After our first winter social at Woodlands, one thing was clear: we needed to try a summer version. In summer 2022, the Fresh Fishing family returned for a day on Skylark Lake, with the bank filling up and the prospect of a much livelier session.

Wayne and Foxy concentrated on meeting everyone, while Old Man River brought his rods. There were prizes, presents for younger anglers and enough late action to keep the cameras busy.

Skylark fills up for the day

We had booked Skylark for the social, with around 34 pegs available. At the start we thought it was almost full; later, the lads were delighted to confirm every peg had been taken.

Some faces were familiar from the December meet-up, while others were joining us for the first time. By the group photo, Foxy counted around 42 people together, including those sharing a day on the bank with family.

Rather than take our own pegs, Wayne and Foxy planned to walk the lake. If time allowed, Foxy could share Old Man River’s fishing and take a turn on the bites later.

Three prizes and plenty of friendly competition

The day included prizes for biggest fish, most fish and biggest tackle tart. Parker Baits offered a bait bundle for biggest fish, Billingham Angling Centre supplied a voucher for most fish and a Fresh Fishing cap was set aside for the tackle award.

Anglers were asked to photograph their catches and weigh any fish that might be in contention. A 10½lb carp was the leading weight discussed during the early walk-around, although the video does not give us a clear final result for every category.

The prizes gave people another reason to compare notes, but they were only one part of the day. A tidy tackle setup could attract almost as much attention as a bent rod.

Young anglers join the Fresh Fishing family

Some of the best moments came from the younger anglers. There were introductions, casting demonstrations and small rods doing a perfectly good job of catching carp.

We had brought spare pots of hookbaits and other bits to give away. Handing those out, and asking the youngsters to send us a photo when they caught on them, became one of Wayne’s favourite parts of the day.

Corey was among the young anglers showing us a catch and receiving some bait to try. Seeing children enjoying the day with their families gave the social a different atmosphere from a weekend aimed mainly at adult anglers.

Fish close in

As we made our way around Skylark, several catches and bites came from close to the bank. A rod did not have to be cast a long way to find action, with the margins and corners providing plenty to watch.

There were missed runs and lost fish as well as successful captures. That mix kept the day honest: the lake was producing, but each bite still had to be turned into a fish safely in the net.

By the afternoon, the warmer weather had certainly arrived. The walk-rounds were tiring, but there was usually another angler to catch up with or another alarm to investigate.

A group photo to remember the day

Everyone came together for the video’s group photograph. It was a simple moment, but it showed how far the socials had come from wondering whether anyone would turn up.

Wayne had to leave early, so Foxy and Old Man River stayed to finish the session and the filming. Before going, Wayne summed up how much the turnout meant to the team: people were not just watching online, they were making the effort to spend a day together.

Foxy and Old Man River get their turn

Once there was time to fish, Foxy and Old Man River shared the rods and took turns on the bites. A little spot between the reeds started producing, with Parker Baits boilies doing the work in the margins.

The pair were discussing their fifth fish during the busy spell, while another angler in a corner was already well into double figures at that stage. That was a very different picture from the slow winter meet-up.

There was also a welcome late fish for an angler who had travelled from Northampton and waited most of the day for a bite. The relief at finally getting one in the net was a highlight in itself.

A summer return worth making

At the close, Foxy and Old Man River felt most people had caught, with only a small number still waiting at the last check. The sunshine, full bank and younger anglers enjoying themselves had given the social exactly the atmosphere we wanted.

Woodlands had brought people together once again. This time, it also gave many of them a busy day’s fishing to take home with the memories.