Tench, Hardwick, Linear

A red letter day at Hardwick lake on the Linear complex. This collection of day ticket and syndicate lakes was voted the best in the country by a Carp magazine but they offer so much more than that. Many an hour has been spent sat behind motionless alarms waiting for Carp, but refine the tactics and some spectacular sport can be had with the various other species that reside here, and there are some specimens.
There is not many people would do this for you. The first fish of the day went through the other line and then got stuck just out of reach of the landing net so our Nathan threw off his shoes and socks and waded out to land it.

I would have done the same for him, I think. The Tench was safely netted and weighed 7lb 5oz, a good start.

A gradual succession of Tench followed, nine in total up to 8lb 3oz, pictured below.

At about 3pm the bite alarm signaled a screaming run and I assumed another Tench had taken the worm hookbait but the fight died and became sluggish about three rod lengths out. A large Bream came to the surface and I knew my pb for the species at only 6lb 12oz was about to be beaten. 

At 8lb 8oz it was not a big example of the species as there are bigger residents regularly caught from Hardwick but I was pleased non the less.

Carp, Stubb's Pool

A beautiful sunny day at last after the longest winter ever. Stubb's pool lost a lot of fish in the great flood of 2007 but there are still some left and they are pretty but difficult fish to catch. They do have a slight weakness though and that is flavoured dog biscuit or pedigree chum mixer. 

 A chilly morning was spent flogging away with Boilies to no avail and fighting off the cold because I dug the shorts out too early. Once the water heated up and the wind dropped the action became hectic with all fish coming within an hour and a half of each other. 

First to fall was a 9lb 10oz Common.

Followed by the biggest of the day, this 13lb 6oz Common.

Next a 7lb 10oz Mirror.

And finally a stunning 9lb 2oz Ghost.

Rudd, Hailes Fruit Farm

Sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs until you get a prince but my brother took it a little too literally. Early afternoon and his float started to slide away, he struck and felt a slight resistance. The frog which he had hooked squarely in the back leg put up little fight. He shouted me but I have a phobia about frogs and told him between giggles that he was on his own and I was going nowhere near it. Look carefully at the photo below and you can see Kermit hanging just to the left of the tree!

I also hypothetically kissed a lot of frogs but did land a prince, not literally. Highlight of my day was this 14oz Rudd which was interspersed with about a hundred smaller fish including Roach, Perch, more Rudd and one Carp weighing 5lb 14oz, taken on a lobworm.