With the choice of an afternoon shopping expedition with my wife on offer, I took the safe option and went fishing instead, not wanting to upset her acquisition flow, allowing her to browse at will. All I needed now was to catch a few fish and we would both be happy. My local recreation ground, with it’s pond within easy walking distance, can be relied upon to provide a busy afternoon’s sport, so with a kiss from my wife, the trolley was loaded and I was on my way.

I’d cut this swim out six weeks before on my last visit, then the leaves being still fresh and green, but now the gold of autumn has taken over. A mix of liquidised bread, black with hempseed, was pressed into loose balls  and  thrown in at between 7 and 8 metres, with a scattering of sweet corn over the area, before setting up. 

There being no wind, a 0.4g float set two feet deep, to a size 16 barbless hook would do the job, shotted to show the last 6 mm of the tip. Rudd are usually a problem for the first 30 minutes of fishing here and when the float marched across the surface seconds after the first drop in, the pattern seemed set, but the elastic stretching out from the pole on the strike meant a small common had taken the sweet corn.

That would do nicely for a start. My next cast produced a few knocks and dips, but nothing to strike, so the sweet corn came off and a 6 mm pellet of punched bread was substituted. The float sank in a series of dips and I lifted to feel the juddering fight of a crucian, pulling the pole back to unship the last 3 metres for netting the zig zagging carp.

This little thumper set the scene for a succession of crucians on the punch, the net coming out at regular intervals, the hook barely in the skin of the lip. A couple of missed bites made me switch back to the corn, getting a more positive bite and a better crucian.

The fish here are a mix and match, this one having a fan tail, gold fish and koy having been released from family ponds appearing from time to time. I even caught a terrapin here once.

This was the last crucian of the afternoon, another fan tail, variety being given by a few more small commons, 3 hours from 1:30, until 4:30 being enough time to net about 30 fish for 11 lb.

By the time I’d walked back home and put the gear away, my evening meal was on the table. That’s what I call teamwork.