I normally travel down to Cornwall for a week’s holiday, but carper Kevin Hampton did the reverse when he motored up from the West Country to fish Gaunt’s Lake, which is on the Guy’s Syndicate at Linear’s Stanton Harcourt complex, writes Andy Webber.

When I received his email, Kevin had landed 16 carp, breaking his personal best three times, firstly with a 30.5.5 mirror, then a 34.12.0 mirror, followed by his best so far in the shape of ‘The Highback Mirror’ at 41.4.0.

He used Korda 15lb Adrena line, 25lb Korda hooklink and a size 6 Nash wide gap hook, to which which he attached a Carp Company Icelandic Red boilie.

l LAST Wednesday, I travelled over to the Kennet at Burghfield, this time armed with several pints of casters to bait up a swim that has produced several very large barbel.

I deposited about a pint of hemp and a pint of casters into the swim via a bait dropper.

I glued several casters to a hair fished on a size-12 Drennan Barbel hook and used one of their old-style feeders with the holes enlarged, so the hemp and casters could disperse into the swim.

Although I started baiting up just before 7am, I didn’t make my first cast out until around 10am. The longer you leave the baited up area alone the better the chances of catching.

My first fish was a decent perch, second was a roach, third a roach and so it went on.

At about 6pm, I baited up again and went and had a chat with one of the other anglers fishing the stretch.

When I returned to my swim to re-cast, it was only a few minutes before the rod tip banged over and as the fish tore off, but I pulled out of it.

I cast out again and it was not long before the tip went again – this time nothing and the casters were untouched.

In the end, I did manage to catch a small barbel of about 6lb, a hard-earned fish.

l There are still only a few trout anglers fishing Farmoor 1, but those who do are being are being rewarded with fish to 7lb on buzzers and daddies.

Fish to 4lb are being taken from the bank on Farmoor II, with very small buzzers (size 16 or even 18), accounting for most fish only a rod length or so out.

l IF you have any news, views or photos, you can contact me on 01865 725606 or email agw@awebber20.orangehome.co.uk