Tanyards Lakes.
Monday 3rd January 2005.
I don't know about you, but the 1st trip out of the New Year is one that I always look forward to, so when Dave the Fish sent me a PM asking if I would like to join him and Colin for a session at Tanyards Lakes, a water that I hadn't visited before, I was only to pleased to accept.
Leaving home at 6·30am to meet up I noticed it was quite mild, 8° according to the car thermometer. However as we got closer the temperature dropped, till on arrival it said only 3° with a heavy frost on the ground and cat ice in the margins of the lakes.
The decision was made to fish the Tench Pond, as both Dave and Colin had fished it previously, and they reckoned that it didn't contain any of the large carp that are present in most of the lakes, and which Tanyards is renowned for.
Well by the time I got to the pond, Colin and Dave had claimed the 2 swims at the bottom end either side of a dead reed bed, so being the youngest I wandered up to the opposite end where there was another dead reed bed.
With such shallow water coupled with the heavy frost, I wasn't expecting anyaction to begin with, although Colin was soon of the mark with a couple of fish including a nice Perch weighing 1lb 6ozs.
My first bite came from the open water swim and resulted in a nice Roach of around 12ozs, and was followed around 10mins later by a Bream of around 2lbs.
1st Fish of 2005
At this point we adjourned to the lodge with its wood burning stove for breakfast and a mug of hot tea.
Suitably fortified we returned and Dave was among the Perch as well, one of them a new P.B. for Dave at 2lbs.
My 1st fish from the reed swim was a small golden carp of about 2lbs, and by alternating between the 2 swims I managed to keep the fish coming regularly nearly all day. Variety was the catch word, with roach, rudd, bream, a crucian, various ornamentals, tench and even a humble gudgeon making up my catch.
My best fish of the day was a Tench of 2lbs 15ozs.
My total bag must have been close to 30lbs, which was a lovely way to get 2005 off the mark.
Thanks to Dave and Colin for the company, It certainly won't be my last visit to Tanyards.
Horsham Lake. Upchurch.
Sunday 13th February 2005.
Well I have to say I was doubting my own sanity this morning as I loaded the kit into the car.
A near gale force wind and rain didn't bode well for a club match on a venue that was new to me.
The venue in question is called Horsham lake, just outside the village of Upchurch in Kent.
Nothing out of the ordinary, holding around 35 pegs, but a tad exposed as it's situated about a mile inland from where the River Medway enters the Thames Estuary.
Into the draw bag and Peg 5 is mine for the day, and by now the wind is gusting to Gale Force.
Thankfully the wind is blowing onto my back, and there is a small island in front of me at 14mtrs.
Peg 5
The picture below shows the view behind me, not a lot of shelter and the next stop is the Estuary!!!!
Plumbing up reveals 3ft all the way across, not a dip nor a hump to be found, but with the wind behind me at least i can fish the pole across. I had been told that it was mostly small stuff with Carp and Rudd in the majority, so i started as light as i could with single maggot on a 20 to begin with.
I have a digital thermometer that I take with me and the water temp was 6°C but the air temp at the 10am start was only 4·5°C and by midday it had dropped to just 2°C.
Keeping it tight was the name of the game, just 12 maggots in a T-Pot at the start, with another 4 after every bite or fish, kept just enough interest going with the odd small carp and rudd visiting the keepnet at regular intervals.
All around anglers were struggling to cope with the conditions with those on the opposite bank finding the pole an impossibility to fish in the conditions, indeed 4 packed up rather than risk hypothermia, while the rest resorted to feeder rods.
Just after 1pm we were treated to snow and hail. This caused 3 more of the lads to pack up, but with the odd fish still coming I stuck it out till the whistle at 3pm.
Round came the scales and I was pleasantly surprised to see 23lbs 2ozs register on the scales.
Back to the car park and I'm 3rd, second beat me by an ounce while 1st was a further 6lbs in front.
Still a nice little brown envelope for me, hard earned but very welcome.
Framfield Fishery. Spring Lake.
Sunday 13th March 2005.
Well stupidity overcame common sense this morning, as instead of just rolling over and staying under a nice warm duvet cuddled up with the wife when the alarm went off at 6am, I got up and decided to give it a go on my club's match.
So at 7am there I was loading the tackle into the car for the drive down to Framfield Lakes just outside the village of Uckfield.
Frost on the car didn't boad well, and the frost on the surrounding countryside got heavier as I approached the venue.
On arrival the catering wagon was closed, so no hot cuppa and bacon sarnie.
Now there are about 7 pegs you don't really want to draw as you can't reach the islands from them, so of course I drew peg 60 which is probably as far away from an island as it's possible to get.
Out came the waggler, while the next peg set up a bomb rod, so between us we would see if anything was about. I also set up 4 sections of pole to target a dead reed bed in the margin to my right.
10am and all in, and after an hour the waggler had produced just a couple of plip roach, while next door hadn't had a touch. Also a cold crosswind had sprung up ruining presentation, so it was pole time.
Targetting a small gap about a foot square, it was a question of feeding 4 grains of corn and fishing a single grain till a bite or fish arrived.
Well apart from watching those fishing to the island catching, I actually managed to winkle a few small carp out and at the final whistle managed to put a level 19lbs on the scales which was enough for 6th place on the day.
So hard work in the cold and wind, but given the limitations of my peg on the day I was quite happy with the result.
Go to Reports 22
