July began with a heatwave, and on 1 July I was back at Mill Dam fishing late into the evening in 30-degree heat, catching Bream. By 10 July the temperature had dropped to a comfortable 20 degrees, and another evening session proved fruitful at Beechwood, where I landed Rudd and Roach. A late-afternoon session at Longford on 12 July resulted in a nice variety of species including Roach, Rudd, Bream and a few Carp. Another warm, sunny, short evening session at Mill Dam on 1

June didn’t start well but definitely not as bad as May. As my leg was healing nicely, I headed to Alvaston Park Lake on 5 June, but I blanked, as did everyone; at least I assume they did, as I didn’t see anyone emerge from their bivvies! It was a nice warm day, 23 degrees with a strong, warm breeze and as the man-made lake is quite shallow, the local wild fowl tend to swim down and eat your bait. It’s only the second time I’ve fished and blanked on this lake, but it's known

This month did not start well, and that's an understatement! On 1 May, with the day off, I decided to fish for some spring Carp on legered bait at Woodrows. After a few hours on the Earl water, my line screamed away as they say, so I struck into what felt like a nice fish. The thing was, as I did so, sitting on the ground, I lost my balance and my right elbow went into my right upper leg, and I heard a snap. At first I thought I had broken my rod, then realised my right foot

Back to Mill Dam on 6 April on a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-teens, and a few hours in the afternoon saw me land a few Roach and Rudd on mixed maggots. On 10 April I was at Springwood, and it was a warm day with just one rain shower. I landed a nice 3lb Carp on float-fished sweetcorn and some Ide and Roach on mixed maggots. Back at Mill Dam on 17 April under cloudy skies and 12 degrees, although it was quite busy with anglers, the fish were feeding, and I had sev

More time for fishing this month, and I’ve bought myself a canal ticket for the Trent & Mersey. I’ve fished the canal three times this month and blanked each time! I wasn’t sure what I was doing wrong at first as I plumbed up and used fairly light tackle. The third session on the way back to the car, I got chatting with an experienced canal angler who was catching silvers, and he suggested using small worms on a small hook, size 16 or 18 this time of year. I was using red mag

I've been busy with work, so just one session again this month, a short session on 26 February at The Coopers Arms under sunny but chilly conditions with some rain showers and cloudy water. I managed a decent Roach and a nice Chub about 2lb. After buying a 13ft Shakespeare Strike Fibreglass rod, I researched the company and found the following brief history. In 1897, an American development engineer by the same name started manufacturing fishing reels in the USA. When William

Bernard Venable's Mr Crabtree. A belated happy new year to one and all. I’ve not had much chance to go fishing this month due to work commitments. Just one session on 12 January at Beechwood where I caught some nice Roach and, despite the chilly weather and clear water, a small Carp on good old red maggots. Another sparse month of vintage fishing, so following from last month's blog, here’s some more information about other baits and flavourings to add to your bait. Fruit:

I blanked at Beechwood this month on my only session on 19 December. Just a short session of a few hours in the afternoon. The water was really high; the pond I was on is fed from the Trent, and it was also very cold. Merry Christmas one and all! As I haven’t got much to report on this month's blog, I thought I'd include some information I found about various baits. Here is a list of the main types of bait used for Coarse fish and have been used for many years. Ideal for vint

I began the month's short sessions at Beechwood on 3 November on a sunny but chilly day and caught some Roach and small Carp. On 10 November, I was back at Beechwood on another sunny but chilly day, and this time I landed Roach, Perch, and a nice Carp of about 4lb. A bit of a change on 17 November took me to Longford on a cloudy day where I caught Bream, Roach and small Carp. Back to Beechwood on 24 November again, but this session led to a chilly, sunny blank. There are som

October started at Beechwood on 3 October on a sunny day, catching plenty of Roach. More Roach and a 6lb Carp at Beechwood on 10 October on a sunny but windy day. Back to Beechwood on 16 October, where the weather was sunny with some cloud and again loads of Roach along with some Perch and 3lb Carp. Wanting a change of scenery, I went to Longford on cloudy 23 October, and the Bream were on the feed. Back to Beechwood on 28 October, catching Roach, Perch and Carp under sunny a