First pike of the season

First pike of the season, from Captains, sardine head fished in about 2 foot at the edge of lilies. Great to hear the bait runner go. Went a long way into the pads but not difficult to get back through them. They certainly pull in their summer lean state though this is not anorexic by any means. Poorly framed and focused: I need to get a remote for the self timer, not so bad in brighter light as I usually set aperture as high as it will go for depth of field and I don't like the flash in auto mode anyway. I am not sure how many doubles there are as several repeats last year. Has thrown up a thirty in the past and there was a one eyed 23 out  a few times last year but that was a sick fish, eel like in fact. This one went 15.06.

I detest minnows

Nuisance fish. How I have hated that phrase. Until today. I had forgotten the Wensum had these fellers in..........

How can these little pests take two maggots on the drop with 7bb a foot from the hook?

Did find some ineresting glides and some better fish. Weed less of a problem than I thought it would be so  will be back with the pike rods.

Pixie led

Hemp amd luncheon meat. What an evocative smell. Takes me back to around 1988 and fishing off the dam wall at Frating, dusk or dawn, right under the rod tip and Hutchinson 12 footer bent right through into a douible figure mirror. Just got in from an late afternon session at a water I  have only just found 10 minutes from home. Forgotten how far hemp spray goes. Every thing coated in that sweet, oily film. Also a background buzz of chilli powder.

I say water, it's really someone's glorified garden pond and until recently I never would have guessed it was there, feet from the road.  A discreet sign and a Transit plastered with  adverts  has brought it to my attention.

It's stuffed full of fish as these commercials are, the water constantly rocking with movement. That leads to the pixie led bit. Bailey uses the phrase to describe the frustration of crucian fishing. Not what I was targetting but after much frustration  fishing a small chunk of meat finally just hovering on the bottom over that chili hemp saw me bumping a fish off on the retrieve, then bringing back a scale after a spritely but not tearaway tussle and  then pulling out of what must have been a carp I thought I had done it in the gathering gloom when what looked like and felt like a decent crucian appeared to come off then turn into a much fiestier small common. I think the hook had come out and lodged n a pectoral fin given the change in pace and power.

Plantation Pool

Fancied an hour somewhere slightly different so headed up to Plantatation Bridge below Oxnead Mill. River is still backing up though clear. The pool looks huge in this shot. Those horses look pretty 

expensive too. Once saw a horse open a gate here, using it's mouth/nose (not sure how to describe  a horses  facial arrangements) to open the latch.

Pool was very awkward to fish, far bank was a nice looking gravel cow (or horse) drink but very weedy and near bank under low trees with a big eddy and lots of crap coming down from the ornamental pond in the Hall grounds. Lots of fish topping in the main push which I thought were not splashy enough for dace.
Ended up fishing of the side of the bridge and those fish were roach. Looked very different from the roach further downstream, a lot leaner and with a tinge of green on the flanks.     

Looking back up towards the Mill and House.Tale is that this is where NACA put in some barbel many years back. Some ended up down below Buxton and one came out 14+ a couple of years back.

                                   

Captains Bream

Not that big but first over skimmer size from Captains Pond. Fished meat over hemp, fish moved over bait quickly and bubbling well. Haven't had a go for  the carp yet. I think something like chick peas ormaples will be a bit f differnt fro the pelet/boile aproach ging in at the moment.

All change down on the river

Lots has been happening on the river. The fishery management has changed and now it's part of Macca's growing empire. Shame the previous manager couldn't make a go of it.

River has been very high most of the summer, must be being held back down at Horstead as well as it being  such a wet summer. Just just within its banks mostof the time but  doesnt colour up. I have heard of weed cuts above Buxton but have yet to get up there to look. Find a glide with some clear water (not that easy at present), start to feed and pretty soon  some decent dace and roach are there to be had. I  have  had  more perch if using worm and really fancy it below Plantation  Bridge using one of Wak's  bobber floats as below especialy as we have both banks up there.