Something old, something new.

Something topical. I have an intense dislike for politics and I absolutely loathe the free loading scumbags that are supposed to represent us in parliament. I cannot believe more people can't see through our political system. Every few years we get leaflets through our doors from over dressed twats that we haven't seen or heard from since the last election. We have a load of overfed, over paid tossers making promises that they have no intention of keeping. We know they won't keep the promises, they know we know but still the charade goes on. Politicians are so busy being seen to do the right thing and say the right words they fail to actually do anything constructive. None have the guts to make brave, bold decisions for fear of alienating a section of potential voters. The only ambition they have is to upset as few people as possible and get re-elected. It doesn't matter who we vote for NOTHING will change. None of the political parties represent me so I won't support them. Vote : “None of the above”. Unfortunately my limited experience of “Angling politics” pretty much mirrors the real thing.

The Angling Trust was formed in January 2009 as an amalgamation of several existing organisations with the aim of uniting Coarse, Game and Sea anglers under one political banner. There is no doubt that this is a good idea and such an organisation was long over do. I support all parts of the Trust's mission statement so I why didn't I join from day one? It all goes back to my dislike and distrust of politicians, at any level. As I said above, they have to be seen to be doing and saying the right things and they are afraid of pissing off one faction or another. At the beginning I didn't believe that the Angling trust supported me as an angler who fishes predominantly for predatory fish. The case in point here is livebaiting. If angling is to unite then the Trust has to come out and support this traditional method of catching Pike, Perch, Trout, Eels, Zander, Catfish and a host of marine fish. Recently the Birmingham Anglers Association imposed a livebait ban on its members without consultation. Here was an opportunity for the Angling Trust to front up, make a statement supporting livebaiting and gain the support of predator anglers. The trust, afraid to upset various factions within angling, chickened out.

Instead of muttering and grumbling to myself I felt the need to express my disappointment to people within the Angling Trust itself so entered into a long email dialogue lasting a couple of weeks. Evidently I wasn't alone in this as eventually I received a reply that promised me that the Angling Trust WILL come out in support of livebaiting within the next week or so. If this doesn't happen I'll make the relevant emails public so people know who the politician making false promises is. Anyway, taking this promise at face value should I join the Angling Trust? Eventually I decided I should, not just because of the livebaiting issue, the decider for me was the Trust's involvement in the Broadland dredging nightmare I wrote about last time. People who are closer to the situation than I, assure me the Trust's involvement is a big help for those of us who want to see this madness stopped.

So yes I've put my money where my mouth is and joined the Angling Trust, for one year at least. I sincerely hope that my opinion of politicians is proved wrong. I hope that I'm not disappointed by the organisation and I'm still a member this time next year, once again time will tell. Anyway, that's more than enough politics for now...

When the traditional fishing season closes the “Jobs” season commences. This period of purgatory includes torturous activities such as decorating, spring cleaning, garden tidying and other forms of masochism that I have been putting off since last June. I'm told there are people in the world who spend their free time doing such things for pleasure...but I don't believe it. Anyway I've kept my promises and 95% of my work is done, so now I am able to think about fishing once again, just in time to save my sanity.

Although I've never been terribly successful when it comes to Tench fishing, last season was a new low as I cannot remember banking a single fish. Most of this was down to my own ineptitude but it wasn't helped by me not being comfortable in my surroundings. Where I fish is as important to me as what I catch and being surrounded by cloned chavs failing to catch carp was uninspiring to say the least. This experience was actually a positive thing which fired me up to find somewhere else to fish this spring and summer. Half way through last winter, while freezing my nuts off waiting for a Pike an idea formed in my mind.

The water in question is one I've fished for Pike a few times but that was years ago and it had slipped off my radar. It occurred to me that this place might well tick the boxes, I know it holds Tench as well as the inevitable Carp and it used to hold good shoals of Bream. The water is around six acres in size, in a hollow and surrounded by trees, visually in the green colours of spring and summer it's a lovely spot. It's a syndicate water so not cheap but I don't mind paying a few quid to have peace and quiet while I'm fishing. That's another thing, the swims are well spaced out so no nosey neighbours. Yes I am an anti social git when fishing! I know what species the lake holds but I'm not too sure of the sizes they go up too. In years gone by the Bream were present in quantity with no reputation for quality, nowadays I have no idea. I asked around and the consensus tells me the Carp are few in number but grow quite large. On the Tench opinion is split, some say the place is full of huge fish, others say they are only small. I simply don't know but look forward to finding out.

So I paid my money and now I'll take my chances. The other evening I went round for a look around and took a lure rod with me, not really for catching Pike (honest!) more for checking depths and finding out a bit about the weed beds and the lake bed. The place is deeper than I remember, lilies seem prevalent close in and the bottom didn't seem as silty as I'd been told. There are beds of Norfolk reeds and fallen trees, all in all lots of character and features, the latter mostly in the margins. I'm already pondering what methods to try and where but more of that in the coming weeks. The banks are very overgrown in places and the vegetation will only get thicker as time passes. It's also very damp and boggy which gives the place a name which I will use on here; “The Marsh”. So far, so good. I like it and look forward to trying to find out a little bit about the Tench population and if the Carp, Bream or anything else pick up my baits then so be it. Watch this space...

Walking the Precipice

The River Thurne system in Norfolk is renowned for producing truly huge Pike such as John Goble's monster 45.08 caught in 2009. This reputation goes back decades and the Thurne is arguably the most historic Pike fishery in Great Britain. The Thurne system is unique in many ways, most notably the water quality. Despite being freshwater the Thurne is very slightly saline, enough for Brine shrimps to live thus giving the food chain a boost.

The Thurne system is also an area of outstanding natural beauty, home to many rare species and an internationally renowned haven for migrating birds. As part of the Norfolk Broads the Thurne is also a much loved tourist destination and with wide expanses of water popular with windsurfers and sailors. All of these activities provide a much needed boost for the local economy.

The Broads Authority is the quango charged with managing this unique natural resource and has to balance the interests of all the interested parties. Financially anglers are, and always have been the poor relations compared to the well healed yachting fraternity and the nature facists.
Prymnesium Parva is an algae and like all photo plankton it blooms when conditions are right. However when it dies it releases a toxin that is deadly to fish. Prymnesium needs saline water and a disturbance of the sediment on the river bed also “helps” the algae bloom. The Thurne system has a sad history of Prymnesium blooms and fish kills going back many years.

John Goble   45.08   2009
 
Turn the clock back to the late 1960's. The Thurne system was clear and rich in weed, a fabulous fishery which held vast shoals of large Bream, big Rudd and Tench. It was also an unbelievable Pike fishery producing big Pike in numbers that have never been equalled. The largest was Peter Hancock's fish of 40lbs 1oz caught in 1967, the first fully authenticated forty pounder ever caught in Great Britain. Shortly afterwards the river authority at the time dredged ditches in the north of the system, “coincidently” Prymnesium Parva reared its head. In 1969 the Thurne system was virtually wiped out as a fishery, people who were around at the time talk of the stench of rotting fish. Although fish of all species were killed in great numbers, Pike in particular were very badly affected and it took more than a decade for the system to recover. Since 1969 Prymnesium has reoccurred sporadically causing more fish kills, often these blooms have“coincided” with dredging taking place around the system. In between the blooms the Thurne has continued to produce huge Pike like no other natural fishery.


Now jump back to the present day, a few people racing yachts in the Heigham Sounds area of the system run aground. Anyone who knows the area conclude they must have strayed from the boat channel (which is clearly marked) because there is plenty of depth here for any sensible craft. Immediately the yachting fraternity call for the channel to be dredged, the tail wags the dog and the Broads Authority, with a bit of spare cash starts making plans to do just that. Not only are the BA intent on dredging, they plan to use the old fashioned crane and clam style bucket which will drop as much sediment as it removes. If dredging must go ahead then the suction method would be less risky but that would cost more money!

At this point the local anglers start to get worried and voice their concern to the Broads Authority. Much credit has to go to the John Currie, regional organiser for the Pike anglers club of Great Britain who has led the campaign to get the Broads Authority to stop and think about what they propose to do. John has contacted universities and biologists around the world from Texas to Australia and the overwhelming opinion is “we don't know enough about Prymnesium, don't touch it”
 
At a meeting in January 2010 the BA's representative Dan Hoare gave an informative presentation outlining the dredging plans and fielded difficult questions very well but had to admit that he didn't know anything about the risks caused by Prymnesium. The BA doesn't know what will happen and state they will proceed with caution but once a bloom is triggered there is no way of stopping it. They claim they can't use suction dredging as there is nowhere local to dispose of the sediment and moving it elsewhere will cost money.


A month later Natural England's representative Chris was equally articulate but left the people attending the meeting open mouthed. “NE's remit is to protect the bird life NOT the fish.” Even when it was pointed out that some of the protected birds, the Bittern for example, lived on a diet of fish, NE is still not interested in protecting fish...so the Bittern will have to starve. The dredging is set to take place in the early summer, warm water temperatures increase the risk of a Prymnesium bloom so if it has to be done why not the winter months? NE say they do not want over wintering wildfowl to be disturbed. Anyone who knows the Heigham Sounds area will tell you there are very few birds in the area during the winter.

At a planning meeting the following week the Broads Authorities plans were put before the Broads Authorities own planning committee and guess what? Yes they were unanimously passed. JC was given three whole minutes to speak and his protests were waved away, those sitting on the committee don't even know what prymnesium is! In short, the top people at the BA, the people making decisions and spending toll payers money do not know as much about Prymnesium as a humble builder from Norwich!

So to summarise we have a government funded body made up of unelected officials who made an application to dredge Heigham Sounds to appease the yachting bods. This application was approved by their own in-house planning committee. Corruption??? They ignore scientific opinion from around the world that is screaming “don't touch it!!!”. They ignore the more environmentally friendly (therefore expensive) methods of doing the work. They ignore the fact that this dredging is likely to trigger an algal bloom that could cause the deaths of millions of fish, and worst case scenario, wipe out an ecosystem and devastate the local economy.

The Broads Authority is a well intentioned organisation gone wrong. Too much bureaucracy, too many people making unsound decisions and trying to justify their salaries. They have a history of not listening to other opinions and just blundering on regardless. If the dredging goes ahead and goes wrong those opposed to it will not keep quiet, those responsible will be called to account.

The fight to stop this madness will not cease and the next opportunity for interested parties to voice their concerns is at the Broads Authority public meeting at Dragonfly House, 2 Gilders Way Norwich. NR3 1UB on Friday 21st May 2010. Should be a lively meeting.

Out of it

11/03/10

Three more days before the season ends and the rivers close for fishing. Three more days of free time for me to spend on the water, fishing at my favourite place. I spend a mad evening getting the kids fed and bathed whilst sorting everything for a few days fishing in between. Where to fish? Previous experience puts a few areas in mind and temperatures that have been steadily climbing give me a bit of confidence. However, the place has been rock hard lately by all accounts so I have to be prepared for anything. I think of got a tent/cuddy/contraption sorted but only time will tell if it works? A late night, can't sleep, can't wait to get out there.


I had a take it easy morning, got the kids ready and dropped them at school. They'll be with their mother for the weekend so I have the next three days without responsibilities. All the gear, bait food etc. was ready so there was no mad rush in the morning. I left home just after nine o'clock, driving through light rain and grim clouds but thankfully milder weather. Mid week traffic meant the journey would never be rapid so I trundled along, happy to see signs of spring, masses of snowdrops growing in the woods.

I was on the water by eleven o'clock and taking a bit of a trip, with the wind (was that brown, finch sized bird a Reed Bunting? ), then against, watching a spectacular display by the Harriers along the way before I reached my destination. There were a few other boats about, well it is the last weekend of the season. I had an area in mind but one of the boats was close to it so setting up there was not an option. No problem, I dropped the weights in an area that looked the part and a spot I'd never fished before. It was mild, a nice chop, the cloud was thinning and the rain had all but stopped. Four baits spread out and I was fishing, love it!

A couple of hours later I was on the move settling in to another area where I'd found fish in the past but not this afternoon. What I was really doing was killing time until I could get into the spot I really wanted to fish. This didn't happen until dusk when the other boats left but I was soon settled with fresh baits cast and a lot of chopped bait spread over the area. A pair of Cranes flew noisily high overhead, heading for their roost? I managed to erect a cuddy of sorts. It was a short notice bodge job and looked crap, however it worked and won't take too much fine tuning to get it right in time for next season. I felt confident now, the fish had been here this time last season but has the cold weather delayed things? Time will tell.
Rich arrived and anchored up near by, setting up by torchlight. Not long after dark the cloud cleared away revealing a spectacular splash of stars. Soundtrack provided by Tawny Owls away to the north above the chatter of ducks. After dark I add extra weight and tighten right up, using bait-runners and ET boat biters to alert me to any takes. Tonight there were no takes and by midnight I'd wound the baits in and settled into my sleeping bag for a few hours sleep in the bottom of the boat.


The night was mild and I was surprisingly comfortable and woke before dawn feeling refreshed. First priority was to get four fresh baits out and put the kettle on. I had cricket on the radio too, England battering a weak Bangladesh team. There were already other boats making their way into the area but I was happy with my choice of swim. There was a splash and a swirl to my left, I looked round just in time to see the arse end of an Otter diving away from me. For the next few minutes there were more tell tale signs of Otter activity which is all very nice but it's hard to feel confident of catching when there's a large fish eating mammal around. A while later there was a strange 'shape' moving across the surface, it swam out from the reeds then seemed to change its mind and head back towards the bank. It turned out to be a water vole and I can't remember the last time I saw one of them. All very well but where were the Pike? Should I stay or should I go? I liked the area I was fishing but felt I would have caught by now if fish were about. Also there was the Otter....The options for a move were limited by the amount of other boats about, plenty of other people were out, enjoying the last weekend of the season.

Eventually I opted to move to a spot that I hadn't seen fished so far this weekend which was an area I'd had action before. Straight away it felt right and I was soon fishing four rods again with renewed confidence. I hadn't been in position long when something fishy swirled to my left, has to be a Pike? This was repeated four more times during the afternoon, these were totally different swirls to the disturbance caused by the Otter. Despite repositioning the baits, chopping & changing I couldn't get a fish to take. Oh for a livebait! On the last occasion something large made a deep swirl and displaced a lot of water, I was sure there was a big Pike in front of me. I hadn't seen or heard of anything caught during the day and with fish showing in the area the decision to stay put was easy. As the light faded I heard another splash away to my right. This one sounded different and sure enough an Otter's head popped up. Not good news and sods law saw it come closer and closer, this thing wasn't afraid of me and was quite happy to splash and bubble its way through my swim and back again.

Despite the frustrations I was loving the whole experience. With everything I needed for the weekend stowed in the boat, once I'd left the slipway I felt completely free. For a couple of days I could just do as I please and here I was, fishing my favourite place in the world, watching the sky darken and listening to the night come alive. Anchored up as I was it seemed as if the environment had just accepted me as part of the scenery and the wildlife didn't seem nervous about coming closer than normal. I've never seen Otters(s) at such close quarters before and I should have felt privileged but once I'd seen them I just wanted them to bugger off. There had been no sign of any Pike of any size since they arrived. By ten o'clock my eyes were heavy so I wound the rods in & climbed into the sleeping bag again. Was that big fish about or had the Otter scared her away? Would I have a chance in the morning?

I awoke early again, four fresh baits out and cricket tuned in on the radio. The kettle had hardly boiled when the first boats arrived. I felt confident as the day brightened, was that big fish still around? It only takes one run to make your season here, would I get that run? The answer is no. The highlight of the morning was a Bittern flying close by and once again an Otter put in an appearance. The experience had been fantastic but I knew I was beaten. I moved a couple of times, working my way back towards the slipway but fished without confidence. The weekend had finished, like the season without me getting the one I'm after. I retrieved the boat in the mid afternoon, hitched the trailer and packed everything away for a while. I was about to re-enter the normal world after two days almost completely cut off, as it turned out it took me an equal amount of time to re-adjust. The weekend had been a grueller fish wise but I'd loved every minute and would do it all again tomorrow given half a chance.

I've had some nice fish this winter but not the one I dream about. Happily good friends have done better.Roll on October.

Rain, Ice and Hangovers

For once I had a little time, the kids were with their mother and I had no responsibilities for almost three full days. The previous week had been all rain but by now it was a bit milder although still far from ideal conditions. The plan was to make my way north around midday but the weather was particularly foul and I had a hangover. The previous evening had been fun, company was great, too much food, too much wine and will I ever learn? Instead I slowly and unsteadily got myself organised and set off in mid afternoon. It was still raining but not as heavily now and the north west wind was easing off.

I was on the water by 1730 and fishing, anchored securely in a sheltered spot by 1800. I put three deadbaits out fished on heavy leads with tight lines and 'boatbiters' then settled back in the boat and tried to keep myself dry. Rich was somewhere out there too and we exchanged texts, nothing doing. I sat in my boat which was extra organised awaiting developments and planning my approach for the next two days. Where should I fish tomorrow? I was still undecided, Plan A involved the longer journey and far from ideal conditions. Plan B ? Let's just see..........Also in my mind I was making modifications to the boat, next winter I need more shelter, some kind of cuddy. The rain was annoying but didn't make things too uncomfortable. It was great to be back on the system.

By 2130 I'd twitched two of the three baits back to the boat and recast again. The rain had all but stopped, the moon shone above the thick cloud and it was still a fairly light, if that's the right word? Somewhere to my left something splashed so I recast the nearest rod to where I thought the sound had come from. Could have been a bird but could have been a fish. An hour later I'd had enough so made my way carefully back to base for a late hot pasta supper before crashing out in the car.

Organised

I slept OK despite a cold night and was up early the next morning, anchored up in time to see the sun come up. Rich was back on the water too and had opted for plan A. I went for plan B and we'd keep in touch by text. I put a Mackerel and Bluey downwind and cast a popped up Pollan across. The fourth rod was a bait I hadn't used all year, codename 'the evil'. The early morning anticipation turned to 'what next?' as time ticked by. Rich wasn't doing any better so if I move, where to? I repositioned the boat once but stayed in the same general area then made a second move late in the morning. This time I left the area and stopped some way away in a part of the system I hadn't fished for a good while.
Once again I fanned out four baits then settled back, warm and comfortable in the early spring (?) sunshine. A north west wind put a good ripple on the surface and things looked good. I chilled out and watched the harriers at close quarters as they skimmed the reedline however they didn't look like they were hunting. One soared high then cartwheeled downwards again as if it were flying for the shear joy of it. This bird was joined by another and they wheeled around in what I'm guessing was some kind of courtship game. All very well but where were the Pike? Another text from Rich, nothing was happening where he was either and he was heading back for a lunch time rendezvous. As the time passed I became agitated, it wasn't happening, where next? At a little after noon whilst scanning the floats I noticed something amiss, surely one of them.....? Yes it was on the move, something had picked up 'the evil' and was running straight towards the boat. I picked up the rod and wound down a load of slack line before pulling into a fish which pulled back...for a second or two. Not a monster but needed the net and where there's one there might well be another.

Rich appeared an hour or so later and after a short move we tied the two boats together, cast a couple of rods each and settled down for a fry up. Despite pooling information, swapping ideas, theories and fishing as a team it was the first time Rich & I had been in the same place, at the same time all season. It made a nice change to have a bit of a social for a couple of hours. The blue & white team is happy this season but Rich has definitely been the leading scorer. Sunshine, sausage sarnies, hot tea but no Pike. Time for a move.

We both stayed in the same general area but set off in different directions trying to find fish. I got settled in a spot which enabled me to cover both the reeds and the open water and spread the baits around again. As the day waned the wind dropped away completely and so did my confidence, this place fishes better with a bit of chop. The flat calm surface reflected a beautiful sunset but no Pike. We left the broad just after dark without sign of a fish.


Bootiful

A drive in the car through deserted country lanes with Led Zeppelin pumping out saw two men with red faces arrive at a pub, for a couple of pints and a chat about the day ahead. It was hard going and we felt the fishing was unlikely to improve dramatically the next day. We struggled to come up with any ideas or locations that would inspired us at all. At this time of year the Pike should be on the move but the wicked winter had delayed things. Do we look for the places we'd expect to find them or chose areas where we would be likely to intercept the wanderers? Rich had driven so I had the opportunity to drink too much, will I ever learn? Obviously not. Still it knocked me out and numbed me to the cold but caused me to sleep too well as I was woken by the rising sun the following morning. I emerged from the car feeling dodgy and bewildered but was soon in the boat and after breaking ice in the dyke, out for another crack at the Pike.


I opted to fish an open water area which I felt would give me a chance of intercepting any Pike that might be wandering. A Mackerel and Bluey were fished downwind, a popped up Pollan cast upwind and 'the evil' was dropped off the back of the boat and baited with a load of chopped fish, former hook baits. The day was a repeat of the previous, bright and breezy but this time the wind came from the north. Rich was away fishing another similar spot and so far had nothing to report. At around 9.30 a float jabbed and slid away, it was the rod fishing 'the evil' again. The strike met something solid and pleasing, a nice bend in the rod. Yesterday's fish needed the net and this one needed the sladle too. Hooks out easily, a quick glance at a beautiful spotty fish in mint condition then back she went to grow bigger.


In the net!

This gave me a well needed confidence boost so I chopped a load more bait up and spread it around. Usually I move about a lot but today I decided to stay in the same general area, just repositioning the boat every now and then so I could put baits in places I hadn't previously touched. The day passed quickly, Rich was in sight but a fair way off, he kept moving and searching but couldn't find any fish. I stayed put and didn't fare any better fish wise but thoroughly enjoyed another sunny day afloat. Once again the Harriers were spectacular and for the first time this year it really did seem like spring was on its way at last.


By late afternoon the sun was beginning to dip and the temperature started to fall. I decided to call it a day and get the boat off the water and head home while it was still light. The two and a bit days had been very tough but I would have happily stayed for another two. Time is short now, just one more big effort before the season ends. Here's hoping.

Grueller

Another late start and a tedious journey north through sleety, shitty weather. When's it all going to end? I'm sick and tired of scraping the car windscreen, fed up with snow, ice, sub zero temperatures and slippery roads. It's crappy fishing weather so why bother? I've answered that one before. The journey was brightened by playing Happy Mondays very loud and trying to fathom Ryder's lyrics;

“I can do tricks I can
I'm like a dog with two dicks I am
why don't you tie me to a tree
and have another cup of Typhoo tea?”

My moan of the morning is why the hell do people take the piss and risk their lives over taking on bendy single carriageway roads? Giles & I nearly copped it last winter when some idiot was in a hurry and a work mate had a nasty experience the other day. Today I witnessed more madness but thankfully it didn't end in tears.

Once again it was mid morning before I was anchored up and fishing but I didn't feel I'd missed out on a lot by not having the early morning start in these cold conditions; however I wasn't here so I'll never know. There were three other boats about, two were close to areas I fancied so I ended up fishing what has become my normal starting point over the last couple of trips. I made a pigs ear of anchoring the boat and ended up side on to the wind but it wasn't too strong and this enabled me to get a good spread of baits. Three were fished downwind, while a fourth was cast upwind towards the reeds. The plan was the same as last time out, cold weather the fish won't be moving much. Keep the baits on the move, recast regularly and twitch baits, try to put one close enough to a Pike that she won't be able to ignore it.

The morning was quiet, in fact it was so quiet I took to listening to the sounds of birds. Above the racket made by the ever present gulls I could hear a Woodpecker tapping away, the unmistakable squawk of a Pheasant and a grumpy Heron sounding like a rusty door hinge. I spent ninety minutes in the first spot before pulling up the weights and heading for 'submarine bay', an area I hadn't fished for quite some time. I cast two rods upwind into open water and two more downwind towards the reeds then made myself comfortable just before a blizzard descended. This was my first experience of fishing in such conditions from an open boat and it wasn't the most pleasant part of the day by far. Soon it passed and a weak winter sun peaked through the clouds. I was treated to the sight of a Bittern taking wing, flying across the bay and vanishing amongst the reeds opposite. This is also a spot where the Harriers are guaranteed to come close, whispering death gliding silently overhead.

Snow

As the afternoon drew on the sky was mostly cloudy. Where do I fish next? All I could do was recall places that had produced at this time of year in seasons gone by. But surely in a more 'normal' winter the Pike would have spawning on their minds by now? My third stop was uneventful fish wise. I sat enjoying a little winter sun, watching filthy grey clouds passing harmlessly by to the east. I should have known better. From nowhere the wind strengthened and veered to an easterly, bringing the clouds with it and dumping a load more sleety crap on top of me.


My final stop of the day was another hour of sunshine and sleet showers spent in the area where I'd saved the blank on my previous visit, would it work twice? In short no. I watched the sun set and and fished until the floats, twitched right back to the boat, were barely visible. I packed up with the temperature dropping quickly but by the time I'd dragged the boat out once again I was sweating. Today had been a grueller but whispers on the wind were inspirational...

Cold

More bloody snow and more horrible cold frosty weather. When will it ever end? I've had more than enough of it now. Saturday evening was spent in an all you can eat Chinese buffet restaurant. After several helpings and some booze I emerged barrel shaped. After a late night and a day of cold crappy weather ahead, a visit to a local river and a spot of bank fishing was in order. No sensible person would drive sixty miles to fish from a boat on shallow waters with very little chance of a fish. Guess what I did...

By late morning I was afloat and fishing four deadbaits, lives would have been better but... There are only six weeks of the season left and I have to make the most of every opportunity to fish it, besides, I love it here and don't really want to fish anywhere else. I followed a plan of sorts; my first stop was in an area where I'd caught a few fish but not recently. For some reason I felt I had to give it a go here for an hour, just in case. An hour became ninety minutes before I moved to my second spot. This was where I'd had a couple of takes in the early afternoon last time out, a fortnight ago. The sky was clear, the day was bright and the views were beautiful. But the wind was from the north west and by Christ it was cold. I kept the baits moving, either recasting or twitching them back towards me.  The thinking was; the Pike won't be moving much in this cold weather so I have to put a bait close to them.  Two hours passed here before I pulled up the mudweights once again.

My final stop of the day was in an area I'd been meaning to give a try for some time but hadn't fished so far this season. I cast the four baits and settled down in the bottom of the boat, out of the wind to empty the flask and watch the sunset. Maybe I should have stayed local and fished the river? No way! I picked up the rod baited with mackerel and twitched it back towards me. Was that a tug on the line? I opened the bail arm and let out a coil of line....yes! The float was sliding off. The strike met with a fish but not the hoped for monster, a jack thrashed on the surface before being unhooked alongside the boat. A fish against the odds, that'll do for me today. I'm still managing to find a fish but not the ones I'm after.

I had planned to fish into darkness but it was bloody freezing so after another big sky sunset I fished a while longer, till I couldn't see the floats then pulled the mudweights and headed back. Ice was forming in the slipway as I retrieved the boat. The journey home was brighten by the sight of a large Deer, I'm not sure what species (maybe a Red?) but this thing was a big stag with huge antlers. He crossed the road in front of me with an air that said “I'm crossing and you're waiting” before disappearing into the trees.  It may have been cold but there are some things you won't see sitting in a warm house, unless its on the TV.  A small fix of countryside sets me up for another week of the routine, here's to the next time.

Persistance

Dreams are very strange. This morning my alarm clock interrupted an interview I was conducting with the South African Cricket captain, Graham Smith. He was telling me how he was about to retire from cricket in order to take up a position as game keeper at an East Anglian country estate. I'm not sure how I reached this conclusion as he was speaking Afrikaans.... Dreams are very strange.

An hour in the car gave me plenty of time to think. One thing I don't understand is, when you can see oncoming car lights from literally a mile away, why do people wait until the last bloody minute to dip them? After a month of sub zero temperatures and loads of bloody snow the thaw has finally set in. The rivers I crossed on my journey north had burst their banks and the flood plains were full of water. Surely this rise in temperature will get the Pike moving? But where will they be? I've only been on the water once in the last two months until today so I have no recent experience to draw on. I will just have to go looking for them. It took a while to bail out the boat after all that horrible snow and a couple of days of heavy rain but soon I was on my way.

I decided to start in the area I'd caught a nice brace from last time out and was sitting back comfortably with four rods out and a brew in my hand in time to watch the sun rise in a clear sky. This was the mildest day in nearly a month and with a nice wind from the west conditions looked pretty good. The baits were carefully positioned around the boat and a diving Grebe gave me hope that there may be fish in the area. After an hour without sign of a fish I was pondering my next move. I had absolutely no idea where the fish had been showing up lately so all I could do was think back to where I was finding them in previous cold, mid winter spells in past seasons. With a decision made I pulled up my mud weights and motored off to a place that had produced at this time in the past. I spent almost two hours here, not because I found any Pike but because I became engrossed in listening to TMS on the radio, England lost the test match before lunch on the fourth day. A 1-1 draw in South Africa has to go down as a good result but this together with the summer's Ashes win flatters a team which still needs a lot of improvement. Unfortunately Graham Smith did not announce his retirement either.

My next stop was another place that had previously turned up a fish or two in similar circumstances. This area is a bit deeper than the norm and at times the bait fish congregate here too. I remember the first time I ever fished this spot, a passenger in Richard's boat several years ago now. Conditions were atrocious, it was freezing cold and we were battered by a blizzard and I mean horizontal snow flakes stinging our faces on a strong Northerly wind. Anybody with half an ounce of sense wouldn't have bothered but.... We had just got settled, rods out and relatively comfortable when the wind blew the boat from the mooring and we were adrift. After hastily winding the rods in I discovered my livebait had been chomped and left for dead, that was the only take of a grim but memorable day. Today was much more comfortable but not memorable for any activity from the fish.

Time was passing quickly and more than half the day had gone. Somewhere out there were some Pike and if I could put a bait close enough I was sure I could catch, but where? Two areas came to mind, I hadn't fished either for quite a while but both had turned fish up in previous Januarys. One of these also had the advantage of being quite sheltered so I headed here first, I'd give it an hour and if nothing happened I'd move on again. I cast a Lamprey towards the reeds, a Bluey downwind and a mackerel upwind. Another Mackerel was popped up, cast into open water and twitched back towards the boat.

Half an hour later I was snapped into life by a purring bait runner, I wasn't dreaming, a fish was moving off with my Mackerel. I wound down and pulled into a fish that felt nice but not huge. At this point some plonker decided he could motor between my moored boat and the reeds leaving me no option but to drop my rod and quickly wind in another to prevent it from being towed away. Fortunately the Pike was still attached and I soon had a nice plump fish by the boat. The hooks were just nicked in the scissors so I decided to take them out with my fingers and not bother with the camera this time. My first Pike of 2010, not a monster but in the circumstances I was well happy and decided to stay put in this spot a while longer. Forty minutes later another float was on the move, this time the Lamprey fished on the reedline. I wound down....to nothing and retrieved a tooth marked bait. A short while later another float was on the move, this time a bluey but once again the bait was dropped before I was able to connect. Dropped takes have been a feature here in previous cold winter spells.

There was obviously a fish or two in the area so I decided to sit it out here until the light faded but my baits were left undisturbed. As the temperature dropped I tidied up and began the journey back to the boat yard. A desperately needed fix of fresh air and countryside, and a nice fish to the boat, all was well in my world. After retrieving the boat I had another hours drive home, by the time I got back I was cream crackered. I'll sleep well tonight, maybe this time I'll dream about giant Pike?