You may remember on my last entry I detailed probably my best day ever on the bank. I fired an E-mail off to the Angling Times and they very kindly published it the following week. Not really sure what has happened to my fishing this winter but surely it couldn't get any better......could it?
A Nice Surprise
The river was a horrible colour. I'd found a new spot to try on Google Earth and while it looked distinctly private had the conditions been better I would have given it a go anyway. It passes through miles and miles of farmland. A friend of mine canoed the length of it and wild camped overnight- it is that remote. Back to the fishing and I reluctantly headed to the Lake behind the farm. I needed to break my duck after two blanks and it came in the most bizarre fashion. I had one rod on a maggot feeder and another on a float. After two biteless hours I went for a wander with my lure rod.
I tried various different lures in a few spots to try and tempt one of the resident (supposedly very big) Perch. I was rapidly losing interest when I caught on something near a sunken tree. My rod took the strain until my lure popped out of the water and it became apparent I was attached to somebody else's line. I pulled it closer and the line moved! There was something on the end. As carefully as I could I inched the lure back to me praying it would stay hooked on and I could solve this mystery. Luckily it held and I hand-lined a very thin looking Carp in. It was hooked neatly with boilie still attached, for how long it is difficult to say. It was trailing a lot of line though. If this sounds familiar and you think you lost the Lake beast.............you didn't. It was about 10lb which is probably less than the line you were using.......
She swam off strongly and not only was I pleased to have been some help it also spiked my confidence as it proved there was at least one fish in the place. I moved around to a more sheltered spot and ditched the feeder. Concentrating on the float I fished around twenty yards out and began feeding maggots. Half an hour passed before my float finally dipped. The culprit? A micro-Roach. Followed soon after by another of similar size. It then went dead again. Twenty minutes later and I struck at what I thought was a another Roach. It soon became apparent that whatever it was, it wasn't a Roach as it led my a merry dance and ended up in a sunken tree. It was stuck and my landing net wouldn't reach. Ramming a couple of sections of my margin pole into the handle soon sorted that though and I banked a lovely male Tench of 4lb 6oz. A nice surprise......
A Mistake
A few days later I did make it to the River. I had been my intention to try for the Roach but as usual I got sidetracked by the Hybrids and Perch. This was despite a local fruitcake metal detecting in my peg (don't ask). I did have a nice Roach of about a pound but it wasn't till I checked the photo at home that the biggest Perch (3lb 5oz), I had caught before at an ounce heavier. Maybe it was time to give it a rest but where would I end up?
With only a couple of weeks of the fishing season proper left it had to be another river didn't it? Neil from the tackle shop had been down to the Chub river with some success and I decided to concentrate my efforts there. After those freezing morning sessions, maybe the afternoons would be a more comfortable time to fish. Why stop there though I thought? Twenty years ago we often fished into darkness on the Leicestershire rivers Soar and Wreake. The target then was always a four pounder but having already caught that 'five' last month I wondered if anything bigger was lurking around in the darkness in this particular river. Neil sold me some starlights and I readied my head torch for some night time action. A small bag was sorted for some hooks, weights, disgorger and my camera. My tip rods and a landing net completed the ultra-mobile setup.
I started off on a new stretch and was quickly into some Roach on the bread......
Disaster soon struck though as I got snagged. Tightening the clutch on my reel I pulled for a break. After setting up again I became tired of the Roach ripping the bread off the hook and moved further down. A short time later I hooked into something fairly substantial and guess what? That's right, I hadn't loosened the clutch back off and my line parted as the fish powered away. If I didn't know better I'd have sworn it was a Barbel such was its power. A dog walker then stopped for a quick chat. "Doing any good?" He asked. "No, it's rubbish," I lied. "Not surprised, Comorants all over the place," he added before cheerily bidding me farewell. I had a wry smile to myself as Mr know-it-all walked off. Anyway the light was fading so it was time to head to my favourite part of the river. A quick car journey later......
First cast in my first chosen swim and the tip belted around. It had been a while since I had played a fish in the dark but it felt quite sizable as I gingerly inched it in. When I lifted the net my suspicions were proved right, it was a lump. 4lb 14oz and look at the tail (no wonder they fight so hard).....
Even though it was dark I knew that would be it for that peg. It is too narrow and shallow to catch more than one fish from. I gathered together my gear and walked downstream a short distance. With my confidence sky-high I cast blindly into the river. Once again it didn't take long to get a bite and I struck into what felt like a real beast. I had to flick my head torch on to net it and to be honest I couldn't really tell how big it was as I slid it over the net. How big was it? 5lb 14oz............
I was gobsmacked. People had mentioned some big fish in the river but as always if someone hasn't got proof by way of a photo or reliable witness then I am always sceptical. Most anglers don't carry scales and that fish was massive, you could easily estimate it at six pounds or even bigger. When speaking to Neil the next day he confirmed what I thought- it is indeed a very special fish for Lincolnshire.
Unbelievable
Catching two 'fives' was really something. All those years chasing a four and then the last couple of seasons being so close to five it was incredible to catch that one last month. The 5lb 14oz fish simply blew me away. It wasn't just the fish size though, I was loving being out at dusk and fishing into the night exactly like I used to with my friends all those years ago. The next trip out wasn't quite as successful with a couple of three pounders and this one at 4lb 4oz.......
And a rogue, cheese loving Trout......
After a stressful few days at work I had three days off to see out the end of the season. Luckily the weather had turned and we were due some very mild days with lashings of spring sunshine. Another new stretch of river was located and I was keen to explore it. Right at the top of the length is a small weir and this was my first port of call. As usual I was busy setting up my other rod when my tip took on an alarming bend. I lifted into it and once again the fish powered off. I'm not sure if these fish have ever been caught before but regardless they are truly wild. Strange that it fought so hard because had it been in better condition it would have been well over six pounds. It must be the longest Chub in the county. 5lb 2oz.....
As ever it proved to be catch a fish and move as playing one in such a small body of water spooks whatever else is there. Further downstream I was plagued by the resident Swans. They could pick out my bread in the gin-clear water, even four-feet down. There was only one thing for it- we made friends. I fed them some crusts to keep them occupied. When the crusts ran out I fed them the rind of my Blue Stilton cheese which they devoured eagerly. While the birds were occupied I winkled out a three pounder before moving yet again before darkness fell. This time it involved a car journey and I bade my new friends farewell. Cheese loving weirdos........
I was chancing it a bit to be honest. I'd never been to this new section in the daytime and fishing an unknown bit of river in the dark is always risky. A local dog wasn't happy I was there either as it barked incessantly from the far bank. Didn't stop me snaring another three pounder though before I wandered further down and away from my noisy spectator. It proved to be a good move as I caught yet another magnificent fish. 5lb 9oz.....
The next afternoon I was back. My workmate Andrew had been badgering me for a while to take him fishing and so I took him with me to the river. I kicked off procedings with this Chub of 4lb 10oz which I swear is the hardest fighting Chub I have ever caught, I've had Barbel give me less of a hard time than this freak did........
We then endured a quiet spell as we leapfrogged each other, working our way down the stretch. The silence was soon broken though. A cacophony of noise filled the air and we both looked up. It was only the bloody Red Arrows. For twenty minutes they went through various death defying manoeuvres right in front of us. It was nothing short of incredible. They look a fair distance away in this photo but trust me they came close, very close.....
After all the excitement of our own personal airshow Andrew finally did himself proud with a Chub of exactly the same size as mine 4lb 10oz........
We moved onto another part of the river just before dark and I had a three pounder while Andrew lost a fish in the reeds. About half an hour into darkness Andrew and I were sat together watching my rods when some birds upstream became agitated. A few minutes later a rustling could be heard on the far bank. With the moon shining brightly I could just make out the shape of.......it couldn't be could it? I flicked my head torch on and two eyes stared back at me from about ten feet away. It shot in the water and swam downstream a short distance before getting out again. It was an Otter. Word on the street is that Otters have been on the river for years. It certainly doesn't seem to affecting the stocks as I've never known it fish so well. You may chose to differ but I was chuffed to have seen it. I'm just glad I had company because big as I am it would have freaked me out had I been on my own. Don't laugh, you try going out in the middle of nowhere at night, even the hardiest of us get spooked sometimes.
The Last Day
I usually go down to the perch river on the last day of the season and to be honest I was in two minds whether to go there or continue my Chub exploits.What did I choose?
First I had a 4lb 6oz fish followed by this one of 5lb exactly......
And then came this absolute beauty of 5lb 10oz......
And to round off a brilliant season an obliging 4lb fish right at the end......
Afterword
No tackle talk this time around but you may have noticed from the photo's I have a new camera. It is a Panasonic Lumix G3. They were about £600 when released a couple of years ago but you can get one now for just over £200. It has a flip around screen which is brilliant for selfies with a fish. Like the one before it I have no idea how to use the rest of the features but besides the improved fish photo's I've already had some good results.......
Looks lovely doesn't it? Took me best part of an hour to walk there and it turned out to be a total snag-pit.
In other news I've got the dreaded Supercup coming up. My team are already practising hard and it has made me feel a bit guilty. Not because I should be practising but because for some of them it is the highlight of their fishing year. I have no more than a passing interest. I'm sure my competitive fire will burn strongly come the day but really, some of them should broaden their horizons. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we are so lucky to have a pastime with so many facets, why limit yourself to just one? There are a few tackle tarts among them too (am I deliberately trying to get kicked off the team?). Seriously, it makes me want to put all my gear into a bucket, empty it out at my peg and sit on it. I may even write my name on the back of it, you know, just to fit in.
One more thing- if you do happen to see me out and about give me a nod. I've told some terrible porkies to people on the bank recently (e.g. Perch? Really, I didn't know there were any in the river!). I'd hate it to be you so if you are reader, let me know.
Till next time...........
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