Academy
Back to Academy searchJohn Patterson
John Patterson has been Carp fishing for eighteen years. He has caught fish over 30lb from 11 different UK venues and boasts a Mirror personal best of 45lb 10oz and a Common personal best of 37lb 12oz.
John is dedicated to fishing, enjoys sharing experiences through writing and has had several articles published in various magazines over the years.
News from John - 23rd August to 26th August
"Well this is my last trip before the new job begins. Truthfully I do not know when I will manage to get out again. With that in mind and having enjoyed the peace and quiet of my last trip I decided to head off to Cambridgeshire to the Big Pit.
"The weatherman had forecast a new front coming in from the South and with that in mind I wanted to get up onto the shallows, however Kevin Benham had the same idea and managed to arrive about an hour before I got there! With other notable swims taken I opted for plan C as went on the back off the wind as I have found that some fish on the lake tend to prefer getting on the back of it.
"I managed to spod out a bed of bait at around 100 yards and positioned all three rods on the spot - this is a method I have done well on in the past. During the remainder of the day and during the early morning nothing showed over the spots and just as I was contemplating a move the left hand rod pulled up tight. A nice upper double was soon posing for its picture, but to be honest I still felt unsettled and undecided as to what to do. With nothing else coming out around the lake I decided to sit it out through the day and see if the fish would give the game away. With little showing through the day I deciced to stay put for the night but with nothing happening it was definitely time for a move.
"Wandering around to the North bank which was ow been hit my the strengthening southly it was apparent the fish were now on the move as 3/4 of the way along the bank the bloke had just had two in quick succession. Heading back to my swim I got level with another lad who was in the process of packing up when one of his rods was away. With that fish in his net another one of his rods went off. With the pictures done he said he would be away in an hour so I told him I would move in after him and merrily headed off to my swim to pack up. With the bloke gone I put the marker out onto the bar and clipping up the spod put 5kg of bait down and again positioined the three rods over the spot. With everything done to the best of my abilities I had my dinner and turned in for the night.
"3AM and the middle rod is away. The wind has picked up so much that I cannot feel the fish on the end, eventually and some what suprisingly the fish rolls in the edge and, before it realises what is happening I scoop it up in the net.
"The fish is a short dumpy mirror which turns the scales to 22lb. With a large bed of bait down and the fish coming off of the middle of the baited area I am confident of further action. Well the best laid plans as by 1PM I am wondering what has happened. I decide on a slow pack up and that is probably the best thing I have decided to do in a while as just after 2PM the right hand rod melts off!! The fish stripped a good 80 yards on its run and then kited on a long line, slowly in one direction and then in the other. The waves are now lapping into the bank and my first sight of the fish is about 30 minutes into the fight in amongst one of the waves. There is no doubt in my mind that I have a 30 on and so when 5 minutes later the fish hits the net I am some what relieve!. At 32lb 12oz I smile like a cheshire cat for the camera.
"With the new job starting in one week I do not know if I will get fishing again this year, however with 12 x 30s, 35 x 20s and 13 doubles it has been an amazing year, even if I do not wet a line for a while."
News from John - 19th August to 21st August
"For me this is a special occasion as I have the opportunity to fish a very private lake. Althought the invitation has been there for some time, due to focusing my efforts elsewhere I just had not found the time to take up the offer. However, with a new job pending and the need for some R&R in nice peaceful surroundings I phone my mate up and asked if the offer was still there.
"The alke in question is around 4 acres, with 3 bays, one main island and an area of open water. Walking aorund the lake on the first morning fish could be seen bubbling all over and I must admit i thought I was in for a birthday. Although I kept the disturbance to a minimum it was obvious the fish knew something had changed and as I turned in for the first night I hoped that the fish would return.
"Just beofre first light I had a take on the middle rod which resulted in a nice mirror just into double figures. With a gentle breeze pushing from left to right down into the bay I could see a couple of fish rolling. It was obvious that a number of fish had moved on the breeze so grabbing the rods and my baiting pole I wandered down into the bay.
"Spending ten minutes watching were the fish were showing highlighted two obvious spots and with the aid of the baiting pole I was able to drop a couple of rigs in along with a hand full off bait. The second rod had only been in the water a matter of minutes when the buzzer was screaming. A strong fight saw a common over twenty pounds in the net. Just as I was about to lift the fish out onto my Snooper mat, the other rod was away. Again another good fight and a nice linear mirror about the same size as the first fish was in the net. With line here there and everywhere it took a while to get the fish sorted and photographed, but with a 23lb 12oz for the common and 25lb 14oz for the mirror I was well pleased and further proof of the saying that 10 minutes in the right spot is better than 10 hours in the wrong one!!!
"With all the comotion the fish had done the off and the rest of the day was spent walking and baiting the lake in order to try and create another opportunity. Alas nothing happened and it was like another lake compared to the day before as no sign's of bubbling were seen throughout the day. Having rested the baited spots for the day I decided to fish them for the second night and the rest must have done them good as another three doubles came my way.
"I was very pleased with how the session had gone and cannot wait to get back, work permitting!!"
News from John - 7th August 2009
"Having spent the day at work I have managed to get back down to do the night. The swim I fished last night is now taken. I therefore opt once more to fish the Noddy's as there is clear signs of activity in the area. Unfortunately a blank results but lots of bubbling over the spots on several occasions leaves me feeling that I have been done."
News from John - 6th August
"I came down last night to bait up and with only 2 anglers on the swim was free. However the next night with only one person on (who had fished the night before and watch me bait up) the swim was taken as said angler had moved. Oh well, I do not have special rights to the swim so I decide to have a looka bout a see what is showing elsewhere. As I get around to the swim the bloke had vacated at some point during the day fish were present and so I opted to go in there as it is not to far away from the swim I have been concentrating on and so the fish should hopefully respond to a light scattering of bait. Having fish the swim on numerous occasions before, rather than getting the marker rod out I simply cast the lead towards my marks and when I feel the donk, clip up and away we go. 3 pouch loads of 16mm baits are catapulted over both rods and it is time for bed.
"5:20 Am and the bobbin on the right hand rod pulls tight and stays there. that will do for me and after a dour fight another mid twenty pound pound is been photographed. with everything packed away apart from the rods, on the clutches starts spinning. Again a dour scrap and a mirror of 27lb 12 oz means it has been another productive night. this fish also means that I have now had 40 fish from Frimley in 24 nights - happy days indeed!!!"
News from John - 1st August 2009
"Again the swim is free and fish are clearly present in the area with fish fizzing away over the right hand spot. Because of this I decide to cast single baits out with light leads and see what happens. Two cast later and the fizzing stops and when a couple of hours later nothing has materialised i decide to top the spots up for the night hoping the fresh introduction of bait is what will do the trick.
"9PM and the left hand rod pulls tight and the fish finds the weed. I put the rod back on the buzzer and put the kettle on and I have found that it is better to wait as eventually the fish will move. As the line start to steadily pull tight I pick up the rod as I start to apply pressure the hook pulls, gutted. The hook link is changed and repositioned for the night and so a mirror of 19lb 12oz saves a blank in the early hours of the morning."
News from John - 22nd July 2009
"Again the same plan as the last trip. Light to start with and introduce the bait when I leave. Just after 7Pm a take on the left hand rod see's a nice 25lb 8oz common in the net and I therefore decide to top the spots up for the night. Unfortunately nothing else is forth coming and soo the spots are once again baited before I leave."
News from John - 20th July 2009
"I have managed to get bait in twice over the last three weeks in the week before this trip. The swim does look different though. The visable week has gone and there is a notable reduction in the numbers of fish in the area. Because of this i go in light on the bait for the night and will put the remainder of the boilies and particle in before leaving. A blank night follows."
News from John - 30th June 2009
"This is to be my last night for a few weeks what with work and family commitments coming up. On arrival no one is in the swim so it is the same plan as it has been for the last few weeks.
"I had to disturb the fish that were in the area with the weed rake in order to ensure that the spots were fishable. On casting out the rods it is now noticeable that I can get a firm donk on both rods. Having made some disturbance already I decided to top up the spots with ½ spod loads of mix and 5 pouch loads of boilies. Nothing happens until nearly midnight when the left hand rod signals a take. Unfortunately the fish comes a drift in the weed soon after... gutted.
"At 2:45 AM the same rod is away again, this time I manage to keep the fish moving. Amazingly in the net I can seen another mirror which looks close to the 30lb mark, so when the scales swing around to 30lb 2oz I am more that happy with the fully scaled mirror as I pose for the camera.
"Three more takes during the night, with all three fish landed, commons of 28lb 12oz and 15lb 7oz and another mirror of 26lb 12oz, mean that I once again pack away first thing in the morning tired, but more than happy with the results I have had."
John
"No one was at the lake when I arrived and so once again I set up in the Noddy's. With lots of weed around I had use the weed rake to ensure the spots were fishable which did disturb the fish that were present. Hoefully with the regular introduction of bait the fish would return during the hours of darkenss. So it proved when the left hand rod signalled at take at 2:45 AM, once again steady pressure kept the fish on the move and so a fully scaled mirror lay in the bottom of the net. At 30lb 2oz it is my first 30+ fully and is also my 50th Uk thirty. Three more fish in the night came my way another mirror of 26lb 12oz and commons of 28lb 12oz and 15lb 7oz. With the increase in work commitments it was nice to land these fish as i knew it would near 3 weeks before i could once again get back to the lake and i did wonder if the lack of bait regularly going in would have a detremental effect. Well there is nothing I can about that so only time will tell."
News from John - 7th June to 9th June 2009
"I have managed to book the day off work so I was able to get down to the lake on Sunday with the plan to do 2 nights, getting up early in order to go to work.
"There was someone in the swim that I have been concentrating on when I arrived. I therefore made the decision to wait for him to go before following him in. Recently a few of the lads have been saying that within 24 hours of me baiting up the fish have been going mental on the spots. As such I have decided to repeat this process but in a fishing context.
"I spodded out 7kg of my particle/ground bait mix and also catapulted out 3kg of boilies over the left hand rod. Over the right hand rod I did exactly the same. Nothing happened for me or anyone else the first night but during the afternoon I had a 24lb 8oz common on the left hand rod. To be honest I do not know if it was luck or the beginning of the fish getting on the bait... only time will tell. However, what I do know is that it was the only fish that was caught while I was there so I must admit I went away very happy with the result."
John
News from John - 17th June 2009
"I have continued to keep the bait going in a minimum of twice a week, sometimes three times a week with 5kg of boilies and 15kg (wet weight) of particle/ground bait mix split evenly over both spots. I was able to get down both Sunday and Tuesday evening and with today been Thursday I am hoping that the fish are now getting on the bait as they have definitely gone through their spawning this year. Both rods were clipped up to the marks from the last time and as such were easily dispatched to the marks. It was noticeable that there was a significant donk on the right hand rod as it landed, whereas the left hand rod landed soft. I chose to simply put a couple of pouch loads of boilies over each rod, with the view to topping up the spot should I be fortunate enough to receive a take.
"Well I didn't have to wait long as at 8:30 PM the left hand rod pulled tight and by maintaining constant pressure the fish soon rolled into the net. Amazingly it turned out to be the 33lb mirror from a couple of week's back, this time turning the scales to 31lb 4oz. I was once again up at 10:30PM and 11:25PM with commons of 24lb 4oz and 24lb 14oz respectively. The next take at around 1:20AM felt some what more substantial and turned out to be a common of 31lb 4oz which I had last seen on the bank before spawning at just over 35lb. Clearly the fish wanted to replenish there reserves as takes at 3:20AM and 6:15AM just as I was packing up led to 2 more commons which tipped the scales at 22lb 12oz and 25lb 10oz.
"What can I say apart from an amazing nights fishing and I felt just rewards for the efforts of putting the bait in over the past month and a half. As ever before leaving the spots were topped up with a further 5kg of boilies and 15kg of particle/ground bait mix."
John
News from John - 21st June 2009
"Once again I am able to do a quick overnighter and just as before on arrival someone is in the swim. As he arrived on Saturday and normally does 2 nights I set up in another swim. However a couple of hours later I noticed that he had packed up and although he catapulted out around ½ kg of bait, as he had scattered it about I decided I would move around and fish to the marks once again. This time I topped up the areas with the spod and catapult at a 3:55AM was rewarded with a common of 21lb 6oz and again just as I was packing up at 6:15AM another common of 25lb 6oz. As ever before leaving the spots were topped up with a further 5kg of boilies and 15kg of particle/ground bait mix."
John
News from John - 24th June 2009
"There is little to say except the process was once again repeated. This time I received takes just after 5AM and also just after 6AM. The night before I had been speaking to one of my mates and telling him about my amazing run and that so far I had only lost one fish which came a drift as soon I had picked up the rod. Saying this, I had obviously cursed things as both fish came off. Again before leaving both the marks were topped up, however this time I put 5kg of boilies and 10kg of spod mix over both spots."
John
News from John - 26th to 28th June 2009
"I had noticed that the takes had been coming later and later each night and I therefore began to wonder if the fish were moving into feed just as I was leaving in order to go to work. Having just moved house the last thing you would of thought I would be able to do was go fishing, however that was just what the wife told me to do. Apparently I would be much more use if I was out of the way! Again I was able to get back in the same swim.
"With 48 hours ahead I decided that I would top the spots up and using my mega spod I put ½ a dozen over each mark (equivalent to 3 normal spods with each load!) and 4 pouch loads of boilies. 7:05 PM and the left hand rod is away. The fish becomes stuck fast in the weed and a game of cat-and-mouse begins with me putting the rod on the buzzer until it moves, getting stuck once more, me putting the rod down and the whole process repeating. Well after about an hour I have this large ball of weed coming towards the bank. Truthfully I thought the fish had gone and I am stripping the weed off of the line I not a kick under the weed. My reactions however were to slow as the fish powered down to my right and the hook opens. Truthfully I am absolutely gutted, three loses in a row is not something I am willing to tolerate. After a quick mug of tea and a phone call to a couple of mates to sound them out, I've decide to get my weed rake out and thin the weed in front. One hour later and a large pile of weed next to the rods and I am feeling happier with the situation. Even with the concerns about the disturbance it would create, I knew that it was the right thing to do and going to bed that night I simply hoped that the fish would return. 4:20AM and the left hand rod was away, a nervous fight followed and I was mightily relived to net a mirror of 27lb 10oz, when the right hand rod was away at 6:00AM again nervousness was followed by relief when I slipped the X-flite net under a 22lb 10oz mirror. My thoughts that maybe more bites would follow as I would normally have been packed up and gone to work proved un founded and around mid day I reeled in a topped up the spots for the night a head. A wander around the lake for a few hours meant that I did not have the rods back out until 5PM. Nothing happened until 5:20AM when a violent take on the right hand rod followed a very heavy powerful battle for over 20 minutes, resulting in another mirror of 31lb 6oz. Again the same rod was away at 6:40AM and another mirror of 20lb 7oz was held up for the camera. Just after 8AM am I was confident of a take on the left hand rod due to the amount of bubbling and the liners I was receiving. Therefore when the buzzer sounded I automatically reached for that rod, only to see at the last minute that it was the right hand rod once again. This fish did something different from previous takes and immediately kited on a tight line to my right. Hitting another weed bed I had the fish coming towards me when the hook pulled. To be honest I was frustrated with the situation but knew that there was little I could do and therefore got the rod sorted and once more re-positioned on the spot. 9:00AM and the right hand rod is signalling yet another bite. Truthfully I am lost for words when another mirror which is clearly over 30lb is nestling in the bottom of my net. On the mat I recognise the fish as one that I have caught on two previous occasions over the past month and a half, this time turning the scales to 30lb 12oz, my 10th UK thirty so far this year.
"Again another amazing trip, 7 takes with 5 fish landed has taken my tally for the year from the lake to 32 fish from 37 bites in 18 nights. Clearly the fish are now on the bait and I can only hope that those who were happy to leave me alone to do my own thing when I was not catching continue to do so.... Again the key element to my plan is repeated, another 10 kg of boilies and a further 20kg of spod mix is put out and I also spend another hour with the weed rake to keep on top of the spots. It just goes to show that with some effort in terms of prep-ing the spots and keeping them fishable what can happen."
John
News from John - 21st May 2009
"Inspite of the success I'd been having over the last couple of weeks I had the opportunity to but together a series of nights and therefore decided to visit the syndicate lake in Cambridgeshire.
"The week before the lake had simply gone off and I think around 18 x 30s had been caught over the week. Well to cut a 4 night session short by the time I was able to get up to the alke it had once more switched off and I came away with a blank. However it has to be said I had a wonderful and relaxing time rather than the mad rush of the overnighters I had been doing!"
John
News from John - 27th May 2009
"Back to the overnighters! I have been continuing to put the boilies in spliting 5ky equally over the two spots. To date I have had little success with them and the fish in the lake continue to be caught on maggots but i am confident that it will eventually kick in and I will benefit in the long run. Unfortunatley It turned into a blank night."
John
News from John - 7th June 2009
"Two nights what a luxury! Another member was in the swim that I have been baiting and i therefore mad the decision to fish another swim with singles through the day and move in when he left. With the continued domination of maggots on the venue I am really trying to force the issue with the bait and have increased the baiting levels to include particles. I have therefore spodded 7kg of particle and 3 kg of boilie over the left hand rod and have put roughly half the amounts over the right hand rod. since the fish spawned the fishing has been slow and so it proved on the first night as no one caught. Just after lunch time I decided to re-do the rods as I knew the baits would have gone soft. With little signs of fish activity I chose not to put any more bait out. Around 6 pm this proved to be the right decision as the left hand rod screamed off and a 24-0."
John
News from John - 18th May 2009
"Once again I arrived at the lake Sunday afternoon for my overnight session. A big common had been out Saturday morning at 46lb, however with 2 of the other 40's yet to make an appearance so far this year I was still positive about the session. Although I could have gone in the swim that had done the big'un (plus 5) others, the lad in there had been getting his bites during the day (not good if your on an overnighter!) I therefore opted to go back into the swim I had fished the week before. With markers on the line, hook baits were once again dispatched to the silty area's and in the early hours of the morning at 27lb 4oz common and a 25lb 4oz common proved to me I had made the right choice."
John
News from John - 12th May 2009
"With the arrival of Sunday afternoon I was once again able to get down to the lake to do another overnighter. It does require abit of effort to set the alarm for 5:45am to get up to pack up, but then again you only get out what you put in.
"The swim I have fished on the last 2 nights was taken, however it was noticable that fish were active in a swim across the bay as large amounts of floating weed could be seen and several fish rolled in the area. With fish in the area I dispatched a couple of PVA bags in the areas of most activity and when a couple of hours later nothing had happened and with very little showing I decided to investigate the area with my Greys Marker rod and ensure that I was fishing in the silt amongst the weed.
"With 2 nice spots located the Greys spod rod was once again brought into action to dispatch another gallon of maggots onto the area. Once again I was awoken during the night on three separate occasions with commons of 27lb 4oz, 25lb 2oz and 24lb 12oz. Things are just going so well at the moment - I just hope that it continues!"
John
News from John - 7th May 2009
"Following on from my success earlier in the week I decided to do a quick overnighter after work. Arriving at the lake in the early part of the evening I could see that the swim I had fished was empty and with the other likely looking spots taken I decided to drop back in for another night.
"With the rods still clipped up from the last session with was simply a case of rigging them up and putting them back out on the same marks as before, once again the Grey's spod rod was put into action as another gallon of maggots were deposited over the two rods. The result... another hectic nights fishing with 4 fish landed, 3 twenties to 24lb 12oz, one mid double and one lost."
John
News from John - 4th May 2009
"Having spent the weekend with the family I was able to get down to the lake for a overnighter.
"Arriving at the lake there was about 14 people fishing, however having had a walk around it was apparent that most of them would be going just after lunch. From what I could see a large number of fish were feeding in one area due to the number of fish that could be seen rolling and fizzing, plus the amount of weed flaoting to the surface. Fortunately for me one of the swims in this area was due to be free in a couple of hours so I decided to wait.
"Once the swim was free I located a smooth area about 50 yards out and cast out my Grey's X-flites with the maggot rigs that had proved such a success on my first couple of trips. Once again, a gallon of maaggots was spodded out equally over both of the rods using my Grey's long range Spod rod.
"Nothing showed over my spots for the remainder of the evening and as darkness fell I wondered if the fish had done off as several had shown down the other end of the lake on the westerly wind. Around midnight the left hand rod was away and after a steady fight another big fish was in the net! Unbelievably this was my 5th fish since I had started back on the lake on only my 5th night as was the largest mirror I have had from the lake at 33lb 8oz. I had trouble taking it in, 5 to date and 4 have been 30's.
"With the photographs done and the rod re-baited I got back into the sleeping bag. However that is not the end of the story as between 1am and 6am I landed another four fish including 2 twenties and 2 doubles. My total in 5 nights now stands at 9 fish."
John
News from John - 14th April 2009
"Recently fishing CEMEX Frimley Pit 3 over the East break I managed to land two 30's.
"Having left the lake on Sunday morning following completing two nights fishing I was able to return to the lake for another two night session.
"I had a look around the swim that I had fished previously, looking for the best available option. With the rods already marked up from the previous session I was able to get them both back onto the same marks.
"Once again I spodded out 1/2 a gallon on red maggots to the mark using my Greys long range spod rod, before casting out 2 PVA bags of maggots either side of the markr float using my Greys X-Flite 12", 3lb test rods.
"At around 2am on the first night one of the rods took off and I managed to land a 35lb 8oz common.This was the third thirty-something common caught in two nights.
"The same process was repeated the following night and just after 3am I landed a lovely 15lb 15oz mirror.
"To say I am pleased is an understatement!"
John
News from John - 6th April 2009
"It was the first weekend of the new syndicate at CEMEX Frimley Pit 3 this weekend and I managed to get down after work on Friday.
"Locating the base of the bar using my Greys Marker Rod, I then spodded out 1/2 gallon of red maggots to the mark using the Greys long range Sod Rod.
"During the first night I cast out 2 PVA bags of maggots either side of the marker float, using my Grey X-Flite rods and nothing happened. The second the process was repeated and soon I started receiving liners on both rods from 10pm and eventually the right hand rod was away just after 2am.
"The fight was strong and I knew early on that I had hooked a good fish. Eventually the fish was landed and it turned out to be one of of the larger known fish in the lake known as "Quasi" at 36lb 12oz - my second largest ever Common.
"With the photos done I was sorting out the rod, all the while receiving liners on the other rod. With the first rod still been prepared for a recast, the other rod was away. Once again a slow and protracted fight commenced as another good fish put up a good fight. After 20 minutes another fish was in the net with a weight of 34lb 12oz - my third largest Common ever caught. What a nights fishing!"
John
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