Summer

Summer is well and truly here but I’ve been unable to spend the long pleasant days by the waterside.  At times fishing has to take a backseat, mostly for the right reasons but not always.  I’ve not really fished at all since the Ashes series started but I have soaked baits on three occasions.

Shelley and I sat in the boat, on a broad on a sunny but breezy day in early July, with TMS on the radio we listened to England bowl the Aussies out at Cardiff and take a surprising and delightful 1-0 lead in the series.  We also chucked a couple of feeders around with maggot or corn on the hooks and managed to catch a few fish; Roach, Rudd and a few skimmers.  It was a lovely day out all round and one we planned to repeat…

 We missed the Lords test match because we were otherwise engaged at the Latitude festival having a thoroughly mad and wonderful time.  Since them things haven’t gone to plan although the cricket has been enjoyable beyond all expectations.

I didn’t wet a line again until the second day of the fourth test.  I wandered round a couple of local pits but didn’t find any clues so ended up putting one rod into a gap in the weed, this was maize fished over a couple of handfuls of hemp.  I sat back under cover hoping a fish might find it but all my concentration was on the radio as the England bowlers hammered more big nails into the Aussie coffin prior to cremation.  When the play finished for the day I went home, for once just fishing wasn’t enough.

By the time I fished again the Ashes were safely won and I felt the fishing pull again, on a slow circuit of the pit I managed to find some Carp.  They seemed to be moving about in the weed and I was able to fish a couple of rods in clearer areas which I baited with particles, fishing maize and fake corn on the hairs.  A PVA bag of hemp was hooked on too.  There were definitely fish in the area, I had managed to get two baits in place without spooking them, it was just a case of sitting back and waiting for one to have a feed, hopefully…  So I sat back and watched the water, scanning the water for a clue…  Was I bollocks, I had my head in a book and let the alarms do their job, which they did a couple of times but they were only liners.  As the evening deepened there were fish in the area and they did move over my baited spots but they didn’t pick up my baits, as far as I know.  I enjoyed a couple of hours of fishing therapy and I’ll have need for more very soon.