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.