THANK YOU for purchasing the latest issue of IYCF.
What a difference a few weeks makes. When we started putting this edition together it was still pretty cold, miserable and wet. But fast-forward a month and things are feeling decidedly spring-like out there, with daffodils in full bloom and buds on the trees poised to open any day now. Plus, by the time you’re reading this, the clocks will have gone forward, which makes a huge difference and is always one of my favourite parts of the year.
As I drove home from work a couple of weeks ago it struck me that I’d got home and it was still light (this was before the clock change). It had been a lovely mild and sunny day and I figured that if I worked through lunch and snuck off a little early I’d be able to get down to a local club water and, all being well, get my rods sorted and in position before the light completely went.
I had initially been planning on tench fishing this spring but it still felt a little bit too cool for that so I chucked my carp gear into the car with the intention of just using this trip to have a look around and get back in touch with the pit as I hadn’t actually fished it since the end of last autumn.
As tends to be the norm with such a large and low-stock venue, I didn’t see anything to get me too excited on my quick walk-round, so I ended up setting up in a slightly sheltered area as the wind had switched from the day before and there was a distinct nip in the air.
I hadn’t been able to fish this part of the lake last year due
