Nico the predator master. 4lb Pike which looks bigger than it was. Imagine a double figure monster?? Harlesthorpe Dam, smelt , 5 metres out. Not bad after a merry go round trip to Park Hall to find a match. Well worth another visit.

Higham Tench Hunt

Fished pool at back. Moved around. Method produced nothing but didnt stick at it - poor. Dicked around in corner and lost monster perch on maggot. Roach, perch and Rudd. Fished like a muppet. Saw fish coming out on method. Weather roasting and very bright. Gut feel it's a method or pole session sitting it out on corn or pellet. Lesson learnt. £8 to fish!

Park behind ya peg

Tuesday 18th August 2015 Drumble - Cudmore Fished a bit further round in front of the lillies. Cage feeder with 2mm pellets and dead reads, reds on the hook. Margin to right and left plus out in front on pole. Caught from the off 2 quick carp in first 3 casts of around 3lb mark. Then skimmers and tench followed to 2lb. Margins brought barbel to 3lb on dead reds fishing as close in as possible. Caught throughout the session at points one a chuck. At one point someone drove up to my peg thinking it was the road, see photos below of where they tried to drive - mental! Very good session enjoyed mixed bag, Tench, carp, bream, crucians, roach, rudd, barbel and chub.

Cudmore in the rain

Friday 14th August 2015 Papa and myself Drumble - Cudmore Warm-ish, still but poured down with rain nearly all day. Fished cage feeder with red maggot - mix of tench, carp and bream. Ok session but frustrating with weather and brollies which made casting very difficult. Papa cast like he was carpet bombing the whole lake. Biggest fish 5lb carp.

2 Inches Deep

We fished Butters for tench. Nico fluked one on a set of bike handle bars. I lost a few and caught a few bits - no tench. Fished near to bay Swanwick side. Bailiff thought we had lost plot.

Animal Mineral Vegetable

Day 1 Some anglers are born great, some achieve greatest and others are just born to fish like a great. Weeks and weeks of anticipation and weather watching were over and Saturday started with Nico bang on time and informed of Sophie's breakfast preferences. The lads stuffed the car and were off, optimism reached new highs as lakes, tactics and past sessions were discussed as the miles zoomed by. MacDs visited and lads recharged. Shrewsbury drew near. Hand brake turn into Spring Lea and the usual dreams of 'if this was my fishery' were now put aside as the boys pulled up alongside the welcome sight of Magnums van. Magnum having a pow wow with the bivvie brigade - well one stoned dude - fully informed of the lakes form - ready to bag! Pegs mid lake the only choice and draw made. Nico middle peg - Nicholls boys happy with end pegs and option of margin later. Game on, match on, fish ? It was tense odd carp for Nico, coot targeted silvers and magnum odd fish. Steady as she goes. Cob van shut. Amateur luck and boring tales of fish.Nico always attracts them. Steady as she goes. Odd silver IDE carp roach Rudd. Carp not present. Hot and warming up. Nico tanned his legs and Magnum wore his new garbolino hat with silent pride. Coot catcher sensing silvers victory and a share of the species packed up before the rest. Weighting in came as a surprise - magnum 12lb silvers and 8lb carp , Nicholls 31lb silvers carp DNW and ( can you believe it) Nico 10lb carp and 31lb silvers. Points day 1 - Nico 7.5 Coot 5.5 Magnum 5. 3 beers staring at menus and Kanye West at Glasto - Nico slept like a baby. It was still anyone's! Day 2 Lads arose feeling redeemed for an early night and no lime pickle. At the venue before magnum, cussing the rain. Bonged out bivvie man night fishing but not night fishing? Are you MOD? End of Orfe and end of the match as Magnum picked the peg on the corner - no one puts magnum in the corner. A few silvers and odd carp. Nico end peg, far end of lake decided to add Matey to the water so fish could have a bubble bath jacuzzi. Sprats and lost carp followed. Crazy feeder for coot resulted in skimmers and small carp through out session. Nico lost his mojo and humour. Sat like a gnome and moaned. Magnum we couldn't hear or seen in the corner - vegetating. At the weight in Magnum 4lb silvers and 4lb carp. Nico carp DNW and silvers 18lb. Coot 8lb carp and 21lb silvers. Total points and weights - Magnum 9 points 28lb Nico 12.5 59lb Coot Catcher 13.5 60lb. A better showing from Magnum, some costly mistakes from Nico and Coot - but justice in the end! Lesson learnt - maggot maggot maggot and odd bit of corn!

27th and 28th June - Festival 2015

In chronological order festivals of past days 2008 - White Acres - Victory Nicholson 2009 - Spring Lea - Victory Nicholson 2010 - Spring Lea - Victory Nicholson 2011 - Spring Lea - Join honours Nicholls Snr and Jnr 2012 - Spring Lea - Victory Coot Catcher 2013 - Spring Lea - Victory Coot Catcher 2014 - Spring Lea - Victory Nicholson Nicholson is the man to beat. Rules 2 days fishing Any method you like 3-2-1 Point system for each of the following 1. Weight - Carp 2. Weight - Silvers 3. Species Max points 18 £6 to fish - to pay winners ticket money 2 nets needed Pegs drawn Fish when all anglers ready Finish at agreed time.

Butterley - Match Straight

Poor- 2 bream each. Very cold for time of year. Big drop in temperature after previous heat. Poor

Red Letter on match straight

Finally listening to advice paid off - the bream head to the shallows this time of year. Fished bay casting out towards where you would fish if on match straight. 21 bream mostly to shellfish bollie, skimmers, a 3lb tench and roach. 70lb plus easily. Fished 8am til 2pm. Weather constantly changing weather - wind blowing into my face - freezing to sun glasses. The season is now on!

Dumb and Dumber should move into wigs

Its not a long tale. Serpent. 4 degrees. Pegs 6 and 7. Pole. Pellet. Maggot. Corn. Bread. One small carp for Nicholls. 2 bites for Nico. Match reports show weights over 60lb previous day. It rained and rained. No one else on the complex - must be a sign. Kit wet and then I smashed my rear light in for £40.......Poor very poor and probably the worst session yet. Both anglers well and truly beaten. Lost in a sea of no fish. No plus points apart from a session in moans and mixed banter. Only one fish in 2015 - need a morale booster and Cudmore might be the call. It was a low.

King of casting

Name and shame

Well after sorting out the kit - bait, two rods, sensible line and unhooking mat we headed to Butterley once again. Well that is about it. Zip nothing cold. The man with no name shows how to cast and not catch.

Swan Lake

First light out the door and scraping the car minus 4 on the dashboard. I must be mad. Anyway off to Butters fearing the worst and as I passed eyes right confirmed a mass of ice. Pulled into the car park and took a stroll. At a distance a stretch of clear water and anglers could be seen long the rocks and up to the overflow in the corner. Many a madman ahead of me. Well dashing for the last remaining peg it was almost shoulder to shoulder 10 anglers in a row. Anyway 3 hours and not a touch. Baliff turned up and chased a swan and confirmed bloke on rocks had 4 carp. Won't give up and will get a pike this season, need my sidekick Nautilus. mad as ever for it. Robin kept popping in to say hello and shat in the peg - should have taken his advice. A few photos not much else to do. Worked out panoramic shots would opening up to have a look. Stil in shock at how popular the Butterley is even at this time of year. Glad I got myself a cool bag for bait! Bring on the summer bream.

2nd Jan 2015 - Who smelt it dealt it

3 hours at Butters. Fished next to the gap on Swanwick side then in corner by bridge on Ripley side. Had a take early doors on Swanwick side but it was like the North sea and very cold. Moved to Ripley side sheltered and warm. Nettle barked at everything but no fish. Very busy could not get on high bank or by car park. I'm not the only loon. Walked back to car park bloke in my original peg had a 7lb pike on Smelt. Felt as if it was the one that took my smelt. Typical. Conclusion ledgering might be the way forward as spent took much time plumbing up. Kit dusted off first time since Feb. Piking for the next few months might try Cudmore at some point.