Hadn't read the script

The plan was simple, drop the boat onto a fen river and spend the day trolling lures. By the end I would have caught a boat full of Pike, in fact I would be fed up with catching them so I’d be ready to spend the winter fishing more challenging waters. No problem, at this time of year in clear water twenty Pike to the boat should be a realistic target. Famous last words, the Pike didn’t read the script!

I was trolling downstream by 0700 and straight away it became evident that there was loads of shitty drifting weed around and this was going to be a problem. Although this is hassle it is something we have gotten used to, as long as I can find some Pike, with perseverance I can usually keep the lures working long enough to catch them. I started off with a Dave Lumb’s all time favourite lure, the Super Shad Rap. This was fished on a soft rod, mounted in a holder on a short line so it runs virtually alongside the boat. Usually the Pike have no problem coming up to hit a lure fished like this and it has advantages in a weedy river; I can simply lift it up, strip the weed and get it fishing again in no time. On the rod in hand I fished a Salmo Skinner again on a fairly short line so I can keep getting it to come up in the water.

In previous autumns I could expect a take almost anywhere but with definite concentrations of fish in certain places, just like any other river I suppose? However after an hour I’d covered several hot areas without so much as a touch. I was still confident as I was approaching the area that had been productive earlier in the season. Sure enough, no sooner had I reached this stretch when the rod slammed over as a Pike nailed the Skinner. Soon the first Jack of the day was unhooked over the side of the boat.

Okay, I’d found a fish in an area where I expected there to be a few more, I decided to stop for five minutes, have a cup of tea and decide how I was going to fish from here. For once it seemed that the weather forecasters were right, the early morning mist was beginning to burn off leaving a bright, clear still day. The lack of wind wouldn’t help with the drifting weed however. With tea drunk I decided to keep on doing what I was doing but on reaching the end of the stretch with no more takes I switched the highly unfashionable Salmo for a very trendy Shallow Invader but this also failed to produce. I made another run downstream without a touch so kept on going but as I did so I found the river becoming more and more coloured. I switched the Shad Rap for a spinnerbait fished on a long line, more to boost my own confidence than any other reason. This worked well as the angle of the line seemed to help it avoid more of the drifting weed and I wished I’d changed over sooner.
The coloured water was in yet another area I expected but failed to catch fish from. I decided to keep on going and fish parts of the river I hadn’t visited in a long time. As I travelled further the water clarity began to improve and so did my confidence. The river widens at this point and I was able to avoid the worst of the weed and keep the lures fishing. Sure enough the spinnerbait was taken and Pike number two brought to the boat. A bit further down I received a sharp tap to the rod in hand but what ever it was didn’t stay hooked this time.

I decided to keep on going and eventually I reached an area from which I’d caught Zander before so I decided to put a couple of deep divers on and try to catch one on a lure. I have very little experience of catching Zeds on lures, in fact my tally stands at one and with all the drifting weed around I was soon beaten and heading back upstream for more familiar fishing. Back in the shallower water I switched one rod to a well chewed Salmo Perch and this was taken in the same area I’d caught my second fish. Number three was even smaller and conveniently unhooked itself beside the boat. I covered this area a couple of times but there were no more Pike willing to take pity on me.

Unfashionable lures but the Pike don't know!

I kept on back upstream through worsening conditions. The sun got brighter and warmer, the drifting weed seemed to be growing and the weather was bringing out the part time anglers and it seemed anyone registered as insane was behind the wheel of a cruiser. Despite all this I kept on trying; switching lures and thoroughly covering spots I expected to find fish. At one stage, in an effort to beat the drifting weed I cut the engine and drifted down with the current, casting as I went. This too failed to raise any interest. So my plans to have a nice confidence boosting session, catching a boat full of fish before the hard winter season came to nothing. I have never known this river to fish so badly on an autumn day such as this. Sure the weed was a problem but I should have caught a lot more fish than three!

By mid afternoon I arrived back at the slipway to find it covered with kids fishing who were a little disappointed to have to move so I could retrieve the boat. The whole area was alive with people lured from their homes by some sunny weather; fishing, walking or just watching and I had to put up with all the normal tedious questions. As I was leaving five "hooray Henry's" set sail in a small inflatable, it looked totally unsafe but some people won’t be told. I do hope there are no reports of any tragedies on the news today.

Less than a week now to the PAC annual convention at Stoneleigh, can’t wait!!!

Therapy

I spent most of Saturday organising my fishing shed for the coming winter and for a morning session this weekend. All the camping gear and stuff I won’t be using till the spring goes to the back while the Pike gear comes to the front. The plan had been for a mobile session on a large local stillwater, one lure rod and one bait rod, a nice way to get back into the swing of Pike fishing. However I spent most of Saturday night rolling around feeling decidedly sick and leaking gas from both ends. I awoke on Sunday morning with a head ache as well as pain in the base of my spine and still feeling like I could throw up at any moment. It’s a very rare day when I feel too ill for fishing but this was one. However by early evening I was feeling better and going stir crazy so Isaac and I picked up a lure rod and went for a walk along the river.

Once again we fished the stretch behind the lake and the river looked in great nick with a tinge of colour and far less weed than the height of summer. We stopped for a look from a footbridge at the downstream end of the stretch, there was no sign of the big Chub that usually hang around on this area. There was no sign of anything else for that matter. Undeterred we set off anyway, casting a ½ oz spinnerbait and either buzzing it back over the weed or letting it flutter into the gaps. We hadn’t gone far when a tiny jack shot out from the weed, missed the lure and disappeared into a swirl of water. Isaac gave me a “you’re useless dad” look.

Just about every swim on this stretch looks like it should hold a Pike or two, not to mention big Chub. If that were the case then fishing would be too easy wouldn’t it? In reality, some do and some don’t and keeping mobile is by far the best way to fish a small river like this. We reached a swim from which I’d lost a fish on our previous visit in July. A couple of casts upstream produced nothing then on the second chuck downstream the spinnerbait was nailed as I lifted the rod tip to buzz it over some streamer weed. For once this fish stayed hooked and I soon had it in the net, ably assisted by Isaac. “Cor that’s a biggun” said the dog walker who had appeared unnoticed; “No it’s just a little Pike” said Isaac, quite the expert!

We got to the end of the stretch without any other fish showing an interest. I swapped the spinnerbait for an alphabet plug and we started to retrace our steps. The same small Pike slashed at the plug in the same swim but there was no action until we reached the straight area behind the lake. Here a Pike of about six pounds engulfed the lure and gave a good scrap in the shallow streamy water. Isaac jumped up and down excitedly as I lifted it ashore, I considered taking a quick photo of Isaac holding it but another group of dog walkers were bearing down on us. I really couldn’t be bothered with the usual “Wow that’s big….can you eat them?.....You’re not going to put it back are you?...” So we slipped it back and kept moving.

Just over an hour after starting we were back at the beginning of the stretch again. While I tidied up Isaac charged around on the play area. I felt much better for my fix of fishing and look forward to getting back into the swing of Pike fishing proper.

Just under two weeks to go until the best fishing show of the year, The Pike Anglers Club of Great Britain annual convention at Stoneleigh Park Warwickshire. Four top European speakers and a whole hall full of trade stands catering for predator anglers. This is the only fishing show in the UK which satisfies the predator anglers and is not to be missed. This year there is a bigger lecture theatre and the bar will be better stocked, last time around the bar was drunk dry!!

Nice end to the summer?

For once the sun was shining as we; Madison, Isaac, Nephew Ollie and I left home for another night in Fenland. The A14 has many advantages for a travelling angler but the amount of freight traffic going to and from Felixstowe can be a nightmare. Particularly when a truck one hundred yard in front of my car, blows a tyre and sends rubber flying towards us. Luckily we came through unscathed and the rest of the journey was uneventful until we reached Cambridgeshire. Here we were stuck behind a procession of horseboxes, apparently there was a polo match going on somewhere. I find it amazing that people play polo here in East Anglia, I thought it was exclusively the sport of the upper crust and such people surely live in big houses down south? I certainly hope these people are a lot better at controlling their horses than the dirty great big horse boxes they were driving, they may be rich but they don’t own the bloody road!

After that the afternoon went without a hitch! The kids started catching small fish on the whip almost immediately while I busied myself setting up the tent and getting things ready for the evening. When I had everything ready I set up a feeder rod to target the Bream. I threw out a few kilos of pellets hoping to stop a shoal if they moved through and kept topping the swim out with the feeder. Nothing much happened on this rod but I wasn’t bothered. Ollie was busy filling the keep net so I would have a lot of bait to choose from later. Madison & Isaac were busy playing “Star Wars” in the field, perhaps it was a bad idea to let Isaac bring his toy ‘Light Sabre’ with him. Oh well, the sun was shining, the temperature was comfortable and there was no one around for them to disturb. It made a nice change not having to worry about what weather was on its way, all in all a thoroughly nice afternoon.
Dale arrived in the late afternoon and began setting up a rod for Bream and another for Zander. Meanwhile I fried ‘Vegetarians nightmare” for our evening meal once again. We were treated to another spectacular sunset with colours in the sky ranging from light blue to deep red, time to put a couple of rods out for the Zander! As usual I fished just the two rods, sticking to the methods that had been successful previously; a ledgered livebait with a bait popper cast upstream and a Paternostered live cast slightly downstream. Both baits were cast into the middle of the river, hopefully avoiding the worst of the weed. I did have to reposition the paternoster a couple of times, to avoid the weekend admirals trying their best to disturb us and break the world water speed record.
We had all filled our bellies but unfortunately the fish weren’t doing the same. We had stopped using the whip when the light faded, sometimes a Zander or two can be caught as the light level fades but not tonight and the Bream weren’t showing either. The kids settled down and as night descended we watched a dazzling array of stars come out. We spied a Fox on the flood bank opposite once again, bats pipping and whizzing past accompanied by a soundtrack from a couple of Tawny Owls somewhere to the east.
The sky grew darker, the stars grew brighter and the kids became tired and settled down into the tent. It was a beautiful night, Dale and I uncorked a bottle of wine, chilled out, put the world to rights and generally had a bloody good laugh. Just as I was beginning to feel concerned about the lack of fish, Dale’s Zander rod was away. Despite getting it tangled around my Bream rod and getting in an almighty balls up, we managed to net it. A nice fish of around five pounds and with Dale getting more confident with handling fish, he held it up for the camera with a Cheshire cat grin. Ollie emerged from the tent to witness the fish but his young cousins were well and truly zonked, the combination of fresh air and exercise had them snoring. A nice fish, toasted with another mug of wine!
The night began to grow cold and a mist began to form, once again it was a real pleasure to be out in a wild part of the English countryside. Just after midnight my upstream ledgered bait started to move purposely up the river. I pulled into a decent weight, the rod stayed bent,, obviously a decent sized fish. It proved to be the night of the tangles as Dale managed to get the landing net wrapped around my other rod. Slight panic but soon fixed and a good sized Zander was in the net and soon unhooked and in a weigh sling. At eight and a half pounds it was my best Zed of the season, and it looked bigger in the photos. These came out well, spoilt only by a few pieces of vegetation stuck to the fish’s head. I’m sure the fishing police would be offended by this but better a quick photo and back in the river than waste time picking the weed off.

By the time all was sorted and settled, the temperature seemed to have dipped considerably and the mist was becoming a fog. We toasted our fish, the night, the craic and soon it was the wee small hours and the vino was gone. We crashed in our respective bivvies for the remains of the night.
The rest of the night was uneventful and both my baits were untouched and still kicking when I checked them at first light. It was still foggy and generally I don’t think these are good conditions for fish of any kind. For once the kids didn’t wake early so I took the opportunity to doze for another hour or two. Soon they were awake and demanding breakfast so it was time to break out the frying pan again for another sausage and bacon special. As the sun got higher the fog burnt away, the temperature rose and it was another pleasant day. After breakfast Chris appeared on his mountain bike for a laugh and a chat, as usual he was excellent company.

I packed the gear away slowly as the kids continued to fish a little/play a little/fish a little. At one point Ollie had four different species in four casts; Rudd, Bream, Perch and then a Bleak. Add that to the Roach, Dace and Zander we had caught and that is seven different species. I took some time to point out the species and show him how to recognise them. There are downsides to fishing with kids though. The whip got severely tangled so I had to rig it up again from scratch. One cast later and it was knackered again and I had to repeat the performance. By this time there were signs that some Bream had actually moved into the area with bubbles and the odd fish rolling. Unfortunately we were virtually out of bait but I thought we were still in with a chance. Sure enough the feeder rod trundled off and I handed the rod to Ollie who expertly steered a nice fish of about three pounds into the net.

A nice way to finish what will probably be our last night time adventure in fenland for this summer. September is now upon us and in a couple of weeks I’ll be raring to fish for the Pike. We haven’t had much summer weather this year but we’ve managed some enjoyable, memorable fishing none the less. Part of me is looking forward to next summer already but before that…Pike!

What fishing is all about.....

I hate working weekends and five o’clock wouldn’t come quickly enough. The car was already loaded so it was just a case of a quick pit stop at home to pick up Madison and Isaac along with some supplies then we were on our way to fenland. Thankfully the weather was mild and dry so hopefully the evening would be a little more relaxing than our last venture. This time we were fishing in the company of Dale again and my old pal Giles who was bringing his two year old son Charlie for his first ever night in the fens.

We arrived at the river just before seven o’clock, Giles and Charlie were already settled and Dale was setting up. The first problem was a distinct lack of fresh bait as Giles is rubbish at catching it! With a bit of groundbait Giles started catching more regularly while Dale and I set about tackling up for the evening. The kids were supposed to be assisting with the bait catching while I sorted things out but the novelty has worn off and they were more interested in running around in the field and making a fuss of Charlie. By eight o’clock the tent was up, the kids were settled, the net was full of bait and we were ready to relax. I fished the same methods as last week, a ledgered livebait with a bait popper was cast upstream and a Paternostered live chucked straight out in front of me. The buzzers were turned up and the barbecue was lit.

Another friend, Chris joined us without fishing tackle, purely to socialise and thankfully the predicted showers stayed away allowing us to do just that. We watched the sun set and as the darkness descended, we ate a nice hot evening meal and the children settled into the tent. At this point of the evening fishing really was a secondary consideration, yes we had rods fishing and were tuned in to the slightest beep of the alarms but it didn’t matter if we caught a fish or not. The food was good and washed down with a bottle of wine as we chatted the evening away; laughing, reminiscing, theorising, putting the world to rights and generally enjoying each others company. Now this scenario, four blokes drinking alcohol and having a laugh while night fishing for predators on a pleasant summer evening might raise the eyebrows of some in the PC fishing police. I could reassure you that we were still fishing responsibly (which we were), but I don’t give a stuff what anyone thinks. Fishing is about enjoyment and relaxation and that is exactly what we were doing.
Around 9pm we were interrupted by a take on my upstream ledger rod which resulted in the first Zander of the evening, which would have weighed between five and six pounds. The sky cleared, the temperature dropped and the full moon illuminated the bankside, casting shadows; a Tawny owl was calling and still we laughed and talked. We were in general agreement that these clear, moonlit nights were usually unproductive for Zander. This led on to an interesting debate on whether moon-phases and other things trigger predators to feed and so on. This is what a summer night session in the fenlands is all about for me; fun with the kids during the daylight hours and a chilled out evening. I know it’s a horrible cliché but there really is much more to fishing than catching fish.

Midnight came and went, the wine replaced by a boiling kettle and a hot mug of tea. A bank of cloud came up from the south west, obscuring the moon and almost straight away it felt warmer. We were certain that this change would switch the fish on and rebaited our rods with fresh enthusiasm. Sure enough within a few minutes Giles rod was away and another nice Zander was in the net. This was the first Zed he’d caught for about a decade (for a variety of reasons) so he was delighted.
Half an hour or so later it was my turn again, this time the paternoster rod was away and I pulled into a better sized fish. It thrashed on the surface in mid river and it was obviously my best Zander of the season so far. It was soon in the net and tipped the scales at 7.12, very nice. We toasted that fish with one last cup of tea before Chris headed for home and we disappeared under our respective shelters to get a bit of kip before daylight.
I was stirred by a couple of showers in the wee small hours but the next thing I knew it was six am and an alarm was shrieking. This time it was Dale’s turn at long last and he bent into his first ever Zander. He made short work of getting it in the net and at eight & a half pounds it was the biggest fish, of any species, that he has caught to date. His first Zed might remain his biggest for some considerable time!

After that alarm call the camp slowly stirred into life. The children got up and started catching fish on the whip, while I was in charge of cooking breakfast. At this stage of the morning we had a truly momentous event as little Charlie, aged 2 ½ caught his first ever fish, may it be the first of many!
With a clear sky and bright sun it seemed like the chance of action on the livebaits would be over for the day but at around 0830 my upstream ledgered livebait was snaffled by a little Jack Pike, small but absolutely perfect with stunning markings. I debated whether to pack the rod away but what the hell? On with another bait while I tidied the gear away. An hour later this rod trundled off again. I wound down expecting another Jack but no, not a Pike nor a Zander either. It was a Perch and a good fish too which weighed in at 1.12 making it my best of the season so far, I will have to learn how to hold these things for photos though! Soon the kids had tangled the whip rendering it useless and the gear was all but tidied away.
I’m sure I’m guilty of taking my fishing too seriously at times, especially Pike fishing in the autumn and winter but I love this summer nights chilling out in the fens. It was great seeing the kids running around in the meadow, catching fish and going home with mud on their faces. I enjoyed catching the Zander, Pike and that nice big Perch but equally it was great to see Giles grinning with his first Zander for years and it was lovely to see Dale looking at his fish with an expression that said “did I really catch that thing?” It’s more than half way through august now, the Test matches are over for the year, harvest is well under way and it feels like summer is really on the way out. I don’t know if we’ll have enough time for another night session this year but I hope so.

he best Pike & Predator show in the world.....Probably

This year's PAC Convention takes on an international flavour, with two of Europe's top predator anglers joining a brace of British pikers on stage.
As well as the speakers you can browse all the latest tackle on the trade stands, pick up a bargain on the second hand-stalls, and catch up with old friends and new on what's always an unmissable day out.
So why not kick start your winter campaign with a trip to Piking 2008, which is being staged on Saturday, September 27 at the National Agricultural Showground, Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.
PAC promotions manager Mike Kelly said: "We started planning this year's convention almost straight away after Piking 2007, which was a record-breaking event for the club in more ways than one.
"We knew it was going to be hard to beat it, so this year we've gone for a varied line-up of speakers who share one thing in common - they're all extremely successful pike anglers you'll rarely get the chance to see.
"They all go about their fishing fish very differently, but one thing's for sure - they'll all knock you out with their talks and their catches.
"Michel Huigevoort will be travelling from Holland to share the Dutch style of fishing rivers.
He said: “I grew up close to the river Maas in the south of Holland. And after my very first pike the call of the river and the hunt for the biggest predator never went away."
Apart from pike fishing I like fishing for zander as well. Challenging the biggest bodies of water is what I like most, both in Holland and abroad.
"PA Högberg, from Stockholm, will be outlining his approach to both the increasingly popular Baltic and other Scandinavian waters.
"My talk outline will be the Swedish pike of different types like lake pike, river pike, Baltic pike and sub-groups like stationary pike.
"I'll be covering techniques to catch them. How to pick the right lure. Fishing technique with different types of baits. Rods and reels and how to chose the proper gear.
"Derek Macdonald may be one of the country's best-known lure anglers but he rarely shares the secrets of his success.
"On my travels I have fished in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales even as far afield as Eastern Germany," he said."After a long and winding road, I have managed to reach my Everest and fulfil my dream, catching a monstrous fish weighing over 40lbs.
"Graham Slater is another one of pike fishing's quieter exponents, who has enjoyed some phenomenal catches.
“Thirty years of fishing waters in England, Ireland and Scotland have shaped both the way I think about my fishing and the way I go about it," he said.
"My presentation will details some of my experiences and things I've learned from them, along with last season’s results and how I achieved my most successful season ever.
"Piking 2008 is being held on Saturday, September 27 at the National Agricultural Showground, Stoneleigh Park, Coventry.
Tickets are £12 adult member on the door, or £10 in advance to members. For non-members, tickets on the door are £14, £12 advance, while up to two juniors (under-16) can accompany each paying adult for free.
For advance tickets, send cheque (with SAE...), payable to PACGB, to Mike Kelly, PAC Promotions Manager, 47 Yew Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 0BG.
Parking is free, doors open 9am.

A record number of traders have signed up for this year's PAC Convention.
Some of the top names in predator fishing will be setting up shop for the event at Stoneleigh, Warks, on Saturday, September 27.
They'll be rubbing shoulders with everything from independent lure makers to boat builders - not to mention the lively second-hand tackle and lure stands. Those confirmed so far include
The Tackle Shop, Gainsborough;
The Friendly Fisherman;
Dave Lumb Specialist Tackle;
Sovereign; Zoota Lures;
The Pike Shop;
Piking Brittany;
Esox & More;
Pike and Predators;
DIY Lure & Fly;
Bob Buteaux;
Catmaster; Fishing Pool;
Sea Strike;
Portabote;
Catfish Pro and
Eddie Turner.
PAC promotions manager Mike Kelly said: "Traders have been keen to attend this year's Convention after the huge success of 2008. "We have more interest and, therefore, more variety.
It's going to be a job to pack them all in, so we've extended the hall into the annex room adjoining the Speakers Hall which is also much larger than last year. It's going to be another good year."This year's bill of speakers takes on an international flavour, with anglers from Holland and Sweden featuring alongside two home-grown talents who rarely share the secrets of their success.
Michel Huigevoort and PA Hogberg will be sharing the stage with Graham Slater and Derek MacDonald at Stoneleigh, Warks, on Saturday, September 27.
Click here for more info.Tickets are £12 members/£14 non-members on the door. Advance tickets are £10 from Mike Kelly, 47 Yew Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 0BG. Please enclose a cheque payable to PACGB and an SAE.
Posted by PAC at 9:01 PM

Wet weekend but who cares?

It had been nearly two weeks since I last wet a line, despite a dodgy weather forecast the kids and I were preparing to spend another night in fenland. It’s rare that I go this long without my fix of fishing and I couldn’t wait to wet a line. By 1 pm the car and roof box were loaded and we were all set to go. Madison and Isaac were as excitable as ever and this time my eldest, Shantel, had her first fishing trip of the season along with my nephew Josh. En route we met up with Dale, a work mate who has just rediscovered fishing. An hour after leaving home we pulled up by the river in Cambridgeshire.

As we lugged the pile of camping and fishing gear across the meadow the clouds were looking ominous, the kids began fishing (bait catching), with a whip while I quickly threw the tent up as the first spits of rain were whipped in on a fresh south westerly wind. From then on the weather was wet, windy and generally horrible; i.e. typical British summertime. I worried that the kids, the young ones in particular, would be miserable in the grotty weather but no! When the rain was really heavy they sheltered under the brolly and took turns with the bait catching. When the rain eased to a monsoon they enjoyed their usual routine of running around in the meadow, adding the sports of ‘getting soaked and covered in mud’ to their program. Luckily I packed spare clothes for them. Actually it pleased me to see the kids were not afraid to get damp and dirty and were still able to enjoy themselves despite the weather.

A week of heavy rain in these parts had the river looking spot on, it had risen, carried a touch of colour and extra pace. The kids had no problem filling a net with bait fish; Bream, Roach, Rudd, Bleak and Perch. However the feeder rods we had put out for the bigger Bream were totally unsuccessful. Fishing for Bream like this serves two purposes, obviously its nice to catch some decent Bream and there are good numbers of these in this river. Secondly, I like to get plenty of groundbait and feed into the swim on the theory that this will attract bait fish such as Bream, Roach etc. I believe that this in turn will attract the predators that I am fishing for. As I will be sitting in one place for around twelve hours I want to stack the odds in my favour and do everything I can to draw the fish I’m after to me.
As the light (?!) began to fade I was very confident that the Zander would be feeding as the river looked just right. Our evening meal was a traditional dish consisting of lots of sausages and bacon all expertly fried by Shantel and known as “vegetarian’s nightmare”. After that it was time to get the proper fishing started. I fished two rods, a ledgered livebait with a bait popper attached was cast upstream, in the middle of the river while a running Paternostered livebait was fished downstream. Josh and Dale fished one rod each and stuck to ledger rigs for simplicity.

The Paternoster had only been in place for about ten minutes before it started moving purposefully upstream. I wound into the first Zander of the night, a schoolie but a fish all the same. Ten minutes after the recast, the same rod was away again, the result was another Zander slightly larger than the first. This was a good start but that was the end of the action, for a while at least. In previous seasons, successful Zander sessions had followed a pattern; the smaller fish feed at dusk and dawn while the bigger fish appear in the early hours of the morning. I really hoped that this trip would follow that pattern. The water in this river is usually pretty clear compared to many fenland venues and consequently the Zander are a very vivid gold colour. The bigger fish are really impressive beasts and I hoped one of them would put in an appearance.

The night time was considerably more comfortable than the afternoon had been as the wind had dropped and the rain had dwindled to the odd light shower. We sat around, laughing, we drank tea, tried in vain to get the kids to share their sweets, and Dale and I even had the occasional can of beer, shock horror! For a while the sky even cleared enough for a spot of star gazing. The Zander however were not showing up but as I said earlier this was not unexpected. Between 1:30 & 3:30am was the time, that’s what I assured my companions. As midnight approached, the kids had retired to their tent and I sat dozing in my chair. I thought it would be a good idea to put fresh livebaits on……but then the next thing I knew I woke up and it was 4 o’clock in the morning. I dozed through the ‘hot’ time without so much as a touch. To make things worse, I checked the rods and found both were without baits, bugger!! Had I missed the chance of a big Zander? We’ll never know.

I put fresh baits on and drifted in and out of a dream which included “Girls aloud” and chocolate sauce, before I knew it the sun was up and the kids were stirring. The day dawned bright and clear but the fresh wind remained which made conditions ideal for drying the tent out. As I tidied up the kids caught a few more fish on the whip and tried to get Bream going on the feeder. At 0630 I picked up the upstream ledger rod, turned the handle and was highly surprised to find something fairly large on the end. After a bit of splashing and swirling we had a nice Zander of about six pounds in the net. It was hooked just inside the mouth so whether it had been holding on to my bait some time, or hit it when I began to wind in, who knows?

That was the fishing over with for another weekend; lots of muddy tackle, damp clothing and empty cool bags were loaded back into the car along with four tired kids. Will we be doing it all again next week? I hope so!

Fun in the Fens

0830 Saturday morning, I had just put the kettle on when Isaac bounded excitedly down the stairs; “Dad! Are we going night fishing today?” My kids have been coming night fishing in the summer since they were three or four years old. I don’t have to press gang them into it, they love it! This is great because I’m able to share my passion; show the kids some nature in wild places, hopefully educating them a bit in the process and it also gives me the opportunity to fish for Zander a few times each year. A few hours later, the car had been packed to the roof with gear and provisions for the kids; Madison, Isaac, nephew Oliver and myself. There is a spot I know on a large fenland river, quiet, miles from anywhere, safe and child friendly. We arrived there in the early afternoon to find the gate locked, bugger!

Now that really pees me off because I’ve been fishing that particular stretch for about fifteen years without any problem. Last summer there was an accident on a railway bridge about half a mile downstream. Lots of lifting equipment had to be employed and there was a major hassle repairing the damage, gates were installed at access points up and downstream which was fair enough. Now a year on the work is finished but we are still locked out. It seems some selfish bar steward doesn’t want us to enjoy ourselves on a free stretch of river.

All was not lost, half an hour later we pulled up at another stretch which was shown to us by a friend (Thanks Chris!). It was a very hot, humid afternoon and by the time we had carried a mountain of equipment across the field I was sweating my cobblers off. The kids began fishing almost straight away, using a whip, maggots and a little groundbait to catch whatever swum past. Meanwhile I began setting up the tent, sleeping bags and equipment for the kids before beginning to organise my own fishing equipment. The first rod I put out was a feeder to target the Bream that can sometimes be caught in large numbers on this river. This stretch is lovely and perfect for our requirements with a nice meadow between the flood bank and the river. This area is usually quiet with very few other anglers which has to be a consideration when I take the kids. They are not there purely for the fishing and during the daylight hours they love to run around, explore the meadow and search for the animals, birds and bugs. Another consideration has to be safety and here we have nice shallow margins and I they have to stray a long way to be out of sight. A gravel pit carp fishery would not suit our needs in any way although I must admit I would get a laugh fro my kids winding up the bivvy brigade.

One slight drawback of fishing this river is the holiday boat traffic. As an angler I can fully understand the appeal of a week afloat like that but there are a few things that puzzle me. For example; why oh why do people buy those bloody stupid captains hats when they commence their holiday? Do they really think they are funny? When there is the whole width of the river why do they feel the need to brush the edge of the lily pads so close to where we are fishing? Finally, when there are hundreds of miles of river in the fens, why did that elderly couple choose to moor up for the night virtually opposite us? I’m sure this was a decision they regretted when the kids woke up noisily at 5am the following morning!

As usual setting up the Zander rods and getting everything ready for the night ahead takes all afternoon as I had to be constantly untangling lines, removing weed, unhooking fish and generally doing all the things a Dad does when he takes his kids fishing. Isaac seemed a little bored as the Bream, Rudd, Roach and Perch they were catching just weren’t as exciting as the Pike he’s become used to seeing. Madison hadn’t been fishing since this time last year and I was really pleased to see that being a year older, bigger and stronger she could handle the whip easily on her own. Oliver hasn’t fished much in the past but as the afternoon wore on he got more opportunities as his younger cousins became distracted by chasing butterflies and making friends with horses. It’s not just the fishing that the kids love; it’s the whole experience of camping in the countryside. Not forgetting the sausage sarnies of course!

By the early evening we had a net full of silver fish, plenty of bait for the night ahead and the occasional larger Bream has succumbed to the feeder rod. The kids had become a bit more settled now, either in the tent or sitting on chairs. Isaac drew pictures whilst Madison made a list of all the animals, birds and fish she had seen during the afternoon. Oliver was still enjoying catching fish and I promised him the next bream on the feeder rod. By 8pm my Zander rods were baited and ready; A running Paternostered livebait in the middle, a ledgered deadbait upstream and a popped up live downstream. All we needed now was something with teeth to swim along. It didn’t take long for the Paternostered bait to be taken but the culprit removed the bait from the hooks and made its get away.

I love it when the sun slowly sinks and the sky becomes full of colours, not only does the river scene look beautiful with this backdrop but I feel confident that a fish or two will come on the feed. The kids were still wearing tee shirts but had a heavy coating of bug spray to keep the swarms of gnats away. Luckily none of us are of the Mosquito’s preferred flavour as we rarely suffer from their bites. Some people really suffer but not us, maybe we have tough skin? With sausage sandwiches and hot mugs of tea inside us we watched the sun sink and enjoyed each others company. Gathering clouds prevented any star gazing but Isaac looked skyward and was excited to see the first bat of the evening fly over. The Zander were not playing ball as all I had was a couple of bleeps on the paternoster rod that I put down to an over active bait. However when I wound that rod in the bait had been robbed again.

By eleven o clock the kids were yawning and were ready for their sleeping bags. I switched the upstream deadbait rod for another popped up livebait. I used to feel confident with fresh deads but in recent seasons, all these have produced are Eels so it was three livebaits for the night. Just as I began to settle down it started raining, quite heavily and I dozed off to sleep with the sound of increasingly heavy rain pounding on my little pop up bivvy.

Perhaps ninety minutes later two quick bleeps on the alarm had me wide awake and bolt upright, however nothing developed. I sat feeling very damp around the usual place and unable to sleep, my confidence was draining away. No Zander had put in an appearance and after having my bait robbed twice I was beginning to wonder if I had anything on my hooks. My doubts were shattered when at around 2am the BBBB alarm signalled a take on the upstream rod and I wound into my first Zander of the season which was soon bullied into the net. The kids had assured me they wanted to be woken up if I had a Zander in the net but I failed to rouse them though it has to be said I didn’t try too hard! The fish would have weighed around five pounds, by no means a monster but a first of the year and very welcome.


The night passed slowly with hardly any sleep despite trying to imagine being on a desert island with ‘Destiny’s Child’. However I was happy to witness the silhouettes of a pair of foxes as they stalked along the floodbank opposite. How many people see these things without the aid of David Attenborough on TV? Usually when I fish a night like this I tend to sleep when the sun comes up, which is a bit strange but this time it was not to be. At 5am the upstream rod screamed off, which woke Madison who in turn woke the whole camp and almost certainly the boat moored just upstream LOL! This was another Zander, slightly larger at around six pounds and all three kids were up and out of the tent in time to see me slip it back. There was no chance of anymore sleep now so the kids began fishing with the whip and I made us a nice fried breakfast. By seven o clock we’d taken our species count to seven by catching Bleak and Gudgeon. A little while later the Paternostered livebait was taken, this time a small Pike was responsible taking the count to eight!

By now the sun was up and the overnight rain was evaporating, allowing me to pack up the tent and tidy the gear away. Chris came down for a chat and helped us pack away. We were treated to the spectacle of a brood of young Kestrels flapping about a willow tree. The kids would have gladly stayed a while longer and continued fishing but I was knackered and needed to get away. The humidity was intense and I was glad to pull away with fresh air blowing in through the open car windows. A really enjoyable night and before long we’ll be back again, I can't wait!