Any regular readers of this site will note that there’s not been any updates for a while. First off that’s down to a month away from fishing from me, when I got married and went on my honeymoon – on which I managed to sneak a days deep sea fishing in and landed a 60lb sailfish!!! Also Ricky moved house in the same period, which meant that he struggled to find free time to get down to the lake. But we were back soon and managed to get a couple evening sessions in which didn’t throw up anything carpy…

So we made an executive decision between us regarding our fishing. We decided to up sticks and centre our attentions on Pit 3 for the 2006/07 season. We thought long and hard about it and decided that Pit 2 hadn’t been as kind to us as we hoped over the last 12 months and things were getting a bit stale. Its only a small water and once you’ve done the circuit of all the usual swims and tried all the methods (and some new ones) but nothing much happens, your mind starts to wonder, which is exactly what it did with us. We’ve been fishing Pit 2 for years now and we’ve had a lot of success on there. Ricky’s done really well, banking countless 20’s and I’ve had my fair share too – with my wife and my Dad also banking good fish over past seasons. In general its been a pleasure to fish a lake as beautiful as Pit 2 – especially as it often quiet and peaceful on there.

But its time to move on and Pit 3 is our new baby now! Everyone knows about this pit and how tricky it can be, but also how it can throw up some of the most stunning commons in the country. Especially the big ‘uns! We wont be updating this site anymore as we just want to concentrate on getting amongst the carp, plus as Pit 3 is far more popular, we don’t want to ruffle any feathers... In short, we’re signing off from the Frimley Blog. Cheers for all the people that have been reading our updates, its already gained us some mini-fame in the close knit world of carp fishing. If you see us down there, pop over for a chat! We’ve recently wet our lines on the mighty Pit 3 and we’ve already had some success on there carpwise, which just blasted away any niggling wonders on whether we’d made the right choice! But that, they say, is another story……

Tight lines and be lucky

Daz &Ricky

The weather was definitely on the up and up and with spring now firmly digging its heels in, it was time for another session down at Frimley. With my wedding just around the corner, this was officially my last session as a ‘single’ man – some may say forever ;) Our Dad (Nick) was back in the country for the wedding from working overseas and the finer details of the session were discussed over a curry for Ricky’s birthday the night before. A few beers later and we were well up for getting down there! So, the next morning at silly o clock we found ourselves all bleary eyed and stumbling up the hill towards Pit 2, still half asleep and trying to shake away the fuzzy remnants of too many Cobra beers!

Down at the lake, we had a quick scout around and decided to opt for 3 swims fairly close to each other, so we could have a bit of a social as well as try and land a kipper or two. With our Dad working abroad, fishing sessions with him were a rarity, so it was important that we were all within talking distance of each other. A perfect spot was the old breezeblock swim and the two next to it in the corner - we settled in and started to set up for the day. It was only about 5:45am but already light enough to see properly so we wasted no time in getting some baits out. With 8 rods out spaced out between the 3 swims, with marginal spots, island spots and open water spots, we were definitely expecting some action. All three swims had produced decent carp for us and others in the past so we had the best of both worlds; a social and a decent days fishing ahead of us. As always when our Dad comes fishing, so too comes his cool bag FULL of food. “Dinner’s on me!�, were his parting words the night before so we held back on our usual supply of Pot Noodles, Meal in a can’s and crisps in anticipation of what was in store. We were definitely not let down when he cracked on with a breakfast of egg and bacon rolls – pukka! Once we’d wolfed them down, they were followed up by a second round of bacon rolls, which we just couldn’t refuse! Then we settled down and waited for any signs of life from the pit, which so far were only coming from the Canadian Geese thrashing the waters into foam whilst they tried to hump each other…

I think we all must have dozed off when my screaming alarm woke me up. I’m in I shouted just as it stopped and I saw a coot coming back up from my baited spot. Theres nothing like being woken from a sleep by an alarm to get the old ticker racing! I waited by the rod for a bit on the off chance that it may have been a fish and then recast that rod in case it had been moved off my baited area. Shortly after I’d set the bobbins, Dad’s rod was away – a nice steady run which he connected into and the rod hooped over. We went over for some actions shots and I got the net ready. By the bend in the rod you could tell whatever was on the end wasn’t a carp and lo and behold our first tench of the year slipped over the net. Weighing at around 4lbs and with some gorgeous colouring, our Dad couldn’t have been more chuffed as he held his first English fish of the year up for some photos. With the tench slipped back, we were all ready and waiting for some more action.

Lunchtime arrived and out came that legendary cool bag! With a delicious dinner of chicken, potato, broccoli, salad and some lemon cake settling inside us we couldn’t have been more content. The weather was nice and warm and there was no sign of rain. Ricky had a drop back which amounted to nothing, me and Dad had a few knocks here and there but that was it. The day didn’t really deliver what we thought it would. I had some more trouble with our feathered friends, which kept me on my toes but no action from anything that didn’t have a beak! We had to leave early afternoon and slowly started to pack up. I wont be down Frimley for a good 3 or 4 weeks as my honeymoon is calling, but Ricky will be making up for that, so until then….

After a two week break from all things fishing due to wedding planning and my Stag Do in Budapest (awesome trip – see Ricky about pictures of me in a Wonder Woman outfit!!!!), it was time to hit the banks again. I decided to make the most of a short day session over the Easter Holidays, although Ricky couldn’t make it down for this one. I say short day session because I realised last thing the night before that I hadn’t got my rod license sorted and the post office didn’t open until 9! That scuppered my plans for an early start and so I didn’t get down to Pit 2 until about ten. The swim that I had in mind, the dug-outs, was taken but as there was a nice wind blowing into the other side of the lake, I wasn’t too disheartened. I followed the wind and ended up in the far corner of the pit and with nobody else fishing that side of the island, I dumped my gear and had a quick mooch around. The wind was very strong and the water choppy so locating fish was quite tricky. Normally if the carp are down that end of the lake, you can find them under the branches of the trees and bushes, but I couldn’t see a thing in the windswept lake. That wasn’t a problem as the Frimley residents always have a habit of tucking themselves away and not showing themselves, unless its hot and they’re on the surface. I opted for a swim that gave me access to several hotspots and with no-one else around, I had even more places to cast while that end of the pit was mine.

The wind was really chuffing its best and setting up was certainly interesting! I got my three rods out, all into pukka spots and all first time casts too – that’s definitely good for me! I had two margin rods and the third was fished just off a bush opposite me, in a small gap. I had a chopped up boilie on one margin rod and pellet on the other two – a bait that I was going to be trying more this season. Now that I had three rods at my disposal, experimentation was the order of the day. As no doubt I’ve mentioned before, the carp gods haven’t been the kindest to me as I didn’t land one carp from Pit 2 last season – with several definite carp lost. I had carp from other lakes and France, but it just didn’t happen at Frimley – even with Ricky and my other fishing mates catching all around me. I had Bream, Tench and some chunky Crucians, but no sight of those gorgeous golden commons that I so often saw on the bank! So I decided to change my methods, opting for different baits and tactics until I broke the Hex hanging over my head. Would today be the day that saw my confidence shoot up again? With all three rods perfectly positioned, I set the STI up cos the wind was blowing me sideways and I needed some shelter. Plus the cloudy overcast day was looking like it might thrown some rain down at me. Jack (1790) came round to see me and we had a chat about all things carpy and he informed me that he’d had the mirror known as Cluster/Starburst/Swiss Roll at 26lb+ from the swim I was in. That was one of mine and Ricky’s target fish for the season and for him to take that fish as his first ever carp from Frimley was an exceptional feat, especially as a schoolboy – well done fella. I saw his pics and it was a magnificent fish. With that in my mind, my anticipation was high and I felt certain something would happen today for me.

And it did – about one o clock! I was on the phone to my fiancé when my middle rod screamed off! An absolute one toner! That’s a noise I hadn’t heard in a while and I dropped the phone and was on it straight away. This was the rod just off the bush on the other side of the lake and it had snags either side of it. As I struck I felt the rod arc over and the thump of something heavy on the other end. This was no tench! The fish kited to the right, away from the main snags and I saw it top in open water – superb, so I slowly pumped it into the middle of the lake. I was so nervous about losing this carp; if the hook pulled or it came off I think I would’ve been sick. As I played it nearer and nearer to the bank, the fish came more and more alive and started to give me some grief on my 1 3/4lb Sabre! Long, surging dives near the net meant I had to get its head up and try and get some air into it. I could see the fish now and it was a common, albeit not a very big one. I couldn’t have cared less to be honest – if it had been a 2lb baby, I would’ve been over the moon! Watching the vortex’s as it swirled in front of me really hit home and I knew I really needed to land this one. I eventually tired it out and slipped the net under what looked like an immaculate specimen. I was shaking like a shitting dog as I stood there punching the air and shouting ‘Yes, Yes, YEEEEESSS’ to myself! I must’ve looked like a right chump if anyone was looking, but having just broken the Frimley hoodoo, I was ecstatic! I unhooked her in the net as it was just nicked in the lower lip, perfect, and hoisted the fish onto the unhooking mat where I got the sling and scales ready. With the scales already zero’ed, the needle swung round to 15lb 8oz. The weight was irrelevant to me – the fish was. It was such a perfect common, not a scale out of place and no flaws that I could see. I took a few snaps and slipped her back, where she glided off into the depths. That was it – you couldn’t wipe the grin off my face! As I recast that rod and placed it bang on the money again, I was chuckling to myself like a loony! I rang my better half and explained why I’d just hung up on her; she was over the moon for me especially after a year of me coming home dejected and moaning! Then I rang Ricky who was equally as chuffed for me – he knew how much a fish meant to me, especially for my confidence! It may seem to someone who catches all the time, that I’m getting a little too excited about a mid double carp. But for anyone that’s blanked on a lake for as long as I have, they’ll understand the significance of finally landing a carp, no matter what the size!

Now I was content. I settled down to wait for any further action. About an hour later, the same rod started to scream off again, but this time a duck had found my bait and promptly dropped it. Once my heart had stopped trying to break free from my rib cage, I recast that rod again and sat back. The rest of the day slinked by with no more events and for once, I packed up with a smile on my chops! The rain that was threatening itself, even held off until I got in the car so someone up there was on my side today! The curse has ended and I was once again, amongst the Frimley carp. With my fish today and Ricky’s previous carp, may this be the start of a good year for us on Pit 2. Roll on the next session…..

Finally it seems Spring is here. The week had been getting gradually warmer and warmer and the forecast for Saturday was looking just peachy. Me, my bro Ricky and his mate Rob were all down for a Saturday session and had been keeping a close eye on the forecast. All was confirmed as I jumped on the train at silly ‘o’ clock in the morning – it was really mild. Perfect conditions really and the confidence was so high, I could’ve floated all the way to the lake from the station. As it happens I didn’t and I was sweating like a monkey by the time I reached the top of that bridge, and then like an overweight monkey by the time I got to the swim…

Ricky was due down later on, so I had a quick nose round the lake and could see that a few swims were taken already. Ricky’s mate Rob was already down there and we met up for a quick natter. He’d chosen a swim at the back end of the lake, near the out of bounds section, while I opted for a swim that faced the island but also had open water and margin options. This was my first session using three rods and it’s safe to say I was quite eager to get them all out! All three were made up and ready to go with three freshly tied rigs and as I was setting it all up, my mate Austin popped down after his night shift to see how things were going. We had a quick catch up whilst I cast my baits out and when the traps were set, going home to sleep all day was the last thing he wanted! But tiredness took over and off he went as I surveyed the lake. All three of us had picked up some new bait at the 5 Lakes show in Essex last week, so we were all trying new methods mixed in with some tried and tested classics. I opted for different bait on each rod at first, just to throw some differences out there. Maggots, halibut pellet and a chopped-up 15mm boilie were my choices. With three rods in three pukka spots – all nicely baited up and looking really promising, I started setting the STI up as the clouds were just starting to threaten a bit of rain.

Pit 2 hadn’t been so kind to me this year and I struggled a bit last year too, carp wise. I had plenty of big bream, tench and even some monster crucians but I was definitely looking for some big carp action now. Ricky did very well last year, with plenty of 20’s under his belt and had already opened his account with his fish a few sessions ago. I knew this was my last chance to go fishing for a couple of weeks as I was on my Stag Do the weekend after and busy after that. My luck had to change I thought as I watched my rod tips and the water. All was quiet though apart from the baliff coming round and then Ricky turning up mid-morning raring to go. He walked round the lake a few times and chatted to some of the others fishing. One guy right in the corner had an 18 out, which boosted our confidence – but also he said that nearly every swim was taken, which meant a lot of pressure on the lake. Something that Pit 2 doesn’t really get – especially with its famous brother number 3 just a stones throw away. Still with spring now taking root, the lake was always going to be more busy so we kind of expected it. Ricky chose his spot in the swim next to me and busied himself setting up and getting his baits out. By early afternoon we were all avidly waiting for signs of that first run. The silence was broken by my buzzer sounding. I had a strange take on one of my island rod – the line tightened up and the rod tip bent round a little – so I waited…. And waited…. And it stayed like that, taking no line. One final tweak and I was on it, expecting to lift into the weight of a fish – but there was nothing there. A complete fresh air strike. Gutted. I checked my rig, which was perfect, so I can only put it down to being one of those things. Despondent, I recast, rebaited and settled back down awaiting some more action.

The rest of the day was quiet on the Pit – no action from anyone as far as I could tell. Eventually the heavens did what they were threatening to do all day and opened up, which meant one thing. Packing up in the rain again – great. We held on for as long as we could and then called it a day. Once again, Pit 2’s scaly residents had eluded us, even in these good conditions. We packed up and trudged off through the mud plotting our next attempt.

The weekend started with a trip up to Essex for the 5 Lakes Carp Show. Me, Daz and my mate Rob got an early start in and got there for bang on 9 (When the doors were supposed to have opended!) I won't go into how we had to wait 30 odd minutes in the freezing cold, if you were there, you'd know how it felt! The highlight of 5 Lakes for us, was Rob Maylins talk about his phenominal 'Mag Aligner'. His results on Frimley Pit 3 alone simply blew us away. The sheer amount of fish he caught in 2 weeks or so (during daylight) was unbelieveable. We left essex with plans to head down to pit 2 the next day armed with plenty of maggots and plenty of confidence.

Daz couldn't make it on Sunday due to football, but me and Rob trecked down (despite a minor 'alarm clock' set back) for a 5 or so hour session. Not only did we have maggots, we managed to settle on some more bait at the 5 Lakes show, so we were all set for the imminent spring. With 2 rods each on the mag aligner set up, and my 3rd rod on single boilie, our expectations were pretty high. However the temperature we were promised on the forecast simply did't arrive and we sat staring at a very quiet lake. Still no fish showing whatsoever and we eventually decided to leave. Bring on the start of April...