Autumn colours, autumn pike – no prizes for guessing why I love this time of year.

You rarely seem to see anyone fishing deads these days, with most predator anglers chucking bits of wood and plastic around rather than mackerel or herring.

While a lot of people still view it as a pretty crude, unrefined branch of the sport, it's incredible how much pike fishing's changed in the Fens over the last decade.

Incredibly lifelike lures, braid that lets you feel every little wiggle through your hand and then the pull that comes out of the blue when one chomps.

There do seem to be a few more pike cropping up just about everywhere at the moment – or maybe you just catch more smaller ones on the currently in-vogue shads and other fishy things.

Catches suffered from the weather over the weekend as the brrr factor kicked in for the first time on the back of the northerly winds. The Middle Level did the best, despite a wind blowing the wrong way for those who like to stay warm. Neeps and pingle have been fishing well for roach. Both have been favoured by regulars on and off all autumn, with silvers shoaled around the bridges.

A few pike have been showing on the 'Level too, mainly jacks to lures with the odd double.

The water's pretty clear still everywhere including Ten Mile Bank, where catches have been up and down.

Chapel to Modney Bridge has been producing roach with the odd bonus tench, with the slider the favoured method.

Springside Lake is still producing carp and is probably the best bet on the Lynn ticket when it comes to getting your string pulled by something other than pike at the moment. It's quite sheltered and deep, meaning the water doesn't cool down quite as fast as more exposed waters in the area.

Nearer the coast, things are slowing down a bit at Shepherd's Port, where silvers are now making up the bulk of catches with just a few carp coming out.