Surf's up.

Yesterday's big offshore hooley had blown over to the forecast almost nothing this morning and instead of the waves being blown back on themselves the swell was crashing into Walcott Wall even on a dropping tide.

The busy rebuilding of the devastated clutch of single storey, often pre-fab dwellings was well underway but the spray from the top of the tide had  cleared the road and showered their frontage and this was without a strong onshore wind to power the sea landwards. This is all that holds back the sea. The behmoth Bacton Gas terminal which may at times be bringing in 10% of Britain's gas can be seen as the next headland before the Mundesley and Trimingham cliffs in the far distance.

No crock of gold today

Saturday. Judging by the debris in the roads today any fishing would have to be away from trees, and given the wind not over to the far bank, rather down the edge with rods low. Enthused by Two Terriers recent 20 headed for the straight just above Buxton Mill. The deeper channel is down the near bank and give the waves crashing up the length when I got there that was just as well. Strong but steady flow and coloured.

I'd only been there a short while and the heavens opened. No brolly and no waterproofs. I don't know who was wettest, me or the dog walker who appeared out of the hail, shortly followed by this lovely rainbow.

Despite some leapfrogging down the stretch I had no takes and was off the river by 5.


This short stretch threw up my best days piking on the last day a few years back now. I'd started up by the church in quite a sharp frost, having a pug of about 9 lbs in the first swim.  I'd worked down the length, with only one more dropped take and nothing from the usual banker big bend swim and by 11ish settled on the straight, opposite a large willow with the plan to fish till about 1, have a pint in Buxton then finish off on the chub below the mill through to dark. Fish started to  come soon after the first cast:, at one point as I was playing a fish back in the second float started to move upstream and I was playing these two doubles at once.

The icing on the cake was this big old croc, ready to spawn, possibly why there were so many fish in such a small area. 23lb and my biggest fish only bettered last season with I caught at 25 and then back down to 23 after spawn below the mill.

I'd only just got a mobile then, and The Essex Scribbler had to endure increasingly excitable texts as my tally increased, having already suffered Shanus snagging a 20 elsewhere whilst he sat at work. Instead of chubbing I ended up in the Recruiting Sergeant and fishing above Horstead Bridge as I could then walk rather than drive as I had had a couple to celebrate rather than the planned one and finished with several more smaller pike. A day to remember.

Wak n Roll

Tidying and found this CD which I don't ever remember receiving and certainly not playing....

Gave it a whirl on the way to Saino's for an upgragde wine (not from LIDL today) and this is what I found.

Strangers in the Night, Saxon.  Somewhat of a surprise
Warm Leatherette, The Normal.  Very early Human League
The Story of the Blues The MightyWah. Of it's time. Not Hey Joe though
24 Hour Garage People, Half Man Half Biscuit. Genius in moderation
Parklife (live), Blur Footie warm up anthem
I had too much to dream last night, The Electric Prunes. Self explanatory
Waving Flags, British Sea Power. Swelling, stirring stuff.
Run for Me, Richard Hawley. Didn't even have to open Lyric Search to work that one out....
Baby, Please don't Go. Who knows? Not the Muddy waters one. Bloody good though
Down by the River. Neil Young, not Al Green. Genius anytime and in any quantity
Martin Newell, John Cooper-Clarke. Wivenhoe Anti-BoHo and Salford sharpness
Aisha, Death in Vegas.Rather frightening to be honest
Tank Park Salute. Billy Bragg. What you hear is what you get

Many thanks The Essex Scribbler, it's pushed Eek-a-Mouse out of the cd player..

The book? A ride and walk up the Colne from Lee-over-Sands to the Ridgewell Brook by Ken Rickwood. I would not imagine any of these would be on Ken's thoughts as he traversed the 42 miles of North East Essex life spring. My old stamping grounds.

Wind-up

With no footie and another short-notice pass-out decide to use up the last few deadbaits in the freezer, no chance on the rivers with all the rain, sleet and hail so a very short trip to Captains. Level up and unusually coloured. Problem? There has been some weed clearance, a very short man spends half the winter literally up to his neck in the water talking out lilies, I suppose to sell on (water level high enough to top his head at the moment) and I think Hell Bent Logan has been running his impressive weed clearer through by the look of the floating weed piled up in the windward margins but  even so with level so high hard to see any resultant gaps to fish into.Wind  squally and variable  so decided to fish the Norwich bank rather than the stages as they were very exposed. Gave me an opportunity to watch and listen to one of the group of buzzards that roost in the plantation and rhodo-scrub.

Nothing took a liking to the sardine I halved and despite the wind I decided to head round to the stages for the last hour. Surprised how much pond weed was still present and just how strong the wind was and just how much the wind was swirling around.. The staging itself was quite wet and it didn't take much hesitation to reel in before the hour was up. Put a few of the remaining deadbaits in a couple of spots on the way round to the gate.

Should have I chanced the river?

That's torn it..

We won't be heading down the A140 today then...

Rain stops play before it begins, 8.30 pitch inspection failed

http://www.cu-fc.com/news/article/070214-pitch-inspection-called-1345710.aspx

Pressure drop

Glass in the kitchen is reading 29.5. Wind is accordingly strong and sky strangely clear. Quite a lot of water dumped resulting in a very coloured but not particularly high river. Not sure if chubbing was the best plan in retrospect. Skirted past the successful swim from last week to search a bit further down. Thought I'd fished through quite well but no bites at all, not even on a last half hour smelt.

A very brief lull in the very gusty and strong wind

The first of the season renewals dropped through the letter box today. Will be able to opt for a no extra cost fly permit for the stretch from 1st April through to 30th September. Do fancy some nymphing. That's a brownie in the mill pool (1st left of this group of 3 fish).

Not a bad little pool to search through on an early spring morning with a 6#. Not sure about the claimed sea trout though.

The eye of the storm

Last weekend's outing had whetted my chub appetite,  not withstanding the news of a good fish of the stretch in the week. Despite the rain the river was well within it's banks and much clearer than I had been expecting. Into  the boily swim, and with a little more lead presentation much better. Worked hard to search the swim but no indication from a fish.

Dropped into next spot, which was the dace aquarium from last week. Fished  quite a good sized lump of cheese paste which had matured a little over the week. Kept the same lead on as the bites last week had come on the crease down to the edge of the  trailing fronds  rather than tucked into the bank. First cast  and the tip did the classic two jags then into a healthy curve. Strike resulted in thin air..perhaps the point  hadn't pulled through the water hardened paste? At once thrilled by the chance of what clearly was chub take, and painfully aware that the chub on this stretch can be quite serious fish. It was 3.40 and I had been fishing since 3. Decided on 10 more mutes in the swim before  the next move, getting dark just after 5 now so a couple of swims to get into.

Decide to flick the anti-reverse on, with a little clutch to hopefully connect better with  next take. Also held the rod though still using front rest to give a slightly quicker response to a take. Which did not take long  to materialise. A more pronounced jag and then pull and in truth it was probably pricked already but the anti -reverse measure worked and I was into a fish, which by the darting fight was probably a chub.Once it bored to the near bank and made for a small tussock I was sure it was a chevin  and sure enough a silver/gold flash confirmed it. The rod, a Des Taylor 12 footer does  not transmit much feeling for some reason and it is quite hard to gauge size by pull etc but at the net a deep flank was a good sign. In first time and it was clearly going to be over 5 as I pulled it up on to the bank. The size 4 was well in the mouth but not in very deep and came out with the slightest of pressure. Slightly protruding lower jaw and quite a small head but apart from a red spot  above the ventral fin  a very clean, plump fish. Into the placcy bag and the Waymaster's read a very healthy 5lb 9oz.

Probably a better barbel hold than a chub pose but that's quite a healthy size paddle.

Decided to drop straight into next swim which is a longer glide with a more even paced far bank area and lightened down to 2 SSG on the link. I was studying some bubbles in the far bank glide which actually started to move and missed  another take.  Not sure what was moving under the surface but an otter didn't exit so possibly a water vole. Certainly some fish movement too and I have my eye on it for a sardine next time out. This swim actually would suit trotting very well so that's another plan hatched. I thought I heard some fast jets rumbling over the coast, unusual for a weekend but a flash and it was a winter thunderstorm approaching.

Heading back to the car in the increasing rain headed round the bend onto the meadow below the mill and it suddenly felt very mild, despite the rain. Must have been in the proverbial eye of the storm. The light show was rumbling round the valley  but almost as suddenly was lighting up the white weather boarded mill frontage and the storm was right overhead. Felt a bit exposed out there holding a wet carbon rod.. A huge crash and what felt like tons of very cold rain was dumped on me, and simultaneously setting off the car alarm and it was with some relief I was inside and tuning into the final minutes of FA Cup 4th Round day.

Danish blues

Saturday was bright and blustery, but with a lot of rain promised  for today and  an unexpected afternoon pass out I dropped in just below the noddy gauge train bridge at Buxton. A small bucket of mash deposited in 4 likely looking swims I settled down with a cup of hot chocolate to watch the white painted  tip of a Des Taylor 12 footer take on  a pleasing arc. And begin a dance of gust aided twitches and judders. Would have been a lot worse on the long cyanide straight above the bridge. Either way, nothing decide to sample the cheese paste.

Next swim a very tight spot that in retrospect was just too boily. At times I think the bait was probably just under the surface rather than tucked ever closer into the undercut bank as in my imagining. I have had pike from this spot so more lead next time. Did have a couple of indications of interest though which always quickens the pulse...There were also indications of plenty of dace moving in the far bank eddy and a couple of more trouty  type slashes at something coming off the river.

Next spot down I had jags on the tip from the first cast. This was on quite large lumps of paste on a 4. It seemed that were certainly plenty of dace down there and I mulled over  toughing it out with much larger lumps of paste and hoping a chevin would have something left to go at or scaling down to at least get a hook into a fish, but the smallest hook I had was a 10. I chose this option for some reason which with further retrospect was  a compromise too far and ended up with lots of activity but nothing on the bank and the light had gone and my curfew was calling..

It really hasn't become winter yet despite it being the 19th of January today but when I first started back on the non-tidal Bure in the early 2000's you could have fished down large sawthes of the river with flake in the winter and almost guarantee that it was only a chub  or a hungry pike/stupid brownie that would move the tip but the rebirth of the river now is evidenced by just how many spots do have plenty of varied year group dace and roach and it's a good problem to have to consider using larger baits such as meat to be more selective. The chub are still there despite the otters as early in  the spring the Environment Agency  survey showed a good head of chub up to a very good size from this beat.

Back to today and in my weekend perambulation stopped off at Stalhnm Staithe and two older  chaps turned up, second job after setting up their octoplus type seats was unfurling the obligatory white towel to drape over their knees. A further tour round the boat yard and somewhat amused by the unshipping of 14 metres of very expensive looking pole for a roach that was at the most an inch and a half in length, straight to the white toweled knee....

Easing into 2014

First outing of the year today. Had considered chub, and frozen pastry/blue cheese ready but on top of a lot of rain  glass is rising and first hard frost for a while and clear blue sky, and biting wind. That, and the inevitable quagmire footpath meant pike instead.

Crossed the Ant at Wayford Bridge but no sudden urge to pull in so onwards to Stalham Staithe. For once, fishing virtually from boot of car had a certain something about it. A couple of hours to work some deads around the quay headings. This duly done. One sharp rap on tiny joey being inched back  under one of Essex Scribbler's poly balls  to show for it. That and the scuffed, puncture marked if only...

The two chaps either side of me had some of the usual on the pole, ever present white hand towel as de rigeur

 Elastic and take apart to hand. Ended with his intended skimmer  as a bonus

Flicktip  to hand. 3-4 lb to show for his work

Reading material

Still got this little lot to look forward to:

Best settle down with a bottle of Pedro Ximinez and some strong cheese (saving some for chub paste).