For those of you unfortunate enough to have spent time on the bank or in a boat with me you'll know that I'm a messy bugger and with that in mind I went into Angling Indirect and bought a lovely grey bait waiter, or to you and I a tray with a 3/8 BSF male fitting. First thing I did on arriving on the hallowed turf of my water for the day was take it proudly out of the large padded unhooking mat I carry stuff in and the tray was soon threaded onto a small bank stick and pressed into that hallowed turf to as a tidy for my bait boxes and to act as a place for my bits and as a rear rod rest. Said bait boxes filled with hemp, corn and feed pellets and bugger. they were too small for the spaces Peter Drennan and his Chinese workforce had cunningly pressed in to a little part of the world's plastic mountain, and only compatible with his bait boxes. I had worked out that it wouldn't have been any good for lovely round green Efgeeco ones with those white lids or lurid orange octagonal Guru ones but anyhoo, back on to the hallowed turf in a heap again.
A slow but steady start with corn on the more functional #12 wide gape spade ends I'd also bought with skimmers and net-needing roach that was livened up by this pound plus snig.
I have a terrible habit of winding in before striking as the Essex Scribbler and Shanus know only to well and therefore usually have the anti reverse on and the rear drag set when on the waggler just to give a cushion on the strike before flicking the reverse off to force me to just strike. I also have an unforgivable habit if moving shot up and down without loosening it first. so when the float shot away much quicker on the drop and the strike met a fierce fast moving resistance the inevitable happened. Oh well, mudpig , Bure Boi 0. At least it wouldnt be towing a +4 Ronnie Rig everywhere.
Never pleasant though and happily rare, even with my gumby hamfisted ways.
I was perhaps better prepared the next time the float buried and was able to flick the switch and get the Drennan Waggler rod in to it's fighting curve and the mud pig I thought at first became my hoped for target a very determined tench that made much use of the open water in front. Nice hump but to my untutored eyes a slacker or at least not swollen belly and protruding vent meaning spawned out? Lovely custardy orange/yellow belly at that.
The patter would be a few roach, skimmers or hybrids then another tinca and often on the drop too. I felt more confident with the 3.3 line straight through given the expanse of open water and no thick weed and really enjoyed the bend in the rod.
Not sure if I've ever seen a white edge to the stump of the tail fin before
Tea called for, and just brewed when this male thought he'd join the break. A most uncarpy stove and mug.
Strange orange colouration and the more common for here blackspot on this smallest of the day roach. The blackspot seems only to affect the roach and bream (and hybrids thereof) in here, as well as the chub and dace also in the nearby river.
I did reach for the right condiment....
Scales out for this bigger fish and they stopped just on 5.09.
And scales also needed for this speedy but thickset eel which took line as well as the tench had which I found most unusual. A very solid 2.10. I have lost my eel whispering skills so mat and net shots only.
Did break out the grin and bear it with my last and biggest tench of 5.11, another that I'd have thought could have been heavier. Dorsal on that....and another St. Peter thumbprint, this time on the cheek.
.
Roach and tench are the two fish I'd never tire of catching..
And to top it all off a post prandial double dip pass out for a raid in Golden Pond and in the gathering gloaming for another two lovely tench, caught to order tucked up tight up to the pads. No enjoying the bend of the beefier rod and 5.5lb line until they are well clear of them. Proper hit, hold and up off the seat to the right and slightly more open water.
