dayvid

Haha, I saw a big fish in there. I was looking in the little bay thats to the right of peg 30/31 (it was known as spooky bay when I fished it). There were a lot of fish in there and noticed a big common. I phoned my mate up and told him what I saw and he said that this common had not long been out at 41lb (recognizeable due to 3 missing scales on by its dorsal fin) .With that a mirror came up next to it and it dwarfed it by a lot. 
I saw this same mirror in peg 39, it rolled about 15yds in front of me. Came half way out, I had tourettes for the rest of that day. Haha 

So after a couple of people saying they would like to see/hear about my time on dinton I've managed to find my pic's and even my old diary/ fish lists. So here goes, I'll start with my best session I had on there. I'll give a little insight into the season first  and to what then followed. 
So its 2006 and just before the start of the season a mate i worked with , who also fished dinton, asked me if I'd like to go on his bait. It was a homemade bait so something I'd not really done in my fishing and especially as I was more than happy with premier baits and also the fact that I'd given a recipe to tony at premier for him to roll for me and some mates on dinton that year but I wasn't sure. This mate and a few of his mates always caught loads of fish from dinton. 20 plus fish a year each which isn't or wasn't heard of on there, especially being they were all weekend anglers and along with the numbers of fish they also caught the big lumps. Over and over they would catch them between them all so I decided to go with him purely on the fact his bait had a knack of catching big fish. So my mates were left with the new premier bait and I went with my mate I worked with. He decided upon a milk protein bait to use that year, a very high protein one at that. So opening night (june 15th midnight)and my mate bags a 49lb mirror, the other bloke on the bait had a 44lb mirror and I sadly had nothing. I blame the draw Haha,  but straight away he was saying, "told you, this bait will have'em this year". Fast forward to the middle of October and we were struggling like mad. I'd had 4 or 5 fish til that point and my other 2 mates not much more. My other mates on the prem though (4 of them) all into double figures with a couple of the bigguns amongst them. I was well gutted, what a waste of a season I thought. Though my mate whose bait I was on said, " don't worry, this bait comes into it's own in the winter.  The colder the better". The following weekend and he had bailed out and gone to an easier water, now I was doomed. Now a lot of hard work, a nice slice of luck and if I do say so myself a pretty good bit of angling changed my season around.
Now fast forward again to 19/01/07 and my best session.  
So I get down usual time of about 3pm on the friday. Only a handful of us fishing the lake now as most packed it in at the end of October , so knew I'd get "my "swim. I was baiting 3 spots in this swim and had been since mid August when that area became unfishable so I hatched a plan to bait down there knowing it was free food for the fish and no one could fish off my back. So all sorted by 4-30pm. At 5-00pm I'm off to my mates swim, so I place my Neville sounder box on a bank stick as I had the box with wires back then and faced it towards my mates swim which was about 250 metres away (yes not good angling but it's what we did). So I get round there and its pitch black,  tea in hand my mate says "that a red light on your sounder box?". I looked up and said yeah but it will go out in a second,  did it hell. So I'm sprinting as fast as I could along the path, the nearer I get the louder the Neville is screaming.  I hald expected to find swans as it was pitch black and couldn't really see from my mates swim. No swans, middle rod is ripping. I lift the rod and thump,  thump,  thump.  Christ I thought, this is a lump. Not a spectacular fight, just a heavy weight.  My mate arrives as the fish is nearing the net and one scoop it's in. Head torch on and there's a lump of a mirror "the dustbin ". Onto the mat , in the sling and needle stops at 44lb 06oz. Well made up. Lift the fish for the pictures and right rod bursts into life. I hit the rod, one mate sorts the fish and another is there and he reasembles the net. Play the fish In and again no real fight but a heavy weight.  In the net and torch on and a big common is staring at me. So sort the common out and a new PB common of 38lb 06oz . So a bit of composure and we do the pics, mirror first and then the common (the blind eye common its called). Blown away and a call to a good mate to say what happened etc. Now later that night one of my mates had the biggun at 53lb and ounces and another mate had a 32lb mirror.  
So first light and camera in hand off I go to take pics for my mates. The mate I called the previous night said he'd be down as he wanted to see the 50lber.  Now once again not good practice but I left my rods out and bearing in mind one mate is the opposite end of the lake to me  and being 23 odd acres I'm a little off my rods. First mate done,  the 32lb mirror.  Then to my next mate with the 50, he's only 200/300 metres from my swim. We do his pics and hand shakes etc and I head back to my swim with my mate who drove down to see the 50. My mate asked if my rods were out and i said jokingly "yeah of course, I've probably got one on". Walk into the swim and left bobbin is jammed into the Neville's wheel. Pick up the rod and once again just a heavy weight and not being big headed but after catching a few chunks you kind of know when you've got a kipper on. So in it comes and it rolls into the net, yup it's a kipper.  On the scales and the needle stops at 42lb. This is a fish known as "Astra" . Absolutely gobsmacked, I recall feeling 10ft tall, on cloud 9 literally.  The rest of the morning and day past and it was soon dark again. It was just past 6pm and right rod goes, this time a 32lb 12oz common Grace's the net and my last fish of that session.  I recall walking back to the van grinning from ear to ear. And not just for me but my mates 50 etc.
Dinton doesn't give up its residents that readily,  maybe half a dozen on a good weekend in summer or autumn but that weekend there were 8 fish banked. It was and still is my best session and one that I know I'll struggle to beat and it became the centre point of what turned into one hell of a winter for me. 

This last pic is of my fish list that season. The last 10 were from November til the end of the season which was the end of March. 

Im guessing the true definition of Carpy would be , what you and your camp look like after a 2 week session with no facilities , now thats Carpy ……..

Im guessing the true definition of Carpy would be , what you and your camp look like after a 2 week session with no facilities , now thats Carpy ……..

There not deer or squirrels just the waters got a bait boat ban they’ve got disguises on the boats 🙄

Yes a great story ,I wish I could write like that 

Yes a great story ,I wish I could write like that 

So this weeks re-post is what I look back on as one of my favourite ever sessions. Not because it was a red letter day but because it represents everything I love about carp fishing (highs, lows, hard graft and reward). It was really tough going with several moves chasing showing fish for very little reward - until the final morning when I landed my target fish. I had worked really hard all year for this one and then to catch it after such a ball breaking session was just awesome.
This is from October 2016. Just wait 'til you see this fish lads - it's a mind blowing example of a carp.
Just done three nights on my syndi and bagged the one I really wanted. I blooming worked for it mind....
Showed up on Thursday and moved straight into a swim I lost a decent fish from the week before. They haven't really been showing in daylight on here for a couple of weeks now so I didn't have much to go on. The swim covers a lovely chunk of deeper water and they were bang on it in there previously. I put out a shed load of bait, I was convinced at nightfall they'd put on a show. I rubbed my hands together as the sun started to go down.
Three hours later I'm up a tree staring at the silhouettes of big carp smashing out....... 4 swims away!!!!! Gutted. I sit it out hoping there's still a few milling about in the deeper water, it's cold and I really thought they'd be here. Over the course of the night I get up several times to observe the water. I see nothing at all in my vicinity. By 0800 I'm in the swim they were showing in with my gear. The showing has stopped now it's daylight again, as I expected. With not much else to go on I set up thinking if that's where I last saw fish, then that's where I need to be. It's shallower here but still plenty of depth to go at. Out goes an absolute shed load of bait, new rigs, etc etc - sit back and enjoy the day.
The sun starts to go down on my second night and I'm excited again, waiting for that first head to clear the surface, having a brew. It's not too long before once again I'm staring at the silhouettes of carp crashing out........ another 2 swims away into even shallower water. FFS!!!!!
Now by this time I know exactly what the score is - they're avoiding the angling pressure - the deeper water has been relatively heavily fished recently, they've clearly pushed out due to the lines. I'm now showing up on top of them and spombing out kilos of bait, this too is pushing them out further and further into the shallower water. I spend the night willing the carp to come closer and although I do see one or two in my vicinity the bulk of the stock are clearly out of range.
The next morning, still fishless, I make another move to where they were showing the previous night. I'm not so hasty to start casting all over the show this time and choose to sit back with the gear on the barrow and have a think. Over the course of the day I see three carp crash out within 50 yards of me. These are the first daylight shows I've seen and it convinces me they're here in numbers. I decide to put the rods short of where they're showing in an attempt not to spook them. All three rods fanned out on silty areas at 40 yards. I do get the spomb out (I have no choice, I'm on particle) but I put much less in and feather the casts in order to lay the spomb gently on the surface to reduce disturbance. I'm hoping I aint screwed the swim up again. Up goes the brolly and on with a brew.
No more shows as nightfall approaches and I'm starting to get worried. Darkness falls and still no activity, these carp are really sensitive this weekend. Then like clockwork, the same time as the previous nights, they start to show like crazy...... ON MY SPOTS FROM THE PREVIOUS NIGHT 2 SWIM AWAY!!!! AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!
I've had enough of this - I drag the rods in, pull down the brolly, screw all my gear into a giant ball, dump it on my barrow, and off into the night I go marching. I arrive at the swim and tiptoe to the waters edge. BADOSH! SMASH! They are having it big time. Out come the rods, downsize the leads, wrap up to distance and fresh rigs on - the first rig goes out perfectly first time, I'm well happy.
BADOSH! They're still there.
The second rig lands too far to the right, I need another cast. Second time it's bang on the money.
CRASH! Still there.
The third rig takes two attempt too.
I wait, and stare, and listen..... nothing..... surely a total of 5 casts with 1.5 ounce leads cannot have cleared a shoal of feeding fish???? Then, silently, a huge set of rings appears over the spot. HALLELUJAH - After 55 hours, 3 swims, 12 kg of bait....... I'm finally on the fish!!!!
Up goes the brolly as I do my best to set up the rest of my gear in the black dark without causing too much disturbance. I'm not a fan of moving in the dark but sometimes it just has to be done. That first cuppa/ciggy when I finally sit down is the best of the weekend as I see three more fish roll over the bait. There's just nothing else I can do now, so I get a relatively early night for some well deserved kip.
About 0100 I'm woken by a monster crashing out right in front of me. I stare out at the blackness and can still see activity on the spots. I'm starting to get those doubts now... it was too dark to see the rigs as they were cast, maybe they tangled??? I have to tell myself to stop worrying and go back to sleep.
0300 now and I wake up again, I feel refreshed and get up for ciggy, a brew, and to stare at the spots. It's not looking so hectic now but there are still signs, they are still there. I have to go home today so this is my last chance. I sit praying to the carp gods for a couple of hours, willing a fish to hook itself, and would you believe it... it works! Two bleeps on the Delkim to get my attention before the middle rod absolutely rips off!!! Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.........
Into the waders, grab the net, and I hit the rod - it doesn't feel big but I do not want to lose this fish, I've worked so hard for it, so I'm off into the pond to meet it half way. It bangs its head a couple of times, I find this often indicates a smaller fish, but I'm not bothered. Any fish will do. I feel like I've earned one. It kites to the right which would be an issue from the bank due to a reed bed, but I'm not on the bank so it's not. I wade out further and pump the rod slowly but surely, gaining line. It does go on one spirited run as it nears the net but I deal with it, slackening off the clutch. Then, just like that, its head breaks the surface and it's in the net. Relief..... I thank the carp gods, quickly.
I check the fish in the moonlight, in my head it's just a small one. It looks awesome - big apple slice scales running along it lateral line, in fact it looks like a mini version of my target fish. I turn my head torch on to red light and have a closer look, it might not be as small as I first thought, in fact it looks like quite a big version of my target fish, those huge scales glimmering red right back at me. This looks a bit special - I switch my head torch to white light and shine it down into the net.
Is that..... is that.... is it????? I turn the fish to get a full view of the flank and lift gently to gauge the weight. OH MY GOD, IT IS! The flank emerges from the water and I am greeted with the sight of what I believe to be the best looking known carp in the whole of the Nene Valley. Rosewood head and back, chestnut flanks, and the most beautiful, huge, irregular linear scales running down the the length of it's body. It looks like a dinosaur, prehistoric, it is the most beautiful carp I've ever seen. I secure the net on two bank sticks, unhook the fish, and let it rest while I sort myself out i.e. have a Fag to calm the nerves.
I get a text from a friend asking how I got on, it's now 0600, I didn't realise I'd waited so long for that bite. My reply is that I got on OK of course, and he agrees to pop over to do the photos for me (legend!). Long story short, an hour later the suns up and we're gazing down at this unbelievably immense looking carp, it truly is a looker, and we agree it's the best looking fish either of us has seen in our lives. It weighs in @ 34.10, it's biggest ever weight, not a leviathan, but believe me when I say this capture is not about weight. It is just a stunning, stunning carp.
Photos done (which came out amazing!), I sit back and soak up what little warmth the sun provides. I let the mat/net/sling etc dry out then pack up and go home. For many this would mean the end of their campaign, not me, there's a number of fish in here that I can make my new target, I can take my pick, and I can't wait to fish for them......
So check this out lads😮

When we were kids we had a sort of competition going with the nx estate in the summer hols. Kite flying we would make our own kites and the best 2 would go against our arch enemies. They would win only because they had lots of line then I had the light bulb moment .... borrow dads boat reel a multiplayer with 450 yds of line. You should have seen there faces when we turned up over the park with the kite 6ft rod and reel.   We won easily. Happy days. 

And in perfect working order. The browning one was my 1st bait runner type reel bought 2nd hand for £20 i think probably mid 90,s maybe 🤔😬😎🎣

April Fool....
SORRY 😂😂

Seems like I shall have an extensive range of rigs over the next few weeks , well 3 or 4 types but lots of them .
I assume many will be doing the same , Photos to come later👍

My mate has an allotment and recieved a letter from the local council encouraging all holders to carry on tending their plots.
To tend his plot he would have to drive there and open locked gates, the exact reasons I have been given why we cannot fish.
I have to drive by my local lake to get to the supermarket, so why can't i visit the supermarket, buy enough provisions for 2/3 weeks and stop at the lake and fish for 2/3 weeks? Surley no better place to isolate?

Seems like I shall have an extensive range of rigs over the next few weeks , well 3 or 4 types but lots of them .
I assume many will be doing the same , Photos to come later👍

Old rods for bean or pea poles lol

LOL nojail for just working on my allotment 😀, and no officer thats not my old fishing gear behind me .

Seems like I shall have an extensive range of rigs over the next few weeks , well 3 or 4 types but lots of them .
I assume many will be doing the same , Photos to come later👍

So when I used to do my old catch reports I couldn't add any pics due to publicity bans. Now it's been a few years since I fished the venues I can re-post a few with pics to go with them. To alleviate some of this boredom I thought I could start with this one from Sept '16. 
The original post is here. Below I'll re-post with kipper shots. If you like it I might do some more over the coming weeks.
Two month blank run ended this weekend.
The first big northerly of the year hit us on Friday, I'd been looking forward to it for weeks. Headed straight to the end of it when I arrived at the syndi and the swim I'd been hoping to get all week was free. Get in! Rolled a ciggy and watched the water, the wind smashing into my face. Within 10 minutes I'd seen 2 huge black heads break the surface. Bucket goes down, off I go to get the gear from the car.
Arrived back in the swim in record time. I'm out of breath but roll another ciggy out of habit and watch the water. Bosh! They're still here. Three singles in the zone, time to get the brolly up, it's starting to rain. Sit back for a couple of hours and the number of shows i see suggests the best part of the stock is in front of me. Need to get some bait out. Ten spombs on the main spot and the carp disappear, as usual.
They're still showing but they've pushed way, way out behind my spot and to my left. I sit there for another couple of hours, trying to invent a silent spomb in my head, and see they're moving back in on this big wind. Waves rolling into my swim, rain blowing right into my brolly and soaking me, love it! Closer and closer they come, I'm getting excited. Finally, 3 shows in quick succession right on the spot. Off it goes, the bobbin whacks the Delkim, I'm in. I played it so carefully, it's my first bite since forever it seems. The first run is immense, it strips maybe 40 yards of line, but then it's well behaved and comes in steadily. My mates in the swim now and he does the honours with the net. We recognise the fish straight away, one of the bog originals, and I realise I might have a PB in the net. It's a real biggie, and I'm smiling from ear to ear.
Weighing and photo's done, I sit back for the night. As it hits dusk I see one or two shows but it's looking like the bulk of the fish may have moved. I get some kip but I'm up by 03:00 looking for signs. I see nothing, they've gone elsewhere. By 09:30 the rods are in and I'm off searching for them, or rather I've found them, in the swim probably the furthest away from the one I'm fishing. Down goes the bucket, off to get my gear.
An hour later I'm back with the barrow. Swim booked, I'm off home to feed the cats. Get back and the carp are still there, now I need to make a decision, do I spomb? I know it'll push them out of the swim but I believe, like yesterday, they'll move back in tonight. So, I fill it in. I see the carp push out but they've not moved too far, same as before. That night I go to bed feeling confident.
03:00 and I'm woken by a single bleep. I turn on my side and stare out at my spot, the surface is illuminated by the reflection of street lights in the distance. Within 2 minutes I've seen 1, 2, 3, 4 carp roll right on the spot. Big carp as well, causing huge rings to roll all the way back to the bank with each show. I'm out of bed now. I get a savage liner on the middle rod, I nearly hit it, but don't. Roll a ciggy, make a cuppa, sit on my hands, this could not look better. Three more liners in the next hour, lots of tea and smoking, rolling and fizzing over the spot. Whack! The bobbin hits the Delk again. Get in!
Now this swim is a little trickier to fish then the last one, shallow margins with overhanging trees, so I'm straight into the waders and out into the pond. This one fights like a beast and if I hadn't seen it quite early in the fight I'd be convinced it was another monster. Still, it was by no means small, far from it, and it had the biggest tail I've ever seen on a carp. Mental looking thing, another original, two tone colouration with small scattered scales. That tail is literally ridiculous! Called a mate who's in the next swim round for the photos. I want them done quickly as I'm watching the fish rolling and fizzing on the spot, I know the other rod is going to go off very shortly. Too shortly in fact, because as soon as I get the fish on the Matt I get the take. Off into the pond again while my mate gets the big tailed mirror back in the water.
Another decent fight sees a smaller carp in the net. It's the prettiest of the session, a beautiful little fully scaled mirror, and I'm happy as Larry. We get the photos and weighing of both fish done and I have one rod left in the water. I don't want to recast the others as the fish are clearly still on it and I don't want to push them out again. I sit watching the fizzing/rolling etc for an hour before I decide there has to be something wrong with the rig, it should have gone by now. I bring it in, it looks OK, but put a fresh one on just to be sure. Two rods on the spot, one just off it.
The fizzing stops, but half an hour later they're back, and I'm getting excited again. Rolling, bubbling, epic stuff. It's getting light now and I can see the bobbin twitch by maybe half a centimeter as I get another bleep. I'm hovering over the rod now and again it twitches. I watch the line, where it hits the water it's twitching, or rather it was, as it's now lifting up through the surface as the Delkim let's me know that it's time to get wet again.
Another good fight and I can tell this one is a lump straight away, it hugs the deck, not doing much, a proper big fish fight, like playing a breeze block. As it rolls over the net I recognise it, a solid fish, one of the big stockies, short and wide, a nice, clean, chunky carp (if a little pale looking lol). Two months with nothing then 4 fish in 2 nights. I'm over the moon, All the blank nights are forgotten about. We suffer the lows and enjoy the highs, and enjoying it I am.
After the photos the fish have move out, they've cleared the spot, I'm out of bait. It's game over, so I pack up a happy man and go home smiling. The pics came out great.
Still smiling now, it's my best session so far of what's been a very difficult, frustrating year, and of course it's not every day you get a new PB. The weights were 20.10 lb, 29.12 lb, 31.10 lb, and 45.12 lb. I also had some nice tench, but since the forum aint called tench.com I omitted them from the report.
Roll on the next session!

Allotments , Exercise , well the allotments not far from me are being used by family's as an excuse to get out ,Mother digging and three kids playing ect.
This got me thinking ….. if you have a Syndicate, a true Syndicate where you as a group of guys rent the venue off an estate and have free rain to do as you wish , then this applies to mine .
So im going to make myself a plot, say around 20 feet by 10  , Dig and plant who knows what, and whilst im at my new Allotment by the lake ,why not take my fishing gear and to protect said allotment plot stay overnight .
I see nothing wrong with this whatso ever .
 
 

Allotments , Exercise , well the allotments not far from me are being used by family's as an excuse to get out ,Mother digging and three kids playing ect.
This got me thinking ….. if you have a Syndicate, a true Syndicate where you as a group of guys rent the venue off an estate and have free rain to do as you wish , then this applies to mine .
So im going to make myself a plot, say around 20 feet by 10  , Dig and plant who knows what, and whilst im at my new Allotment by the lake ,why not take my fishing gear and to protect said allotment plot stay overnight .
I see nothing wrong with this whatso ever .
 
 

Once again I miss , what ever it’s about 😢

It’s the Fox warrior S 42”

I have just weighed mine 
42 inch with a 6 foot pole and it weighed 
650 grams  exactly 
I wonder how this compares to most and especially the high end landing nets 

Self take and used the video light just to brighten it up, I was really pleased with the outcome 👍 

Must've been the noddy hat but proves I can smile