Last minute changes to Christmas plans from the UK Government meant I wasn’t able to go and see my family as usual, so I rang my local lake to see if they were open for Christmas and they were so we packed all the gear and off we went.

On arrival I had choice of any swim I wanted as the lake was empty, I walked round and unfortunately there was no fish showing at all, I chose a swim in the centre of the lake and set up.

In my fishing I use the wolf X3K Series 12ft 3.5tc. I find these perfect whether I’m fishing a big pit or a smaller lake they are pretty versatile and a great all-rounder, I also use the Easy Claw back rests in pink, I really love these, they are super sturdy, and cradle the rod perfectly making sure its secure at all times whether fishing locked up or loose. As well as practical they are also aesthetically pleasing, they always generate a lot of interest when people see my set up.

My tactic going into this session was to find feeding fish and cast a small pva bag to them in the hope of grabbing a quick bite, unfortunately I had to change this and I cast over to the far bank where there was a nice big reed bed, fishing on the bottom of a deep marginal shelf.

After a few hours on the spot, light was fading so I freshened up my hookbaits and set down for the night.

Persistence paid off and to my delight at 19:15 Xmas day evening the sweet sound of my alarm echoed around the lake, in true Hayley fashion I went running out like an excited child only forgetting my head torch and sliders, luckily to my rescue came my husband with what I had forgotten, now able to see I played the lively carp for about 10 minutes until she gave herself up and into my net she went.

A true Christmas carp