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If you can find a decent local venue where you can do a few hours in the evening or a small part of your weekend that can be more than enough - just finding the right place. Also lure fishing down the local canal and river or a spot of float fishing - it's all good. Some of my best fish have come from a Friday evening or early Saturday session - just a few hours stalking in the edge - 5 mins in the right place as they say.

That’s the plan kev mate, I do the bass fishing as it’s a few hours and it keeps the fire burning so to speak. The canal will be a mega challenge, I don’t even know if there are any carp in there! But I think about it during sleepless nights, so the bugs still there, just gotta find the right venue.

I've certainly got great memories from those short sessions where you just have to fish to satisfy the bug, but with the time restraints of work and a young family and travel involved it's very easy not to go. Had my first 30 on a Friday evening session after work and with a 6 year old in tow, actually saw him enter the bay with a huge bow wave heading straight for me, he sunk down before the spot and a few seconds later he was on and heading back out the bay, what a fight and what a great memory. 33.8 Two tone mirror: Then on a crazy early morning Saturday session I managed the biggest fish in the pond. It really was like being rewarded for effort and next to no sleep - pure desire and excitement making short sessions with considerable travel worthwhile - thank you carp gods! Truth is I was there at the best times to spot feeding fish or willing fish and mobile and stealthy enough to capitalise but hey give it to the gods lol Arnie: 36 mirror likely to be Italian bloodline Bit of inspiration to get you out lads 👍

I haven’t had the rods out properly in nearly a year… bit of bass fishing, but no bivvies or nights etc, my baby is 7months old, so session angling is off the cards right now. Haven’t even renewed my tickets yet! my local waters don’t excite me anymore, I don’t want to travel too far with the baby at home, so I’m a bit lost for ideas at the moment. the Royal Military Canal might be a fresh challenge, no idea what’s in “my” stretch

Mate, I had that for so many years, quite frequently too much work or family or both. In the end I started putting myself first, although I never expected fishing to be all I can do. I know it looks like I fish all the time, but it took a lot of juggling to make it so. I used to work 6 or 7 days a week, so fishing had to be an evening trip or an overnight if I was lucky. Not having my family or partner is not always happy though, even if I do go fishing. I would much rather have grown old disgracefully with Liz...

I haven't been for a couple of weeks already feels like a lifetime, going tomorrow to clear some pads and stuff will have buckets of bait and hopefully do some spot clearing, this will hopefully help next time I get to fish and also I feel like I am fishing even when I am not because I'm thinking whether they have cleared the spots yet 😂 Next best thing is to be preparing for something.

Exactly. Long time ago, back in 2000 I had just finished my degree as a mature student, with Liz and she had a baby who was 6months old, but born 12weeks early and I was working pretty much non-stop. I'd been working most evenings doing hospitality work, sorting the Ipswich Regent Theatre Town Hall and Corn Exchange bars, cellars and stock levels and had a late Thursday night. Instead of fishing as planned Thursday I had to go Friday morning on the river for a 4hour session. That 4hour session produced, what is still one of my favourite captures, a river 28lb mirror carp! I also get occasional chub fishing trips, a few hours here and there, usually with floating baits. The other time I could frequently wangle when Levi was about 4 or 5 years old was after Sunday dinner. I'd cook dinner, we'd eat and Liz would wash-up and I'd take Levi out for a couple of hours on the pole and float to either Akenham or Thwaite.

Thanks for the above advice…I come to the conclusion that i got to move my butt if I’m to get fishing 🤔 so it’s going to be after work-early morning sessions. Fish light and leave the kitchen sink at home It has been so frustrating not getting out …almost as frustrating as a eunuch looking after a top notch Harem 🫣

Where does the time go??? I go through the diary with her indoors and book fishing weekends for the next few months. If I didn't, I wouldn't get out either.

That always seems to be what happens to me every summer. I start the year saying I'll get out every month, but I usually find myself at this time of year thinking I got out over Easter a few times and around the May bank holidays, but now it's July and I haven't been out in almost 2 months. I doesn't help that family always wants to come over on the weekends, but that's down to the distance they have to travel. TBH, I've got a new fishery opened up near me and it looks really nice, but they run 24 hour sessions starting at 10AM, so a Friday night is out of the question unless I take Friday off work and I wouldn't want to be coming home Monday morning to put tackle away before work...... It's a lovely lake for a social. There's only 7 swims.

I can’t remember names but there are people who can tie you rigs on Facebook. could be worth asking them

https://www.geminicarptackle.com/shop/tidy-rigs/ These might be good for you, I've used the booms before and they are great tbh,

have a look at the screen houses that a few of the brands do, Nash and Fox come to mind - they look tall and have a fairly small footprint👍

The fox looks tall not sure on the rest of it though it is one man https://www.foxint.com/home/product/fox-r-series-1-person-xl-bivvy?c=shelters Tempest 100t not far behind height wise but it is a brolly https://www.anglingdirect.co.uk/trakker-tempest-fishing-brolly-100t?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhenSjeDh_wIVFfntCh1v0gd3EAAYASAAEgKnXPD_BwE

Trying out my new rods for the first time. They're a lot stiffer than what I'm used to, but definitely getting more distance. 🤞

How do you find the time to fish ? The past month has been hectic for work and family commitments and I can’t see it improving soon but I’m grateful for the work tho I was up the ladder the other day and I noticed the wind changed direction and thought to myself the fish will be on the move and I’m stuck in work 😔 Seems like the summer is drifting away and I’m not on board