Back to normal

After a month without wetting a line the good lady and I managed to find time to spend a night at the Marsh once again.  Although showers had been forecast we were treated to an all too rare dry, bright evening and what’s more there was only one other angler fishing.  I arrived first then Shelley appeared a few minutes later with fish & chips for supper.  It was an idyllic summer evening; all we needed now was some fish.

Swim choice was easy, I pitched up in the same spot we’d fished successfully a month previously.  In fact my methods were pretty much the same as last time too; feeder in the margins and a pop up boilie to the pads whilst Shelley fished maggots on the whip.  Before very long the float was dipping regularly and a procession of Rudd and Roach were being swung into my face for unhooking.  Bites were thick and fast on the maggots but my rods remained quiet, not that I expected anything else however I still felt fairly confident.  Unlike previous trips I’d baited up the boilie rod with around fifty freebies.  I’ve avoided baiting up with many boilies this year so thought I’d try something different.

Time past, daylight dimmed and the flasks were emptied.  We replaced the float rod with a method feeder baited with fake maize and a few pouches of maize catapulted on top.  We then chilled out counting stars and ducking bats.  Time passed, the temperature began to dip and the flasks emptied so we took refuge in the bivvy.  Shelley welcomed the sanctuary of the kip bag as did I but with one eye and two ears on the rods…

Daylight came without interruption, my disappointment at not having any action on the rods was balanced by the best sleep I’d had in ages.  I staggered out into the light, wondering whether to recast or not?  I decided to recast the feeders but leave the chod, which had landed perfectly.  With that hard work done it was back to the kip bag for a bit more sleep.  A couple of hours later I emerged from the bivvy feeling refreshed and as Shelley was still enjoying a lay in I had a little play with the whip.  Feeding with maggots and a little groundbait bites came thick and fast.  Mostly Rudd to begin with but by getting the bait down quicker I caught Roach and a few skimmer Bream.  By this time Shelley was up and about, roused by a fresh brew but was content to soak sun (yes sun!) and read her book. 

We tidied up in the late morning as the clouds to the west thickened and blackened, this proved a good decision as Suffolk was battered by hail storms an hour or so later.  After my Tench success of a month ago it’s back to normal again.  For some reason this time around I was just going through the motions assuming what worked last time would do the trick again but it wasn’t to be.  I hope I’ll have time for another trip to the Marsh this season and if I do I think I may do things completely differently.  Don’t tell anyone but I think I might have a go for the carp…

This internet thingy is a great tool for communicating and we anglers have certainly embraced this, after all if we’re not actually fishing then talking about it is the next best thing.  I log on to many forums for a read or a chat and some great friendships have resulted from this.  There are many good people out there but there are also some idiots who like nothing better than to wind people up.  There are also a few who do not deliberately set out to shit stir but manage to rile people through their stupidity.   I must confess to having a bite at the person on the PAC facebook page who stated that unhooking gloves are dangerous to Pike and anyone who uses one shouldn’t be Pike fishing, including me.  To be honest I rarely remember to use a glove but I should, to protect against the risk of Weils disease if nothing else.  Of all the things that Pikers should be concerned about I think a glove is a long way down the list, this bloke was just talking rubbish but apparently I “haven’t got a clue…”.  Once a few people had pointed out a few truths to the chap in question he disappeared with his tail between his legs…  Hooks probably cause more damage to fish than anything else, someone will be asking for these to be banned next.

Another thing that I’m finding annoying lately is angling magazines.  Oh God where do I start?  Well let me just blow it all out of the water from the beginning.  The magazines do not make their money from sales, no they rake the cash in through advertising.  The only products that get reviewed in the mags are those produced by the companies that pay for the advertising, therefore nothing ever gets a bad review through fear of upsetting those splashing the cash.  So what is the point of the review?  It isn’t a review, it’s basically another advert!  Furthermore the majority of the feature articles are written by sponsored/employed anglers and are little more than long advertorials plugging their sponsors/employers gear.  Yes there may be some good advice and information within those pages if you look hard enough but don’t kid yourself that the primary function of fishing magazines is to drive the tackle trade.  Then there are the staged photos that I moaned about on the ‘Pike pool’ a while back….I won’t go on about that again.  I can’t remember if it has always been like that or if I’m just older and more cynical now, however I do know that Pike & Predators magazine in particular has become much more guilty of this over the last couple of years.  Since the death of its founder James Holgate, the accountants have taken over and a magazine that was once a good read is slipping badly This is no reflection on the editor Neville Fickling who I’m sure does his best, edits what he’s given and has nothing to do with the new policies.  James’ magazines used to stand out from the crowd, now sadly they’re just like all the rest.