I have just recently returned from fishing a 72 hour session with a friend at Cottington Lakes in Deal, Kent. We booked ourselves in on one of the two specimen carp lakes they have called "Christine".

Lake Christine is around two acres in size set at the back of the complex in tall surrounding trees and looks idyllic, there are 10 pegs which you are allowed to fish from boasting loads of space and ballast swims.

Me and my friend opted to use "Premier Baits Camos" boilies which are a sweet smelling bird seed based mix. We got a great deal on these 5 kilos of mixed sized and shaped boilies and 2 kilos of stick mix for ?33.00.

When we first arrived we choose to fish swim 5 and 6, I was in 5 and fished one tight to the corner of the island and one a few foot short of the middle. I was received a few beeps early on but went dead for most the morning. I had a screaming running from my left hand rod around 3pm landing an 8lb common, I rebated and cast back out. I had just started to eat some soup when the right hand rod rung into life resulting in a 21lb mirror. The rest of the afternoon and night was quiet with my friend not even receiving a beep.

I woke up around 7am recast and sat watching the water for a few hours to not much happening in my swim, I decided to take a walk round the lake and noticed peg 9 to have a load of fizzing and a few jumping. I went back to my swim and had a chat with my friend and contemplated moving.

I ended moving swim mid afternoon and being there for around an hour my right hand rod screamed into life resulting in a lovely 14lb Mirror, Again the afternoon and evening went quiet when I was woke up at 4am to a 14lb common.

The last day was quiet all day with a few jumping in other areas but nothing seemed to be happening in my swim again, I decided early evening that I would fishing from peg 9 back into the vacant swim I was previously in at peg 6, That night I had I was woken at around 1 am to 15lb mirror.

That was it for all the action with me catching five and my mate blanking for three days. There was another 4 anglers on the lake with us, two 25lb mirrors being caught by an 83 year old.

That?s all for now, Darren.