Temperature forecasts of 30 Centigrade, meant for a brief morning visit to my local River Cut this week, my choice of swim was dictated by the amount of shade on offer, it already being over 25 when I arrived at 9am.

Club members had been catching carp since heavy flooding of a few weeks ago, escapees from lakes above, or below the stretch and I was keen to get in on the act. Choice of rod was my browning 14 footer, paired with an Abu 501 reel loaded with 5 lb mainline to a 3.2 lb BS hook link with a size 14 barbless. Bait was to be my reliable bread punch, with a heavy feed of liquidised bread, mixed with ground carp pellets and a sprinkling of Haiths Spicy Red additive. The float was a 6 No 4 Ali stick, with the shot bulked to within a foot of the hook and another No 4 half way down as a tell tale.

With carp in mind, I mixed the feed wet to sink and put two balls in a couple of yards above an overhanging bush, swinging the over depth float out to hold back in the slight flow. The response was immediate with the float sliding away and a small rudd flashing away in the murky water.

Not a bad rudd to start. These fish once covered the upper levels of the river, but had disappeared and I was at first pleased to see them, although after the tenth one grabbed my bait, I was rapidly changing my mind. Adding another 6 inches to the depth and moving the tell tale closer to the hook. I put in more feed balls, squeezing them up hard, watching them sink straight down. I had gone up from the 6 mm bread punch to a 7 mm. Something worked, as the next fish was a clonking roach, that dived quickly back into the roots of the bush, before being drawn upstream to the middle, then across to the landing net.

Ah, that’s more like it, the float lifted and I was playing another big roach.

This one also dived hard for the bush and I decided to feed even further out. The extra feed was to beyond the middle, where there was less flow, dead leaves were backing up on the float and were less problem here. The float would settle then lift as the bait was picked up. I usually waited for the float to move off before striking.

Rudd were still getting through, but they were generally better fish. This one with orange fins and a green hue to the scales.

The roach were back and I was in a rhythm, bait the hook, swing the float in, hold back. The float would lift and bob, then sink; striking with my finger on the spool just in case of a big one.

A small chub put the theory to the test, diving back to the roots, feeling like a much larger fish.

There was no doubting the next bite, when the line went solid from a big fish that swam steadily upstream, slowly shaking its head, unaware that it was hooked. I was giving line from the spool as it passed upstream, seeing the deep golden body and fat black tail of a carp cruising by, while my rod bent double. It kept going and I put more pressure on as it neared an overhanging bush, bringing the carp to the surface. I’d landed a five pounder the week before from a local pond and this was as long, but much deeper. I was just a passenger on this journey and jumped when the carp flapped its tail. It turned back gaining speed and I stripped the line through the rings to stay in contact, the rod slack, then bent double as it powered by taking line. Despite my efforts, the carp kept doing, the rod powered up and the 3.2 lb hook link snapped.

A cool drink of orange with a shortbread, and I was ready to start again. Tying on another size 14, I punched out a 7 mm pellet and swung it in. A bob, a lift and I was into a decent roach.

I began catching a gudgeon a chuck.

A couple more balls in and the roach were back.

A roach bite suddenly went heavy and I was playing a small carp that cruised up and down, searching out the snags, but once on the surface it was under my control and in the net.

This is what I came for. A little barrel of fun.

Back in and first cast yet another clonker roach, that did not give up easily.

There were plenty of smaller roach and many big gudgeon but you can’t photograph them all, but some required a comment. This one had an ulcer, but fought well.

This one looked like it had been attacked by a pike, but there are none in the Cut. Maybe a mink.

The damage was both sides with penetration marks.

It was 12:30, my three hours was up and I punched my last hole in the bread, swinging the float in. The float dithered and bobbed like a small roach, but the strike said another story as the rod bent into another carp. This was not as big as the first, but big enough to treat with a lot of respect. I managed to contain the carp within the area in front of me, stopping it from going under the bush and keeping it from the far side, holding the rod high and responding to every dash for freedom. It swam back out of the net once, but was soon back in.

A two and a half pound powerhouse. Next year these carp will be unstoppable without much heavier gear.

A busy morning that proved much better than expected with many decent roach and the pair of bonus carp.