Corn fed

Very quick sesh yesterday on Blue Lagoon (an hour from first cast to all in,) 2-3 big ole grains of golden goodness on a #12 spade end over tinned hemp. Lost two tench  but had this little spotty thing. I'll step up from 3.3 Floatfish next time.

Every cast the 2 SSG crystal insert  buried and apart from the three hooked tench a solid roach or an even solider big skimmer or hybrid had the Drennan Waggler rod in a healthy curve.

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Binned off

Quick dash to Golden Pond after tea yesterday and  a big white notice. Shut, spawnung . Quick dash to Blue Lagoon after mid arvo cuppa today, rain. Lots of.  Bugger.

Just as well I'd been out earlier with Littlest 'un for an ice cream in the Charabanc earlier.  This salmon is in Matlaske. Close up it has spots. Might be rust though. I know of a tench and a carp wind vane nearby too.That ash has had it I think.

Harvest mice watching at Bayfield.

Somewhere else.

That was the week that was

Quick commuter stop at a lovely place near Holt before a pre-work proper coffee. Nice isn't it?

Holt is nice too but no fish.

Couple of very frustrating after tea sorties on Golden Pond. Plenty of dips and even proper bites but only two fish hooked on both occasions and both came off. Lots of pre-frisky mudpigs dashing here there and everywhere stirring up the swim and dislodging the float  constantly.

Went for a slightly different approach on Friday and fished off one of the stages with corn over hemp, I can't claim much credit for the two bream I did snare as they both hooked them self and took line off the clutch whilst I was looking the other way.  I also dropped the top section of my old faithful Drennan Waggler rod in the thick silt but managed eventually to get it out.

Saturday was hotter and a mid morning look round confirmed  the mud pig jiggy frenzy had started but I'd been given a mud pig free green light and three hours with an early finish. Sated, the mud pigs had gone of for a fag so the  little corner was a bit calmer but still but  quite bright. I became frustrated by more dips and misses, and another two dropped fish and vowed to change the hook link  after the next cast even if the QM1 felt sharp to me. I over cast, and wound to sink the line and  found myself attached to something that had taken the 12mm Source on the drop. Not big but welcome. The flag iris had been green buds on Wednesday

The sun had been dimmed  to a rheumy muted orb with a lovely halo which seemed to  hasten the resolve of the fish to take a better gob full of the bait and stick on much better. Some less battered than others. I love the deeper and richer sheen of the Source when it's been in the water. A (loaded 4gramme ) Puddle Chucker, two Grippa stops, a couple of #1 shot on the deck and  a 4" pre-tied  heavy hook link with a #12 or #14 QM1 and a push stop.

Rhodos are starting to burst out along with this flag iris and the white lillies

Rather than count I took a piccy of every one that hit the net so the SD card had it as a productive spell by all accounts and could have been even better if I'd been brave enough to make wine o'clock my curfew.

This one was targeted by casting at the bubbles

I'd seen some tell-tale dorsals in the pads and when I tucked the float as close in as I could I was rewarded by this yellow bellied and pink gill covered prize taken on the rod designed for it.

One more cast and a familiar friend on the mat had me heading the short distance home more than pleased with the last hour.

When routine bites hard and ambitions are low

Reading the exploits of fellow bloggers makes me wonder sometimes if I do set my sights too low? Tench for instance. I have three spectacular tench venues within 20 miles of me but I blanch at the cost and the waiting list and certainly the hours. I am lucky in that I can have a couple of hours 3 or 4 times a week close to home or on the way there form work but I haven't seen a dawn behind the rods (or Dawn's crack) for many years.

So, in the Horse and Groom musing over  a Lacons and these fine bar snacks about  which way to turn the wheel, Golden Pond or the Blue Lagoon when some casual homophobia had me  taking direct action with the dinosaurs responsible and leaving in high dudgeon rather than making a sound reasoned choice (about the pursuit of the largest, the direct action was my public duty).

Blue Lagoon then, and a variant on the old one on the float and one on the  ledger (two). I'll get the multicoloured goodies out of the way only because they only resulted in  a string of fresh looking  skimmers that barely bent the 1.5 tc tips. Those low ambitions again......

I laid down a good bed of hemp and some turning maggot/caster and on with a large grain of the golden goodness under a peacock 4AA waggler with an instant response. Not  a Bawburgh monster for sure but the waggler rod had to do some work. Perhaps that's what I seek. Something that kicks back at least? And looks well,  lovely.

Several more and then this solid hybrid as well.  Which, true to form did  have a right go

And as pleasing this lovely roach as well

The resident brownie was enjoying these for sure



So (again)? The money shot or mediocrity? That's in the eye of the beholder I guess and where I scratch the surface others may dig deeper. Happy with this though on this occasion, especially as it was on the float. I did reach for the scales on this occasion too. She just nudged over 7lb with St Peter's thumb print and everything. No swifts or swallows to admire my lucky hat though.

If only...

Back on Golden Pond and as it still looked like rain not the Stages as planned but the more sheltered island and a brolly in case...

I'd just tightened up on the first cast, just like last night and away, this time at  a rate of knots and against the rear drag even before I'd picked up the rod. A mudpig of course and it was disappointing but not a surprise when some tussling on the pads ended up with a slack line. The ready tied  QM1 was  gone, and the Puddle Chucker was bobbing freely, all nice and self cocked. Out with a fresh rig and the Puddle Chucker continued on its journey as I hadn't done the clip up properly. Out again and I had three floats out there which was a bit annoying for a while. Twice the one that mattered dipped and twice  a fish was on then off. Thankfully the next one stayed stuck right to the net. A slightly rough and tubercled feller so a daddy bream....

The next bite saw me drop the rod in trying to strike and I wasn't expecting anything and wound into recast only to find the fish was on and almost at my feet. It powered off too quick for me to slip the anti reverse and the hook pulled. Decidedly tinca- ish.

Two more slipped up before I made a tactical retreat as the Commander in Chief's stay out later didn't sound too convincing and I wanted a longer pass out for tomorrow...

Eyes on the prize....

Catching the red eye

Grey and drizzle all day but a window post-tea so off on to Golden Pond I went. One rod, the faithful Drennan Specimen and Tench 13 footer would be my choce of weapon for a quick raid on the tincas (snotties  not withstanding). The usual Spicy Sausage pellets and a mini Source on the buisnes end. Tightened up to the 4 gramme Puddle Chucker and it dipped and slid to the left, all slow and purposeful. A firm strike to the right and the rods' generous fighting curve was put to good use as I was up and off the handy garden chair and to my right. The pads were rocking and silt billowing up in red puffs as the tench tried it's hardest to reach deep sanctuary. In more open water I could enjoy the surging power more, no giving up and sliding to the net snottie style and that red eye burning  bright as the battle continued in the stink net. This  red eye. In all it's teddy bear loveliness with the softly menacing clouds reflected.

I don't think I'd ever need to weigh a tench from here but always good for scale (groan.....).

I nearly packed up there and then, first cast job done etc but and like the snotties, where there is one tinca, there will be more and for now those softly menacing clouds were holding their passive aggressive payload  in reserve so out with a fresh bait and the next  bite was fluffed completely. No bow waves of panic so out again and this time the kook struck home and another surging dive  then the float was hurtling back towards me like a missile with it's 4 gramme base laser guided towards me. A small silver scale on the point of the QM1, and given the power probably more likely to have been from one of the hybrids than a straight up snottie. By now the drizzle had started but in for a penny in for a pound and I covered things up and slunk under the birch. Another slide away and
boooom, fish on. Another angry tail slapping tinca, this one with a yellow belly and gulping out great gouts of silty water mudpig stylee. A longer variant and the early gloom needing the flash. The drizzle had set in so I upped sticks much earlier than expected but satisfied with my quick red eye sortie. The beauty of being 5 minutes from door to gate. And being able  to wring out every last second if needed before the clarion call of the muezzin summoning the faithful to supplication (wine o'clock).

E's are good

Came across that classic Steve Alcott rave gear front cover and thought I'd take one of my brighter shirts on to Golden Pond today for  a grin and bear it should a bream or tench slip up in the baking heat. Of course these days you should be in the water in your VASS chesties, or crouching on your toes with a hoodie up but pulled back round your ears and always look at the tail or the head and never smiling at the camera.

Anyhoo, I had the customary couple of hours but in the hotter part of the afternoon so wasn't too worried when I saw the stages sown up as the island was free and a bit of shade available. I had some left over caster and the favoured spot  by the pads was just about catapultable distance as well as a sprinkling of Spicy Sausage pellets and some Source minis. 

Everything is so verdant right now and a few glimpses of purple from the rhodos presaging a glorious late May  display once the pads are fully out. The Canada Geese have gone so I'm guessing the trio of goslings was whittled down to none. Deer barking in the pine and larch woods and squabbling magpies. I hear  a quite exotic sounding bird frequently which I must identify, it sounds like it should be in a rain forest. And of course the ever present road noise.

Tactic as ever a Source mini on a short method hooklink/push stop and the Puddle Chucker 4 gramme set over depth  (not hard to achieve in the shallow and shrinking pond). Less small stuff knocking the float but several pike and perch raids. Three times the float dipped and buried rather than sliding away (a noted tench behaviour) so after the initial dash to the pads the culprits (bream) were easier to guide away though I still had to make the dash myself the opposite way to the right.  The heat has bought the spawning tubercles out again

This was an absolute minter of a fish, one of the young guns.

Unlike this scarred old thing. Yes, and the bream. And of course the regulation #carpy green hoodie from Trakker or some such. Not.

Which quickly led to this piss take on Whats App. Such banter lads.

They do like that Source.

Gosling casualty. One less for the pike.

Oi you, stop sniggering at the back

The eels  quite like a caster on the irrigation pond and this bugger liked 3. I thought I'd weigh it and it was a rather nice 1.03. It spent some time trying to dig it's tail in the marginal clay.

Didn't set the world on fire but the best of the other bunch were this chunky hybrid and a skimmer. Both went well on the light waggler gear.

Plaintive cuckoo and a sandpiper as well. And some lovely warm sun..

Tinca, tailor

Yesterday was foul. Cold swirling gale and freezing hands in the hail. Tore my coat and lost a decent mudpig on a hook pull. Didn't enjoy it at all.

By the time post lunch and garden chores done today it was just  a breeze and the sun was out. An hour on a different feeling Golden Pond. This swim has a few more inches of water over the thick slit, I lightened the load with corn and just a #6 shot under the puddle chucker float. Corn and some tinned hemp that had been in and out of the freezer 3 times now.

First cast and a mudpig took a tour of the pads before the hook slipped.Did manage two line slapping tincas though, the first a sedate affair and the second a real spirited old thing. (I'd sneaked out a second rod with a mini Source and was glad of the beefier 5lb bs Float Fish) Mojo returned.

Silt soup.

My very local Golden Pond remains in  a very shrunken state and it's getting a bit of  a worry. I had just 45 minutes on one of rhe warmer evenings and once the bream had found the spicy sausage pellets they were upending and everything.  It's probably 3 feet of silt and not much water in top. I'll try a bouyant bait next time.