Dorset Stillwater II 7th May 2007.

It was high time to show Nempster this water so we toddled over late afternoon and parked ourselves around the back in the lee of the wind for no great reason, other than the weed there and comfort. The first thing to mention is that the weed has expanded 20 fold since I went in February and there are now large beds of miniature lilies in most of the places the winter resistant pondweed proliferated.

The awkward bit is getting to the fish on the other side of them. I tried for a bit fishing in a hole in the weeds but it was at the limit of my casting distance with the pin but I did get one dark carplet before I gave up and put on a fixed spool and cast a long paste float over the lilies to clear water. This was almost as frustrating, as the float then suffered a huge bombardment of nudges from smaller stuff and despite 3 smallish Rudd, I gave in for a bit, and set up the pin with the Fox Floater rod and a small pole float and baited a hole in the weeds by my feet.

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I waited for 20 minutes and then, got a 'sliding away' bite, which was telegraphed by 5 minutes of nudges and tweaks. There was an explosion in the foot deep water and a lively tussle, then I banked a common around 2lb or so. Another half hour passed but I missed the next bite. Despite having a nice new stalking chair, the most comfortable thing I've ever fished on, I wasn't settled and with a growing sense of "it's not here" went up the bank to the next peg, which I paid a short visit to earlier. At the time I was quite sure this was a better spot, with a better sense of 'fishiness' and some movement in the water. However I talked myself out of moving right away to spend an hour margin fishing with a pole float.

I returned the pin to the Avon, put on a self cocking pheasant quill and then hid behind a good clump of reeds and yellow irises and baited up just over a bed of pond weed. I'm fishing around a foot over depth with a No.4 tell tale shot. Fish were about. Despite my earlier mood, which felt like there was a hard edge between me and Mother Nature, I relaxed here with growing certainty. Eventually the hard edges blurred together and mingled like blue ink swirls slowly mixing with water. The nudges didn't matter now I could see them for what they were. I waited and was rewarded with a gently sliding bite on my quill. A lively debate ensured with a 2.5lb common, which was more or less rail-roaded by the Avon, despite getting it's nose stuck in the irises. I rebaited and waited some more.

Another 10 minutes ticked by and another sharper bite yielded, after a squabble, a glorious Rudd, well over my expectation for the water.

15 minutes late another small common, a bit over a pound maybe. This was better - sometimes you just know when you are in the right place.

10 minutes later another Rudd, a shade larger perhaps. Wow. Almost night, so I call it a day and head back for a tea with Nempster, who had about 8 carp and lost several as well as a good few Rudd as well. He's sensibly stuck with a size14 hook and 6lb line, making my 8lb through rig look hawser like...

Very good session - I realise I do not know about this water really - the Rudd are a bonus, and while not completely amazed, they were almost twice the size of any I'd caught to date. Still no sign of larger fish - some are moving, but none on the hooks. Hmm. Good fruit cake though.