So it’s been a while since you last heard from me and my bankside antics but I’ve managed to get a quick blog done for you to keep you up to speed with where I am and what I’m doing. So finally after sorting out the personal life and getting the drive and motivation to get back out on the bank I’ve done a number of day session stints on the was “new” park lake and began to struggle massively with what was such a great start to the venue. After the string of three fish it went rapidly downhill with countless bream and tench and even the odd blank and it really started to get to me. I had to take time away from the venue as it was not mentally doing me any favours. I do feel I have masses of unfinished business there and will in the next few weeks get back there to pick up where I left off.

Needing a bend in the rods I had done a couple of day sessions on more stocked local day ticket waters and again failed to bank any fish. Looking back I think conditions were not great and the fish did not know whether they were coming or going and I feel like now I was just going for the sake of going and not really thinking if the conditions were going to be right and give me the best chance of wetting the net. Whilst on the day sessions it wasn’t a matter of camping in a spot I tried everything to buy a bite from the first minute to the last and am one not to sit back and snooze. Bottom baits, Zigs, Floaters, Margins, Stalking the lot I think I pretty much covered it on these sessions but it was just not to be and again the confidence took another hit.

So thinking hard of where I might be able to buy a bite I decided to get back down the local park lake. I really wanted to stay away for the year and focus on the new waters but with a blanking spell that was growing week on week I needed to know what I was doing was still right and that I have just been going through one of them spells but this wasn’t to be either.. Even two or three evening sessions on the park lake I couldn’t do nothing wrong on the previous season would not reward me and each session proved to have something that would not go or not work in my favour. Lost fish, Drunken swimmers, the rare chance of someone else actually fishing my pre-baited spots the list kept growing. Confidence was at an all-time low.

Not one to sit and sulk and with the weather getting warmer another evening visit to the park lake was on the cards and this time the bait bucket was in tow! We had decided that we were going to prime an area that had rumours of an evasive 30 coming out of in previous chats and thought what have we got to lose. With 4 spots filled we were to return the next day to find someone fishing in the area. Now I’ve fished there for 2 years at least and have never seen anyone fish the swim so it was just sod’s law that the night I arrived someone would be in it. Typical Just Typical. So deciding to drop into another area for a couple of hours we hadn’t given up and would return later that evening. Couple of quiet hours passed, new rigs constructed and ready to rock we were on the move. Each rod delicately placed on the spots we decided on the previous night and it was time to sit back and wait to see if anything decided to move into the swim. Again another 1.5 hours passed but the traps were set and the swim just screamed carp carp carp and I personally started to think whether it was going to happen until the furthest left of the rods pulled up tight and was reeled down into nothing yet the rig was at least 5-6 yards left of where it was deployed.. Possible trailer? Then out of nowhere the indicator of the right hand rod slammed into the rod, a big bow wave rippled the surface and then the line slackened right off to reveal that whatever was on the end had clean sliced through the line and that was the end of that. Whilst we stood and looked at two done over rods my left hand of the two one toned and after what I thought was a tench a little low double graced the net and finally my blank baron spell was over. It was a nice end to the evening with new tactics, rigs, location all coming together perfectly. Let’s hope for more when we return on Friday evening! The buzz is back!

Also in less than a months’ time I will be fishing with the stars at Linear for a charity that deserves as much donation as possible. I won’t go into detail  but if you want to check out my page then you can do so here.. https://www.justgiving.com/MD84-Fish-With-The-Stars/ and I appreciate any donations made. It will one day help find a cure.

Hope to speak again soon.. M