More of the same

A day in London saw me ending up totally stir crazy but Sunday came around and I had time for a few hours at a lake, but which lake? I ended up driving to the easy place on a hot sunny afternoon, praying there wouldn’t be too many cars parked up. Thankfully there wasn’t. I headed for the oldest lake, which holds the bigger fish, apparently. Three anglers were pole fishing close to the first car park but my favourite area was completely free and I had plenty of choice. I heard one of them complain "Here comes the method feeder brigade..." as I walked past, not sure what that means?  I walked around and found fish quickly, plenty in the middle bay and a few in the end bay. I opted to fish the channel connecting the two with a couple of snowman rigs to the marginal trees while I fed a few floaters. After an hour I was fishless so could no longer ignore the large group of fish in the snags to my right, time for a move.

The fish soon began responding to the floaters I was feeding, there were one or two bigger ones amongst the group too. Meanwhile I dropped a snowman rig along the margin to my right with about a dozen freebies chucked on top. At first the Carp slurped down the floaters eagerly and I was soon into a decent fish, a nice Common wallowed around and allowed me to draw it into the net. My best fish of the season so far for sure so out came the scales but it was not as heavy as I expected. Another slightly smaller common soon followed but then the fish became more wary. I switched to using a pop up boilie as bait so I could cast further which got me a couple more fish including a nice Mirror but ducks interrupted my feeding and the bigger fish that were beginning to look very catchable drifted away.

The boilie rod had remained untouched to begin with so I moved it to a clear area on the far bank, hoping fish would drift along out of the snags. I was feeding the first of a dozen free boilies when the bait was taken almost straight away but I lost a small fish. Takes came fairly regularly on this spot but angles and snags saw me losing a couple more through hook pulls it really was hit and hold stuff. Eventually I landed one which freed itself from a snag after putting the rod back on the rests and waiting. I moved the bait to the right a bit more and managed to land a couple more by giving myself a bit more free water to play with. After each take I fed 10 or so more boilies. Eventually with the floater fishing drying up I moved back to my original swim as this gave me a better angle to land fish off this spot and it worked with one more fish. I packed up with 7 Carp in as many hours, good fun and plenty learnt. 

After my quick fix at the easy place it was back to the hard water for another short evening trip tonight. Once again I settled into the quiet area after a warm sunny day to find the breeze blowing into my face. As usual I cast a snowman heli rig to the reeds and baited the area with about 30 frees. For my other rod I changed tactics and fished a Zig rig a foot down. I was settled and chilling by 1845.

At 1925 I had a twitchy pull on the reedbed rod and as I hadn’t had anything like this so far this season I struck in desperation. Probably a liner… I recast with another dozen freebies then the same rod ripped of an hour later. A proper take this time but it had stopped before I reached the rod. Was the lead too light? Probably not as the Baitrunner should have negated that. A positive sign at last, my methods and bait will work! I baited up with another dozen boilies, just in case. A little after nine I noticed a patch of bubbles in the open water off the reeds so wound in the Zig rig and replaced it with a chod and a dozen more frees scattered over the area. Rudd swirled at dusk and something larger rolled near the reeds but no more fishy pulls. I packed up as the first bats arrived at 2145, hopefully there’ll be time for another go at the weekend.

For once my run of good fate continued and with Isi for company I arrived at the lake to find my preferred swim available. I took my time setting up and we were settled by 2000. I had no doubts about tactics either, my usual helicopter/snowman rig received the addition of a small PVA mesh bag filled with crushed boilies and a couple of pieces of dissolving foam into which I pushed the hook. I was hoping this would help my hookbait land cleanly. I was happy with my first cast so I scattered about 40 boilies over this area and the first part of plan A was ready for the night. My second rod took rather longer as I kept buggering up the cast but I eventually settled for one of many that fell just slightly short. This was a Chod rig and pop up as I couldn’t be sure of what would lay below the water here. I had intended to bait this area up from the adjacent bank but my lively ten year old needed distracting with his float and maggot set up. By the time all was ready there were a group of anglers socialising within sight and I didn’t want to draw too much attention to what I was doing. In the end my hookbait was the only food in the area. Fish were splashing in the snaggy area beside me, were they spawning? Were they Tench or Carp? I hoped not.

The day had been warm and bright with a North Easterly wind which didn’t abate and the temperature began to drop. The evening passed quickly with me setting up camp and Isaac catching a Rudd every chuck. It was nice to see him doing it pretty much all himself, baiting up and unhooking his own fish. We heard a Cuckoo from time to time as well as the laughing Woodpeckers. Rather less welcome were the Swans swimming into our lines. Isi got bored with catching Rudd and demanded food so the stove was fired up and sausages soon sizzled. With the whip out of the way I baited the margin area with hemp  & maize  then plopped a pop up rig baited with plastic onto the spot. The Bats were out by the time we’d eaten so with a hot dinner and a mug of tea in his belly Isaac retired to his bedchair in the bivvy and I settled into mine out under the stars. 

I took a while for me to drift into slumber land, I ran things through my head and for some reason I was confident I’d got things right, I was confident things would happen tonight. The sky darkened for a while and then began to lighten but save from a couple of beeps to each of the boilie rods, nothing occurred. I was out of the bag for a slash at 0530 but felt the cold so climbed back in and drifted back to sleep.

At 0725 a series of beeps on the chod rig found me out of the bag with bleary eyes, what was going on? A couple more beeps to the same rod, ‘that has to be a fish?’ I staggered over and wound down, fish on! Something plodded on the long line and didn’t want to come in. All went solid but I kept the pressure on and walked backwards…the line freed suddenly and I had to gain line quickly, something was plodding on the end again, then went solid for a second time. I tried to keep pressure on…then everything went slack, the short hooklength had parted.

We left the lake an hour later after a hasty fried breakfast. Isaac caught a few more Rudd while I tidied things away and that was that. On winding in the reedbed rod I found the bait and hair wrapped round the back of the hook and tangled, no chance there! Live and learn. Despite the fish loss I felt upbeat, two consecutive trips where I’ve had takes so I’m getting things right. Best of all I’m learning from my mistakes, back at home I fine-tuned my leaders, getting everything spot on as opposed to ‘that’ll do’. Then after a trip back to work for supplies I tied up new rigs with bigger hooks and stronger breaking strain hook lengths. I’m relearning stuff I’d long forgotten about all aspects of Carp fishing and the next time I fish I’ll be better prepared. Hopefully that will be soon!

May

With all of life’s priorities there is never enough time for fishing no matter how high up the list it comes.  I just haven’t been able to fit in a full night on the Marsh so I figured the best way to maximise my chances was to fish as many short sessions as I can.  I’ve set up so I can travel light, pick up the gear and go at short notice for quick visits to the lake, mostly evenings but with the odd early morning thrown in too.  I’ve been fishing boilies on both rods and groundbaiting lightly hoping to put my bait in the right place at the right time.  So far my plan to adopt Carp methods so the Tench will drop their guard has failed and I haven’t managed to fool any Carp either.  I don’t think I’m doing too much wrong, I’m confident in the methods and bait, I just haven’t put it in the right place at the right time.  A classic mistake but the truth is the Tench show themselves very rarely and the Carp appear even more infrequently.  Twitching weeds and patches of bubbles occur frequently all over the lake, so frequently they hinder more than help.  It’s been busy for the last couple of weeks too, which narrows down the options but in truth I’m happy fishing the more unpopular areas.  They have all the things the fish like but they’re just too uncomfortable for many anglers.  It’s challenging fishing, just what I like.

Spending time at a beautiful, natural water has been a privilege and watching spring grow ever more green with a growing symphony of birdsong has been a joy.  The weather has been mixed but I can’t remember a colder May.  What I’m beginning to find difficult is sitting behind rods and doing nothing.  I’m making an effort to avoid disturbing the water too much so deliberately not recasting too often.  I’m more used to moving my baits around and searching for the fish so this inactivity doesn’t come easy.  Something has to give and I may well get the float rod out soon.

Homemade rear rod rest, you can get them with Korda stamped on but they cost a tenner.

After a spell of motionless indicators I needed to get a bend in the rod so Isaac and I squeezed in a couple of hours at the easy place.  It was a rare sunny afternoon and a couple of handfuls of floaters got the Carp in piranha mode but were a little shy of the hookbaits to begin with.  Dunking them in a Crafty Catcher dip seemed to do the trick and takes came regularly after that.  It was fun for a while but the Carp were small and there was no sign of any larger fish around.  The fishing lacked challenge and we’d soon caught our fill so hit the road.  Time is short this week too, how should I use it?  Go for the quick fix or get stuck back into the main course? 

Back to reality

Almost a month later than planned I found myself walking the banks of the Marsh for my first look at trying to catch a Carp from this mysterious lake. I arrived at around 1000 and spent an hour watching the water and casting a plumb rod around, trying to refresh my memory on depths and the bottom make up of a few swims. For once we had dry, bright, sunny weather which had brought a few anglers out but thankfully none were in the areas I fancied. I had a plan you see…famous last words!

Today the wind swung back to another ‘orrible Easterly so I wanted to fish on the back of this cold wind. In theory the afternoon sun should warm this end of the lake too. The forecast was for a cool night then the wind would swing to a South westerly tomorrow morning, which should in theory, also see the Carp moving around at this end of the lake. The fish rarely give any visual clues on this water so my little theory was all I had to go on. Unfortunately I had to leave the lake for a couple of hours work, would the swims still be free when I returned?

The answer was yes! By 1430 I had a couple of rods fishing over a nice scattering of boilies, a helicopter/snowman rig was cast to an overhanging tree while a pop up on a chod fished alongside a reedbed. I considered fishing a Zig rig but discovered I’d left some of the vital components at home, oh well another time. I then had nothing else to do but sit back in the warm afternoon and enjoy chilling out and watching the water. Despite my lack of success on this lake over the years I still really felt I was in with a chance today, we’ll see. I’ve decided to try leaving my baited rigs in place for much longer periods of time this year. Being a Pike angler at heart I’m used to recasting fairly often to search the water so I struggle with sitting on my hands. I’m thinking I might need to adopt a bit more of a stealthy approach this year, maybe casting too often with heavy leads could spook wary fish.



It was a nice change to be sitting in the sun which seemed hotter than forecast, sheltered from the cool wind my end of the lake was flat calm. Despite the spring weather the lake is still wearing its winter colours, the rushes are beginning to push new green shoots through but the beds of Norfolk reed are still in winter beige. I had a radio with me, no cricket this time but Town got an away point which was good in the circumstances. My eyes grew heavy after a while and I could easily have drifted off to sleep but I was determined to watch the water for clues. The reed stems beside me were knocking regularly as fish brushed through them but they looked to me like small fish, not the bigger Carp or Tench I was after.

At around 1900 I recast both rods and topped the bait up ready for the night. Both rigs landed bang on where I wanted them which doesn’t happen often. Lines were pinned to the deck with back leads, indictors turned up, landing net and unhooking mat ready. All I needed was a fish. As the sun set the skeleton trees were silhouetted against an orange glow, reflected in the calm water, loads of silver fish topped all over the lake, a pheasant called in the wood, song birds called goodnight and the night’s first bats swooped low. It was lovely-you should have been there. Everything looked great but I hadn’t had a bleep so what was I doing wrong? If I consulted the Carpy magazines I might deduce that I hadn’t drunk enough tea or ear-bashed the other anglers enough. Perhaps my rod rests were too far apart and maybe I should have folded my reel handles? Actually I’d made great effort in ensuring absolutely nothing in my set up matched.



By 2130 the temperature had dropped dramatically, in fact it was becoming bloody cold. A half-moon cast shadows and the sky was riddled with stars. It all looked too beautiful but I was cold so climbed into my kip bag. It had grown so cold that it was hard to believe I would be disturbed by a fish tonight. Normally I’d feel confident at first light but will it get warm enough quick enough? I crawled out of my kip bag to relieve my old man’s bladder around 0330 to discover a heavy covering of frost on all of my kit, bugger this back in the bag! It was the same story at 0630 when I next peered out of the bivvy door, not what I wanted or needed. I decided to trust my rigs and baits a little longer.

At 0900 I was sitting with a cup of tea, the wind had swung to a south westerly and the day was warming up but I knew my best chance of a fish had come and gone. I felt I’d done the right things fishing wise but had the cold night ruined my chances? Nearly all of my overnight sessions have ended like this which suggests I’m doing something very wrong. I need to start thinking ahead and doing things a little differently. I left the lake a little after 1030 but I’ll be back. 

After a few hours in the garden the lovely lady and I decided that as we didn’t want to do anything other than chill out for the rest of the day then we might as well do it by a lake somewhere. After last night’s blank I decided I wanted to see a bend in the rod so we drove to the easy place. A few handfuls of mixers soon had the Carp in Piranha mode and it wasn’t long before we were both into fish. It was fun for a while but once again the sun hid itself and the temperature dropped making things uncomfortable. We packed up early and headed home. This quick fix didn’t do the trick, I won’t catch the fish I’m after here so I have to knuckle down…

Spring at last!

For the first time this year we were treated to warm spring sunshine and it was too good an opportunity to miss. Isaac took a lot of persuading to get out of bed but very little coaxing to have couple of hours fishing. We arrived at the ‘Puddle’ a little after midday, all set to hammer the Carp on floaters. Warm weather and sunshine make life, and fishing, so much easier but we hadn’t bargained for the wind which was much stronger than forecast. Our first two choices of swim were already taken so we ended up fishing a new spot which had the wind blowing from left to right. With this in mind I began feeding floating pellets upwind of our swim, knowing the waves would carry them towards us. Usually there is an instant response but today it took a while to get a few fish moving and taking our freebies.

With the strong wind Isaac struggled to get his freelined bait out whilst avoiding the trees behind us, more lessons we all have to learn but I did help him a little today. It took a while to get fish taking floaters in front of us but by feeding little and often one or two fish obliged. Isaac was first to hook up and despite being a little rusty with playing fish he soon had a small common in the net, shortly followed by a second fish which was slightly bigger.


It seems the actions of a couple of fish feeding attract others and in time there were several fish moving into our swim, slurping down a few floaters, then moving off. A few minutes later this group of fish would circle into our swim again. I hooked the next fish and at this point Isaac’s competitive streak reared its head, with a cheeky grin he refused to hand me the landing net! I managed without help and netted the biggest fish of the day so far. We continued feeding little and often, the Carp continued to move in and out of our swim but bites did not come regularly, Isaac managed to catch a couple more and I added another to my tally. After a couple of hours we’d had enough, I’d caught the biggest fish but Isaac claimed victory with the most. It had not been as prolific as we’d come to expect but we’d enjoyed ourselves and I was very pleased to see Isaac playing his fish with confidence. I hope this is the first of many such trips this year.


The following day I was back, this time with Shelley for company. The weather was still pleasant and spring like so enjoying some comfortable time outdoors is still a novelty that we couldn’t pass up. The wind had dropped since the day before, we settled into a quiet corner and I began to chuck a few floaters in. As usual it didn’t take too long before Carp homed in on the food and as usual the action of fish feeding soon attracted others to join in. We caught fish regularly, mostly Commons which looked under nourished and sadly many had mouth damage from previous captures but Shelley caught a little Mirror that was absolutely mint.


We moved on to another lake where the fish are fewer but hopefully bigger. There were few Carp moving here but we found a sheltered, likely looking spot and settled back in comfortable chairs with mugs of hot tea. We spent the rest of the evening chatting and watching the birdlife. Blackbirds were busy in the bushes and a Woodpecker made an appearance opposite us, departing before we could get our cameras ready. Crows cawed in the trees and somewhere out of sight the Pheasants were making a right old racket, it was good to be out in the countryside. The fishing didn’t seem to matter but I did manage another small Common. Spring has been a long time coming which makes us even more determined to enjoy it while it’s here! The sun began to sink and the year’s first bats took to the air, we fished on until it was too dark to see then happily headed for home. 

I've well and truly shaken off the Carpy cobwebs, now for something more challenging.

Clockwork

At last the temperature is beginning to creep up and it’s even getting to the stage where I might start thinking about believing spring really is around the corner.  The lazy wind is still stuck firmly in the east though, still blowing straight through us.  Despite this I was becoming desperate to wet a line as I hadn’t managed to fit a trip in for weeks, when I’ve had the time I haven’t had the inclination, due mainly to the shitty weather.  So a few weeks later than scheduled my spring season finally started with a short trip after work.

I decided some time ago to have a crack at catching a decent Carp this spring.  Yes I know Carp and Carp anglers are usually the butt of a little piss taking from this direction but I haven’t caught a proper Carp for nearly twenty years and it’s time I put that right.  I have two waters in mind, one easy the other more challenging, tonight I picked the former as I just wanted to see the indicators flying and a bend in the rod to help me get back into the swing of things.  I pulled into the car park at around six thirty and was pleased to find I had the whole place to myself.

One of the basic principles of angling is to first locate the fish you’re trying to catch.  Often this is done through experience based on the conditions amongst other things but with Carp, probably more than any other fish, this can often be done visually.  Tonight was a classic example, it didn’t take very long before I saw a couple of bow waves under some overhanging trees and my choice of swim was made.  The next principle of fishing is to present these fish with something they like to eat, preferably remaining undetected whilst doing so.  Two snowman rigs were under-armed into position with a dozen or so freebies thrown around each one.  I didn’t want to put too much bait out as this is a mistake I probably make more than any other and the water is still pretty cold, in theory the fish won’t be eating much.  Bait was some boilies from Crafty Catcher which are brand new on the market this spring.  With everything set up all I had to do was make a brew and chill out.

Literally five minutes after starting my right hand rod was away and I found myself attached to my first Carp of the season which fought hard in the shallow water.  Unlike most real Carp anglers I like to bend my rods so it didn’t take too long to get this fish in the net, a nice plump Common of above average size for the water but not big enough to get a real Carp angler excited.  The hook hold was in the middle of the bottom jaw (is that the right terminology?) which I’m led to believe is exactly where it should be, there is a Carpy cliché for this but I refuse to use it!  I was feeling pretty pleased with myself, everything had gone to plan just like clockwork.  The only dampener was damage to the Carp’s tail and a few other scratches which suggested a close encounter with an otter at some point.

It had been cloudy all day and rain had been forecast but only now in the fading light did it arrive, just a little drizzle, not worth bothering with the shelter.  For a while Carp continued to move in my swim but as the light faded these became less frequent and I scanned the water wondering if it was worth moving.  An hour had passed by then but my mind was made up when the same rod rattled off and another Carp was hooked.  This one was smaller and soon in the net; a plump, humpbacked ghostie looking thing which like the first was hooked perfectly in the bottom of the mouth.  Out went the rig again with another handful of freebies.  I decided to check the left hand rod and found a bit of rotting leaf attached to the hook, was this the reason nothing had happened on this one?  Note to self, put some dissolving foam in the bag next time out, I’m learning.

Another hour passed, it got properly dark and the drizzle kept coming and going.  To really relax when fishing after dark I have to be well organised and comfortable, to be honest I was neither.  I’d achieved what I set out to do, so decided enough was enough, time to pack up and head for home.  Things  won’t always be so easy this spring, that’s for certain!

In the past I’ve been highly critical of one of the local angling clubs in my area. Like the post here for example; http://fishingsgreat.blogspot.co.uk/2009/09/nostalgia.html

The ‘Gipping Angling Preservation Society’ was the first fishing club I ever joined and I spent most of my youth fishing this club’s waters but this club has always been at least a decade behind the times and I’ve only been a member for two of the last twenty seasons.  I’m happy to report that there has been a major change in the personnel running this club and I have high hopes it will become an organisation worth joining once again.  There’ll be more news on this as the weeks pass, watch this space…

Shivering

Here on an English spring Sunday the temperature is -2 and we have several inches of snow on the ground with more falling, it’s bloody horrible.  I’m usually pretty relaxed about the weather, we get what we get and it’s mostly shit but this winter has gone on forever, it’s become oppressive.  The Sunday newspapers report it is the longest winter for fifty years.  I can’t wait for spring, even ten degrees will feel like a heat wave and people will be smiling again.

It has snowed for the last 36 hours, the temperature outside here at 10:26 is -2*C yet still I sit here with an urge to go fishing.  I’m not going to go, that would be madness but still a snow fish photo is tempting and the landscape looks lovely with this covering of white stuff.  However it’s just so bloody cold that it’s painful to exposed skin and it just wouldn’t be fun.  Instead I stayed in the warm, listened to music, wrote stuff and got ready to go out gigging tonight.  Off to London with Giles and meeting up with Rob, Piking friends in the smoke to see “Wire” at a club near the river.  Despite a few mishaps which go with the territory we had a top night but by God it was cold crossing the river.

Ian Chillcott is one of the better Carpy writers and is another angler who isn’t afraid to speak his mind about things, Otters being one example and he’s right!  Although I have little interest in Carpy politics I tend to support the reasons he founded ECHO, it made sense to me.  However I can’t agree with his opinion in the latest issue of Carpology magazine, that ECHO is the “most influential single species group ever formed”.  Sorry Ian but that accolade has to go to the Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain which has been in the trenches for over 35 years and despite the occasional hiccup along the way, is now as active and relevant as ever. 

In East Anglia John Currie, Mickey Cox and all involved with the Norwich region have achieved what we all thought was impossible in getting the Broads Authority to stop, listen, think and review their dredging procedures on the Broads.  I’m happy to give the BA credit for this too, fair enough considering the slagging I gave them a year ago.  The Cambridge branch has long been successful under a succession of RO’s, most recently Wes & Jonno.  I’ve been to several packed, friendly rooms for a top speaker at Bottisham.  In Suffolk Jason Skilton is reviving the region and teaming up with Sean Ellis from Essex to help Pikers negotiate the future of fishing at Abberton reservoir.  This kind of thing and much more goes on all over Great Britain as it has since 1977.

More Information on these PAC regions here.

http://www.pikeanglersclub.co.uk/about-the-pac/regional-associations-contacts/

A day later the end of the cold weather is still not in sight, who knows when I’ll get back out on the bank or what I’ll be fishing for?  Here’s a more cheerful photo

Can we have some mild, dry weather please?

And so it came to the last weekend of a tough season.  It’s been grim North and East winds and cold, raw weather for weeks on end but by now it was raining.  The weekend forecast was equally grim, basically more of the same but getting even colder.  By the time I launched in the evening it had been raining for hours but I was undeterred.  On the water easily and after the darkest crossing I can remember I tucked myself away out of the wind for a few hours fishing with TMS cricket on the radio.  England fought back nicely in the test but no Pike disturbed me so I wound the rods in and crashed out for a few hours.

Awake before dawn, it was still raining and very gloomy.  I chucked the rods out again while I boiled the kettle and tidied the boat.  The light was just growing when one of my rods rattled off.  I set the hooks but there was little resistance still any Pike is welcome and a lean jack was unhooked easily.  This bonus fish saw no change of plan, as soon as I was ready I knew where I wanted to be.  A little journey on the engine and I was soon dropping four baits into a favourite place.  An Otter circled the boat only a few feet away hissing in my direction, I didn’t feel welcome.

However, previous experience told me I was in with a good chance in this general area.  The day drifted by with a couple of short moves but no Pike.  I kept active, twitching baits and trying to make something happen but nothing did.  It was still absolutely pissing down and the water was rising visibly.  It was high time for a rethink and a change of plan, a proper move was in order.  Only it would have been if the engine had obliged me by starting!  Which it didn’t.

The immediate forecast was manageable but a strong easterly and possibly snow was predicted for the following day.  No bravado this time (that’s another story…), the only sensible choice was to row back closer to base and get the boat in a sheltered position.  Easier said than done as most of the journey was against a freshening wind and the bloody rain (from which I now had no shelter), was unrelenting.   I arrived soaked to the skin through rain and sweat, I was totally knackered.  I chucked the rods out and made a brew then sat back to assess the situation.  Light was fading, I was getting colder, I was wet and uncomfortable but it was no longer raining.  It had in fact begun to snow. After a brief flurry of sleet it began properly snowing.  At this point I knew I was beaten for the day and for the season.  I packed up with freezing, claw hands, said goodbye then rowed back to the slip.

Sunday came round again and after a lazy morning I convinced Isaac it would be a good idea to venture down to the lake for a final Pike session of the season.  The weather was dull and gloomy with drizzle and a fresh southerly wind and milder temperatures than of late.  We shared three rods and fished three deadbaits along the marginal shelf.  The plan as usual was for a short session, I sat back in the chair to chill out but Isaac busied himself investigating the flooded margins.  He found an elevated position which gave him a good view of his float then discussed the possibility of building a den there but building materials were scarce.

Today the fishing wasn’t holding Isaac’s attention, the Pike have been far from prolific here this season and he’s already looking forward to catching Carp and Silver fish in warmer weather.  I kind of agree with him there…  I’ll have to get thinking of somewhere different for next seasons Pike fishing, somewhere he’ll see that float pop under a bit more often.  After some debate we reached a consensus that the Lord of the Rings films are better than Star Wars.  We also agreed it was getting cold and we’d had enough for today.  Walking back to the car I noticed a few green shoots poking through and there are snowdrops in the woods yet spring still doesn’t feel close.

When I got home I set about sorting the shed.  All the boat and most of the Pike fishing kit was put to the back and all the summer gear brought to the front.  I also discovered more evidence of the vermin that had squatted in my shed through the winter, more chewed bait boxes and an old holdall.  The poison done the trick in the end, he who laughs last…but next year, no prisoners.  I got on a roll and ended up rigging up my Carp/Tench rods and sorting all the kit out.  I’ve had enough of Piking for a while, it’s been a tough old winter that seems to have lasted about eighteen months.  Wherever I’ve fished this season it’s been challenging and Pike have been hard to find but happily I’ve found one or two of the right kind.  Now for something completely different.