Ice cream Saturdae

Quick trip to Sheringham and an ice cream for the little un's and the London Bois .

They loved the David Barber murals

I liked the brutalist municipal shelters

Back on the Pond..again

Haven't been fishing properly this month save a sinusitis shortend attempt so Sundsy's pass out was gladly accepted.

Had wondered about opening up a new front along the increasing sets of pads to the left of Stage One but rain forecast so scuttled across to the Norwich bank. Level has dropped more, probably not more than a wagglers depth in places so slack line leads and indicators on the floor.

Forecast rain never came despite the brooding grey ahead. Swans must be nearly on starvation levels now given the lack of any subsurface green this year  just the sight of a catapult or bait bucket has them scooting across the pond. No loose feed in at all today cos of them and subsequently the bubbles never joined up to indicate any serious concentration of fish. Save the commotion of a mud pig picking up a prawn and ploughing onesidedley through the pads.

Further commotion from the black death machine that had croaked in on an unfriendly wind, you can fence out otters but not cormorants. Hope it is banished as soon as possible. Swans didn't like it either. Carnage ahead in the shallow weedless water. Perhaps the cygnet and gosling munching crocs with heads much too big for their bellies will sort it out.

Only two fish troubled the ridiculously small net, one a solid if battered rudd x bream hybrid of about 4 lb

And a smaller headed pike also on a banded 14 mm pellet.

Nights are now drawing in, fancy perch on the river and I'll put a whip in the car for a smash and  grab up in the horn of plenty of Zanderland. Work have put off the notice of severance of contract for a month  or so with lots of ifs and buts, meanwhile I've been all but exiled  up to the wilds of Westest Norfolk. Half hour lunches on the move  will be grabbed chasing nature's Autumn bounty either from drain or hedgerow. Silver linings and all that.

Wot u looking at?

Big old Corfu Cricket..

Holidays are coming

Tribe Bureboy have been in sunny climes, on an Ionian Isle,  more tales of dreadful driving, lovely beaches and the joy of air con to come but here is a taster..

You dont get that sort of sea off Cromer..

That is why we go on holiday surely?

And what a view to wake up to.

Albania is on fire

Big forest fire over the Ionan Sea on a high ridge. Populace heading down to sea level. Ever present danger in tinderbox conditions.

I do love a little tinca

Tidy up before Tribe Bureboy depart for sunnier climes.

Steamy, muggy and humid.Weather here of late.Had been on a mini spread a day amongSt hideous things such as PVA mesh and drilled halibut pellet's picked up a pair of buzzers and batteries for 14 quid. Not the travel rod I'd gone in for but never mind. Sent packing after tea in light drizzle, just past the water towers nd sound of something dropping off the car. The buzzers I'd laid out the roof whilst opening the boot. All retrieved with some road rash.New boy Tim had been on Stage 2 since 4 this morning so headedover to the Norwich bank and the Big Gap. Why have blue leds's?Apart from that not too bad but must keep an eye on the thread  damaged by contact with the road on one buzzer.

Bream, rudd and roach quite active over the pellets, once I'd shood the swans away and apart from totallIing the damaged net handle enjoyable evening.

Saturday and ordered out whilst Commander in Chief packed the bags. Off toMorston via Wells and an ice cream at Salthouse.

And an hour on the Pond for this lovely tinca on the waggler.

Mud pig

Saturday's sortie to the Pond taught me to cut the crap and fish to features, or at least spread  my corn in one or two tight patches. I didn't and only managed these two contrasting bream.

New boy on the Pond was doing the above and though he had a stack of hook pulls had  a corking afternoon next to me on Stage 2. I did get  a hand sized rudd on a bare hook....

Good to see Ronny Ronaldo come second best to a moth on Sunday night.....


Monday after tea and a pass out after a monsoon like downpour and I headed out on to Stage 2 with one plan in mind, fish one rod (prawn under a waggler) to the lillies. Not the cauldron of Saturday but a hint of movement in the pads. New pair of swans on the pond and not yet clued up to loose feed, but as in close attendance  a few exploratory casts with out extras. For the last couple of years I've been fishing the lift method, partly to get the bait down through the rudd and also because fishing to small patches of clear water over a lot of hemp. This year weed  minimal and have been able to get fish going on smaller quantities of corn, and just put two dust shot down to hold still in the shallow water.

The dearth of weed is shown by by the newbies search in the pads and the marginal growth for food. Perhaps they'll feck off soon. X marks the spot

The first exploratory cast to the lilly fringe saw a sailaway and thinking rudd pleased to get a bent rod in response to the strike. Nice  clean and bright fish of about 3 pound. Two more sail aways (roach and rudd) and already thinking I'd run out of prawns before  I had a chance to get a few mixed pellets in

Put some shot down to cut down  the interceptors and to maintain some yardage as not over casting and winding back to sink the line but decide against it for aesthetic, not pisatrorial reasons. Got some feed on the deck and some sporadic bubbling began. Bit more battered this one, and showing signs of a second spawning with tubercles breaking through.

Double dip and glide away. Into the pads. Tinca?. Hold firm with the Drennan 13fter  maxed out and change of direction into the open water in front. More determined lunge into left hand pads. Size 8 Owner and a whole load more grunt than a size 14 Barbless Specimen. Flash of lighter belly as it ploughed into the silt then then that tell tale line pinging off the dorsal. Mud pig then. Over the drawstring and two hands needed to lift onto the mat.

What a corker.

Fairly long but solid,with flanks of burnished copper. Coral tinge to lower tail lobe and  a mahogany head. Just over 11lb  and a joy to behold. No grin and hold it for this one.

Just time to soak in the dipping sun then home. It's always several shades darker on the Stages due to the woods behind and back though the trees past the two gate houses the light shifts up several notches.

Just bits.

I've realy really found it hard to knuckle down and apply myself to my fishing over the last couple of weeks. I 've caught, but in dribs and drabs and  tonight I even turned down the opportunity to go fishing. There's aways tomorrow though..

After my last trip in chocolate brown water and that bite off the river had fined down a touch, not enough to reveal the weed which made finding a good trot difficult and the float wouldn't sit right for most of the time. Had decided to feed  corn, hemp and mash which looked good going in but didn't set the world on fire. Only managed a couple of dace which did twist and turn nicely in the flow.

Sunday and a trip over to the Wensum Valley and Sparham Pools. I'd had a look just before the season opened, the landowner pondering on how to remove on of the big oaks from a swim  had remarked on how few tench had been caught in the last couple of years.  A tench bubbling close in in my favoured spot gave me false hope...

The place is  clearly receiving little attention and with levels up two  swims were under water and the oak across one so choice limited. Fed the bottom of the deep near shelf and the bottom of a bar with very little indication or interest. Sporadic bubbling and only a few indications of any mouthing of the corn on the bar rod.

Did have a nice steady take for this lovely roach of about 12oz, and another bite off, this time to a banded pellet was my lot.

And I stood on my new landing net handle...


Monday and I fell in the Yare whilst on a lunchtime fish spot and slunk home to get changed..

Tuesday and a very short session on the Pond,  with only an hour or so possible decided to fish two rods to double my bubble. Didn't really help but did get a reasonable bream with a suggestion of two tones and a lttle thickness across the back.

Just how old are these hooks?

Yesterday found a lovely group of urban roach and skimmers in the middle of Kings Lynn and didn't fall in. I will be back. Allowed out again for a short trip and took a drop shot rod for a trundle on the river. Back to clarity and a couple of nice brownies in the mill pool being pursued by the yoot. Down by the bridge and a steady take to an orange thing. Clear water, great view of fish fighting. Really strange playing them on an 8' rod  but in the onion bag, a nice little pike to avoid the blank. The yoot is a nice chap, really into his micro jigs which he was using yesterday to catch gudgeon.

 Now, to find a decent travel rod to pack for Corfu.....
 

One man's meat......

River only just in it's banks and brown as proper tea.

3rd swim down, and the 3 droppers of meat must have done their work..

Large chunk of meat, size two hook and an ounce of lead. Tap, tap and steady pull round. Several strong chubby surges to the marginal growth, line cutting through the surface and the fry gathered in the slacks scattering. Don't come off, don't come off. Which of course it did. Bite off? Which increased the chances of it being a pike not a chub but I'll never know.


Dad and lad on the ressie capturing a magnificent tench with an exquisite orange belly..

Valerian, Valerian

Another vague suggestion at a lyric in the title.

Aldeburgh jaunt.