Back end

 Through the ‘back end’ most of my Pikey energy had been directed north and I managed to spend a few days on the Broads.  I mostly fished in comfortable conditions, caught a few nice fish and had a thoroughly enjoyable time but it is hard work!  

With the rivers now closed my season is all but over but as usual I had one last trip out in the Suffolk boat with Mr T.  Like the preceding days it was dry, bright and mild and if they hadn’t already spawned it had to be on the cards?  We found fish straight away but suffered a series of dropped takes and bumped fish which is not unusual at this time of year.  I managed to get one almost to the boat before it rolled and threw the herring back at me.  After that it went quiet and it threatened to be ‘one of those days’.

We kept trying and repositioned the boat regularly but this did nothing to improve our luck, I began to wonder if the Pike were sex obsessed?  Things improved later in the day with a series of more confident takes which saw Mr T manage to bring four fish to the boat, the biggest around thirteen pounds and all would have weighed a bit more this time last week.  With time running out my herring was picked up again at last and I managed to keep this one on the hooks, a nice fish of not quite twelve was my last of the season. 

And what a twelve months it has been!  Hundreds of fish of eighteen different species; Pike to 25+ and PB’s for three other species; Smoothound, Barbel and Chub, probably my favourites after Pike. I’ll do well to repeat that any time soon but I’ll certainly try and as long as I keep enjoying myself it matters not.  Now it’s time to have a little break (or will I?), reorganise the tackle shed and get geared up for a few months of saltwater fishing.