Saturday 22 February 2020

Head and tail.

First time out for  a while and despite the hoolie blowing no rain was forecast (unlike tomorrow) so made the most of the afternoon. Far too windy to trot and probaly for the tip as well so out with the pike rods. Spring is springing, blackthorn is out, a skylark was up and these harbingers of warmth and their fiery nettle companions coming through for an unwary palm.



On to the long straight to leap frog down the near margin, too windy for tips up today.


A sardine head was first to go on the left hand (upstream) rod. An angry  tailwalker, leeched as you'ld expect with the recent rains and big water. Unmarked, with a pot belly (roe?) and a primrose mark on its right flank. Decent fish but not one to break the scales out for.


Out with with the remaining tail of the sardine in the same spot  and I'd barely set the baitrunner before a fish was taking line. No acrobatics but a game battler all the same and a little smaller than the first. A bit of  a pod on this one too along with the attendant leeches.  Love the long snouts on the fish on this part of the river.


No more from that spot so edged down to the willow at he end of this straight. Thinking about a last hour on the cheesepaste despite the wind when the sardine tail tucked into the cover was away, with the float heading away to the far bank at speed. A much more stubborn, powerful fish but not one making dashes for the cover, content to slug it out in the healthy pace. Different gravy as they say but in the outstretched net with no last minute drama. Heavy to get up the bank and with a decemnt depth to the flanks but no real length, 16ish I thought and the zeroed Korum's eventually settled at 16.09. Defintely carrying roe this one. Didn't think the self takes would be that sharp given how much the cameras was moving on the bank stick in the wind.



The flow was increasing, no doubt due to sluices being opened with the day of rain to come and I had done what I set out for so made for home, rather than the next set of chubby bushes. Plenty of VAR calamities to look out for on MOTD  tonight.

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