After a few challenging sessions on the river, the last one involving a lot of walking, I decided to sit and watch a waggler at the small lake I like near Earith. That plan changed when I started to get negative vibes in the first swim. A move offered more hope when there were clear signs of fish feeding near the edge of a lily pad bed, but actually getting a decent bite proved difficult. A perch broke the impending blank after quite a long wait but then two carp made it a day to remember.

I had headed for a spot at the back of the lake where I had fished many times before, the location being sheltered and remote from the busier parts of the lake. Although I was the only one on the lake for most of the session. There was evidence of it being fished the previous day (Sunday) as a new looking folding landing net in a bag had been left clearly visible on the ground.

When the owner arrived to collect the money he told me that four young chaps had been fishing there and had seemingly stayed into dark, thus missing the net when they left. This worried me a bit as it was a tight little swim and I feared that a lot of bait might have been thrown in.

This fear was reinforced when other than one quick bite, that I missed, I didn't get another touch on worm during the first hour or so. I therefore decided to move to the larger main part of the lake. I fished a spot that I had fished a few years earlier when the banks were flooded and had caught tench and a carp, but that was in spring.

I ground baited with bread crumb and hemp at the edge of a large lily pad bed and waited to see what happened.

The first problem I encountered was casting the light float with a centrepin and placing it accurately. The light breeze was also generating drift that moved the float even when I hit the right spot. At the same time bubbling where I had thrown the groundbait suggested feeding fish. Realising that I needed to keep the bait in the right spot I decided to change to a light bomb leger.

I stuck with the 10 hook and set up a simple running lead with a nylon stop. This allowed me to place the bait and keep it there. However, I didn't have a bobbin for indication and the rod tip wasn't sensitive enough. Using a bit of bread flake as a bobbin didn't really work so I used a clothes peg that I had for clipping off the bread bag. Improvisation.

I started to get a few lifts on the clothes peg indicator but nothing really hittable while the bubbling continued and became quite fierce at times. Very frustrating. I had started with worm but swapped baits trying the paste, the meat and bread flake. But no success.

After quite a long time a drop back bite resulted in a fish being on, which turned out to be a reasonable perch. The blank was avoided.

But then things seemed to revert to half bites and I was seriously considering packing up. But changing to flake produced a decent bite and a powerful fish steamed off to the right, with me hanging on and the Avon rod almost locked out. There followed a battle where I walked up and down the bank to apply maximum side strain as the fish tried for one snag after another. Fortunately a group of young lads had turned up a little earlier with an older guy and one came over with a large carp landing net. When landed we had a beautifully coloured fully scaled common of 11lbs which, unfortunately, had two lots of heavy terminal tackle in its mouth in addition to my comparatively insignificant 10 hook. So that fish went back happier than when it came out.

I was happy to pack up after catching that fish but put another bit of flake out while I was sitting having a rest after the battle. But I got another bite quite quickly and was into another carp, and another battle. The young guys had left so it was down to me. This fish wasn't quite as powerful and I successfully landed it, another fully scaled common of just over 7lbs.

That was the cue to pack up. So a somewhat frustrating day had come good at the very end. And to think that I had nearly packed up!