Following a chat with another Bowood angler who reckoned he was getting most fish (bream/tench before I was arriving, I set myself the task of trying an early approach again. Peg 8 was my selected swim and the first of 4 balls of groundbait laced with corn, wheat and hemp was deposited at 06:25. I dispensed with the usual approach of starting with maggot and went straight out on corn. Tackle was the homemade rugby ball float taking 0.8g that was set as a bulk six inches above the size 16 hook to 0.16mm Shogun line. It was not until 07:00 when the float rose that I contacted my first fish, a bream of 3-04, another of 3-08 followed by tench of 3-03 and 3-13 up to 09:00. I was adding a further ball of groundbait every 40minutes or so plus regular pinches of loose fed wheat and hemp.Between 9:00 and 11:30 it went a bit mad with further bream of 2-04, 4-12 and 4-00 plus tench of 2-08, 4-02, 3-00 and 3-09. The sun then began to get hotter and I only added one skimmer, two roach and 2 rudd by the time I packed in at 12:00

I think the jury is still out as to whether the early start is worth it, but 39-03 is not to be sneezed at even if most came after 9am- could this be due to the main groundbait being put in earlier- I’ll never know!

Next day I decided to have a couple of hours on the Pondtail on the 5m whip. Starting at 2pm and finishing at 4pm I had the no 2 orange float on with a sixteen hook to 0.10mm and a 0.12mm mainline. Shotting was a bulk two feet from the hook with a no10 and no 9 stotz as droppers; I put in three golf ball sized balls of groundbait and loose fed wheat and hemp (pinch at a time) every other put in. I had an enjoyable session with 29 roach, 3 being netters and a solitary perch that also needed the net for a level 4lb. I should have had more but bumped several good fish before deciding to change the hook, which solved the problem.

Friday sees me back at peg 8 but at my usual time. It was very slow and apart from a lost tench I only had 4 rudd, 3 roach and a blade to show for my efforts, so I decided to be silly and just fish the top two for ten minutes – not changing the rig or anything. In those ten minutes I managed to put 30 rudd in the net, I was quite pleased as I have in the past on various venues had timed sessions of an hour when I have had 180 fish, so although a short session the rhythm needed was still in my muscle bank so to speak.

The week-end was avoided and Monday sees me at peg 7 for a change, starting at 9:00 and finishing at 12:10. I used a homemade 1g pencil float with a 2mm bristle for a change but the shotting was the same. I did start on maggot and had a small rudd first put in so changed to the corn. After half an hour a few bubbles appeared and the float lifted, a strike was met with a very scrappy fight from a tench of 2-04. From 10am to 11:30 I then had a procession of mainly smaller bream 2-06, 2-04. 4-04, 2-12 and 2-04 with just a skimmer, a further rudd and a solitary roach thereafter for a 17-02 total.

Wednesday sees me back on the Pondtail starting fishing at 7:40 until 9:20 to avoid the hot temperatures that had returned. Interestingly I did not get any bites after 9am. Anyway fishing the 5m whip with the same set up as previously, I started on maggot which was a bit slow so changed to double wheat. First cast with double wheat the float buries and I strike into a better fish that had me playing it carefully and guided it to the net – a roach of 1-11!

Next cast I hit another but as I was eating a sausage roll in celebration I managed to lose it with the hook pulling but not before I had seen it in the clear water. That effectively killed the swim so ended the session with 14 roach and a perch for 4-06.

I returned back to the Pondtail on Friday fishing 7:20 to 9:00 as the temperatures were soaring. No massive roach this time but 11 roach and 2 perch for 2-05, but I did hook a large fish, probably one of the carp that I had on for some time before it managed to snap the hook-length in the lilies on my right. Bowood was hosting the annual Country Fair on the Saturday and Sunday so there was a procession of lorries, cans, horseboxes and cars going past me on the bridge. Indeed I am sure that affected the fishing as once they started the fishing got harder.

Sunday I had a go at the Pondtail with the whip again on peg 1 from 7:20 to 9:00 when it was getting too hot. I had 11 roach and 4 perch for 2-04 but most came before 8am, from 8am until I packed up at 9 there must have been 100+ vehicles go past – the trailers/horseboxes/vans were getting ready for the 10am start and subsequent packing away!

No matches this month but once we get into the cooler weather I’ll be back on the main lake and will have a go on the stock pond plus peg 17 for a change!