March 2015 end of season special.

Introduction

All round angler based in Lincolnshire. This is my 50th blog post in over 3 years and during that time it has evolved into more of an online magazine. There is something for everyone this month and as ever the fish are the stars, enjoy........

This is it

I did a double take, sometimes the shadows and reflections on the water can fool you. Nope, it definitely wasn't there, my far float had disappeared from view. I ran the short distance down the bank and looked at my reel, the spool was giving line and for a split second I was hypnotised by the writing on the side turning into a rotating blur. Upon lifting the rod I set the hooks with a firm strike and whatever was on the other end wasn't happy. The rod took an alarming curve and the thump of a big fish translated through the carbon into my, by now, sweaty palms. Gradually I began to get the upper hand and slowly coaxed the fish upstream. I could see my line cutting through the surface film and the fish rose in the water column. As it fought doggedly I saw a big swirl. The thing I had trouble computing was the disturbance caused by its tail was some four or five feet from where my line was entering thew water. This was a big fish. I whistled to Benidorm Dave, not wanting anything to go wrong, the help could prove invaluable I thought.

15 minutes earlier......

Dave had a 19lb fish, incidentally the one he had last month. Again the recapture came a long distance (half a mile at least) from where Dave had caught it a week or so earlier. Anyway having seen a 19lb fish in the flesh it was fresh in my mind. Lucky for me (and before I moved downstream) while he was playing it his other rod went and I landed a fine looking Pike, albeit a lot smaller........

With the leviathan still unseen I was keen to get a glimpse of it. I wouldn't have to wait long as it was coming upstream steadily. My mind was racing, it's going to look great in the blog, I'll be in the Angling Times, the pictures are going to great etc etc. Besides that it could be the target fish, a 20lb river Pike. Not some drain fish or a one stuck in a specimen lake somewhere, a proper chalkstream twenty, my holy grail for most of the winter. All those hours in the the very worst weather of the British winter, the effort, the learning, the miles travelled, dare I say it- the dedication, it all boiled down to this moment. Through the greeny/blue tinged water it finally came into view just under the surface and for a moment time stood still. It was at least as long as Dave's fish but considerably fatter.

As I watched agog at the massive Pike in front of me it paused briefly before accelerating itself skyward and completely clear of the water in a mighty show of aggression shaking its head as it did so. I took a sharp intake of breath, this was definitely it, the unknown fish I had been after all winter. As it hit the water it laid on its back, it's white underside gleaming through the water. Something was wrong. There was no tension on my line and as I turned the reel handle my worse fears were confirmed. It had shaken the hooks. I realised before she did and saw her hang upside down briefly before righting herself and sinking slowly back into the depths.

By the time Dave got to me I had my head in my hands. Despite staying another hour or so she was gone.

Pause for effect.

We visited a couple of drains on the way home where I took a fish from each. Scant consolation......

Opportunist

Mrs P wanted some decking in the garden. Ever the cheapskate when some used stuff came up on one of those facebook selling sites I jumped at the chance. The fact that it was some considerable distance away mattered not, it was close to one of my favourite Chub haunts. I only had an hour or so but luckily it was enough. A big lump of link-legered Danish Blue cheese on a size 6 barbless hook its downfall. The picture below displays one of the idiosyncrasies of the humble Chub. You could but almost any weight on it you liked. In reality it was 4lb 15oz.......

Catching to order

Dave was keen to do a bit of Chub fishing and I was only too pleased to oblige. It is however, a little tricky on the river as there are only a certain amount of places to catch them from so taking someone else means giving up at least half the best spots. One spot I wouldn't give up for anyone is a far flung peg which I have always thought may turn up a real surprise. It took me a while to finally get one but after around 45mins I had a positive bite on bread. As with every fish from this particular stretch it fought like no Chub should. Although it wasn't quite the 6lber I was after at it was still a fine looking fish of 4lb 11oz......

Dave and I fished a few more pegs on the length to no avail. He was using a feeder full of mince with steak on the hook while I stuck to the more traditional bread and cheese. With our Pike exploits well documented you didn't expect us not to have a speculative Pike rod out as well did you? Mine was the first to go and typically I struck into thin air. Using lamprey I'm still in two minds as to whether it could have been a Chub. Anyway Dave's float was the next to disappear. While not massive and the photo not doing it justice it was a remarkable looking fish. Much darker than those from the other venues we frequent. One place to maybe have a serious crack at Pike-wise next year......

The Pike were all very well but I wanted Dave to get a Chub (as did he) so we headed to another stretch a few miles away. I sent him down to a real hotspot and encouraged him to get rid of his feeder. His bait was fine but the feeder usually does more harm than good while targeting spooky small river Chub. I whiled away a biteless hour in a weirpool before heading down to see how my friend was getting on. I was slightly surprised to find he hadn't caught but just as we were about to leave he did get one of around four pounds.

With Dave's appetite whetted he was keen to get some more so once again we were on our travels. Once again if I hadn't been with him I'd have gone home. The river was too low and clear for my liking and all sorts of doubts were creeping into my mind. It is fortunate we did move because Dave had a couple more four pounders while I had two magnificent fish of 5lb 5oz and 5lb 6oz.......

A fitting end to the river season. A slight shame that PB's have been thin on the ground (apart from those magnificent early-season Bream) but I have thoroughly enjoyed myself none the less. Till next season.......

Funny looking Crucians

With the weather warming slightly and the rivers closed my attentions turned to the forgotten lakes and those resident Crucian Carp. Slight problem though, having travelled the fifteen or so miles to where the farm track used to be I was horrified to find it had been ploughed over. Despite my best efforts I couldn't get down to the lakes and I didn't want to walk it as it would have meant leaving most of my gear in the car- never a good idea in the middle of nowhere. I ventured elsewhere with no real results. I lost an inordinate amount of lures in the lake at Bellieu Bridge Trout farm. I did have a couple of bream on the feeder but I wasn't feeling it and to be honest the lake had progressed from being fairly natural to wildly unkempt. A real shame as I have some fond memories from there. In desperation I tried ADH fisheries again to no avail. A day to forget.

Not one to be deterred by a long walk I decided to travel light (ish) and give the forgotten lakes a visit by foot. I've written at length about these lakes before and there magical qualities but the walk made this particular visit extra special. Having parked up I walked alongside a large ploughed field. On the other side the ground falls away as the path rises and after short distance a stunning house comes into view which nestles above a small natural looking lake some thirty odd feet below. As you turn southwards large trees take over the view on the right, among them some exotic looking specimens. After another turn you drop down into the valley of a small stream and the whole of the landscape becomes one giant natural amphitheatre. On this particular day there were no foxes or dear but two magnificent Buzzards skimming the outlining trees. I stood at the top of the slope to catch my breath and take in all the sights. My words don't do it justice, it's like nowhere else I've ever been.

All very nice Phil but what about the fishing? Ah well, the Crucians weren't playing and neither were the Perch who refused to take any kind of lure all afternoon. They were partial to worms that day though and I caught my best fish yet from there of 2lb 10oz.......

I'm not sure if the farmer wants people there or not. I had a chap in a tractor see me and also someone in a land rover and they didn't say anything. One thing is for sure though, They make Bellieu look like a golf course lake. The day after my visit I went to work in a t-shirt and it looked like I'd been self harming, I even had cuts on my face. I've never seen brambles like it.

A pigs tail.

It was a little early for the Crucians but could I catch a Tench for you? Despite the temperatures taking a dive again I thought I might be in with a chance on a really deep lake where I caught one last February. Although it was a little on the skinny side, I do love it when a plan comes together, caught on a sliding float fished lift style with red maggots..........

I'm going to finish this main part with a bit of mystery. The 4lb Perch is still as far away as ever and the 6lb Chub a mere dream. The venues are largely the problem and especially with the Perch. I've seen my favourite Perch haunt get hammered all winter (largely the reason they aren't there anymore) despite my best efforts at keeping it a secret. Other than that I only have a few old captures from other venues and hearsay to go on. If I had a tenner for every time someone had told me about the unfeasibly large fish in a particular place or ones they have had themselves I'd be a rich man. It is like this with every fish of supposedly specimen proportions, not just Perch. One of my friends Andy puts it more succinctly.....

'Phil after all these years I've heard all the rumours, Pike that have swallowed entire keepnets, Bream as big as garage doors etc, etc. As I'm sure you know too well whenever a matchman sees a Perch over a pound and a half they think it's a four. But I look at it like this just once in all those spurious fairy stories one of the old buggers will be legit.

Which rather begs the question- where to fish next? Who knows........

Tackle Talk

In addition to the DAM CTE closed face reel I obtained last month I've added it's cousin- the CFM. We all know about the ABU closed face reels but these 80's and 90's offerings from Germany really are fine reels. This one just makes do with the backwind facility and you can see why they are affectionately know as 'The coffee grinder'.......

It was a bit late in the season to try something new but I had a little try with some big circle hooks and some knotable wire for Pike. unfortunately I can't give you any feedback as I never had a take while using them. I may employ them full time next year as my take to catch ratio can't possible get any worse (famous last words).

It's been a while since we had a rod in this section and I was very pleased when I came across this Ivan Marks match rod in a local auction. I met him a couple of times when he was alive and he was a thoroughly nice bloke in addition to probably being the greatest angler ever. The rod is in great condition with all the original rings and fittings. I can barely believe I got it for £3........

While we are on the subject of Mr Marks, I can highly recommend his book that been out a while now. Made up of old stories published in the angling press from years ago not everything is relevant to angling today and some of his ideas were seemingly a bit crackpot but it is a great read.....

I'm slightly conscious of maybe teaching my granny how to suck eggs so forgive me if you already do this but it's a great little tip. If, like me, you don't have rods set up all the time then at some point you'll have cursed the modern (ish) screw reel seat. They become stubborn to the point of hardly securing a reel at all. Simple solution, keep them well lubed and you'll never have to endure a stubborn collar again.......

Other news

Big congratulations to my old friend and fine supporter of my ramblings Rob Thompson. He's made a front cover. Look out for it in newsagents. At the risk of stating the obvious, it isn't exactly Vogue or Time magazine but as an angler it's just about as good as it gets, well done mate........ 

As ever you can contact me via e-mail here-

the.power@tesco.net

And while we are are adhering to tradition we'll finish off with some photo's. One of the forgotten lakes and a couple of the Chaos twins on my Tench trip...........

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