For years my PB Bream had been 9Ib. Quite a modest sized specimen for these days of massive double figure slabs. Last summer i decided to make it a target of mine to catch a Bream of 10Ib + i like to increase my PB slowly then you get to experience the buzz over and over again.

The water i choose was a large lake of 170+ acres that was formed due to the flooding of mining subsidence back in the early 1900s. The water had a reputation for producing big Bream and i had seen pictures...

The weather remained settled and after banking the two commons i was gagging to get back and try for the monster tinca.
I had to come up with a game plan, i decided that i would continue to target the margins and only fish when i could find and encourage the tench too feed on its own. Two weeks passed by without a sighting of the Tench i was averaging three trips a week too the mere and on most cases i could get one or two of the resident carp to feed but they where mainly small and i refrained...

I couldn't get the image of the Tench out of my mind. A truly awesome creature! All i could think about was the mere and its inhabitants. Time dragged on and the real world and work got in the way. Finally i managed a trip to the water it had only been a couple of days but it felt like a lifetime. As i made my way through the woodland and stepped out onto the banks of the mere all thoughts of work, relationships and commitments drifted from my mind, it was good to be back.

Nothing...

I came across "the secret mere" as i called it a few years ago whilst doing some woodland clearance and coppicing for a customer. Whilst taking a break i had a walk around the estates grounds and stumbled upon paradise. On the edge of some woodland at the south of the grounds lay a small lake of a couple of acres, the water was gin clear with deep shelving margins. Sedges and wildflowers grew around the lakes banks and in the water aquatic plants thrived.

...

Ok heres my first go at a blog. Its not a recent trip, what i thought i would do was tell some of my fishing stories too anyone who can be bothered to read them. Hope nobody falls asleep through boredom........................

During the autumn i had travelled out to France to visit my brother and father in order to help with some building work. I didn't take any tackle as i had no intention to fish on this trip.

The day had been one of those early autumn days were...