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.............

February 2015

Pastures new

Benidorm Dave* started out as one of my e-mailers. Over the last few months we have become firm friends and we had arranged a trip a few days in advance to a syndicated stretch of the secret river. Our plans were disrupted somewhat by the weather and with so much heavy rain we needed a stillwater to fish. As we were all geared up for Piking we needed a water that held them and after a bit of research and some advice from local expert Gary we found ourselves heading to a venue that was new to both of us. We passed over the river on the way and it was as high as I had ever seen it, positively bulging at its capacious flood banks. It was still raining hard too. The stillwater was the right option but would it pay off?

On arrival we had a quick chat with the lake owner and Dave splashed out on a couple of fairly expensive day tickets (my reward for driving). Having both visited the fishery website we knew the specimen lake held 20lb+ fish and seemingly there were a few of them. You can imagine how keen we were to get to started and we headed down to the lake expectantly. After a quick look around we selected a couple of likely spots in some deep water. After about half an hour one of Daves' floats started bobbing before slowly slipping sideways and disappearing beneath the surface, jaws fashion. This is the greatest moment when Piking and Dave was on it in a flash. A short battle later and he landed himself a fine looking low double. You wouldn't necessarily tell from the photo but he is holding it so close to his body he makes it look smaller than it was.......

With a fish so early into the session we were confident of a good day. Four long, wet, dreary, inactive hours later and having moved several times we were having to reconsider. It was a small mercy that the rain subsided. I even attracted the attention of the resident one-footed Coot, that would have been easy to catch I thought as I fed it copious amounts of maggots. I even asked Dave if he thought it would go around in circles went it got it the water. It raised a smile but what we really needed was a fish. Eventually I connected after a missed take and even though it was probably one of smallest pike in the lake it was a welcome sight on a tough day. Ignore my miserable face, I was smiling inside....... 

Despite our best efforts that was the end of the action for the day and we left with the lake keeping nearly all its secrets hidden from us. A return visit was needed, maybe when the weather was a little more settled.

Feeling drained

A few days later the rough weather hadn't abated and after our considerable journey to the new lake I fancied somewhere a little closer to home. Very close in fact. The level of the local drain never really fluctuates as it is controlled by a series of powerful pumps. It was heavily coloured though and here's something for all you additive/flavour fans to consider- I fished with bread which has no discernible smell and negligible flavour. I wasn't even sure it would work myself but work it did. Despite my very rusty stick float skills and selecting a quite restrictive peg I manged to catch fifteen Roach in a couple of hours. The majority were good fish too........

The rain and wind finally died down and a couple of days later I was back in a different peg. Having grown up on the flowing rivers of Leicestershire I used to be fairly handy with a stick float and I was slightly perturbed that my skills seemed to have diminished based on my previous visit. This time, however, I was much better. I fed two lines, one across and one close in. This kept the fish coming for a full three hours and I ended up with over fifty Roach, a few Rudd and a couple of small Bream. It was a real red letter day. Again, all the fish came to bread, fished on a size 12 hook under a small stick float. A lot of the fish were in the 12oz-1lb bracket with the best going 1lb 4oz....... 

A cheeky bugger

With a 6lb Chub still firmly in my sights and the flood water finally gone the following week I had a trip to another river planned. The day before I received a call from my old match fishing buddy Scott and he decided to accompany me. I knew just the stretch to head for, a length usually teeming with fish. I still can't understand why but despite trying various pegs we both failed to get a bite. With some trepidation I took Scott further downstream and into a field that I have been asked to leave twice in the past by the local farmer. Now I don't make a habit of this and it isn't as bad as it sounds. The field has a public footpath running right by the river, there are no signs and he is a grumpy old sod that spun me a yarn about leasing it to a fictitious fishing club based over 30 miles away. I am always respectful to him though and try and keep our encounters good-natured.

Anyway, back to the fishing. it was tough but after an hour or so I manged to catch a decent Chub on bread. In the strong flow it gave a really good account of itself and I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally slipped it over the net........

The best was yet to come though. Scott had been fishing a short distance upstream but decided to move to a nearby weirpool. Shortly after he had left my tip rattled before taking an alarming curve. As soon as I struck I knew it was a good fish, it stayed deep and moved rapidly against the flow in a show of power. It was touch and go for a few minutes as it tried to snag me in the reeds on either bank but I finally subdued it. How big? 5lb 7oz............

Just as I slipped the Chub back I noticed my old friend the farmer pursuing Scott along the footpath. As soon as he saw me he barged past Scott and shouted 'You're a cheeky bugger you are'. I gave him a smile. 'It's £5 a day now,' he demanded. 'Super, that's a lot better,' I replied. 'What about the club?' I asked. 'They didn't pay me so now it's day ticket,' he lied. I handed him a five pound note and he shook his head, 'I still think you're a cheeky bugger, how would you like it if I came and sat in your garden?' he asked. I smiled again, 'You're welcome to come and sit in my garden anytime you like,' I said. He looked at me suspiciously. Was he warming to me? Not exactly as he berated me for not lending Scott the money for his ticket. After a bit more of my charm offensive we left on reasonable terms though. I think we are friends now.

Scott and I then moved to another section where I had another couple of Chub and my friend lost a couple. It just wasn't his day but I'd like to think he had a good time anyway. Being an angler he understands it doesn't always go to plan.........

Dogged determination

I know the whereabouts of big Pike. It could be approaching 30lbs. The problem is it resides in a lake with very few other Pike so usually visits are very unproductive. I hadn't visited for a while though and was keen to have another crack at it. Another bonus was the fact that I could take my trusty Labs, the chaos twins who enjoyed the afternoon sun.....

Two solid afternoons fishing resulted in nothing. I did have three takes though and as you can probably understand with such a big fish in residence that gets the old heart racing. I'm still not sure what the culprits were, maybe Pike, maybe Eels. I did actually hook a Pike on a lure. It was hunting a short distance out and even leaped clear of the water several times in its pursuit of prey. Anyway that came off after playing it for a short time so all in all, a bit of a disaster.

Another Pike tale

Scott told me he hooked into a small Chub of around two pounds in the weirpool and just as he was about to net it a massive Pike shot out from the near bank and devoured it, snapping him off in the process. It was my intention to go back and try and catch it on a lure. Unfortunately when I got there the water was too heavily coloured to give me any confidence in that particular method. As ever I had a plan b and decided to try for the Chub in the weirpool. Now this is the spot that I caught my PB of 5lb 14oz from but you rarely get bites. Imagine my surprise then when I had a bite soon after casting my cheese offering in. A fine fish that of just over 5lbs...........

After another Chub of just under 4lbs the swim went dead so I moved further upstream. I had one from there too. Agonisingly close at 4lbs 15oz..........

After a quick look at some photos it turned out to be the fish I had at 4lb 14oz last month. It's disappointing to catch the same fish so soon again but can only be expected in such a small river. Maybe it was time to head elsewhere........

With a rare weekend day off Dave and I arranged to go again. This time the river would be in perfect order but would we catch? Pike were on the menu again and although we didn't get there till mid morning we were both pretty confident. We had the small matter of getting my car unstuck from the floodbank first though. It dug into the soft ground as I tried to point it downstream and became firmly wedged. No amount off pushing by either Dave or me made any difference. A couple of unhooking mats under the wheels did though and we both breathed a sigh of relief as it unstuck itself from its muddy trap.

With the car freed we set up and tried a few spots. Dave was first off the mark with a sprightly fish of around 8lbs. Boy it was windy though. A real biting wind that cut through our clothing and reddened our faces. After a couple of hours we decided to go down to a spot where the wind would be off our backs. Typically just as we set off it began to rain. Should we call him Benidorm Dave or rainman? It certainly seems to follow him around. Anyway in the new spot and while I sheltered under a tree I was soon into a fish. A very modest example....... 

I had another dropped take before all went quiet. The rain was persistent and we were both getting wet, the only consolation being the flood bank protecting us from the worst of the wind. After about 45 minutes Dave was just considering another move went his float furthest downstream disappeared. I followed with the net while he lifted into a fish. The water boiled as a seemingly big fish tried to make good its escape. The amount of water it disturbed hinted at something significantly bigger than we had seen so far. The battle was uneventful if dogged and we soon had her in the net. As I lifted it clear of the water it was obvious Dave had a new PB but would it be over the magical 20lb mark? I stayed quiet as he unhooked the Pike and put her in the sling. So close........19lb 10oz.........

Remarkably he had another two fish from the same spot in quick succession. An 8lber and this one (which I got him to hold out a bit) at 11lb 14oz.......

After the third fish all went quiet again and we decided to have one final move. We didn't last long though as the weather was truly terrible. I looked downstream at Dave huddled behind a tree while the rain lashed in almost horizontally. Get two blokes together and neither will want to admit defeat by a bit of rain but it was madness. We were both soaked to the skin despite suitable clothing so I called time and we packed up hurriedly. With all of our sodden gear and two very wet anglers it took my car nearly a week to recover and stop misting up, that's how wet we were. Worth it? Of course it was.

A week later I went back for a short session and finished up with four small Pike to deadbaits and a few Perch on small lures. this was the best fish of the day and now I look at it, I'm kicking myself for not weighing her.............

*I do dislike reading blogs with nicknames especially if you don't know how they came about, it's a bit exclusive for my liking and we can't have that here. Dave had been in touch after reading my blog via e-mail. about a year ago. Nothing strange in that, I have a few guys that get in touch. Fast forward to the summer and it's the early hours of the morning down a backstreet in Benidorm. I was there for one night on a stag do. All of a sudden a chap approaches me to say hello. I had never seen him before in my life. It was Dave.

Tackle Talk

As ever I've had a few reels come and go this month. The Cardinal 57's have gone. They were simply fetching too much money for me to keep hold of them. With a bit of credit in my eBay account I decided to treat myself to some more modestly priced winches. The first to hit the mat was this rather strange looking DAM CTE..........

Now as a child and even into my teens I'd pour over tackle catalogues. The CTE was one of the reels I couldn't afford at the time but I'd always wanted to try one. I buy most reels simply because of this, some have been a big disappointment, fortunately the CTE isn't one of those. It's a great reel, really quirky and a pleasure to use. I can thoroughly recommend them. Look to pay around £15. 

Another reel to strike off the wanted list was the Abu C5. Expensive back in the day but now you can pick them up for around £25. They are quite small, certainly smaller than I imagined but fairly robust. So far it has proved to be a good little workhorse and so it should be, they were marketed as examples of precision engineering with a super-tough brass pinion gear. The handle is tiny though, it's the only thing about it I don't like..........

The ever understanding Mrs P has been getting a bit annoyed of late with the frequency of my trips so I hatched a cunning plan. Tackle 4 You in Skegness has these fine sets on offer at the minute. A decent carbon rod and a cracking little reel for a barely believable £7. At launch they were nearer £40. Mrs P is now the proud owner of one, I'll let you know how she gets on with it. Good little angler she is even though she doesn't go much...........

Is two months a long term test? Not really is it? Well some bad (and good) news I'm afraid on the Chub boots Mrs P kindly bought me for Christmas. One of them developed a rupture where the leather joins the rubber. The ever superb Spilsby Angling Centre got in touch with the rep on my behalf and I have new pair on the way. Testament to the service you just can't get anywhere else but your local tackle shop. Let's hope the new pair last a bit longer than these.......

Contact

As usual you get get in touch via e-mail here.....

the.power@tesco.net

I'll sign off this month with my new friend the one-footed Coot and a couple of photo's.

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