Sunshine & Gold

It promised to be a beautiful day and I could think of nothing better to do than chasing bars of gold. Arriving at The Farm as the gates opened, I was soon at a lily pad lined swim...

Alternating between corn and mags, it took about an hour before I started getting bites, and a further hour before I was back in the swing of hitting the little dips and lifts - they don't bite like catfish!


Fish on and in the clear water you could see them the moment they were hooked, brilliant to watch the whole fight. A 2lb 1oz opener, and after that each fish was smaller than the last...

But I didn't care, six crucians thoughout the day; 2lb 1oz, 1lb 11oz, 1lb 7oz, 1lb 3oz, 1lb 2oz and 1lb 1oz - with a few tench and rudd in the mix - coupled the sunshine - a fantastic day!

Myths & Monsters

Every pond has a legend of the monster pike, even the village duck pond where Mrs Soandso’s dog was eaten while having a swim. The only English fish creating more of a myth is the catfish.

”Yeah, it’s over a hundred pounds, it followed in a double figure carp as I was playing it.” Of course it’s never been caught or photographed. I had a more sensible target of a double.


Back to the muddy little cat-pond, I said I was after a double but wels are new - a screaming run and a little kitten first cast made my day - anything else would just be a bonus...


Half an hour later I was in again, another kitten but I popped her on the scales to set a PB - 7lb 4oz, bloody hell these things fight - what would a big cat feel like? I was soon going to find out!


A couple of hours later Richard was copying me with a little kitten followed by a 7lb 4oz cat of his own. Mid afternoon, out of the blue my rod screamed off - I hit something that didn’t want to meet me!


Fishermen exaggerate, but I’m not when I say it took 15 to 20 minutes to even see what I was connected to. My knees were shaking as Richard swept my prize up in the net - 27lb 0oz of fantastic!!


We rounded off the day with a few carp and bream - what a day - what a cat (but I don’t recommend a 2lb test curved rod, how it didn’t break I don’t know)... Next target: a Bertie!

Hello Kitty

I’d never caught a wels so when I had the chance to spend a day targeting them with Richard I grabbed it. A muddy little pond but we knew they were in there, and after about 4 hours my halibut pellet ‘donkey choker’ rod screamed off...

Cracking fight; powerful and dirty - tried to get in every snag in front of me - but my first UK cat was in the net. More of a kitten than a cat but I was delighted! What a beautiful looking fish; grey mottled pattern, really long whiskers and a serious mouth.


A couple of hours later - after several dropped and missed runs - I managed to land a second one. Even smaller, but that didn’t matter - I’ve fallen in love with these fish! Richard left it late but also bagged a kitten himself - as well as a couple of carp.

Can’t wait to return - I have loads of ideas for rigs and bait. I’m not one for sitting still waiting for fish to come to me but there’s no stalking them in this dirty water. And let’s face it they look fantastic - I’ve got my sights on a double, perhaps even a twenty!