My last visit to Allsmoor Pond was during the July heatwave, but now enjoying an Indian Summer in late September, I paid an afternoon visit for a few hours fishing, while my wife was preparing a fish pie for our evening meal. I was suprised to see that bull rushes now choke two thirds of the pond, leaving only one end fishable from half a dozen swims. Reaching my intended swim, I found it filled with large logs, which could not have been an accident and can only assume that the anti fishing brigade are responsible. I backtracked a few yards to the only other swim on that side and saw that this too had a sunken log a few yards out from the bank. This must have been a two man job, as this was a big log. Oh well, live and let live, is my motto.

Fishing the pole in this swim did not cause me any problems and I continued setting up, although later in the afternoon, I did hook the snag and pulled twig free. I mixed up the usual liquidised bread, ground hempseed and strawberry flavoured groundbait, which I formed into small balls and catapulted half a dozen, eleven metres out. Setting up with a 4 x 16 antenna float rig to a size 14 hook with an 8 mm punch of bread. First cast over my groundbait, the float slid away and the elastic stretched out toward the lily bed. Raising the pole, the run was stopped and the fish turned left and rolled on the surface. This was the signal for me to begin pulling the pole back to the top three sections, while the elastic stretched out further, putting the now visible common carp under more strain, The carp was soon on the surface, sliding toward my landing net.

This was a good start and I punched out another 8 mm bread pellet, slid it onto the hook and cast back out. The float slid away again, brace and lift. A small rudd splashed on the surface. This was quickly drawn back and unhooked.

A couple more balls of feed were catapulted out, followed by a cast into the area. The float settled and lifted, then disappeared in a flash and I was in again. This one briefly running, then stopping to fight, rolling and diving like a crucian carp. I let the fight continue, until the fish made another run and I again broke the pole down to the top three, this resulting in a fight back, before the fish gave up and came to the landing net. Not a crucian, just an angry common.

Another small rudd was swung in, then the elastic was out again, with another running common. This one made a sudden bid for freedom by diving to my left, out of sight behind the reed bed, needing extra pressure to bring it back round to be netted.

I had now attracted the attention of an angler on the opposite bank, who came round for a chat about my bread punch method, only to find me playing yet another carp, this one a very deep fish, that I thought was a crucian. Wishful thinking I think, as crucians often made up 50% of my catch in the autumn. I do miss catching crucians. This angler wanted to know what I was doing to catch so many carp, while he had none. I showed him my punches and floats, plus my ground bait mix. He was using an eight foot spinning rod, with large pieces of bread flake pinched on a size 10 hook. He was casting with a bubble float to the edge of the lily bed. Nothing wrong with that, but he was leaving the bread to be discovered by a roving carp. I was fishing light, using the pole to drop the float over the groundbaited area, then having a direct strike to the float, the fish having been attracted into the swim. I suggested that he mash up some of his bread and throw it to the edge of the lilies, or just throw in a few free samples. While he was there I unhooked the carp that I was playing, when he arrived.

I demonstrated how the bread punch works, fitted the pellet to the hook, cast out and hooked a small common straight away. He was amazed. It is not magic, just a combination of doing the right thing to catch fish.

A cold wind was now getting up, blowing through the gap in the trees and I had to add another few inches to the depth to hold bottom. I had been fishing just off bottom and this may have been why I began catching gudgeon. I say catching gudgeon, but most of them came off the hook.

The angler on the far side finally hooked a carp, a mirror of about two pounds, which his young son managed to net for him. I was pleased to see this father and son action, with photos for the albumn taken by a walker.

It was getting close to 6 pm, time for me to get home to the fish pie,  that my wife was making. I had been systematicly catapulting my remaining groundbait out in an attempt to bring the carp back on the feed. A better than average rudd was a false alarm, but good to see.

Piling in the feed finally paid off at last, with bubbles bursting on the surface and the hope of a nice carp to round off the afternoon. The float steadily moved to the right and sank, with solid resistance, that exploded into action.

This took me all over the pond, testing the elastic to the extreme, but the hook held and it stayed on for the landing net. The carp were probably coming back on and I was tempted to make one more cast.

They were definitly back in the swim, as this young common proved, but time was marching on and although reluctant, I began packing up, as my fish pie was waiting.

Decent roach usually appear at Allsmoor and even the rudd were scarce this year, still I’m not complaining, the bread punch again proved to be the bait to beat for the carp.