I was born and raised in Hemel Hempstead Ive fished lakes and rivers for years all over Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire etc. Most reading this will know what its like to buy 20kg of pellet and birdseed or hemp and get ready for a baiting campaign. Particularly after weeks or months of baiting without fishing you know your going to catch and it doesn't take long to do so. In 2018 I moved to Norwich and started baiting a stretch of the river Wensum for carp but would be happy to see what else came along. Once famed for its big chub and barbel I couldn't wait and after 11 weeks of baiting a spot by a large water inlet which was the only feature for miles I setup for my first 48hr session. I blanked. But what was worse was that during that session I saw no bubbles or signs of fish. Infect I barley so any signs of anything but an occasional small chub. I went on to bait for a further 6 months in total and did over 35 sessions with only 2 skimmer bream and a crayfish. During that time I was also baiting two other areas one very near the city of Norwich and another in the largest marina. I blanked on every single session and 3 years in ive never caught or seen anything larger than about a 2lb chub. Honestly I cannot put into words how bad the Wensum is. I've been carp and coarse fishing for over 19 years, my pb is an uncaught 47lb mirror from a trout lake in Hertfordshire. I know what I'm doing but Ive never seen anything like this. The otters up here are seen in and around the town on the wensum daily. And the Wensum at Lyng, which once held the British record Barbel is completely devoid of fish. I know this because I clean the windows for one of the chairman of the club and he hasn't caught anything bigger than a 4lb chub in 2017.

I remember those days well. I’m 70 now can’t handle the cold now. So winter overnighters are out so roll on spring nice to enthusiasm is still out there

Beautiful fish fantastic, well done, iwould feel i was walking on water now.

Oh the enthusiasm! Lol. I used to be like that many years ago. Great video

Love this! Absolutely brilliant film....

Loved that. Always look forward to your vlogs. Cheers👍

An other quality film from you. Thank you very much! I used to fish that lake before the otters. Good luck on your campaign!

Amazing video! Some epic fish, epic tips and has got me buzzing to get out!

Amazing Mike! Fantastically inspirational as positive and your very natural in front of the camera! More of this 👍 happy new year to you.

Well done Ben, what a cracking brace 👌

Really enjoy watching your edits, lovely footage and very inspirational. Thanks, look forward to your next one.

Brilliant video, made me feel a lot more confident with my limited time on the bank 🎣👏🏻

Great vlog Mike hopefully you can get amongst them when we get back out again!👍🏻🍻

Wow a great start to your short campaign with a carp on the bank Mike and that was so unfortunate you lost one as well “gutting”😢also what a mega result for Ben with 2x40’s and Cameron with his chunk👍 great stuff guys .... HNY 🙏👍👍

This has inspired me too finally get out and do my canal campaign after the known 33lb mirror in my Local 30 mil stretch

loved it Mike, makes me want to get my gear and go right now.

Thoroughly enjoyed that blog, wish you all the best on the predator Lake and happy new year 🤜🤛

Very enjoyable and some absolutely lovely old carp

Nice video blog, Mike. Love seeing the way you approach a really low stock water. Well done for getting a couple of bites.... the otter does up the ante a bit ☹️. Nice to see those big Cotswold fish, too! Huge pecs on yours👍

Very well made blog Now onto our otter friends there smashing it alright anti angling lot love it!!! My argument is we use to have bears and wolves in this county would the people who are releasing the otters want a nice big bear running round there back yard

A great piece again mate. Loved how you put your time on their together. Liked the involvement with Ben, enjoyed his podcast too. You come accross really well mate, keep up the good work. ATB Rob 👍

Brilliant Mike - favourite bit was Cameron being speechless at the end.

Great vlog mike always a great watch

Enjoyed that. Nice one!

Brillant blog mike. Mega shame with the lost pal. tight line.

Great video, didn’t expect to see my old mate Ben with a couple of 40’s, didn’t even know he was still fishing 😂👍

Great stuff Mike. Met u in the baitshop b4 Xmas. I've been using the old sweat band trick recently for my overnighters 🙂

Great video :)

Great vlog Mike 👍🏻👌🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎣🐳 #works

I enjoyed that excellent work mike

Great video loved every bit of it 👍🏻 have a chat with Embryo & see if they can help towards the otter fence’s ,,, keep them coming & happy new year ..

I do look forward to the baitworks diary's and podcasts.. Thanks guys

The above drone shot is amazing, I’ve got another of the same place by Carl and Alex, love the video especially the underwater footage

Throughly enjoyable Vlog fella. Think we will appreciate our fishing even more once we’re out of this pandemic 😔🤘🏻

Great vid mike!!

🙏 so much lads need this in hard times

Quality video 🙌...... the white tips to the fins is often new growth after either damage of fin rot etc has caused tissue loss

Bloody enjoyed that Mike 💪🏻

Great vlog mate. Definitely inspired me to start a campaign of my own this season. I have a busy job and a young family, but thinking of doing some overnighters and having a good go at it! Keep up the good work and happy new year 👍🏻

Watching campaigns really inspires me to get down my local gravel pit when I turn 16 in October to try and catch the big linear thats in there. It came out just after the first lockdown at 29lb 8oz and it’s done 30lb before. It’s about a 30 acre pit with a really unknown stock. Probably 60 or so carp. I’ve only ever seen one myself. It was a mid 20 common in some margin snags, at the time my pb was only 12lb so it seemed like a giant. Can’t wait to start my campaign.

Fantastic vid Mike

Hi there, thank you for creating this content! I am writing a study on otter predation and the effect on low stocked lakes along the nene valley in Northamptonshire. I was wondering if possible to go over a few things?

I put 8 months into pre baiting last year on the river went to fish and there was a trio of otters there..But watching this has made me want to make it happen

top top video... tight lines.

Great video really enjoyed it, if I saw a Otter regularly visiting a water like that, I would want to shoot it.

Sound watch that 🎣 love to fish them waters around that area... maybe 2021 🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

Respect

great vlog

Just ordered a chicken Tarka, it’s like a chicken tikka but a little otter

How often do Otters breed "Their gestation period is 9 weeks and they can breed at any time of the year. They have 2 or 3 cubs weighing no more than 40g"

Should have been otters Eastern Europeans.Race against time.All our carp up here in Washington Sunderland have been ate big koi gone big perch bream Rudd the lot ate.

An otter has been seen on my syndicate lake no fence and very expensive ticket the fish are some of the best in the country and the waiting list is endless but really not sure if its worth rejoining this year

This happened up here in Nottingham/Derbyshire when a few breeding pairs were released at Attenborough Nature reserve. Also 9/10 yr ago!! Coincidence??

That sea lead you picked up with that take has got to be poachers. No one in there right mind would be using leads like that. And with them otters too you really are up against it. Lovely looking place tho.

Bit extreme that sea fishing lead with the breakaway hinges locked. I know its been publicised by a few for checking spots but not the best idea in weedy/snaggy waters. Crack-off and the lead will get snagged up easily and as shown you lose a fish or worse your line breaks and the fish is tethered on the braid. Just used a lead clip system with a very short rig and the point/barb broken off??

Great Video Mike. Any chance I can pop round so I can have my sea lead back???????? :0)

Im surprised Ben didn't hurt his back lol

catapult and some ssg’s

Northeast England ponds have been wiped out by otters and Europeans .Dire straits up here Durham and up. obviously carp and course fish must it be classed as wildlife.

How did you get a ticket for this lake? They haven’t been on sale for over a year. Shame I wish I could of got one too because I know the rewards of breaking the rules have been reaped this year from what I’ve heard.

Even now they are so brazen its mad

As a fellow bristol boy nice to hear the accent....if a little diluted

Feching otters

All been stuffed up by borris now no fishing till 15 February

Take your gun next time🙌

Sacking a fish with a otter about?? Not very wise unless I missed something??what

Wearing jeans fishing in the winter ... very edgey

is anyone else at a point in their life where its becoming increasingly difficult to justify hooking fish in the mouth as a hobby..I love it but i get home to my dog and think wow am I an asshole?

Bloody hell, you talk more than my misses. Cut out some of the constant stream of talk and concentrate of the visuals. Which are very good by the way.