Well to be honest the winter has been tough for me on the Big Lake at Medway Valley Fisheries. I have spent three overnights on there and a few on Brooklands too where one night it reached minus 7. It really is obvious thing to say but it really is so important to stay comfortable during the cold. Using a good quality sleeping bag like the AI Pro Sleep really helps and I find I can have a complete open front when using one of these. Also wearing three layers of thin clothing whilst not in the bag helps too with plenty of coffee! I had decided to keep an area baited on each time I had visited during the Autumn in preparation for the Winter. This never paid off and maybe it’s down to the infrequency of me doing this, once a week at most. As the few times I did fish the swim remained fruitless.

Well after my ticket ended at Cotton Farm I was off to Aveley in Essex. So from 5 Acres to 35 I needed to make some changes. This stunning 35 Acre Lake is well and truly off the beat and track, the gate at the main entrance is around three quarters of a mile from the main road. The track leads you on a downward slope into the grounds of the Syndicate. There are two main car parks at both sides of the lake, both at road level with the lake set beneath. This is one of those lakes when you first set eyes on it make you draw a breath. Reed lined, intimate bays, overhanging trees and lots of carpy looking spots. The main body of the lake is around 30 Acres and the smaller part making the rest known as the Trout Lake. Once used for Farming Reeds the lake has all the features you would expect from a Carp lake and more! The Trout and Main lakes are separated by a causeway of reeds that are a real magnet for the carp that can pass between the two.

I had seen fish in this corner quite a few times before and from my observations most others fished to the obvious gravel humps further out in the swim. I knew there was a nice little clear spot tight to the bank right in the corner behind the overhanging branches of a big willow tree. Although the branches reached the waters surface they didn’t actually penetrate it so they didn’t represent a significant hazard whilst playing a fish provided the rod tip was kept low. As I snuck through the brambles and bushes behind the spot I could see a couple of fish milling about in the area. I had actually trickled bait onto the spot during the previous 48 hours and it had all gone so they had clearly had a good feed in there. Before I left I deposited the remainder of my bait onto the spot using the baiting pole. I suppose in all I stuck in about 3 kilos of pellet and a kilo of whole and chopped boilies.

It’s been quite a while since I wrote my last blog entry. The reason for this is because of health and personal issues I have for now stopped working for AI. My back problems have been a nightmare and I have spent a fortune on Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Acupuncture. The end result is still the same so I’m off for am MRI scan and a consultation with a back specialist soon. Although I have left the company as such it was all on good terms with no ill feelings amongst us and I said I would be happy to carry on writing for the website and I expect I will be helping out at some of the local shows come the winter.

I have to start this piece by saying a huge well done to two very close friends of mine. I have known Garry Wright (aka Geordie) since I started Carp fishing nearly 13 years ago and Tony Stray since my school days equally as long ago. When they told me they were entering the World Carp Classic at Lac de Madine I must say I was a little surprised. They are just two blokes that are not in the limelight and have never entered any kind of Carp fishing competition home or abroad. As surprised as I was I never doubted their ability and provided they got a good draw they would have as good a chance as anybody. Both have fished at the legendary Rainbow Lake in France so both are more than capable with fishing with the use of boats.

Last autumn/winter until all the lakes froze over; I spent as much time as I could fishing Frimley Pit 3.  As this is, I think the best time to pick out the better fish.

Spring of 2010 finally saw me holding a syndicate place for the water I had yearned to fish for a few years, the previous winter saw me purchasing a walk on ticket to allow access for a good look around, and I must admit it looked stunning in its winter colours.

April finally arrived and I pushed my barrow onto the complex with a 48hr stint ahead of me, the excitement unbearable.  After a good look around and copious amounts of tea drank with my new syndicate friends, I opted for a swim with a good view of the rest of the lake.