Traditional fishing with the lift method at a beautiful farm pond

It's early April and with a bag of handmade floats - sent to me from the Dawson family in Sheffield, whose traditional tackle shop has sadly closed this year - I felt it was about time to try one on the line!
I return to an old haunt, called Frog Island in Surrey (see below for the website), which is a small but perfectly formed farm pond, situated alongside a trout fishery. What better place than this old spring-fed pool to try an antenna float and see if I can a few bites on the old 'lift' method.
I enjoy a fantastic session with plenty of action, while being reminded of the times I've visited the farm with one or more if the kids. Armed with bread and mussels, I fish a centre pin reel and revel in some lively scraps in the shallow water.
FROG ISLAND, PART OF TILLINGBOURNE FARM AND SMOKERY - tillingbournefarm.com/frog-is...
MY VIDEO ABOUT THE REMARKABLE DAWSON'S TACKLE SHOP - • Was this the world’s m...
THE MAGIC OF FISHING BOOK - tinyurl.com/4j9y5sj5
Enjoy and tight lines!
#fishing #anglinguk #floatfishing #carpfishing #traditionalfishing #surrey #pondfishing #fishingbait #fishingbaits #groundbait #pleasurefishing #spring #farmpond

[@markjoyce1720]

Just a lovely video I could have watched even more. Well done and thank you for taking the time and trouble to do what you are doing.👍👍👍🎣🎣🎣

[@themagicoffishing]

Thanks so much - comments like this make it worth all the time and energy. Glad you could watch more, too - loads of vids on the channel now and I hope you enjoy some of them.

[@laurimiking]

Another evocative film, despite the ratchet racket! So many old family tackle shops are closing down, more's the pity. Let's all support our local tackle shops.

[@themagicoffishing]

Cheers! I’ll knock it off next time 👍😂

[@leftmono1016]

Good call. I visited a small tackle shop last week, made myself buy a lure to help support them. Couple of hours later it caught me a decent pike 👍

[@Multi_Species_Fishing]

great to see so many new vidos

[@themagicoffishing]

My pleasure! Make hay while the sun shines ☀️

[@gavinnewton1629]

Fished Tillingbourne a lot in the past. Hope to see you on the bank one day. Yet another great video👍

[@themagicoffishing]

Thanks and I hope so! I will likely get back there at least once during the remainder of spring and the only reason I don’t fish it throughout the year is my love of rivers (once the season opens again) and being a member of a few clubs, which means I’m always trying to make use of their many combined waters. But it’s a special little place and Jerry is making improvements all the time.

[@MarkStaite-to1ol]

Hi John really enjoy your shows. Watched Frog Island so much I was at the gate at 6 30 am, if I'd known how big Jerry was I'd not phoned him before 7 am opening!!! Great day Saturday 20 stunning carp to 8 pounds and as you said they fight well above their weight. Lot of roach and perch to 1.5pounds on wag while the carp have a nap until 3.30pm. really enjoyed this proper farm pond which has people looking after it who really knows fish and what the pleasure angler wants. I'll be back . Mark

[@themagicoffishing]

Ah that’s amazing to hear! Pleased to have helped someone else discover it. Lovely place. Yes, I wouldn’t mess with Jerry but he’s a top bloke!

[@damianfirth4367]

I grew up near your grandad in Sheffield and remember catching a tench on the lift method down at Beauchief Abbey ponds in about 1974. Happy days!

[@themagicoffishing]

Beauchief Abbey Ponds! Only fished them twice, when me and a mate crept over the golf course at the crack of dawn. Thanks for commenting 👍🙏

[@BlackBottomFloats]

Nice job John! Love the click of the ratchet! Beautiful fish! Marvelous handmade float! Keep up the good work! 👍 🎣👍

[@themagicoffishing]

Thanks 👍

[@stephenbingham1808]

Awesome to watch the old tactics at play

[@themagicoffishing]

My pleasure - thanks for watching 🙏

[@terryjacob8169]

Love fishing the lift method, one of my favourite techniques for Tench, Bream, and Carp.

[@themagicoffishing]

You don’t often see it these days! Agree it’s really exciting.

[@Multi_Species_Fishing]

Hello I found your channel recomended to me 2 weeks after reading your book(I loved it) i also live in woking and it was great to also read about local waters and your matchfishing. This spring I have often fished for carp and tench with bite alarms but it didnt feel 100 percent right. So after doing a few sessions for tench on the float and feeder at brookwood(somewhat sucessfully). I then decided to also fish for carp with the float like you have done also at tillingbourne one of my favourtie venues. I manged to catch 12 which wernt big but i really enjoyed it. This isnt a ploy (just want to share this video with you) but if you are intrested my latest video is also a session i did at tilligbourne catching them on the float . I am also looking to join the waaa.

[@themagicoffishing]

Great to hear from you and to see that you’re another multi-species fan! Carp and nothing but carp makes Johnny a dull boy (as much as I like them). They are great on stepped up float gear as you say. Thanks for the comment on the book - it makes my day when I hear someone else enjoyed it and can relate to some of the special memories. Your recent session sounds great but I can’t see a link to a video in your comment. Feel free to post one and tight lines 🎣

[@Multi_Species_Fishing]

@@themagicoffishing It is the latesd video on my channel thanks for replying and sorry about my spellling. Who knows i might bump into you on the bank one day.

[@Multi_Species_Fishing]

*latest

[@nealfoster6871]

Lovely film, and beautiful fish too, I always have bread with me on the bank, it’s one of my favourite baits..always has been

[@nealfoster6871]

You know, I might have to go to a local bank tomorrow now after watching this 🙏🏻

[@themagicoffishing]

Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed!

[@paulbower5274]

bennetts , stamfords ,lakins ,welbons ,thackerays ,calcotts and now dawsons, all gone .wot a shame ,.we still got billy clarkes though. apologies if i forgot any. lovely days fishing again.

[@themagicoffishing]

🥲 Thank god Billy C’s still going ✊

[@Paulforsilvers]

Proper fishing😊

[@themagicoffishing]

Thanks mate as always!

[@andrewwilliams9223]

Lovely video, beautiful setting, classic simple fishing. Q) The single shot used is it relevant to the overall shotting of the float or is it just to get the bait to the lake bed?

[@themagicoffishing]

Thanks for the kind words. The shot (an ‘AAA’ or triple A) is used to anchor both the buoyant bait, such as a pinch of bread flake, to the bottom, and also to hold fast as the line is gently tightened from the rod tip. This allows you to sink the float tip very gently without moving the shot or the bait. So it’s both to sink the bait and ‘set’ the float - which will hopefully then rise when the bait (and shot) are lifted by a fish. You can add enough shot around the float itself to ensure only the long ‘antenna’ tip is visible and that will ensure the tell-tale shot by the hook is no heavier than needed. Hope that helps 👍🎣

[@themagicoffishing]

P.S. If you fancy getting your hands on an antenna float for the lift method I would check out Black Bottom Floats on eBay who are reasonably priced and do some stunning models. He’s an amateur float maker but quite the craftsman.