By Jamie Simpson;

Friday 12th December and another quick overnighter on the Trent was on the cards.

Having had to abort the session the previous Friday after just half an hour due to high water levels and a large amount of debris being carried through, I was more than keen to get back down for another session.  All seemed right, the level was only about a foot up on summer levels and the water clarity was reasonable.

I was cast out within minutes and was more than happy with the spots as I have had a few fish from them this season.

I feel that knowing the area you are fishing is vital if you are only there for a limited period and it is almost dark when you arrive.  Due to this I always have my rods ready with hookbaits on when I arrive and leave my leads in a side pocket of my rucksack along with my buzzer bars.

One problem you get with the river is that the topography changes over the years and snags can get moved every time the high levels and floods come.  Even existing snags change and get more branches etc attached to them, so feeling the lead down is vital even if you think the spots are clear.

I set up the oval and sat watching the water, a few bream showed over the next couple of hours and I wasn’t at all surprised when one hung itself.  I don’t mind this at all as it gives me the confidence that it is a spot that fish will feed on and pass through and if a bream hangs itself then a carp will certainly slip up on it.

The wind started to pick up around 9pm so I took refuge under the brolly, over the next couple of hours the wind continued to gain in strength.

My oval was getting a right battering and I was now having to hold on to it for fear of it getting ripped out of the ground.  I had lowered the storm poles right down and added some weight into the framework to try and hold it in place but it still wasn’t enough.

I kept holding on hoping the winds would die off, but that never happened and I really don’t know what I would have done had I had a run during this time as the brolly would have most certainly ended up in the Trent.

6am came and that was it, enough was enough and I was off.  I dismantled what was left of the oval and found that the wind had actually ripped off one of the securing points.  Rods were reeled in instantly and an extremely tired, grumpy and defeated angler set off for home.

That has to be one of the worst sessions I have ever had whereby mother nature has taught me a right lesson and once again shown me that even when you think you have everything right, you can soon be back to the drawing board.

Cheers, Jamie

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