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Good luck fella's I drew a blank but never mind, I'll be back out Wednesday. I did move on to a couple of shows but nothing materialised, I did get soaked packing up but 20 minutes later I was back home warming up in front of the fire It doesnt matter how hard it gets or how dreadful the weather is, time on the bank is a medication I'm quite willing to take I'll be back out Monday afternoon getting some more bait in then fishung Wednesday. As I said, good luck fella's

Always a chance to get out for a few hours on those milder days. If you can find the bite time you only need a few hours on the bank. I enjoy the good nights sleep away from the little'un. Think I had a couple hrs last night only so catch or not I get to get a good sleep!

Cheers mate. Bite time, most of my fish since October have come between 5:30-8pm has passed now. Always a chance when the rods are out though!

I dont look at the water temps, just one more reason not to be confident. Tbh it's not about catching in winter for me. Its about enjoying the season. But..... my winter PB came on the second coldest sesh I've ever done (-5!!!!). When times are hard i remember that Dave lane caught Mary from wrasbury in minus temps in Feb when there was 15 fish in 100 odd acres. My point: there is ALWAYS a chance. The underside of my brolly is icing up. Tell you what fellas, I LOVE it!

" Personally I'll stop doing nights when I've found the winter bite time " Well that's lucky , the Winter Bite Time on my lake is roughly midday when it's the warmest - honest ! .

Warm in the sleeping bag and the kettle is on. All changes if you get a run. The adrenaline kicks in and you're warm for a good while afterwards. Personally I'll stop doing nights when I've found the winter bite time, if it's during the day anyway. It can be draining due to the cold but worth it (or I'm mad) as soon as it's icing over is normally a good time to stop though. I have seen some lad having his rod tips submerged thinking it'll help but it doesn't. Best thing I've seen was a beanie unhooking mat secured over submerged rod tips. Get a run and whip it off and lift the rod up (or play the fish under ice). I have done a day session on a frozen lake before, and managed to catch. But it wasn't very nice playing them so they smash the ice with their tails. Never again.

oooh!! thats gonna hurt

I hope you 2 aren't too cold , and are getting some sort of perverse pleasure in fishing at night in these temperatures ! . Just out of interest , how low would the water temperature have to get before even you 2 considered it a complete waste of time going fishing ? ; or is it a case of as long as you can smash the ice to get a cast in you'd go ? .

But I've seen 2 carp btw

Rods are out. Fingers are frozen. Two snapped baiting needles but I can tuck myself away and let the week sunshine try to warm the bivvy

no reason to even if they could! More worried about that stag that visited Jim that time. Although a frosty morning shot of that by the lake wouldn't be sniffed at!

Yeah I've heard them two. And a couple more from others. No dramas. I'm a big boy I can handle myself.... He says as he curls up under the covers!!

Oh dear. It was the moon rising. Very orange. Must be the lack of leaves making it visible where it wasn't before. And branches dancing in the wind making it look like it's moving. Miffed why it's up so late though. But it's so bright it's blinding me now!! Never felt unnerved apart from the 3am visit from two people...glad they kept out my way. Old estate lake though. Many have drowned in the top lake. When I'm here not fishing and just baiting up in the dark it feels odd. Almost naughty and like I'm being watched by nature itself.

Think there is one of these Chinese lanterns stuck in the trees opposite me. That or we got something very strange going on.

Hot water bottle and one layer of wool socks mate. Insulte from underneath the bed chair. I have my hold-all under mine plus various other bits. btw lads. Just went to put water in the kettle. Ice inside it!!

Yes. Although im beginning to regret selling the armo lol

It's o.k. if you like Milk Ice Lollies ! .

What ! , you are fishing with your open fronted Low Pro ? ! . You mad heroic fool , Yonny ! .

At least the milk never goes off....

its most eminently possible that fish of that weight and over live in there, a ressa that has over 10 miles of margin, 3 miles long and over 2 mile wide and that not taking into account the smaller section the other side of the causeway, interesting fact: this ressa was used by 617 squadron (dam busters) for practice runs with the bouncing bombs for their campaign on the Rhur, during this practice it was refered to as 'colchester lake' 😛

was exactly the same setting up at midnight last night mate ... got a sweat on getting everything to the peg, nothing worse when it's Baltic as you really can get cold if your not to careful once you stop . won't lie its a chilly one tonight lol

well the old girls acting like a puppy again in the snow

Its only been the past couple of years since they allowed it. Get your season ticket and parking is included, although I would be wary of leaving my car overnight in The Wonder car park after I got back there one late evening after a few big roach, to discover a load of weed smokers hanging around my car. I know the head ranger moves them on, but he can't visit every car park all the time. I know a few of the weights of carp caught from Ardleigh, its not just this years stock fish that have shown up, a couple were caught on floaters after being seen near the surface from a bridge... Abberton bream found there way into the River Stour, and held the bream record for a few years, and I know that it was fished for pike for a while, I think Eddie Turner, Mr. ET tackle himself had gained permission to fish there. Its rumoured KN caught some pike himself, but I'm not sure on that one, although they were supposed to be very big fish. There are supposed to be plans to reopen sections for fishing that again. Mind you, even with the new roadway, I came back from 5 Lakes and the wash was splashing over the road, bit scary that, even worse than heading over to Mersea Island!

Nothing on this Earth could persuade me to fish beneath high-voltage power lines like those, particularly at the lowest point of sag. Carbon fibre conducts electricity almost as well as a lump of copper does and a 12ft length of it in the hands, along with damp/wet conditions is a recipe for death. To each his own, of course. Ian