On Monday l joined up with Alan Stagg at Marsh Farm to get a few library shots for forthcoming features. Setting up in pegs 2 and 3 we proceeded to catch non-stop after introducing plenty of Sonubaits Super Crush Green groundbait. The key at Marsh is to add no loose feed to the groundbait, just let this draw the tench and crucians into the swim and place one hookbait on top. We fished up till 12-30am in which we lost count of the tench caught as well as around eight crucians each. Alan’s words when walking into my swim that evening was ‘absolute carnage’ the action was that frantic. Alan was up and working his swim well before me and continued in similar fashion with tench to 6lb and crucians to 3lb.

Tuesday night was full of emotion as myself and eel fanatic, Steve ‘Donut’ Ansell headed back to Petersfield Heath, an old eel haunt that sadly was hit by two algae blooms a couple of seasons ago. The news was that the second hit had wiped the entire fish stock out, however a couple of weeks ago, on my return from the south coast l spotted a few carp cruising and felt that it was worth seeing if the eels had also survived. Unfortunately this once prolific eel water failed to produce a single bleep on the glorious 15th June and we left the following morning, saddened that the massive eels, including my personal best of over 7lb had perished during that period.

I try to keep away from Frensham Great Pond during the first week of the season, but with the World Cup on as well as the weather doing its best to feel like early spring with a cold northeast wind l thought that a swim or two would be free. As expected a few were and l dropped into one I’ve never fished but always fancied. Fishing a Preston 3AAA Insert Peacock Waggler adapted to take a night-light l started spraying maggots at 8pm. The first fish to show were tiny rudd, then just after dark five modest tench kept my enthusiasm up, however it wasn’t till 11-30pm that two bites in consecutive casts bought rudd of 2lb 1oz and 2lb 10oz. Reports are that its fairly slow, which is normally the case on the first week.