March 2013 part 2

Friday March 8th 2013

 

The Secret River

 

After my previous session on the river with those massive Perch I needed to get back there to have a proper go for the Roach. I stopped off at the garage on the way to buy a white loaf for bait. As ever I craned my neck as I passed over the bridge, trying to see what sort of state the river was in. I was in luck, it still had that bluey/green colour of a winter chalk stream. Level was ok too.

 

I set up two tip rods and fished one with a small feeder filled with bread mash and flake on the hook. The other was a simple swan shot link also baited with flake. Dead easy this. Just fold a small piece of bread over a size twelve hook and pinch it together. You'll be surprised how long it will stay on for. I didn't have to wait long for my first bite. A nice Roach of a pound came to the net, wait what was this? It was a blooming Rudd! I didn't even know there were any Rudd in the river. Half an hour later I had two more in the net as well as losing one at the net. They were all the same size weighing a pound exactly.

 

 

 

I continued fishing throughout the afternoon, picking up a few small Roach but missing more bites than I hit. It seemed I had a swim full of small fish. The river rose steadily after about three o'clock and I had to move back up the bank to stop my feet getting a soaking. The river didn't colour up though so I was still in with a chance. At around six o'clock I started packing up. I had almost given up hope. I had dismantled one rod and was just putting it in the holdall when the other one whacked round. This wasn't a small one. A roach of 1lb 10oz. And despite stopping another half hour after that it proved to be the last fish of the day. Sorry about the photo my phone was handier than my camera.

Thursday March 14th 2013 (last day of the river season)

The Secret River

I wouldn't have gone anywhere else on the last day now would I? Unusually for me I was there early. As I pulled up alongside the river the eight o'clock news came on the radio. This hadn't stopped somebody beating me too it though. A pike angler was taking up nearly all of the roadside pegs with his three rods. I got out of the car and we had a chat. He was a lovely bloke and a garnered as much info from him as I could. While we were talking he landed a fat fourteen pounder. Turns out he'd had two bigger ones the previous week from the same area. I knew they were there but didn't expect them to be that big.

The river didn't look great. It was that horrible brown colour but the level seemed ok and I unloaded the car full of enthusiasm. To be honest it was only the rain that had stopped me coming back for nearly a week. I was soon in my favourite spot and the river was standing still. Ideal to get some bait down. I put in about five balls of groudbait laced with maggots while I set up. One rod on maggot the other on worm.

A few small dace and roach came fairly quickly to the maggot while the worm rod remained untouched. After a couple of hour the river started to move. As soon as it did the Perch made an appearance. The first one was 2lb 13oz. Another followed it on the next cast 2lb 6oz.

 

I had swapped my other rod over to bread in the hope of getting a bigger stamp of fish. It proved successful but not in the way I intended. I struck at a tentative bite and was surprised to feel a real heavyweight on the end. It soon became apparent that it was no Roach or Perch as it charged all over the place. A few minutes later a Pike of around seven pounds was nestling in the net. It was hooked right in the scissors. Probably struck out at the bread as it fluttered around in the flow.

 

A couple more Perch came to the worm before the river really started motoring. By early afternoon it had dropped nearly two feet. Both my new Pike fishing mate and I were hoping it would come back up and slow up as the tide turned. I knew I wouldn't get a bite while it raced by. I'd fished it too many times in those conditions to know that. As it was the river didn't slow up and I packed up at around four o'clock. Still, a good end to a great couple of weeks on the river. Till next season.......

 

Friday 22nd March

 

Partney Brick Pit

 

Two seasons ago you'll remember I caught a big Pike from Partney. It was time to get re-acquainted or maybe catch a bigger one. Everyday that week I dropped in five or six small dead baits into the same spot. By the time Friday came around I was bristling with confidence. Two hours without a touch soon dampened that! "Doing owt?" said the man in his van. With my winter gear on I hadn't realised he had pulled up behind me. "Nothing," I replied. "Ah piking are you?". "Yep." I answered. "Buggers have probably taken them all out, seen dead eight pounders just thrown in the hedge up there." He added. Now I've had this all winter. Scaremongering about Cormorants, Otters, fish kills and now pike haters! Do me a favour, if you see me or anyone else fishing try and be a little bit positive. Fishing is all about confidence and if you don't have it then you may as well be sat at home. Half an hour later I packed up.

 

Wednesday 27th March 2013

 

Neals Pit, Old Bollingbrook

 

Bitter easterly winds had been with us for days. It was turning out to be a colder month than January. By the Wednesday the wind had dropped enough for me to venture out. After my previous trip I decided to try somewhere I knew nobody would bother me. In fact I wasn't even sure I was meant to be there at all as the lakes shut in the winter for shooting.

 

I made my way down the treacherous lane and parked up. The bottom lake looked lovely and I opted to fish in a spot I have always fancied on the west bank. This would also see what remained of the wind of my back. Not that it mattered as the bottom lake is heavily sheltered. I set up two tip rods again. One with maggot and one worm. Tony's words began to ring in my ears again- "Big Perch in here Phil, used to be a nuisance to be honest, so big they'd bite you off on the pole"

 

It was a beautiful afternoon and although cold I thoroughly enjoyed it sat on an old weed bed. I caught a few Roach but nothing special. It's the mystery of this place though that keeps me coming back. I didn't get a bite on the worm but I wasn't too disappointed. If the Perch are still there I'll come across them sooner or later. A did have a bit of a giggle to myself later on when the temperature started dropping. Seemed as if one of the Chaos Twins (my Labradors) had been at my gloves. They had eaten my left thumb!

 

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

March 2013

Tuesday March 5th

River Bain

I had planned to crack the Secret River in my week off. As it panned out it took me a day and a half to do some pressing jobs around the house. With only a couple of hours to spare on my second day off I thought the Bain would be a better bet than the Secret River. After finding a new place to park I wandered downstream with my trusty telescopic rod. My plan was to trot breadflake down a few likely looking glides for the elusive Bain Roach. I was pleased to find the river looking lovely on the sunniest day of the year-

First off I tried the weir pool at the top of the stretch. No joy there. For my regular readers you'll remember I had a few Roach bites from the glide below the tree and after trying a couple more spots along the way I ended up there, full of confidence. A biteless hour later soon numbed that! In desperation I got rid of the float and tied a quick link leger. I tied the same hook on from my float rig and cast slightly downstream. Two minutes later I had a real whack around bite. Culprit? A Chub of two pounds. My old tele rod really isn't suited to showing bites on it's stiffish tip and I was ruing the fact that I had been lazy and left my holdall at home. I then missed a couple of bites which really had me kicking myself.

Despite the unsuitability of my equipment I carried on, basking in the unseasonal sunny conditions. I soon snared another one. At 3lb 10oz it was a cracker and lifted my mood no end. Imagine how I felt then when an hour later I was wondering whether I had caught my first Bain five pounder. At 4lb 11oz I was agonisingly close again. One day......one day.........

Wednesday March 6th

The Secret River

I finished off my last diary saying I was going to catch something from the river. After seven or eight blank visits I had declared war on it. In fact I'd not had so much as a bite all winter on it. "Did you catch anything?" Mrs P would ask on my many fruitless returns. "Nope.". "Why do you bother going?" She would enquire. She had a point (don't tell her). Anyway I didn't want to go either. It was a drab day and had been raining in total contrast to the beautiful day before. I had to employ a certain amount of willpower to direct my car towards the river valley instead of heading to the Bain again.

As the river came into view my heart sank. It was high. As I drove around the waterworks I parked up on the bank and wandered down to the waters edge. It may have been high but for once it had that beautiful greeny/blue tinge of a winter chalk stream. Then something caught my eye in the distance. It was a comorant in flight, tracking down the river. It reminded me what a local had told me a few weeks before- "There are loads of comorants nesting in an old tree upstream, cleared the place out they have.".  Despite this I still felt relatively optimistic. The target was just to get a bite. Just for all my non-fishing readers. A two pound perch is a great fish.......a three pound Perch from a river is super rare and any angler would be made up to catch one in a lifetime.

Why do I bother going there? I'll let the pictures explain.......

A few roach to start..............then the Perch turn up!

3lb 4oz

3lb 2oz

2lb 12oz and 2lb 10oz

2lb 8oz

Success at last!

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

February 2013 part 2

Tuesday 19th February

 

Woodlands Lakes, Spilsby.

 

Just a quick afternoon session after the Perch on Hawthorn. Fished peg 15 for a change and had a one dead on two pounds within an hour. I struggled after that first fish. Some other chap was bagging up on Roach and Skimmers though. Young Jack came down down for a natter towards dusk. I thought as the light faded I might have snared another. We both watched for bites expectantly but it wasn't to be. Eric (the owner) was as welcoming as ever and I'll be going back for one more try for a 'three' before the Carp start waking up mid-march time.

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday 21st February

River Bain.

I decided to try a new stretch of the river closer to Conningsby for a couple of hours. A had worms for the Perch and some bread and cheese as back-ups. I tried a few likely looking spots on the worm to no avail. Nothing doing on bread either. A switch to cheese produced a fish within five minutes. A nice Chub just under four pounds. That , once again, was the only bite of the day.

Tuesday 26th February

Withern Mill, Withern.

I've written loads about my Perch and Chub exploits hence the brevity of the last two entries. Not wanting either you or I to get bored I decided to go Trout fishing. A quick dig about in the shed revealed my- untouched for three years- fly fishing gear. Back when we used to have a proper close season I used to do a bit of fly fishing. There is no mystery to it. I could teach you in half an hour. A bought a few new flies from the tackle shop in town. It has recently been taken over and the stock levels are immense. They have all sorts in there now. Well worth a look if you are passing.

Withern Mill has been taken over recently too. I perused their website www.withernmilltroutfarm.co.uk and was eager to get down there. Five lakes sit beside the Great Eau and you can fish either the lakes or half a mile of the river. Trout fishing has always been thought of as a bit elitist and I have to say I was a bit unsure how I would be received. A rugby match a few days prior had left me looking a bit rough. Anyway I needn't have worried. The owners gave me a very warm welcome. I bought a two fish ticket (£20) and made my way to the lower car park.

I decided to fish the lakes first for Trout and then have a go for the Grayling in the river. I took me a while to get my casting right, not helped by my aged fly line. A couple of follows kept my spirits up as I plugged away. After an hour or so I found a few fish in lake three. I lost two before finally banking a couple. Both fantastic fish, full finned and tremendous fighters. Shame I knocked them on the head. 'Didn't you feel bad?' Mrs P asked later. I had to think about that one. I never normally kill my catch but these fish aren't wild, they're farmed. Besides I'd be eating them and it's a reality of life as a meat eater. If I'm honest I did a bit but then again I am bloody soft!

With my two fish limit reached I could have carried on and released any others but I was keen to try the river. I stopped off at the riverside hut. Tea and Coffee are provided and I must say it was rather nice touch despite the worlds slowest boiling kettle. I peered into the river wondering how many big Roach I had walked past during the afternoon. Refreshed, I headed down to the mill pool to try my luck. As you know the river hasn't been kind to me this season and today was to be no different. I think the Grayling must move around a lot. What I really wanted was a pint of maggots! It was a cracking day though and one I can thoroughly recommend. Maybe one day I'll strike a deal to coarse fish the river there.

 



Afterword

I did sneak a couple of other short sessions in. The first was to Partney after Pike. No luck there. The second was yesterday. I went down the the Great Eau a short distance below the Trout Farm. I can't tell you exactly where because as always I'm not entirely sure I should have been there. Anyway I picked a lovely looking glide and trotted maggots for a good two hours with not a single bite. I've lost count of the blanks now but mark my words it is not going to beat me. I will catch something from the Secret River by the end of the season. It's bloody war!

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

February 2013

Friday 8th February

Hob Hole drain

I was hankering after somewhere new to try after my Bain exploits and I recalled a place that Tony had told of a few months earlier- a place on the Hobhole drain that he said was thick with Perch and some big ones too. Now give me a stretch of natural river and I can read it, I was brought up on them. Drains are totally alien to me and miles and miles of arrow straight water doesn't really appeal. Having been a match angler in the area for the last twenty odd years Tony knows his stuff and I always listen when he tells me something. And so it was that Friday morning I found myself eagerly heading down to the spot dreaming of Perch so abundant I could walk across them!

I hope nobody is fishing there I thought as I got closer. It was with a sigh of relief that no cars were parked in the area as I pulled up. Someone was fishing though- a bloody great Cormorant body surfing in the flow just down from the pumping station. Not a problem I thought as it flew off reluctantly. I took it as a good sign that there must be some fish present. I set up two tip rods and fished all the likely looking spots with worm while feeding maggot over the top. Three hours passed without a single touch. Now although the spot looked the part my confidence began to wane. About half an hour later the workers in the yard opposite started a fire at the base of the big,tall chimney. You can just make it out in the photo. Anyway I was downwind and big bits of partially burnt catalogue pages started landing all over the water and the bank, one hitting me as it smoldered away. It was all to much and I packed up. Looking back at the photo maybe it was a bit too coloured for Perch so maybe I'll try again. The Cormorant was a pain but they know no better. The owner of that yard? He undoubtedly does. Shameful really.

 

Tuesday 12th February

 

Secret River and Wolds Grift

 

My favourite venue the Secret River. A fairly long drive and not a single bite. That's six visits without a touch this winter. The locals are blaming Cormorants but the river has been in a terrible state on every visit. It was really low this time (the sluices were fully open again) but very heavily coloured. Also the banks were strewn with debris from the higher water levels. All kinds of rubbish from beer cans to plastic bags. Remember - this is meant to be a beautiful chalk stream. As before I am sure man is doing as much damage to the fishing as the birds. Maybe next season will be kinder.

 

While I was in the area I stopped off at the bridge over the Wolds Grift. In the 1500's it was known as the Alford Eau before they made it a catchwater drain. Again not a single bite and it looked like someone had fly-tipped directly under the bridge. Ho hum. Don't let this put you off. I am fishing for big fish with worms and bread. Maybe if I were fishing maggot I would have caught. The Wolds Grift-

 

 

 

Wednesday 13th February

 

River Bain

 

I didn't really want to go to the Bain again as I wanted to give you a bit of variety but with the disastrous week before I needed to catch some fish. I went to my normal stretch and walked right to the top and settled in the weir pool. I had cheese as bait and also bought a small loaf before setting off  to try and find some decent roach. A bite less first hour didn't do a lot for my confidence. A few dog walkers said their cheery hello's and I responded with warmth. It's really important when fishing to be friendly although a lot of the time you just want to be left alone. The first time an angler is rude then we all get tarred with the same brush. Anyway I love dogs so having a friendly little spaniel trying to eat your cheese is all part of the fun up here.

 

After another twenty minutes I reeled in to try somewhere else. My second rod, however seemed to have something on the end-

 



 

 

Sodding Signal Crayfish. Bless it, it was giving me the international signal for surrender! Now I no they are a so-called 'invasive species' but I didn't have the heart to kill it. I went sea fishing with peeler crabs once and it was really quite upsetting. Soft bugger I know. Anyway isn't it just evolution? Bigger, better than our native ones. Like grey squirrels. Our red ones are cute and all but as a squirrel the grey is a lot better. I digress. I moved down to the tree and caught a Chub straight away. 3lb 10oz-

 

After that I moved again to a glide I hadn't tried before and caught another Chub after a few minutes around the same size as the previous one. It was turning out to be quite a good session and I continued on with renewed enthusiasm. I had a few really strange bites that I was sure were from Roach when I heard someone shouting behind me.

 

Now I should say now that if you do see me on the bank then you may need to shout to get my attention as I usually have my phone in my hood so I can listen to the radio. This was the case on this occasion and I fumbled with my hood and phone so I could hear whatever this person was trying to say. I turned around to see a tall, old, country type bloke on the top of the bank. "You do know this is private now, don't you?" he bellowed. "Really? How long has it been like that?" I asked calmly. "About two years.". "Oh". I turned back around to show I wasn't really bothered. "Who's got it now then?" I asked while continuing to fish. "Waltham Chubbers or something, they had it off me a couple of years ago". From this I took it that I was speaking to the land owner. "Oh well, I'll have to get hold of them," I replied. "I don't mind paying," I added and I meant it. "Well you can't pay me cause they have already paid", the farmer added. I didn't reply. "Er....try and get hold of them then and don't come back unless you have," he said as he wandered off.

 

Right where do I start with this? I was angry after he left but now I can be more pragmatic. He was old and I have alot of respect for my elders but saying "This is private now" to me will only end in tears. Private basically means we have parties here and your not invited to any of them. I'm simply not going to have it. A stretch further down is run by Boston AA. It's clearly signposted and I fully intend to join next season. Until then I wont fish it. If Waltham Chubbers do exist (which I doubt) then may I suggest they don't lease a stretch of river next to a public footpath thirty miles away. For a start where are the local kids meant to fish? Secondly if you rent a piece of river then it is up to you to police it and put signs up etc. Lastly if  you want to catch someone poaching then pop down next Monday, I'll be in the glide below the tree.

 

Back to the fishing. I stopped long enough just to let the farmer know I was less than bothered by his rude interruption. After his outburst I didn't get a bite but the seed had been planted. Those bites were from Roach and I will be going back. After about half an hour I moved right down to below the road bridge. Having never had a bite here I was slightly surprised when one of my tips started twitching suspiciously. I few missed bites later and a small roach came to hand. I was disappointed with the size but sometimes it's enough to just achieve your aim. I'll leave you with a picture of the last swim I fished and while I'm not promising , I really hope I have something better to show you in the near future.

 

 

 

 

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

January 2013 part 2

Thursday 24th January

River Bain

I was eager to get to the river after my previous exploits. The snow was still thick on the ground and the reading on my in car temperature gauge was minus two. I headed to a new stretch I had sniffed out on the ubiquitous Google earth.

What Google earth didn't show was the large metal gate blocking the access road. Two heavy padlocks were dangling from the chain but luckily the chain wasn't all the way around the gate so I swung it open and made my way to the river. I didn't really take any notice of my surroundings as I parked up and dashed down to the waters edge. The River passed through a big sluice and this produced a big swirling pool of water that looked very inviting. I set up my tip rod and cast a big bit of cheese right into the fast water. I watched this while setting up a float rod to do a bit of trotting down to the end of the run.

Nothing was doing on the float but I regularly dribbled some maggots in to try and tempt something as I plugged away. On about my tenth trot down with the float my tip rod went limp. Flow must have dislodged my swan shot I thought. I struck anyway to deposit my cheese in the swim. To my surprise I was met with a heavy thump on the end of the line. Whatever was on the end was going nuts in the wild water. After a couple of minutes my line went solid. Bugger. I carefully applied as much pressure as I dared and it came free. A minute or so later a very big Chub came thrashing to the surface. With a deft flash of it's tail it headed upstream again and I felt a faint grating on the line. You know what's coming next. The line parted.

I set up again although I was fairly certain I had blown my chance. A bite-less hour followed to confirm this. Couple this with my little travel chair disintegrating I decided to have a wander about to check out some other swims. I clambered up the slippery bank and made my way upstream. Oh dear! There were big private signs all over the place. Couple this with two farmers working in a nearby field and I began to feel severely unwelcome. Seems I had been fishing in the only spot not overlooked by a stern warning. As if to rub it in I saw a group of tiny fish scatter behind a weed-bed just inside the private bit. Almost certainly a big Perch hunting. May have to bring my gum shield when I target that one! (Only joking) 

I looked at my watch, it was 2pm. There was still time to get in the car and head up river to the section that had produced for me on the Monday. I trudged up to the top of the stretch and popped a few bits of cheese into a few likely looking spots on the way. Now chair-less I cleared a small area of snow and sat on the cold grass. I had a few casts before eventually the tip trembled before it pulled steadily round. I had my scales with me this time and I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't the same stamp of fish I had caught a few days before. Still at 3lb 2oz it was a fine looking Chub and brightened up my day no end. A few quick shots were taken before I slipped it back into the icy depths.

 An hour later and I was on the move again. About a hundred yards downstream a big tree hangs nearly all the way across the River. Having baited up earlier I expected to get a bite straight away. It wasn't until the light faded though, about half an hour later, that I got a bite. It was a delicate affair and I was unsure on how long to leave it before striking. I must have timed it right though because after a tense tussle I had a four pounder in the net. 4lb 9oz to be exact. A fine end to a cold but very enjoyable day.

Friday 25th January

River Bain

A short but ultimately fruitless afternoon session. I will say this though. We can all be macho and a bit single-minded in our quests sometimes but winter fishing can be unpleasant bordering on dangerous. It wasn't any colder than my previous two visits and while hunkered down in the tree swim I was quite happy. My hands were cold but not unduly so. After missing what was probably the only bite I was going to get I decided to move further downstream.

I got to the top of the bank and the strength of the wind became apparent. A sharp, blisteringly cold wind. Within thirty seconds my hands were becoming painful (I had gloves on). My intended short walk had turned into a bit of a hike to get back to the car and get warmed up. It was a savage head wind and a deeply unpleasant experience. The temperature gauge in the car was reading minus two, no colder than the previous day. Most of my gear is windproof apart from my gloves. It took half an hour to get full feeling back in my fingers.

Thursday 31st December

River Bain

The snow melt had put paid to a visit earlier in the week although I did walk the full stretch with Mrs P and the dogs. We walked further downstream than I had been before and a couple of spots in the village took my fancy.

Thursday came around and I was in the Village at around half past eight. I parked up at the church and started to get my gear together. Unfortunately it was also a drop off point for the local primary school and I did look a bit out of place among all the kids and mums! Anyway I walked through the graveyard and tried a couple of spots with no success. The wind was super strong and although it wasn't cold it did nearly blow me off the top of a stile. It was so strong that most of the stretch was unfishable. I headed back to the car and drove back the short distance to my normal stretch.

The wind was a pain here too. Nevertheless I stuck it out for a couple of hours with just a small Chub from the weir-pool to show for my efforts. It was about a pound and a half and looked like it had just been minted. Probably never been caught before. I did have a couple of trembles in the tree swim but they produced nothing. I had been on the river probably four hours and gave best and vowed to return on another day. As I walked back to the car I noticed some of the colour was dropping out of the water. I would need to return soon. Upon getting back home this didn't seem likely as my new river obsession had got the better of Mrs P as she demanded I spend more time with her. Ho hum.

Friday 1st Feb

River Bain

"What you doing today?" I asked Mrs P. "Got rehearsals in Grantham and then an audition in Leicester," she replied. "What time you leaving?". "2pm."

By 2.30pm I was parking up by the Bridge. I was a bit disappointed to see the River was still heavily coloured. It had been my plan to try a few spots for Roach as Neil from the tackle shop had told me of some big fish on the stretch. I had some bread mash already prepared and intended to fish small bits of flake.

I headed straight for the weir pool and set up a small feeder and fished as planned for about an hour. Bread mash in the feeder and a size 12 hook with a small piece of flake for bait. No bites were forthcoming so I set my Chub rod up with a three swan shot link and a big piece of cheese. I was a bit paranoid about the noise of the feeder going in so I swapped that too for some swan shot. Another hour passed before I had the tiniest of bites on the bread rod. I connected and I initially thought it was a Roach, then it woke up! Five minutes later I had a Chub in the net. A big one too.

I quickly weighed it and took a few snaps before returning it to the depths. At just two ounces off five pounds it is the biggest Chub I have caught to date. Shame it wasn't a 'five' but still a fantastic fish from such a small river.

Footnote

I have realised this blog is popular with people like Neil from the tackle shop and my mates Rob and Steve. All people that would love to have more time to fish but due to family commitments and work can't. So this is for all my friends that can't get out there as much as they would like. I've been bloody freezing, wet, muddy and in trouble with Mrs P. The fact that this blog will bring you some enjoyment makes it all worthwhile. Thanks for reading.

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

January 2013

Monday January 21st 

River Bain 

You could probably tell by the last the instalment that my interest in getting out there was waning. I needed some inspiration and it came the strangest of places- facebook. A precession of pictures of anglers holding Chub in the snow were posted. It seemed to be de- rigueur and I needed to be part of it. One venue sprang to mind. I had walked a short section of the river Bain with the dogs in the summer and seen a few small shoals of Chub. Nothing big but I just wanted a catch picture in the snow. 

I peered out of the window to see snow eight inches deep in the garden. That'll do I thought. "What you doing today?" asked Mrs P. "I'm going fishing," I replied. "Be careful.......have you got full charge on your phone in case something happens?". She soon changed her tune when I raided some cheese from the fridge along with the last few slices of bread. I shot out of the door and headed to the river.

Turning of the main road I parked up and headed towards the bridge. It looked stunning, 

This was where I had seen most fish in the summer and I settled behind that big tree on the left and cast down into the tail end of the pool. That is my rod lent against the post. You might not be able to make it out as it is my new Mach 2 tip rod and it is super slim!

I had a few casts with bread to no avail so I tried a piece of cheese, again with no success. After around half an hour I wandered downstream but couldn't find any likely looking spots. I returned to the bridge, passing a friendly dog walker on the way and decided to go upstream. It was hard going in the snow so I dumped my tackle bag and rod tube in the car. The snow was untouched on this stretch and I walked for about half a mile until I came to a big sluice gate which had an inviting run below it with some slack areas.

I started off with the bread again with nothing to show for my first two casts. I recently downloaded some editions of desert island discs on my phone so I decided to cue one up. Sitting there surrounded by pure white landscape with the radio for company was bliss. I didn't even notice the cold.

Third cast, this time with cheese, was plonked under my feet in a slack area off the main flow. I was daydreaming when the bite came. A tentative affair I waited for as long as I dare before striking and then all hell broke loose. I was amazed that I had hooked anything at all let alone something so substantial. A few heart stopping moments were endured before I netted my prize. A Chub, big one too. How big I will never know as my scales were in my tackle bag in the car. Hey ho. I still had my new camera to try out.

A week prior to my outing I had purchased a camera adaptor that meant I could screw it into a bank stick. This coupled with the Cameras self timer meant I could now take picture of myself. As I seemingly have no friends this may be £3 well spent! Anyway here are the results including one of the many dodgy ones as my camera takes ten shots at a time (must look in the manual).

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

Winter 2012

Winter 2012

I went into the tackle shop the other day. "What's happened to the blog?" Neil asked as I was perusing around. So I guess you could say it's back by popular demand!

We left off last time by me telling you I needed to win back a trophy I won in 2011. The annual charity was held in mid October, a little later than the previous year. Same venue though- the Woodlands complex in Spilsby. After a late Saturday shift at work I arrived at the draw having had only a couple of hours sleep. A quick coffee perked me up a bit and I was one of the first to delve into the drawbag. Peg 23. The same peg I won off the year before. Whenever pleasure fishing Hawthorne lake I invariably end up on this peg too.

The match itself was a bit of a nail biter. Fish were hard to come by and I could only see about a quarter of the field. I kept plodding on though, casting a small method feeder towards the far bank reeds. Two or three small Carp would oblige and then I had to hunt around for them again. When the match was over and the scales reached me there had been two twenty four pound weights. Nobody to my left had caught much so it was down to me. I thought it might be close until I lifted my net. I'd beaten them by nearly ten pounds. Undoubtedly one of the highlights of my fishing year and the Trophy is back again for another twelve months.

October

Back to the normal fishing for the rest of the month and it started off quite well. Woodlands was the venue again but this time I was after the Perch. I fished trusty peg 23 again and baited up with prawns in the morning before returning with my gear in afternoon. I added some predator liquid to the prawns, not so much for the flavour but it dyes the prawns dark red which I think gives a better silhouette in the murky waters of a commercial. Returning at around two o'clock I was soon into them catching nine in total up to 2lb 2oz. The biggest can be seen here.

A couple of carp also made an appearance including this 11 pounder which gave me the run around for a bit and also only just fitted in my landing net!

I had four more visits but couldn't better the first session. I was pretty determined to catch a big one from Ash lake but I just couldn't seem to crack it. I also tried Hawthorne right into darkness but the big Perch just don't seem to be there in the numbers they were last year. Maybe I'll try again in the spring. The mild weather didn't help as the carp kept robbing my prawns on a regular basis.

December

A ventured out to The Secret River a couple of times when I thought it would be fishable and while it was I didn't have a bite. Couple this with my lack of Perch success at Woodlands and my passion for angling was on the wane. Maybe I needed some company to perk me up I thought. Tony kindly agreed to take me over to Boy Grift, a drain near Sutton on Sea. As luck would have it we had arranged to go on the coldest day of the year! Minus three all day. Still we caught a few little Roach and we had a cracking time despite the cold. We even wandered over to The Great Eau later on but neither of us had a bite. Boy Grift,

The amount of rain we have had this year really has put the dampener on both the river fishing and my enthusiasm. It is more or less a fifty mile round trip to the Great Eau and every time I go they seem to have the sluice gates open to run it off at a hundred miles an hour. I'm sure the fish are still there they just aren't feeding when I am trying to catch them. I've even tried further downstream in the sea trout peg to no avail. Very demoralising.

The New Year

Mrs P bought me a new camera for xmas specifically for this blog so I can't wait to get out and try it. I've also just taken delivery of a new tip rod. Shakespeare Mach 2. It looks superb. Like a more refined Sigma Wand. I'll let you know how I get on.

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