Our 2024 Drayton Reservoir social had plenty worth remembering: carp along the boards, burgers with the group, a lovely twenty for Foxy and a trophy result that left everyone debating what counted as a fish.

It also gave us a filming problem. Much of the original audio had not recorded, so Wayne and Foxy added commentary afterwards rather than lose the weekend’s footage. The result is a shorter, slightly different video that still captures the atmosphere of the social.

Breakfast and a busy bank at Drayton

Craig helped organise breakfast before everyone headed to the reservoir. Once at Drayton, the line of bivvies along the boards showed the scale of the gathering.

The tickets had sold out, although a few people could not make it on the day. That left a little spare space which became useful when the group gathered for food and a catch-up.

Jamie landed the first carp of the social, with Michael among the next anglers into fish. It was an encouraging start, even though the session did not become the easy run of captures some of us had imagined.

Wayne Burgers gets the barbecue going

Wayne Jones, better known around the socials as Wayne Burgers, took care of the barbecue. A spare peg became the meeting point for burgers, drinks and a chance to spend time together away from the individual swims.

The food kept bringing people back together through the weekend. Old Man River made sausage-and-bacon rolls for breakfast, while another invitation later meant more burgers rather than a takeaway.

Those shared meals have become a familiar part of the Fresh Fishing weekends, and Drayton showed why. They give everyone a reason to stop watching their own rods and get to know the people fishing alongside them.

A community raffle

The group also organised a raffle to support a subscriber who could not attend. People brought prizes and contributed, with Russ taking care of the organising.

It was a generous part of the weekend and a reminder that these socials were already becoming more than a group of people who happened to watch the same videos.

Foxy takes a turn on Wayne’s rod

One of the weekend’s standout carp came from Wayne’s rods, but Foxy was first out of the bivvy when the alarm went. Wayne told him to take it, expecting there would be plenty more chances to come.

The fish turned out to be a lovely twenty, called at around 20lb 12oz in the commentary. It gave Foxy the twenty he had been hoping for, even if it was not a bite from his own setup.

The distinction matters, and the lads make it clear in the video: this was a shared opportunity, with Wayne happy to hand over the rod. Their remaining fishing was much quieter than expected.

PBs and shared chances

Another memorable sequence brought a young angler a new personal best, also called at 20lb 12oz. The group had been sharing chances to help him get a fish, and everyone was delighted when it came together.

There were photos, congratulations and the customary PB celebration. More than the size of the carp, it was the way people helped one another that made the moment worth remembering.

Other subscribers found their own blank-savers as the weekend continued, while the cameras caught a mixture of takes, fish in the net and the usual bankside commentary.

The most-fish loophole

There was one detail missing from the original rules for the most-fish award: the species had not been specified.

Once someone realised that roach and perch counted too, the trophy became rather more complicated than simply counting carp. One update added two roach to three carp, and the final presentation confirmed that the loophole had been used.

It made for a very Fresh Fishing discussion at the close, and gave us a practical lesson for the next social: if you mean most carp, say most carp!

Pimped bivvies and the final trophies

The walk-round also involved inspecting setups for the best-pimped-bivvy award. Bri took that trophy, thanking the team for including a prize that did not depend on catching.

There were prizes for most fish and biggest fish too, with a five-kilo DNA bait prize announced for the biggest capture. The presentation took place after a wet pack-down, with everyone getting the familiar experience of loading gear in the rain.

A few anglers had already left, but those still there finished the weekend together, sharing the results and the jokes that had built up over the session.

A different video, the same social spirit

The lost audio changed how we told the Drayton story, but it did not take away the moments that made it special. Shared rods, a PB, food on the bank and the group supporting one another all survived in the footage.

Add a twenty for Foxy and a rulebook debate over roach, and there was still plenty to bring home from the boards.