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Newbury AA Stillwater - Thatcham 1745 - 2345 Overcast, breezy with a few short sharp showers. Cool - becoming even cooler - down to 9ºC in the car on the way home. 3 Carp; 7lb 9oz, 5lb 6oz, 4lb 11oz. Not long after Paul's funeral - his wife Kim wanted me and Geoff to come over and sort through his fishing tackle (and bait fridge/freezer). Kim was keen for both of us to have whatever tackle we would make use of and one of the pieces I took was his pellet waggler rod - still made up in its quiver - I also took some carp pellets and bait to go with it. It's not a technique I've ever tried before - and it's one that Paul only really got into for the last couple of years of his angling - but he swore by it as a method - proved by him landing a 16lb carp on a hot lethargic day last summer when no one else was catching! My real plan for this evening was to try and snaffle one of the few/BIG crucians the lake contains but decided to start by having a bit of fun with the pellet waggler set up. And fun it was!! I started by spending 10-15mins just catapulting in small amounts of slow sinking pellets - and pretty much first cast into the baited area produced the 4lber! The problem thereafter was trying NOT to attract the geese and ducks to the bait - but each time I had long enough for the fish to move in I had interest in my slow sinking bait. Just as well - as my planned crucian assault produce not a single bite - not even from a maraudering carp. I had intended to stay much longer - but incessant ripple was making me go boggle-eyed and I was starting to get rather chilled under clearing skies!

After failing to write anything for over a year...... I think this may have been the first time I have fished for coarse fish in April as I usually wait until May before venturing onto the bankside. However, recent surgery to treat kidney cancer and the loss of my main work contract meant that I currently have a bit of time available. In addition, fishing is supposed to be a fine method of recuperation. So, after a leisurely start to the day, read instead, stuck in traffic on the M4 and A4, I was fishing by 9:45 in one of my favourite swims in very pleasant angling conditions. The plan was to float fish the margins for a couple of hours and then give a try to pellet waggler fishing, a method that caught me a few fish on a couple of short sessions last summer. However this time I had a new rod, bought specifically for the purpose, well, almost, it should also be good for a bit of small stream dace and grayling fishing in the winter. So, for a couple of hours I stared at a float, in the margins, which only moved when I recast it. The time gets to 11:00, mug of coffee and a late breakfast sandwich while I watch the lake for signs of movement. A few carp appear to be mooching around sub-surface, just what I wanted to see, although without sunglasses it was hard to estimate sizes. So, pellet waggler fishing, the required setup, rod, bait, float, etc are pictured below, just as it was by the lake on Thursday morning. Those of you who have tried this method will immediately spot where my cunning plan falls apart…..no sunglasses, and no catapult. Without the former I wasn’t going to be able to easily spot fish, and without the latter, my loosefed 6mm pellets weren’t going very far. Ho hum…..instead of hauling out a load of carp on this method, I sat and watched my stationary float in the margins for another hour before the call of a cold pint of beer on the way home became too great. There’s always next time, and I won’t forget the catapult and sunglasses again!!