It’s a short gardening day today, so I packed my fishing tackle in the car and hoped that I can get there before the rain starts and pitch myself up in the perfect spot.

I arrived at about 1130 and had a little walkabout, I was the only one here – just perfect. I’d been thinking about my approach here this morning, there’s plenty of food for the carp in the form of naturals, and the volume of anglers (being a club water), it struck me that Spotted Fin’s Active gel would be a great way to approach this summer on here. Adding bait probably wouldn’t help me for quick sessions in the middle of the day, but a hook bait with a lot of attraction drifting about could be the solution for me to get the edge over the carp.

Armed only with hook baits and a pot of the Masala Gel, I flicked one bait across the lake into the margins of the swim opposite me.

This has lily’s ether side of it and is the perfect location for bait, in order to intercept any carp moving between them.

The other bait was going up the margins to my left, about two feet off where the lilies were, I’d found a hard spot when ‘donking’ around with a heavy lead in the margins. This is something I like to do, especially on here as you find those perfect spots.

I love the margins on the car park side of this lake, mostly everyone casts across from here and they forget what is under their feet.

I’m hoping that today’s weather conditions work in my favor, giving me a chance of a bite or two.

Just after 1230, the wind picked up and the rain started, but only very little, it was very overcast, and my confidence levels were pretty high, especially as there had been a few carp crashing about in the pads nearby.

I’ve spent quite a lot of time feeding the robins today. The rain is on and off, sometimes heavy and the other times light drizzle. The carp are loving it and jumping all over the far margins, forcing me to abandon my left-hand rod and flick it over there for the last 20 minutes.

There’s been plenty of wildlife to keep me occupied today, shame the fish didn’t feel the need to chip in!

It was not to be. I will be back, these carp are not going to defeat me.

Until next time

Richard