Retuning to my old syndicate after a few years away fishing another water, i realised what I had missed and why I had to return to such a beautiful place like Chilham mill .
My first session back on and I was in my element with such tranquil surroundings and idyllic views .
I had decided to fish as much as I could this year and make the most of living only 15 minutes from the lake. That’s the plan anyway!
I already had 3 x 48hr sessions under my belt and a couple of overnighters straight after work since the start of my ticket and had been really lucky managing 30 fish on the bank with only a couple of lost fish and really had hit the ground running.
I had planned another 48hr on the syndicate and it turned out as what can only be described as “ My Time “ where all the planets were in alignment or I must have trodden in something and come up smelling of roses!
I have had a personal best of over 30lb for years now and have had countless thirty’s from different waters but the 40lb barrier has eluded me for at least the last 10 years.
So this is how that session played out for me , I loaded the car Thursday night and intended to arrive early on Friday morning at 6am straight after working the night before. I parked the car up in the car park and went on a wander round to see the best place to bivvy up for a 48hr session and the best chance of a bite.
I walked round once (26 acre and with little legs feels like double the size ) I had two swims in mind after my walk round but couldn’t make my mind up as I had seen nothing .
Being indecisive I went round again but on my way round a guy was packing up in a swim that I knew very well as it had done me a fair few bites on two of my last sessions. I stopped and we chatted for a bit and he told me that he had had a couple in the night and there were a few fish out in front still and was gutted about having to pack up early for work.
My mind was made up after chatting as I had no other signs to go by and
I thought to myself even if I only did the one night in the swim, just to see if the fish played ball and think about a move if they didn’t, so off I went back to the car park for my gear.
Back in the swim I quickly unloaded and got the bivvy up as the weatherman said we could be in for a few showers.
I quickly got set up, baited up 3 fresh slip D rigs with 15mm wafters (xcaliber wide gape 15lb skinfull ) and then proceeded to put all three rods on the spots that I had fished before in the swim and baited up with the same approach as previous sessions.
Well this time the weatherman was right and got it spot on, around 10am the rain started and was quite steady. Around 11:45 it started to come down really heavy soaking everything that was outside the bivvy and even puddling up in front of me. Midday, right in the middle of the downpour my left hand rod burst into life screaming off at an alarming rate. I jumped up and ran to the rod not thinking to myself I should have put a jacket on( big mistake ) , I lifted the rod and felt the fish on the end, carefully bringing it to the bank but the fish had other ideas and was giving a good account of itself for another 10 minutes. At this point not one item of clothing on me was dry and I was soaked through to the skin!
Eventually after a good fight the fish came over the cord of the net and i could get back to the bivvy change my clothes and put a jacket on .
I got the fish into the sling on the mat and it was a very angry long common that did not want to be on the bank, up to the scales and the needle went round to 34lb, a lovely common named “Janice” and one of the A team.
Pictures taken , fish released , new rig clipped on and rod back out on the spot. The rain had stopped not long after and it was bang on conditions for a few more.
The rest of the night went something like this;
16:30 – Slow take and a 16lb 8oz common
17:10 – Middle rod gave a few bleeps, A slow fight with the 35lb 4oz , what a clonking looking mirror.
01:45 – I was woken by a small common of 18lb 8oz
I woke up at about 6am feeling better after having some well needed sleep , put the kettle on and had my first brew while looking out over the lake . Not much going on and no visible signs of fish so I made up some fresh rigs and mixed up another bucket of bait ready in case there was a few more bites to be had .
8:45am and the left rod made me jump as it screamed off, it was game on and after a few minutes it was in the net.
As I put the rod down the middle rod was away , I lifted into it and played the fish for a few minutes until I was slipping my second net under another carp . I put that rod down and looked in both of the nets to see what I had just landed. The first fish was a very good fish so I lifted it out onto the mat and transferred into a sling in case I needed a net . As I put the fish back in the water in the sling i put a bivvy peg in the spreader block to hold the net from slipping back in the water.
I then decided to get the second fish ready to be weighed and photographed. As I started to get the third rod ready to go back out the right hand rod rattled off so it was a good job I made the decision to set the net back up . I played the fish and it wasn’t long before that too was in the net . So now I have 3 fish retained and not a single rod left in the water . On with the task in hand I got the fish in the sling out of the water and back to the mat where I weighed and photographed and then did the same with the other two .
1st 36lb 12oz linear (zipadee) A team
2nd 18lb mirror
3rd 24lb common
As the rules on the syndicate allow bait boats I put all 3 rods back out and this time I put quite a bit of bait out over each rod about a kilo of mixed boilie and pellet.
It was only a matter of minutes after finishing putting the rods back out and at 11am my middle rod burst into life.
This felt a whole lot different to all the other fish and it started me thinking this is either a big fish or I am playing something else in with the fish like a broken branch or something . The fish stayed deep and was heavy but after a good fifteen minutes of gentle persuasion the fish minus anything I thought was with it went into the net.
I put the rod down on the ground and leant forward to take a look into the net , and as I lifted the net from the depth I saw the back of the fish and the width of it . Oh my god it was a unit and at that point my heart doubled in speed and my legs went to jelly and being of an age where things start to lose control I’m sure I let out a little wee dribble 🤣.
I quickly ran to my bivvy and grabbed my phone to ring my best mate Andy Giles who was fishing the other end of the lake . It rang and he answered and I could not contain my excitement blabbering like an excited child at Christmas . I said you better reel in and bring your camera with you as I am sure I’ve got a new Pb or that’s what I thought I said in all the excitement.
I’m sure the fish is Starburst as well which is one of the best looking fish in the lake . A quick smoke and a drink and Andy arrived and I was shaking like a leaf . We got the fish on to the mat in the sling and proceeded to look at my prize and it was 100% Starburst, Andy confirmed it’s first visit to the bank this year.
Up onto the scales and the dial span round straight to 42lb . It was confirmed I had a new PB and my first Uk forty💥💥
It was time for some photos on the mat and also I had to have a water shot with this stunning creature before letting it go back from where it came . Photos done and a soaking from a bucket of water as it was a new Pb. Congratulations from Andy and a moment I won’t forget having my first UK forty, and with my best mate there to share the moment .
Still feeling the excitement and feeling overwhelmed I started to sort my rod back out to get it back on the spot.
The afternoon went by with no action but there were signs of fish in the area so I decided to leave the rods out and not re-bait for the night as the spots they were in had all produced fish .
Another common of 17lb in the night and at 6am I was awake and as I was putting the kettle on making my first cuppa the middle rod was away.
Five minutes later and I had a 23lb 8oz mirror in the net. Weighed and photographed I slipped it back in the lake and got the rod back out.
I didn’t have to wait long as the same rod was away again at 7:45 . A few minutes later it was in the net, 23lb common weighed photographed and back in the lake I thought I had to get the rod back out.
Again it wasn’t long and the same rod was away again . This fish was really giving a fight and was leading me a merry dance. It swam to my right taking out the right hand rod but eventually swam back out from under the line leaving it free to be played into the bank and over the cord of my net .
I put the rod down and looked into the net and it was huge again with the width across its back looking like it would take a saddle .
I broke down the net and slid the fish into the sling and lifted it out to my mat . I dealt with the net and got it ready to be weighed , the scales span round and settled on 42lb 12oz.
Another new PB I was over the moon to have had not one but two forty pound fish and breaking my PB twice in a session . I retained the fish in the water and rang Andy again , I told him that I had broken my PB again and could he come and take some photos for me . He thought I was joking at first but then after hearing it in my voice he knew I wasn’t . A few minutes later he was here with his camera and we were getting it ready for some nice pictures in the morning sun .
As it was getting really warm in my swim and around the lake the fish had really woken up and started to spawn really heavy. I decided with Andy that it was time to reel in the other two rods, pack up now and leave them to to get on with it .
I really could not believe the session I had just had and it will be one I remember for a long time.
One thing I will stick by is “ If it’s not broke don’t fix it “ and it is what has worked for me since returning to my syndicate .
My chosen Rigmarole components for my rigs are wide gape xcalibr hooks , 15lb skinfull fished slip d rig , freefall lead clips and freefall rig tubing .
I ended up on 12 fish in total
4 x doubles
3 x twenty’s
3 x thirty’s
2 x forty’s
Tight lines Danny



