Marching on

I carried on visiting my favourite place through February and March. The fishing was hard but I managed to catch a few and loved every minute. And now the traditional fishing season has come to an end, no more visits to the special place for a few months now.

So it's time to look forward to the spring and summer, hopefully I'll have a little more success with the Tench this year and maybe one day I'll lose my self appointed tag as the worlds worst Tench angler. Or maybe not.

This weekend just past I found myself with a couple of hours to spare and just had to go fishing. Well to be accurate I'd had a few too many the night before and prescribed myself a bit of fresh air and a chill out session. The fishing shed was a dis-organised tip, no Tench gear anything like ready to fish with so I picked up my bank fishing kit, grabbed a couple of deadbaits, filled a flask and set off.

Half an hour later I was relaxing in a chair at 'The Pool' with a paternostered Pollan covering the open water and a float legered Herring dropped in the margins, in front of a reed bed. The signs of spring were all around, not only was the temperature hitting a heady 11 degrees but there was blossom in the hedgerows and green buds beginning to show on some of the trees. The first green reeds of the year were also pushing their way up through the margins. As much as I love winter Pike fishing its nice to enjoy the warmer weather and more vibrant colours. Warm weather fishing is so much easier all around.

The fresh air was doing me good, the easterly breeze in my face was keeping me awake and I was starting to feel almost human. It may sound odd but I'd forgotten I was fishing, when all of a sudden I was startled into life by the sound of an alarm, the float on the Herring rod was moving along the margins away from me. I quickly wound down and bent into a fish, for once the rod stayed bent! A decent fish plodded up and down the margins showing no intention of going in the net. She surfaced with a flare of the jaws showing a larger than expected head. Soon I had her in the net, then onto the mat. A nice fish that would have weighed a few pounds heavier pre spawning.

I sat back with a smile and promptly forgot I was fishing again. Sadly I wasn't interrupted by any more bleeping alarms as I enjoyed another hour or so of fresh air and countryside. I couldn't help but be struck by the irony; maximum effort goes into most of my winter Pike fishing and here I'd had a nice fish whilst recovering from a hangover. Maybe I should do it more often?

Weekender

The Pike Anglers club of Great Britain is without doubt a wonderful organisation. Aside from 35 years of preaching Pike conservation and sticking up for the rights of all predator anglers, the club has provided hundreds of anglers young and old the chance to fish for big Pike in beautiful places. It has raised thousands of pounds for charities and it has a great social side with regional meetings all over the country. The biggest social event of the year is the annual convention, not just for the event itself but also the chat in the hotel bar. People of all backgrounds from all over the isles talking about Pike fishing in all sorts of waters. It was through this kind of chat that I got to know Steve and Rob. These guys done most of their fishing on waters very different to the ones we know and love but they loved the same things and fished for the same reasons. Last summer Steve and Rob took my Barbel fishing in a wonderful place and this winter Rich & I had the pleasure of their company for a bit of Pike fishing.

A little different from the norm, waterside digs with boats laid on. I arrived first and had time to go out for a couple of hours fishing and a look around. The weather was grim and grimy and no fish crossed my path. I met up with Steve and Rob and after all getting settled in the digs we adjourned to the nearest pub for a couple of pints and a plate of grub. The food was great, the beer was excellent but unfortunately the music was not quite duelling banjos but it wasn't far off.

Rich joined us the following morning and ahead of us were three days fishing in a wild and beautiful place. The weather was typical winter fayre, with a bit of everythingWe fished long and hard over those days and travelled far and wide. We fished the narrow places, the open spaces, ditches and boat yards. We chucked everything at the Pike but the going was very tough. We did manage to catch a few fish up to low doubles on a variety of methods. The wildlife didn't let us down though with virtually the full set putting in an appearance.

The company was great though, with laughter often echoing out. We talked about the Pike we've caught, the Pike we dream of catching, the places we've fished, the near misses and the disasters. Along with this we talked music, cricket, football, TV totty, moments of sheer lunacy and all the usual bloke banter with the world put to rights once again. The evenings followed the days, banter flowed along with a little booze and lots more laughing. We all planned to meet up again for another weekends fishing soon. So the company, the banter and the setting were all first class it was just the fishing that was under par but as Rob said, we always felt we were in with a chance.

The Broads Threatened.....again!

Last spring I wrote about the madness of the Broads Authority in their plans to dredge parts of the Norfolk Broads. The BA are planning to dredge again this spring and sadly everything I wrote before is relevant once more.

Can I be so bold as to urge anglers to please express their anger to the BA at the contacts below;

Telephone on 01603 610734 or email via the website on http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk

My own complaint read as follows;

Dear Sir/ Madam,

After the concerns voiced by anglers over island creation and particularly dredging in Heigham Sound last year I think it is an absolute disgrace that the BA proposes to dredge further. This is an ecological timebomb that has the potential to be disastrous for the Broadland environment. The BA has been informed of the dangers yet carries on in this gung ho fashion regardless. I find it difficult to find the words to express my disgust at this.

Yours faithfully

Michael hastings

Apologies for repeating myself but for once the message is important. I wrote the paragraphs below a year ago yet here we are again.

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.

Same old....

I typed up something for the blog a few weeks ago and realised while I was doing it that I was bored. The same old stuff; got up early, dreary drive, launch the boat, bit of weather where to move next? If I'm not enjoying writing it then the chances are it will come across to anyone daft enough to read it.

Probably the biggest problem are my self imposed restrictions. Nowadays angling pressure can become so intense, it has to be written in a way that gives little or nothing away, likewise the photos I choose cannot show anything much either. To write it in this way doesn't do justice to the system, the fish or the fishing, so I'm not going to bother. I'll continue to keep a diary purely for my own amusement and I'll occasionally put a few paragraphs up on here, like the ones below.

A nice breeze was rippling the water as I dropped the weights and cast the baits out. The absent grebes in the last spot had set me thinking. If I had no joy here over the next hour I'd go looking for diving birds and hopefully Pike. The cloud had begun to thin and the drizzle was gone. It was turning into a nice day to be out and despite the low temperature I didn't feel at all cold. All I needed was a fish...but where? Where should I make my next move??

My thoughts were interrupted by a ticking bait-runner, a take on a Lamprey! I set the hooks quickly and found myself attached to a nice fish, no monster but big enough to get the rod bent over. She scrapped by the boat but I soon had her in the net. Should I put her on the scales and take a picture? I'd just decided I would when I heard another ticking reel, another take! This time it was the rod baited with a Bluey. With the first fish quickly returned I bent into a second and soon felt the tell tale taps on the rod tip from a small fish. I pumped it to the boat as quickly as possible and soon unhooked and returned it. I got both baits out again and settled back with a cup of tea, deciding it would be a good idea to stay put for an hour.

I swapped texts with Rich, letting him know I'd had a couple and hearing in return that he was struggling. Tea and lunch tasted all the better with a couple of Pike under my belt. Confidence had kicked in, if there were a couple of Pike here, there may well be more. Two Pike within a couple of minutes. Had fish just switched on all over? Would I have caught had I stayed in one place and not moved, or was my spur of the moment move inspired? Sometimes, even when you're catching there are more questions than answers.

Forty five minutes later I was back to planning my next move. I really should do this more often as it seems to be a good way of inducing a take. Once again a bait runner started spinning and a float started skimming the waves! I wound in quickly and this time the rod stayed bent, obviously the best fish of the day. She pulled a bit at the boat but there was no real fight until I netted her, then she went mental. When the foam had cleared off the water I realised this fish was a bit bigger than I'd first thought, nice! The camera did come out this time.

The latest issue of “Pikelines” magazine arrived through the post last week and what a superb read it was too, in fact there wasn't a single feature that I didn't enjoy reading. However there was one article, that despite being a decent read, was spoilt for me by too much naming of waters, but each too their own. The highlight for me was another classic piece by Rob Shallcroft, anecdotal yet educational, an article written from the heart by a passionate angler.

Also featured in 'Pikelines' is a detailed letter by John Watson, reviewing THAT book by Derrick Amies. Watto seems to like the book even less than I do. This follows on from articles written (in self defence)by Graham Booth and Stephen Harper in a recent edition of 'Pike & Predators' magazine, neither was complementary but both were fair in my opinion. This one just won't lie down but the ironic thing about it is, the original horrendous first edition of the book ,which retailed at £35 is now changing hands at more than ten times that to collectors! The mind boggles.

Tough

I took a slow drive listening to news from England's cricketers down under. This was followed by a mixed CD of sounds from my mis-spent youth. As I neared my destination I narrowly missed a lazy Muntjack crossing the road in front of me. Soon I was there and loading up but my departure was slowed by an ignorant individual who jumped in front of me at the slip way then took an age. Usually all is good and sociable here but there's always one...

I was soon afloat and settled for a spot I'd done OK in this time last year. I'd hardly got the mud weights down when I heard the sound of an engine. The boat that had held me up at the slip appeared and began to anchor up close by. Too close in my opinion so I set off again in search of peace and quiet. The area I eventually plumped for, was one I'd caught fish from in the past but not one of my favourites. I put four deadbaits out then settled down to wait . I poured a cup of tea to help wake myself up and smiled. Today I had a plan and it was good to get back out on the water.

I kept twitching baits and covering the water but wasn't really happy in this spot. After an hour the I'd had enough so ventured out into open water, eventually settling into the “stump” where my confidence was boosted by a breeze from the north rippling the water. I spent about ninety minutes here, a little mist was coming and going, as was the wind. I had another short move to an area new to me but this too failed to produce anything of note. My next stop was scheduled to be a favourite bay but when I entered there was a boat in the spot I fancied, yes it was “him” again! Oh well! I'd made up my mind that I would spend a bit of time in a part of the system I rarely fish so decided the time was right, do it now!

On my journey it became apparent that there were lots of anglers about, more than I'd seen all season. I eventually anchored up at a spot that had been very kind to me in the past. I fished a Mackerel and a bluey on the near reedline, chucked a Lamprey into the open water and set a Herring to drift under a float then sat back to enjoy the peace and quiet of my surroundings, only the sounds of bird life to disturb me.

My plan was to stay in this general area so after a couple of hours I pulled up the weights and had a short move, fishing with similar tactics. Rich appeared in the late afternoon, he was late due to spending a bit of time catching bait and kindly donated a couple to my cause. As the light began to fade I had a decision to make; where should I spend the night? I had two choices in mind, one was a spot I'd fished before, the other was totally new to me, I opted for the latter. As this was a new spot for me I spent a bit of time carefully casting a float around to find depths and weed etc. I was settled in just before dark; A mackerel cast towards a point in the reeds, a popped up herring chucked towards the weed in a bay, a bluey and a paternostered livebait fished in open water.

Just after dark a moderate wind blew up from the north, clearing the cloud and allowing the stars to shine out, however the temperature was dropping fast. Rich was tucked into the reeds a couple of hundred yards away but reported an otter was disturbing his swim so was planning a move. I lay back in the boat and vegetated for a while. I felt very tired but tea and sausage sarnies reinvigorated me. I thought about the swim I was fishing and repositioned the baits, covering what I hoped would be ambush points. I really liked this 'new' area and was feeling confident.

Time past and my confidence proved unfounded, by midnight nothing had disturbed any of my baits and I was thoroughly knackered. It was time to wind the rods in and get some kip. As I began to drift off I reflected that day one hadn't gone to plan but I hatched a plan for day two. The conditions might be good for trolling at first light, lets see.

The night passed, I was cold and uncomfortable so slept fitfully. I was wide awake long before dawn so recast fresh baits and woke myself up with a brew. I fished here for an hour then decided it was high time for a move so quietly left the area. A fresh wind had blown up in the early hours so trolling wouldn't work for me today. When settled again I had a slight change of tactics fishing a paternostered livebait upstream and allowed a free rover to cover the swim in front of me. I fished a mackerel and a Bluey on the near weedlines then settled back for breakfast. This was interrupted by a take at long last, something had snaffled the paternostered livebait. I pulled into a fish but felt minimal resistance. A very small Pike was dragged to the boat where it opened it's mouth and spat bait and hooks back at me, the little bugger. Oh well! I spent ninety minutes here then as more boats began appearing, decided it was time to leave.

In mid morning I rendezvoused with Rich again. We anchored up side by side and spent a couple of hours searching the water around us with live and deadbaits. There were lots of Grebes about and we thought maybe we had a chance of a fish but it was not to be. By lunch time we'd both had enough and tidied up. It was great to be back and an enjoyable couple of days but the system had beaten us again.

Bluster & luck

At long last we've had a week of milder weather without snow, ice or frosts. Most waters have been fishable for about a week now, those not prone to flooding that is. This was my main concern as I made ready for another early start. Car loaded; tackle, engine, bait, food, clothing, everything ready the evening before, all I need is a decent night sleep... As usual I slept fitfully and it was a struggle to get out of bed when the alarm went. Six weeks away, what would I find when I get there? It was hard to feel confident.

The roads were clear and I sped along quickly, forgetting the bloody speed camera until too late??? Or was it?? I got to the boat yard in plenty of time but then had the task of bailing out six weeks worth of rain and melted snow along with a few running repairs to the trailer. As I had made slow progress getting ready I decided to get the boat sorted and organised before heading out into the wild. When I left the shelter of the yard the wind hit me full in the chops and the waves threw the boat around. I had a wild journey with drizzle and spray hitting me in the face but it was good to be back.

I eventually made it to my destination, an area selected from previous experience at this time of year. It looked like I might have stumbled on to something as there were a couple of other boats in the area. Normally this would be a cue for me to head off somewhere else but with no better idea coming to mind I decided to stay put. I used the normal methods of carefully positioning deadbaits around the boat, hoping to make a nice trail of oils, smells and other gunk which the Pike would find irresistible. Conditions were uncomfortable, cloudy but mild with a fresh to strong south westerly wind and a little drizzle early on. Not nice weather to fish in but normally good for fishing at this time of year. A little over an hour later nothing had happened so I decided on a short move upwind. Here it was more of the same. I was struggling to get my head around things, struggling to come up with some kind of plan to put a Pike or two in the boat, feeling out of sorts again.

By late morning I was on the move again. I couldn't get comfortable getting battered by the wind and didn't feel confident either. I retreated to a relatively sheltered spot which is also a pretty consistent area throughout the year. I was glad to have moved because the wind was increasing making this spot little more comfortable than the first couple had been. Then I heard the lovely rhythmical purr of a bait-runner, surely that had to be a take? I picked the rod up and began winding down, something just didn't seem right as I bent into...nothing. It was at this point that I realised the mudweights had pulled free and I was slowly drifting, by which time two other bait-runners had joined in.

By the early afternoon I was feeling a little deflated and despondent. The wind may have been making things uncomfortable for me but these were decent conditions to be fishing. Having been away from the system for so long I had no recent experience to fall back on. Looking back to previous seasons hadn't worked for me today either. Time for another move but where? The was a spot I've been meaning to try for a long time now but for whatever reason I just hadn't got around to fishing it. Today it was extra appealing as it would give me a good deal of shelter from the battering wind. It would be quite a journey to get there but once there I'd not only be out of the worst of the wind but my journey back to base at the end of the day would be considerably easier.

After a white knuckle journey I was settled and fishing by 1340, enjoying a bit of shelter which actually made a hell of a difference to the comfort level. If I didn't catch anything here, at least I'd learn a little bit more. After about fifteen minutes I was treated to the very welcome sight of a fish swirling close by, surely a Pike? I had a mackerel popped up off bottom close by so carefully twitched this back to hopefully cover this fish. However when the bait runner screamed out a few minutes later it was another rod, this one baited with a Bluey. When I first wound down the fish felt decent but the curve in the rod straightened out and the tell tale head shakes transmitted down the line told the story. Not a big one but a Pike none the less and the way things had gone today I was grateful for that!

I re-baited, recast again and recommenced fishing with renewed enthusiasm. A couple of fresh baits were cast into previously untried water. Just over an hour passed and as the sun began to descend I had another take, this time on a mackerel. The strike put a proper bend that stayed in the rod as a clearly heavier fish kited downwind. I soon had it close to the boat where it powered up and down a bit before I drew it into the net and it was only then that I realised that the mudweights had slipped again and the boat was drifting. The hooks came out easily and normally I would have got the camera out for this one but that wasn't a priority at that time, getting the boat under control definitely was. She was a nice fish, long and surprisingly lean but showing signs of a previous capture in the recent past. All too quickly she was returned and I set about getting the boat anchored securely again.

I felt chuffed that after six weeks away I'd managed to find a couple of fish, it had been a hard day but I hadn't given up. However, if it hadn't been for the weather conditions I may well have never tried the spot I ended up catching from, you have to make your luck. That was the last action of the day and as I packed up with daylight fading the wind too seemed to be subsiding. Still it was a relief to get the boat back to sanctuary and begin the long process of getting it out and sorting everything. After that follows a ninety minute drive which will see me arrive home knackered. I'll repeat the procedure at the first available opportunity.

Motivation

It's the New year and I haven't been fishing for weeks. I was so bored waiting for the cricket I ended up brightening this blog up. I'm kind of getting itchy feet but at the same time I'm struggling to motivate myself to get off my arse and go out into the cold in search of some fish. It occurred to me that the last time I fished was before the Ashes series started and now here we are, the series is done and dusted with an England win. Now the cricket has finished there is one less thing to occupy my mind so motivation increases again. I have a bit of time this weekend but all the local stillwaters are only just showing signs of thawing after a few nights where the temperature has stayed above freezing. Tonight we have another frost forecast so the chances are they'll freeze solid again. I might find open water if I put some miles on the car but just can't be arsed to put in that amount of effort when I know I'll struggle when I get there.

There was a time when I'd have spent the last few weekends scouring the countryside looking for fishable water. These days would inevitably end up in a struggle but most of the time we'd find a fish or two and very occasionally hit jackpot. Like the time the 'Big fella' and I travelled up to the fens. The river we'd planned to fish was rushing through, carrying all sorts of debris down with it. We drove on to another river which looked better but didn't inspire any confidence. We ended up setting up on a drain where we were confident we could keep our baits anchored in one place while we chilled out for a while if nothing else. Out of the blue an alarm sounded, the 'big fella' dropped onto a 12+ pound Zander! In hindsight although the conditions weren't great for Pike but were pretty good for Zeds. Other than that I struggle to recall another day when things went quite so right.

Despite all of the above I'm also sure I could have caught a few fish had I been a little bit more open minded about where I fish. Now cabin fever is looming I've been racking my brains and realised I do know a couple of venues where I would have had a chance of some decent fishing in recent weeks, had I been able to get the timing of my visits right. Back to the old catch 22?

A few days have passed and during this time the temperature has slowly risen. Driving around I've noticed the first signs of waters thawing out. Forecast for today was for a high of 10 (yes ten) degrees with a fresh westerly wind. After six weeks of Arctic weather, stillwaters will thaw and the Pike will feed. It's a great time to go fishing and I had time to squeeze a short morning session, somewhere.

I couldn't get my arse out of bed too early but managed to make my way to 'The Pool' around 0745, happy to see that for once there were no other cars parked up. I wanted to fish an area I hadn't tried before, a small point which would allow me to move rods about and keep covering water. I was sure Pike would be feeding, it was just a question of finding them. As I walked down the path the lake just didn't look right....it was still covered with a thin sheet of ice! Bugger!! Or words to that affect. What should I do now? I scanned the lake and noticed what looked like a thin strip of clear water on the windward bank. My choice of swim was cut to one but at least it was a spot I'd caught from before.

By 0800 I was fishing. I legered a buoyant smelt and float legered a Herring head. These were cast into open water and twitched back towards me every now and then. I also rigged up a lure rod using a Replicant which I fished deep and slow. This was cast around every now and then, in between and around the bait rods. The morning was a stinker, dank and murky with light rain but it was mild with a fresh westerly wind. Good conditions for Pike fishing in my experience, especially as the icy lid was only just beginning to lift.

The wind was doing a good job of breaking the ice and after an hour about 1/3 of the water was clear, giving me more scope to cast and search the water. After another half hour even more water was clear but I still hadn't seen sign of a fish of any kind. Conditions were good, I may not know much about this lake but I knew I should be catching fish. I switched the float leger to a paternoster rig to keep the bait away from any debris as I twitched it back towards me. This was cast about thirty metres to the edge of the receding ice. The other rod I just dropped at the bottom of the marginal shelf to my right. 10am, I should move but where? The area I wanted to try is still frozen but there is another swim now clear in between, should I give it a go? I picked up the lure rod to have a few casts while I pondered the decision...

Out of the blue came the sound of the BBBB alarm, surely not a take?? My lure was cast nowhere near so that ruled out one potential calamity. It was the margin rod which I picked up and wound down putting a nice bend in the rod. A decent fish plodded up and down the margin but was soon bullied into the landing net, my first Pike of 2011 and clearly the largest I've caught so far from this particular water. A nice lean fish in good condition with unsurprisingly a sprinkling of leaches. I took a quick photo then slipped her back. A fresh smelt was dropped into the same spot then I sat back with a cup of tea. I only had an hour left so decided to stay put.

That hour passed quickly without any further action then it was time to pack up and get back to the madhouse. My motivation is back and I'm fishing again!