Summer Fishing 2025

Quick look back at the summer (written monthly as I went along). Very hot, very little rain & not much water in the rivers. Instead of my usual summer barbel quest I turned my attention instead to carp - both running & stillwater. I did land 84 barbel but carp provided my main fishing fix (landing 33). Oh, and there was those eels...

June: I started the season chasing barbel. Opening couple of days on The Wye saw 5 landed from a rare summer flood - before a drought that last months. And then back to London for three afternoons on the Small River - 35 barbel in the summer sunshine - mostly on floating crust. No big fish, but a cracking way to start...

July: No water in The Wye & too hot to target barbel, I turned my attention to a small Farm Pond - a bit of an unknown. Initially using bread, then adding boilies to the mix I caught common carp, mirror carp & a beautiful fully-scaled. And while trying to catch a perch I landed a surprise 3lb 7oz PB eel, plus a (targeted) back-up 2lb 10oz eel...

August: I continued my carp quest, initially on the Small River - stalking out a mirror, common & ghost carp from the clear water - plus 19 barbel. Then back to the Farm Pond for a few short evening sessions to get my fishing fix - getting into this carp fishing! And an afternoon on The Wye with the stick 'n' pin provided some great chub action...

September: Last trips to the Farm Pond included a double full-scaled mirror carp - a great way to wrap up the summer carp campaign! Three afternoons on the Small River added 25 barbel to my season. But I did lose a Wye double - that Wye double still eludes me. A bit of rain, a wash through the river and few nice chub rounded out the month.

Winter is coming. The weather has turned, and that can mean only one thing - pike time! I'm going to start once again on The Wye - and expand my search as the winter progresses - fingers crossed for a few crocs..!

Carp In The Headlights

My Dad has been bagging a few chub & barbel over the week - including a Wye double! Thought about heading to the river - but decided to hit the Farm Pond to try and catch one last carp before winter.

Hard going; cold weather, strong wind & pain-in-the-arse swans not helping, but eventually I winkled one out on the boilie sleeper rod - as I was packing up. I'll be back next spring...

Double Damn

An afternoon on the rapidly rising Wye, it rose 4 foot while I was there, had to keep moving back! The wash through it really needs...


About a dozen chub, a few over 4lb. But I did loose a barbel - a good double right over the net - my Wye Double still eludes me...


So I taught my audience of cows a few new swear words..!

Splash & Faff

Another afternoon on the Small River - wandering about in the last of the summer sunshine. No rush, just scanning the river as I mooched about - ten barbel plus an ornamental koi - smashing!


7lb 3oz (top), 7lb 0oz above.


Half time...


6lb 0oz above, someone's pet koi (below)

Splashers & Dashers

Not monsters, but 10 Small River barbel - plus 2 chub. It's great to be stalking about on running water again!

Splash & Dash

It's been raining. First real rain in months. So with time against me, but the rivers refreshed, I shot down the Small River to see if the barbel were celebrating. And they were - five barbel to 7lb 10oz plus a bonus chub. Looks like Autumn is finally here!

Fully Scaled Up (FP12)

A change in the weather - finally some much needed rain! And possibly my last trip to the Farm Pond this year...


A beautiful 14lb 0oz fully scaled mirror & a common carp (ghost?) to christen my new reel - and brighten up a dull afternoon!

Carp Fishing (FP11)

I've gotten into this carp fishing. What started as floating a bit of crust about as a fishing-fix has really become my fishing summer. Pond carp have never really been my thing - but as summers get hotter and drier perhaps it's becoming a better option than the rivers.

Now I don't think I'll be sat in a bivy behind 3 rods any time soon, but I think I'll have a more serious crack at it next summer (running out of time this season). I'd like to find a fairly local water where there is a chance of a thirty - and a quick search seems to show a few options.

Ideally somewhere within an hour's drive where I can fish for 3 or 4 hours an evening. Boilies on one rod, something more traditional on the other - crust or float-fished corn. Plenty of time for more research. And a few more trips to the Farm Pond before it's time for pike...