25/02 Trent

A shortened version of my start to the evening...parked car, locked key in boot, paid £25 for a taxi to bring me my spare key.

After a late start the fishing started slowly. Moved swim twice, caught 1 bream in swim 1, nothing in swim 2. Swim 3 was where I fished the day before so at least had chance of a bream. Fortunately no more bream came along but 2 barbel did - 7lbish at 20:45 and 11lb 5oz @ 21:05.

Not sure why some of these photos are going sideways, I know I'm not very good with the camera but I think I'm holding it the right way up?

24/02 Trent

Not the carp swim but not a million miles away either. Water temp just under 9, river up a bit more with a nice colour to it, thought it would be ideal barbel conditions. Ended up with 1 small bream and 2 bream, 3 bream in total. Missed a few bites and lost something that felt OK but not sure if it was a barbel...and the fact I'm not sure probably means it wasnt. Maybe a bream.

23/02 Trent

After a whole week without fishing, the weather has warmed up a bit so I headed back to the carp swim. River a little up on previous visits here but nothing silly and reliably informed that the water temp was 44 degrees.

Quite a slow frustrating evening though, 2 bream tappy things that didnt hook up, one bream that hooked up and came off (not a great loss) and a barbel that came off at the net. Didn't see it properly but don't think it was particularly big but would have prefered to have landed it to find out.

16/02 Trent

Similar conditions to mid-week last week did not fill me with confidence, the main one being the big drop in water temperature. Just gave it a couple of hours, fished from 5 - 7 for the same result, zilch.

13/02 Trent

Same swim as Friday, carp rods again. Even got there early, about 2.45pm, and started catching virtually from the off. 12lb 6oz carp (common), 4lb 15oz chub, 16lb 2oz carp (leather), bream, bream, 7lb 7oz bream, 7lb 10oz bream, 5lbish barbel (19.05), bream (about 7lb). Probably close to 70lb of fish in 4 1/2 hours fishing.

Last couple of times I've fished this swim I've been one off completing the barbel, bream, carp, chub quartet, actually managed it today. Using carp rods really does help bringing those hard fighting bream in. And the carp. Went a bit photo crazy but plenty of subjects to photograph.

11/02 Trent

Same swim as last Friday as I caught a few fish there. And as theres always a chance of a carp there, I used my carp rods which always feels strange on the river.

A good choice of venue as I caught a bream, a carp, a bream, a barbel (19:10) and a bream. Or as some people say 3 bream, a carp and a barbel.

Thought it might be similar to last week after the carp and a bream came early on but this week the fish came steadily through the evening.

Only a small carp of about 8lbs, not as deep bodied as last weeks but still quite chunky across the shoulders. Barbel about 6lb and the bream ranged between 4 and 7lbs.

08/02 Trent

With the England match Wednesday thought I would have my midweek fish Tuesday. However...not confident at all, clear skies, high pressure, the fish were probably full from feasting in the flood a few days earlier, temperatures dropping and there was a frost the night before. And any other excuses I can think of.

Would have loved to have proved myself wrong but another blank. Conditions are looking a bit more favourable towards the end of the week.

06/02 Trent

Not sure where all this extra waters come from, couldn't even get to where I wanted to fish as the route to it was underwater. Still rising and debris coming through at all levels...should have been ideal. Think I lost a fish that turned out to be a branch, sure it started as a fish anyway.

04/02 Trent

Bit of a strange one, started fishing at 16:45 and by 18:15 had caught a 12lb 13oz carp, 2 bream (well one dropped off at the net but it did touch the net so I'm counting it) and a 3lb chub (just to be consistent).

That was it for the night even though I stayed on until 21:45, no sign of my intended quarry - barbel. Should have started earlier...

New camera seems OK apart from the sideways chub.

02/02 Derwent

Thought that the milder weather might encourage the barbel to feed. Probably too soon, the river was still only 6 degrees (up 0.5 degrees since Sunday) and running very low and clear. Quite active early on with plenty of knocks and taps on the rod tip and caught 2 small chub of about 3lbs each before it all went very quiet...