Dr, Dr, I have a terrible affliction...

Dr, Dr, I have a terrible affliction. I can't pass water.... Well sir, you are of a certain age, I'll just snap  on these examination gloves.. No Dr, you don't understand  oh lummee  wasn't expecting that, really Dr, I can't pass water without stopping to have a look or get the rods out..

You know how it is, half an hour to kill, the leaves turning brown, the smell of maggots in the air. I ran the 5AAA avon through a new glide, just pleased to take a break and it not to be raining. First trot and the float stutters and vanishes, a decent fish that I will swear wasn't a pike, just didn't feel like it, despite the hooklink parting just above the #16 spade end.

A swagger of small, vividly coloured perch and  a couple of dace.

And obligingly on the last trot of my allotted half an hour gamer resistance and this better perch graced the net briefly. Do daddy perch have prostrates? I very much doubt it.

i must have my perch head on

Fancied a breather from the trotting to keep my mojo fresh so headed for a local pond for a couple of hours on the waggler. Maggot not as hectic as I'd hoped, but it did turn up a few, wait for it, perch! Not caught that often on here so a dozen or so was definitely a turn up for the books. A few bubbles so on with corn, and of course a juicy dendro, and along with some decent skimmers a couple more perch, then this bigger one. Not quite in the same league as it's recent river cousins but still pulled  the string in that jagging way that they do.

And as the church clock struck six, with the float barely visible it slid into the gathering darkness and boy was my string pulled by this very determined tench. It's been mostly males this summer so nice to wind the tenching season down a notch with this female. 

Perchtastic

I had a plan and it worked this time. Driving the Little Uns  round the coast in the murk and rain I thought I might not get out later, but like the sun I did. In fact the bub and braces and hoodie were a tad warm as I set about catching some bait. I was intending to set about perching you see, and these were just about small enough (though perch do have big gobs).

Standard perch set up, 11 foot Avon, 6lb line  a 2 swan chubber /loafer and a light trace to a 1/0 Aberdeen. Worked the near margin, no joy so  over to the far cover and half way down the float stopped,  bobbed once then sped up before disappearing. Sadly so did the bait as I wound down . I sent out a fresh bait and the float disappeared as it hit the sweet spot. Fish on then off but I did get  the the bait back, scuffed and  dazed. I moved down so I could the bait back in the bite zone and this time the fish, a small pike did stay on.

Near margin and blow me the float bobbed and shot away. A more jagged fight  and stripes in the water and a lovely perch was in the net. A Linda Lovelace deep throating  perch , all 1lb 2oz of it. Spit or swallow? Looks like one of those Billy Big Mouth Bass wall mounted toys.

I'd done what I set out to, and went out with the lighter trotting rod and double red maggot and what a good choice that was in the increasing gloaming. The perch were hungry and put up a lovely fight on the 15 footer  and pin, using the flow to their advantage until I wore them down. Here are the better ones .

And the biggest of the afternoon at a porky 1lb 15oz 

Back with chopped worm and caster I think.

Just one roach (such a different fight to perch), well over the pound but the 3 metre net handle got stuck as I shipped it back to get a better angle on the mat for a photo before weighing and it flipped out and away into the river. I said fuck quite a lot, to no one on particular except the attendant cows coughing behind me.

Nearly man...

I  had it all worked out after seeing a no rain forecast. Graft early doors, listen to Yates on the radio box, stop for  a well earned posh coffee then an hour on the river. 

Rain mostly all morning. Coffee earlier than expected, very nice but 3.25? Deli a bit sparse too but if you like beans....

Pulled over by one of the village ponds that abound round the Birchams to listen to Chris Yates Reading the Water on  Radio  4  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000ncn6  

To the river, portly piscator by mill pool resolutely keeping schtum on how he'd been fairing, not even a sausage proffered.

Rain begins, shelter under tree  brief break lovely rainbow.

Discover my estimate on quantity of maggots left  was about as accurate as Chris Grayling's grip on public money, Sparse baiting in two or three glides bought bites in everyone at least in between more  tree sheltering. I did have a bigger than normal strand of silkweed taken by a pike on the retrieve but it soon let go.

Next time....

Out and about

Little piscine activity to report but just to keep things ticking over....

Autumn walk at Blickling Hall. Used the fishing car park, can't be doing with this pre-booking nonsense the National Trust has got itself into. No spontaneity left. Seriously asking myself if it's worth 150 quid a year anymore. Fishing looked  dull and wet (after I'd taken this). 

No fly agaric or conker pics this year so far but this is a start anyway

    Man's great folly

 

Soon be going to work and back home again in the dark. 100 miles a day. Before work business driving. These little stops help. 

 

Prodigal Son is training in to work every day at the moment. No conductors or ticket barriers. Free travel and almost empty trains the one and only benefit of (not) lockdown Britain.

On it like a bonnet

Friday and I'd had enough of endless video calls. Off to see Mr Pharmacist for his snake oil remedy and  back home to collect an Avon rod and a tub of worms, then down to the river. Jolly chap with wicker basket and crow quill avon float, shots strung out like shirt buttons. No syndicate ticket though. Where does it say I have to be a member? On that gate you are leaning on...oh. He did slope off tail between his legs.

Lots of water in the pool and a small slack well over, so 2x SSG on a short link and  a couple of worms on a size 8 and over we go. Quiver  nods as the shots find a slight hold, then lift to ease them to the next holding spot, jag jag on the quiver and instead of the expected perch a chublet was twisting and darting in the flow. All Billy Big Balls bravado and swagger even at this size. 

No more chublets  but a couple of small perch then this cracking rudd before the rain set in for good. No matter, head cleared from work so all good.

Saturday and I thought I'd search for a couple of sit and trot spots for future reference so headed up past the floating boom towards the road bridge and a deeper, sheltered straight with one slight dog led and a decent depth. Narrow and busy path and not much casting space, especially with a 15 footer, but in  a couple of spots enough to swing the float out. Double red maggot on a  size 18, a  steady flow but lots of tiny dace that just drifted down with the bait in  that flow, with just a slight increase in the pace of the float. Bumped  a better fish a long way down the trot just above the dog leg so moved down and quite soon into better dace, and the odd hand sized roach, beautiful in their autumn garb.

One that felt a lot better, hugging the near margin and keeping deep. It turned over the net, brilliantly coloured, drawing a gasp from an appreciative kayaker had a waters eye view of the whole event from bite to net  a mere paddle away. It was a lovely gold and red hued perch, all spiky dorsal, humped shoulders and a fat belly. Just like Crabtree said it would be..

 

Another quickly followed, a bit paler and a shade smaller. Watching them on the way in and rolling at the net out that recent lost Fen monster into perspective. It had been a goliath of a perch alright.

One last roach and a trip ending tangle in the gloom and rain set me homeward, head buzzing with perchy plans before I get my pike head on .

Craw daddy

Saturday was minging, had half an hour on the river for some dace before it poured again but did find some nice deeper runs for another day.

Sunday minged too but I did take the Little Un's to catch some crayfish on classic crabbing tactics. Bacon it has to be they told me. It worked. Out Two Terriers way it's mitten crabs. Now they are big, mean critters.