer, and despite my predicament, as I like statistics, I can’t help but think where I fit into those for 2014 ? Anyway, in the sunlight the crucians hadn’t yet decided they were hungry, however some of the other residents in the lake were, including this little perch of 11oz. Across the lake to the east I could see some ominous looking clouds heading in my direction and it was a good thing the shelter was up, as within a few minutes of being sighted, they were overhead. My geography lessons from school gave me the skills to identify the grey fluffy things as nimbus….rain clouds. Okay, so the drops of water spattering my shelter from height helped this detective process somewhat. A few random spots of rain began to fall, shortly followed by a lot more of them! Fortunately the shower was just that, and within 20 minutes the weather had calmed down again, leading to a very nice mild evening. Throughout the night the tench and my kettle kept me busy and awake, enough to keep me out of the sleeping bag with several five minute naps being sufficient. The mild damp conditions although pleasant for a night sitting by the lake also encouraged one of my favourite creatures to be out and about….slugs….yuk….hate the damn things, especially when I find one sliming its way up the front of my coat! It is only in the last few years that I have switched from taking just a flask to carrying a small stove and kettle, one of the best upgrades I have ever made. A mug of freshly made steaming hot tea, in the depths of night, is so much better than the luke warm contents you get out of a flask made up over 12 hours previously. Just after my third mug had been enjoyed, well, it had been once I had evicted the slug from the handle, I had a tench on both rods at the same time. Bringing both fish in, at the same time, on my own, and in the dark, made me appreciate those times when I’ve been able to call on my regular fishing companion and best mate, Chris, to give me a hand. Although I acknowledge it is usually me giving him the hand with the netting process and not the other way round ! Over 10lbs of tench in the net, pity it wasn't just one fish though! These days the first entry on my list of things to make sure I have packed into my various bags is, tablets. On top of those for my blood-pressure, I also have my painkillers, several different flavours, and those for my cancer treatment, Pazopanib. Most of these are taken early morning, an hour before any food, although I also have an evening top-up of the slow-release morphine. Fortunately, the dosage of these is low enough that I am still allowed to drive, as I think I would be near on suicidal if I couldn't get out and about without pestering one of the family for a lift! After 12 months on the treatment for my cancer I still struggle with the pronunciation, so they are known as Pazowotsits in our family. These are described in the trade as tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, and they work, hopefully, and very simply, by blocking tumour growth. I take 600mg a day, and the two scans since starting the treatment last May appear to show the stuff is working. If the side effects are anything to go by, then I am hopeful the cancer cells are having as much fun as I am at times! I’ve seen some spectacular sunrises when out fishing, but unfortunately the one I sat though on this morning didn’t get anywhere into even the top 200. It kind of just went from cloudy and dark to cloudy and light and that was it, maybe next time! The fishing slowed down with the increasing light levels and I was happily distracted by trying to get a picture of a tern swooping down to take insects off the lake surface. These birds are so fast, a quick hover, a dip down, and then they are away. Twenty or so snaps later, this was the best I could get. With the thought of a cooked breakfast and then some sleep at home, I packed up, fourteen tench, plus a couple of perch and rudd was a good score for the night, but yet again no crucians! Maybe the robin which decided that my kettle made a good perch could provide some insight !!

Signs to me that spring has properly arrived are seeing the first bluebells, the hearing of the first cuckoo, and the first outing after crucians. The bluebells hadn’t let the side down, stunning displays in the woods around Aldworth, Berkshire, well worth a visit, and don’t miss out The Bell in Aldworth itself, my favourite pub of all time! The cuckoo listening had also been successful, so two out of three so far, signs were positive, now all I needed was a crucian. The weather hadn’t been in my favour for a visit to Marsh Farm so far this year, and still wasn’t perfect on the day I ventured down. The web-site gives detailed match reports in which crucians were starting to feature in numbers and a call to the on-site shop the day before gave me more encouragement with both lakes apparently fishing very well. Those that fish this venue will know it can be a bit of a wind tunnel, even on relatively still days, so with gusts of up to 40mph being forecast I made sure I had a few pegs for the brolly before setting off from home. Settled into my chosen swim by 7 am, one float rod, and one feeder rod cast out, I waited in anticipation of seeing that classic flash of gold on the end of the line. Watching a float and a rod tip bounce around gives ample time for contemplation of life, and as the fish were initially very reluctant I had ample time to do this. In my current situation this isn’t always the best thing to do, as some readers know, I was diagnosed in February 2014 with kidney cancer. Fifteen months after surgery, one kidney lighter and undergoing treatment for the cancer that has spread to my lungs, life is still reasonably good…if you exclude the side effects of the treatment, the coming to terms with the fact that IT project management can not be done as a part-time job, the loss of income accordingly, and the watching your family struggle to understand why fate has dealt such a vicious hand. However, with modern medicine the survival rates are good, and I am determined to be in the statistic that says I have a 50% chance of still being alive…and fishing, ten years from now! I don’t think the statistics actually mention fishing, but I am sure you understand my intention! Too much to take on board at times. Anyway, contemplation was kindly interrupted by the tip of the feeder rod giving a more pronounced bounce than a gust of wind could create and within a couple of minutes my first fish of the day was on the mat. A small tench of just over two and a half pounds, now if this had been a crucian I would have been more than very pleased, however, I was not overly disappointed as it meant a possible blank had been avoided. A second tench soon followed the first, larger this time at 3lb 14oz, maybe not such a bad day ahead after all. Float fishing was proving nigh on impossible in the wind, I had given up trying to get away with using a pole float…spotting the float itself was becoming similar I suspect to trying to locate a U-boat periscope from the air in the middle of a stormy Atlantic in 1943!! Even a switch to a quite thick bodied waggler did not make bait presentation any easier. Another two tench each side of the four pound line on my scales fell to the feeder rod before a short adjournment was required, involving a 50 yard chase of my unfettered brolly as it was picked up by a gust wind and swiftly propelled along the lake side. Fortunately I was able to catch up with it just before HMS Brolly attempted to undertake its maiden voyage across the other lake! Being that I was catching fish on feeder fished pellets, and my float rod had been abandoned, the local robin population decided that as I was obviously going to have maggots left at the end of the session, I should feed both them and their young. A short break from fishing, I took a stroll to the on-site tackle shop on the way talking to two of the other five anglers who were fishing the same lake. Whilst I would have much preferred to have been float fishing I was able to at least gain encouragement in that I was the only one of us who was managing to catch much of anything at all, total for the other four was a single small roach. Returning to my swim a few quid lighter….I’m sure I am not the only angler who cannot resist buying at least one item when in a tackle shop, whether you need it or not…I fished on for another hour or so and another couple of tench, before the gusts of wind started to contain raindrops and I decided to call it a day. Last fish of the session was also the largest, at 4lb 6oz, no crucians, but seven tench in not ideal conditions was not a bad return for the morning. Just a footnote on the subject of kidney cancer, mine was picked up almost by accident, as part of a routine scan for another ailment. Apparently this is very common now, which is good news, as it means many patients don’t get to the stage where the classic indicators are encountered. Some of the early symptoms, high blood pressure, back ache, tiredness, and weight loss are similar to those displayed by other illnesses, …so, reader, make sure you have a good GP who is prepared to investigate all avenues when you go to see them with any of these!! I make no apology for including this in a fishing blog, if my writing serves as a nudge which then leads to an early detection and therefore a vastly improved survival chance for just one person, then I’ll be happy to have helped someone.

As I write, yes, I know this outing was six weeks ago, the weather is changing, heavy rain, cooler temperatures, and it gets dark a lot earlier! This was my last solo night session of the year, and whilst I look forwards to the autumn and winter fishing, I have thoroughly enjoyed my summer obsession with crucian carp and tench this season. This was my last but one visit to Harris Lake, (the last being with Chris Plumb, in early September) and I was lucky enough to find one of my favourite pegs vacant. Actually, I wasn’t lucky....there was no-one else fishing the lake, perhaps a bad sign? It turned out to be a relatively quiet night on the fish front, well, quiet for here, with seven crucians to 2lb 7oz, and seven tench to 5lb 3oz. For once my feeder tactics failed to tempt a single fish, with everything being caught on float-fished tiny bits of prawn. Best fish of the night was this crucian. I think it will be a few months before I get chance to take another picture of a Marsh Farm sunrise! Post trip note : I did manage one more outing for tench, on 23rd September, catching three around the 5lb mark, on a very misty morning….just thought I would include a photo from the outing, as this and the one above serve to remind me through the coming cold months of a tench-fishers dawn!

Harris Lake, Marsh Farm fishery, Milford 1900 - 1000 Warm, becalmed and overcast night - don't know what the minimum temperature was but it must have been min-teens ºC. Simply a lovely night to be out fishing - could've got away with shirtsleeves ALL night if it hadn't been for the odd persistent mossie! 12 Crucians; 7 over 2lb (!) best 2lb 7oz. 6 Tench; all over 3lb - best 2, 4lb 7oz & 4lb 14oz. A roach (small). Last hurrah at this venue for another summer and it didn't disappoint! Action picked up after a slow start - then followed the usual pattern of 2 or 3 fish in quick succession followed by a bite-less hour or so. Sun breaking through the cloud cover at dawn, slowed action even further and I had just 2 fish in the last 3 hours - though one of them was my biggest tench of the session. All my fish float fishing the margins - or a rod length out - most fish on chopped prawn - though I also had 3 fish on meat and 3 on cockle. Paul in the next swim had a near identical but opposite return. 18 fish as well - though his was made up of 13 tench to 5lb and 5 cruicans to 2¼.

Marsh Farm, Nr Godalming 1545-2245 Johnsons 2315-0530 Harris 0600 - 0930 Johnsons Warm day - chilly night(well certainly cool at day break). 14 Tench - best 3; 5lb 14oz, 5lb 2oz, 4lb 14oz. 6 Crucians - all bar one over 2lb - biggest 2lb 11oz. 6 Carp 7lb 10oz and 5 tiddlers - and I do mean tiddlers, one was no bigger than my thumb! 7 Rudd - biggest 1lb 1oz (!) A session where the plan was to concentrate on Johnsons - hopefully for one of the big crucians and/or rudd at dusk. Move to Harris to bag up on the tincas and crucians (or in Paul's case head for the car for a kip) and return to Johnsons at day break. Parts 1 and 2 of the plan worked to near perfection - Paul had a couple of big crucians from Js (biggest a 3-02) while I had my first 1lb+ rudd in over 18 years (13/7/96 - Knotts)- all be it caught on ledgered cockle! The baby carp were actually a bit of a pain often imitating a much larger crucian in the way they fought and the 7lber was also a slight disappointment - as having eventually teased it in on 3lb bottom I was convinced I was attached to a really big tench until I eventually picked it out in my headlight and realised it was a carp. Harris fished as expected - 9 of my tincas and all my crucians were caught on here. Chopped prawn again the winning bait. Alas when we returned to Johnsons in the morning neither of us could so much as get a bite - and this despite Paul's swim resembling a Jacuzzi with bubbling fish! My biggest tench of the session - which is uglier - me or the tench!? Paul's 3lb crucian. Dawn over Harris