After a couple of years of day-session socials, it was time to try something longer. Our first 48-hour subscriber weekend took us to S&R Fishery, where we booked Sandpit Lake and Charlie’s Pool for a proper stay on the bank.

The opening plan was for 26 anglers across the two lakes. We hoped the extra time would mean more fishing, more chances to get to know everyone and, ideally, a few good carp. Two of those wishes came much more easily than the third.

Breakfast before the first casts

The social atmosphere started before we reached the fishery. Craig organised a group breakfast, with around 18 of the lads meeting up for food on the way in.

It was a good way to break the ice. Some people knew one another from previous socials or online conversations, while others were meeting for the first time. By the time everyone headed to the lakes, the weekend was already underway.

Elliot and Kit had arrived the day before and filmed the start of their own session on Charlie’s Pool. Their early clips gave us a look at the water, the setup and the excitement as the rest of the group prepared to arrive.

Sandpit Lake and Charlie’s Pool

The team were fishing Charlie’s Pool, with the subscribers on Sandpit. Having both lakes booked gave us room to spread out, settle into the swims and make the weekend feel like a shared event.

We had put an itinerary together, but the aim was still a relaxed social. Walk around, see how everyone was getting on, share the food and fit in some fishing between conversations.

Wayne and Foxy would have to leave on Sunday evening for work on Monday, while some of the subscribers stayed to complete the longer session. A shared catch-photo group helped keep everyone in touch across the lakes and after the team had packed away.

One prize to keep things simple

This time the main award was for biggest fish. With the hosts leaving before everyone else, that made more sense than trying to call a most-fish result too early.

The plan was for catches to be photographed and shared, so a late result could still be recognised. It gave everyone something to aim for without turning the weekend into a formal match.

As it turned out, getting any carp on the bank was going to feel like an achievement.

Long waits between bites

The updates stayed stubbornly quiet. By the following morning the team still had no carp to report from their own lake, while only a small number had been landed on Sandpit.

Mick was among those who had a fish to show, but several anglers had lost chances or were still waiting for a proper take. During the walk-round, the conversations were as much about rigs, new spots and keeping confidence as they were about captures.

There was no shortage of effort. People were rethinking their fishing, tying fresh rigs and trying to find a way to make the next few hours different from the last.

The social keeps going when the fishing slows

Good company mattered all the more because the alarms were not providing much entertainment. There was plenty of evening banter, breakfast delivered to the swims the following morning and another round of catch-ups across the two lakes.

The video spends time with the subscribers and their setups, showing how differently people approach a weekend away. For some, that meant carefully organised tackle; for others, it was a comfortable place to sit, a brew and a chat.

Those are the moments that make a subscriber social feel different from simply booking a peg on your own.

The team leaves, but the session carries on

Sunday brought another attempt to find a bite before Wayne and Foxy had to head home. John had a chance late in the team’s stay, but it did not turn into the capture everyone hoped to see.

The video continued after the hosts’ departure, with subscriber footage adding more of the weekend’s fishing. Michael finally had his first fish in the net, giving the closing section a welcome bit of action.

That contribution from the group was important. The story did not have to end when the team’s cameras left the lake.

Four carp and a lot of laughs

The final voice-over confirmed just four carp across the weekend. Jeff took the biggest-fish honours, with DNA bait arranged as his prize.

It was a tough return for a group who had put time and effort into their fishing. We do not need to dress that up as a catch-fest: the original video is clear about how slow it was.

What did work was the move from a day meet-up to a full weekend together. The food, conversations and laughs gave us plenty to remember, even when the fish count stayed low.

The beginning of the longer socials

S&R was a first step into a format that would become familiar: two days on the bank, a group of subscribers getting to know each other and the cameras following whatever the weekend brought.

The fish did not give us the session we hoped for, but the people gave us every reason to organise another one.