Autumn

Over the last month I’ve spent most of my fishing time in my boat at my favourite wetland wilderness. The mild autumn has made this a very comfortable, enjoyable experience and from a fishing point of view it’s had a bit of everything. Nothing stays the same, the system changes, evolves through the seasons, this means it’s always interesting. The Pike always make us work but when they come the reward feels greater for that. 

I love fishing in the autumn, every species feeds hard but I can’t drag myself away from Pike at this time of year. Enjoy the novelty of mild weather Piking with the countryside still wearing a green coat, before the cold days come. 
It’s been so mild that many anglers have trotted out the old “too warm for Piking” line. Most of the people who tell me this rarely fish for Pike whatever the weather but there are Pikers out there that believe this too. This soon gets forgotten when the trout reservoirs open their doors, nobody gives back their Chew ticket if the weather is too warm… Talking of which, this place is still turning up whackers and I’m still content to be a vaguely interested spectator. Good luck to all with tickets.


Here’s some photos…


First of the season



Cranes



Big sky sunset



Catch the moment



Looking for lunch



Too big for bait



Still looking



Only takes a second



Home

Kick in the teeth

As many people will only be too aware, eighteen months ago myself and many other Broadland anglers were angered that ill-advised dredging work was allowed to take place on the Thurne system. “Coincidentally” an outbreak of Prymnesium Parva followed, leading to a large scale fish kill. Just how many fished perished will never be known but I know the affected area well I can report that its Pike population was decimated. The BA finally switched its methods of operation and thankfully there has been no repeat. In the past few weeks that area shows signs that silver fish at least are returning in numbers, good signs. Sadly the Thurne has been hit with another disaster, one that man was powerless to prevent.

On Thursday 10th there were unusually high tides combined with strong Northerly winds. These in combination allowed the salt tides to push much further up all the broadland rivers than would normally occur. Early on Friday morning, many fish were seen dead and dying on the incoming tide, bizarrely most of these had sunk within an hour so the true extent of the kill will never be known. From experience we know that dead Pike are rarely seen, they just seem to disappear. As ever some of the Norfolk Pikers did their best to move fish and generally monitored the situation, reporting back to the EA who also did their best. Unfortunately their efforts were a drop in the ocean; as said, man was powerless. Thanks and well done fellas, you know who you are.

My own Pike fishing this autumn continued where I left off in the early spring; it’s been tough, challenging fishing in spectacular surroundings with one or two rewards along the way. A bit of good luck and a bit of bad but thankfully no disasters, touch wood…