Back to the perch pool

Went back for the perch today. Once I'd caught some small enough baits I put my faith in the circle hooks and after two definite missed perch takes (descaled baits) hooked one chubby but small perch and 4 pike, this the biggest. I packed up early as the poplars were shedding branches in  the rising wind. And no mud bath.

Mudlarks

The stalker of the marshes and creeks invited myself and the venerable (older) Bully down to cash in on the return of the mullet and bass in numbers to his local haunts armed with a bag of rag and static fly gear. Coffee and yarns over we set off to the local mark to fish to the bottom of  the ebb for the bass and to see if the mullet would turn up in numbers for later. I'd forgotten my rod rest (Loafer had bagged his favourite seaweed encrusted old piling) so made do with this finely whittled bespoke rest that he had fashioned. The rod didn't stay on it much as we had schoolie rattles from the off on the rag.

I really, really hate estuary mud and the Loafer was pressganged into landing and unhooking half a dozen or so so bass for me. This was the best of the bunch.:

He did refuse however to have anything to do with this decent eel. He absolutely hates them.

Bully was off doing his own thing and became the first proper victim of the ooze, much to our merriment. Victim number 1

Eventually my under gunned Puddle waggler rod  gave up the ghost with a satisfying crack so I became a spectator for a while.

Described later by Guzzagog as a hungry fecker Loafer can't usually sit still or settle into a rut. He tried  a baited spinner, a trotting rig and his most successful method was touch legering way over to the far margin.

One time he does stand still is when employing the deadly static fly for the mullet which had gathered in sufficient numbers in one spot to try for. He is there, blending in like a heron, strike indicator just a  yard out. 

Twenty minutes of concentration and bingo, mullet on. A long fish, it was empty and for the first time ever the 'you'd  better get those scales checked' meant under weighing as the 3lb shown was questioned. I'll give the Loafer an extra retrospective extra 7oz for my usual sling reset.

The tide was making so we headed back to Loafer Ville for a welcome cup of tea and biscuits and to allow the Venerable Bully to hose himself down, compression leggings and shorts it would turn out to be  a wise choice of undergarments.

Down to the mullet pool and fish were already gathering. I lost a much better bass on rag and VB picked up a couple too. 

The Loafer was already in hungry fecker mode and he, VB  and Guzzagog in his clean shorts  headed off to meet the arriving phalanx of grey ghosts. ' d just begun to lay out a good length and straight line of my team of 2 when the strike indicator began to drift, the cocktail stick retainer had fallen out. I reluctantly made my way down to the more treacherous hot spot in time to see Guzzagog become victim number 2.

My rods were hopelessly tangled so I set off to make  a short trudge to terra firma. Only to find it wasn't. Victim number 3.

The Loafer left me sink long enough for me to remember and payback for the time I made him wait until I fed and finished the trot for a livebait for the bucket before rescuing him from a chilly river Colne.

Not sure why he made me take the mud encrusted stuff off before he'd let me sit in his dendrobaena infested van. Walking back to his house was mentioned. Reader, I have just finished soaking and washing them. No, I had no presentable undergarments like the Venerable Bully. Would I go again? Hell yeah.

Change is overdue

Been having some decent tench bags  from two or three waters, this little belter was from a 40-minute drive complex with a big drop past those lillies with hordes of rudd, roach, chub  and dace making a bee line for any bait they see so was quite please thus turned up.

Been looking for roach and dace and a few have turned up but I've sort of lost my mojo. These yestesterday nearly turned my head but  a change is as good as a rest.

I didn't bring my thermometer today like every other self flagellating Pious Peter on social media but I did bring my livebait bucket and pump and a float paternoster set up. I don't livebait much these days, it can be such a faff trying to catch baits to order then lugging them about. When the Bure Boi shed is hooked up I might make a holding pond but today I was fishing almost out if the boot of the new charabanc so caught  a selection of roach, rudd and dace and sent a circle hooked dace (the biggest in the bucket) out into the pool. 

Almost as so as I set the baitrunner the tip nodded and the orange tipped float made of with the flow pulling the 1.1oz paternoster lead along. Wound into and kept winding to let the circle hook turn and set and decent fish on. Not a pike but a big perch so put the 42 inch net down and guided it into the waiting 24 inch pan net. Solid but no big belly yet and a very pleasing 2lb 5oz.

Three lost fish and several missed runs later I found a single treble trace (I don't like them for perch), connected with a smaller perch and the last roach was taken by this decent pike.. Off down to fish with Loafer and Bully tomorrow in the estuarine ooze.

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Famine to feast

Walked straight on past Roach Bend on to the next stretch to see what was what. Not a lot, despite diligent searching. Wonder of some white gold with whizzed up corn might be good way to pique some interest when prospecting. A lot to carry round though.

Dropped down to the next indent in the reed fringe (on another otter midden) and on the second trot the chubber buried and  a decent brownie was on. No real acrobatics and it was soon slobbering in the margins  A good 3lb guestimated.

A few hesitant bites followed with no reward so down to the double stile that marks the upper end of  our stretch. Soon to be named 

First trot and float away, a tiny pike that didn't survive the disgorger and is now residing in the freezer behind me. Waste not, want not.

After that it was a constant stream of gonks, enough to make a (small) pie. 

Enough also to earn the swim name Gudgeon Gate. 

Just a dace and  a smaller brown managed to beat the gudgeon to the double reds.

Looking down to Roach Bend.

  

 

Two rivers

I had heard of some roach and imposter stone loach so headed up to the top of our top beat and did indeed find the imposter stone loach (gudgeon, a tale best left on the Whats App Group) in reasonable numbers and slightly larger than last time out too. A nasty down streamer meant the pin was out but the (mostly) roach managed to keep up with the double reds on the first bend. Not up to the size reported on the Whats App group but still plump, lovely unspoiled fish.

Tried the cattle drink and the roach and dace were well over to the far cover and most obliging. A very pleasant late afternoon all round..

No show school taxi and an unplanned excursion in the opposite direction before heading off to a different river for an autumn trotting recce. It took a long walk to find a gap in the burr reed on a bend with an even fiercer down streamer. Dace, chublets, gudgeon, more plump roach and an unfortunate foul hooked minnow kept me busy for an hour or so then a rodless look around before rain drove me off. 

Tea chores done  I stole an other hour back on roach bend on my local river, temperature a balmy 22C " into dusk, with zero wind and just coughing sheep and cattle for company.

 

This last fish had me thinking bigger roach for a while.

Freshen up.

I've got a couple of tench catch ups to write but at last the river police have shut the feck up and I have had a couple of trots and it's been a lovely change. Nothing to trouble the net but gudgeon galore, chublets, roach and dace. Plenty of dragon and damsel flies and the ever present Cetti's Warblers. I have even found some decent rudd to go back for. Happy days.

And the Loafer sent me this. I guess Alresford or the Pump Pit. Half the man I am now.

Double trouble

Last fish before heading off to the Ionian Sea.  Couple of tench on the waggler and a pond pig to finish off a lightly fished July.

Toodle pip.

Standing up to the stumps

Like the New Zealand keeper I've been standing up to the stumps, well above the knee rolls anyway.Thin water, overgrown banks and roasting temps have seen me don the beach shoes and swimmers in the cool water.

Rare bankside sortie

I even had an hour almost putting out a straight fly line down that far run with a couple of missed pulls. Work in progress.'

The 'River Police' are now actively shutting down rivers with lots of virtue signalling going on, best I get a thermometer to keep below the magic 22C and post evidence with every photo. World has gone mad.