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Some of the ones I have on my phone:

The fully scaled came on the night after the London Bombings. My mate Bruce was on the train when the bomb went off, about 2metres away from it. The poor lady in front of him RIP. I actually caught another fish that night a 23.8, and Bruce was my regular photographer. He would always come down to do my pictures, no matter where he was *. I had tried phoning him to get him to cone down and his phone just went straight to voicemail, which never happened. After phoning other mates to find out how he was my mate Al came down to take pics. *The river 28 I had had to work late Thursday setting up the bars at Ipswich Town Hall and Corn Exchange for a function Friday night, so when Bruce drove up to Taverham, I couldn't go. My alternative was to go down to the river for a few hours Friday. The take happened as I was getting ready to pack up, in fact I had dismantled the landing net. Bruce packed up at Taverham and made it back to Ipswich in a hour to do the photographs. When I first joined Earith I had done a blank not knowing the lake, but the second session Bruce and I walked round looking properly. We set up on the causeway between Pats and Virginia with the rods into Virginia. Before dark I managed to land my first fish from the lake, a beautiful double figure common, which was photographed at the same time as Bruce had a take. Later that evening just as it was getting dark, I managed to hook and land a 24lb mirror. Another Earith session, middle of February, around 1am a real screamer resulted in my first ever 25lb common, and at the time I guess it must have been my second biggest fish. The syndicate owner Ian Jones came down to do the pictures in the night about 10minutes after the phonecall. I had just expected it to switch to answerphone, but he promised to come down.

To be honest, I couldn't just pick one, there are too many with memories: 28lb, from a river, at the time a pb, caught in a 3 hour trip. My first 30, or the 3 biggest 20's from the reservoir, all weighing 24.12

One more from me. I started to fish billingford lakes just after it opened, it had been unfished for around 20 years according to the locals. I had a few sessions in the summer and autumn but not a single carp. It was a freezing cold new years eve and the 1st time I'd ever used maggots to target carp. About 1 hour in had this beauty. As far as I could tell it had never been caught before. Not a scratch on it. Felt quite guilty for putting a hole in its lip to be honest.

Tell me about it! 2 daughters, one son and a granddaughter for me. Another one for you, that also involves Bruce, my first fish from Ardleigh. I had seen a group of males getting ready in the margins on the other side of the stream, none of the females were there, so I took a chuck with a pineapple pop-up and had my first fish from the reservoir. I called Bruce on his mobile to come and do some pics, and as he was there and we were celebrating and chatting after the pics I had the battle scarred mirror in my original post give a proper take from out in the middle. The bottom pic is a favourite of mine, and comes with a story. I had set up in Antz on Brackens, but lost 2 fish as they came charging towards me and then into the snags to my left. As the angler in Bridge had packed up I moved in there and baited the same spot with a number of large stringers, and when I say large... Within 10 minutes of the last of those loads of those beasts going in I had one of the most sought after fish in the pool, the 2 tone Linear at 28. Over the next two days after topping up with bait by stringer I had another two 20's. Sadly the pic of the 28 is half in shadow, but the fish itself.

So, when you book out churn pool, you can have the use of the lodge on the site. The lake is set out in a way that you can cover the whole lake from 4 swims. Each of which is close enough to the lodge to fish from safely. The lodge itself has two sets of sliding full glass doors looking out to the lake. When sat in there of an evening, we generally keep the doors open unless it’s really cold, with our receivers by the doors waiting to alert us of any action. Micks screamed off one evening and as he ran out at full pace, he slid the door, thinking he was opening it when in reality, he closed it on himself and smashed straight into the glass, nose first!!!!! phil and I were literally rolling around on the floor in uncontrollable laughter. It was one of those had to be there moments but I still wet myself when ever I think about it!!

I know you weren’t matey.

I wasn't having a dig mate. I love seeing other people's pics. Especially when they look like that. Gives me motivation.

👍👍..those the ones...but ive also bought the 4th orange alarm. April 2018...thats also what Sonik said when i i quired about repairs...they will service/repair...if they cant they will send a brand new replacement (if registered for the lifetime guarantee)

I wouldn’t know where to start. The two lakes I’ve fished most of my time on over the last 10 years hold some real lookers (horseshoe and my syndicate). Then you have the socials at places like churn pool.

Was this around the time East 17 were popular mate 😁

Favourite mirror... which was really hard to choose as I've had some real crackers over the years, certainly not my biggest mirror, but defiantly one of my personal favourites, also marked a good zig session where everything fell into place for me . Favourite common also not my biggest, but it's a survivor after we thought it was lost to otters after doing the disappearing act for a couple of years

I'd gladly have eaten wild boar but the catching, killing and cooking bits would have been complicated and too gruesome to contemplate. I settled for a microwaved Chicken Provencal in the end. Hardly any bloodshed...…………. Ian.

There was a similar post on a Facebook post the other night and 1 guy posted a pic of a lovely ghost carp at 37lb and I just sat there thinking I've seen that fish before. So I messaged him and asked where he had caught it and it turns out i had caught it 12 years previous at 23lb. At the time it was pb and my 1st ever ghostie. Any way , here it is.

Mine has to be my first Twenty back in the early 90s , weighed in at 23lbs 12ozs , wish I knew where he photos were of that Mirror , Its the only time I have ever rang anyone at 4 in the morning about a fish .

Great topic idea Dave .... & absolute crackers lads 😎

Hi Ian My Wife and me are very happy to read that your lad is on the mend , it's a shock to learn you're mortal even if you're built like a brick outhouse ! . You didn't fancy some wild boar for dinner then ? . 😀

My Favourite...with my lad on his 1st propper 24hr nighter with me on fathers day.

I fished Rushes Lake in France from 11th November to the 19th, this year. It was dark longer than it was light and when it was light it was freezing! I was there because I'd promised the owners that I'd keep an eye on the place and feed their dog and cat while they were at their son's wedding in Dubai. My son was supposed to be with me but was admitted to hospital suffering from pneumonia on the day of departure and was in for 5 days. Never, ever have I felt so isolated or lonely. Won't be doing that again, trust me. Ian.