August 2014

The Swede

In the Clint Eastwood film Heartbreak Ridge there is a character called 'The Swede'. You may have seen it and remember him- no neck, massive shoulders, a freak of nature......a beast...........

After a nightmare few weeks at work I was desperate to get out. I work in a very noisy environment so it was a yearning for some peace and quiet more than a burning desire to fish. This was mainly because August is often a disappointing month fishing wise and I never get my hopes up too much. The boating lake was out, I needed to be away from people and the hustle and bustle of the coast. A river it was then and for no reason in particular I opted to drive over to the Bream river.

I arrived at the river nice and early and it looked like being a lovely day. Barely a cloud in the sky and a light, cooling breeze, perfect for fish spotting too. After wandering a few hundred yards the Bream were conspicuous in their absence. There were a couple of clear spots in the the weed ravaged water though and I decided to try and tempt a few fish into one of them by introducing some meat and corn. I settled as best I could on the steep, slippery bank and set up my usual light link-leger. As I tied on a size ten hook I became aware of  something moving in front of me. Peering through the tall reeds there he was, slowly moving over the bait. In an instant my heart rate quickened. All of sudden life had appeared in something that a minute before had been lifeless. It is the basic premise of what I find fascinating about fishing. 'Just bloody tell us what it was Phil' I hear you cry. It was a Chub. It was a Chub so big I instantly named it the Swede......

As I struggled to get comfy and ready to cast I watched the Swede intently. Now Chub can be very easy to catch in the winter when the water is coloured and they are hungry. In the clear water of the summer they can be the wariest of all fishes. The Swede would dart out of some nearby weed and then glide effortlessly against the weak summer flow picking up a few pieces of corn as he went before disappearing again. The challenge was on. Three pieces of corn went on the hook and I placed it as gently as I could on the bottom. For two hours we played cat and mouse before finally he took the hook bait. It disappeared from view as he closed the dull lips of his cavernous mouth around the brightly coloured corn. As I struck I braced myself for all hell to break loose. Typically I struck into thin air, the corn flying back of his mouth as fast as it had gone in. The Swede hung in the flow looking puzzled for a few seconds before shooting off. That was the last I saw of him.

A few days later I was back. I'd been stewing on the thought that I had been outwitted by a fish, albeit a very big one. I sat in exactly the same place and once again baited with a few grains of corn. It was quite cloudy but visibility in the crystal clear water was still good. The Swede soon showed up, bustling through the swim, seemingly stimulated by the introduction of some tasty food. he was till cautious though and I had to wait a good while before he slipped up again. This time there was no mistake and the tiny hook took hold in the corner of his mouth. At first he didn't seem particularly bothered before powering off downstream. I worked him back up gingerly, gathering some weed on the line as he came back towards me. Just as he came into netting range he shot into the nearside reeds and was stuck fast. I quickly emptied my pockets of wallet and phone and went in through a gap in the reeds. With a different angle (and in water up to my knees) the Swede came out and he rose in the water. As he did so the sun came bursting out from behind the clouds and reflected off his giant scales, glistening like shiny penny pieces. I gasped at the sheer size of him and didn't draw another breath until he was safely in the net. 

I struggled back to the bank and laid the Swede down in the margins in the net while I readied the scales and the camera. This took maybe a minute or so and I lifted the Swede out of the water and quickly weighed him. While he was still in the net and on the mat I turned to double check my camera. As my back was turned the Swede flipped himself off the mat and into the marginal reeds. In a panic I reached down into the water and he shot out of the reeds and across the river until he was out of sight. Bugger (it was a stronger word at the time). How big was he? Luckily not a PB but his belly was very empty and he will easily be in the winter. I'll leave his true weight till we are re-united later in the year. As a consolation I pressed the shoot button anyway.......

Lured into it

With the Swede long gone I decided to have a wander about with my lures to see if I could tempt any predators. Sure enough a precession of small Pike grabbed at the tiny rubber fish. They were every ten yards or so, an amazing number of fish for such a small river. It wasn't until I started casting tight to far-bank reeds and features that I connected with my target species.....

The day after was my birthday and Mrs P and I went to Chapel Boating Lake where she kindly bought me a new lure rod from the excellent on-site tackle shop. We had a coffee by the lake before collecting the Chaos Twins (our Labs) and heading over to the river to try it out. Mrs P even had a few casts with her own (rarely used) rod.......

She did have a few fish follow her lure and even dropped off a good Perch before I could net it. Thankfully I was a little luckier.........

Over the next couple of weeks I visited some old haunts with my new gear. Having one small bag and a feather-light outfit was a revelation as I roamed around my favourite river and the forgotten lakes. While at the forgotten lakes I saw two big Carp cruising about in the top lake. Both twenty pounds plus I watched as they basked in the late afternoon sun. I rued not having any bait as I'm sure they could have been tempted by some bread or a dog biscuit. I'd be amazed if they have ever been caught before. Anyway although the Perch were tiny and I cut myself to shreds on the ridiculously dense undergrowth I had a whale (excuse the pun) of time and it looked beautiful too......

The Perch were a little bigger on my favourite river and more importantly I've found a couple of spots on a totally new stretch that should produce some much bigger fish in winter......

Under gunned

With my time limited I was keen to try and find some Perch a bit closer to home. I tried a few local drains to no avail before settling on the likeliest looking one. It was clearer than the others and at that time hadn't been dredged. With my new light lure rod and a tiny 5cm micro fry lure I cast in the first swim expectantly. As I retrieve the rubber fish a big swirl appeared halfway across the drain. All of a sudden my reel locked up. Whatever had caused the major commotion I was attached to it. The water was still for a second and then erupted as a big Pike burst out flaring it's gills angrily and tail-walking off upstream. 'Jesus Christ' I shouted involuntarily. I had little control over it and although I had a wire trace I only had my little lure rod coupled with a tiny reel and some eight pound line. It wasn't enough and after what seemed like an age it broke me off in some nearby weed. I hate leaving hooks in fish although it was only a fine-wire size 4 that the Pike probably wouldn't even notice. I carried on fishing and managed a few small Pike and finished off with a fair sized fish before the light faded.......... 

A couple of days later I was back for the the line-breaker. geared up with seventeen pound line, my biggest landing net and a more powerful version of my small lure rod. I think it was fair to say I was gutted when met by this sight...........

As you can see the dredger had coloured the water so much that I had little chance with my small lures. Not being one to give up I left it another few days before going back. This might sound odd but I felt a certain responsibility to catch something worthy of your attention. Everything seemed to be going wrong, the camera-shy Swede, the lost pike, the dredger....... Does this months story have a happy ending? You bet it does.......the line-breaker, safe and sound and still very angry....

Tackle Talk

The rod Mrs P bought me for my birthday (40th if you are wondering) was a Shakespeare GX2 Ugly Stick. It is a lovely little rod, the finish isn't as good as some more expensive rods but the handle and blank are exceptional. It also has a clear tip which is bizarre. It really is a delight to use and very reasonable at £24.99. After the line-breaker episode I also needed something with a little more backbone. As luck would have it I had some Amazon vouchers from my parents to use. The GX2 got a big brother. Same model but 9ft long with a medium action- perfect. Bit more expensive at £36.99 but to be fair to Amazon it came the next day on the free delivery option.

You'll know I've always been dabbling into the lure fishing world (usually with little success) but there are a few short cuts which might help you get started. The main thing is using a lure you have confidence in. Proven fish catchers are any of the fox micro fry range or the soft play ones from Savage Gear. Big catch Tackle at Chapel Boating Lake have a big range. Try the micro-fry in hot olive as a starter. If you aren't local and don't have a stockist nearby you can always get them online as a last resort. I don't buy into all that fluorocarbon line/titanium trace business. In my opinion they are an unnecessary expense for the beginner. Use a reliable line and (if Pike are present) an ordinary wire trace. Lastly get a lure specific rod, they are a joy to use and I'm now far more likely to stick it out for a bit longer than I would using a tip rod. 

I've had a few reels come and go this month. The car boot sales have been quiet still but some Facebook sites threw up some interesting buys. The greatest find though was on a local market stall. The owner sells all sorts but mainly second-hand tackle. Back in the early to mid-nineties everyone worth their salt was using Shimano Baitrunners and I couldn't afford one let alone a pair. In the tackle shop I frequented though Silstar were one of the main brands. Luckily they did a copy- the Baitfeeder. I couldn't afford them either. Now I can though (whoop whoop) and they are a pair of bobby dazzlers...........

Afterword

We have passed a milestone in terms of page views (10,000) and for that I thank you. As ever I'd love to hear from you and you can contact me via e-mail- 

the.power@tesco.net. 

One last tip- when doing self takes without a remote, make sure to set the timer..................... 

Till next time...................