Last knockings today

Haven't got round to worm gathering yet so played safe and headed for a late go on Captains this afternoon despite the river looking quite good on the recent rain we have had.

Was going to work back to the dam but tooled-up lure angler ahead of me so started here to let the warer calm out a bit ..The pond is shallow, silty and where not silty weedy.  Little to report until a fizzer off the bait runner up by the boathouse in the stygian gloom. Short, stocky dark fish, allthough you would find that hard to tell as the camera steamed up in the dropping  temperature and damp air.  Chinned it out and lightly hooked in the scissors so no manky wet net to deal with. Went like a train in the shallow water.

 
That's 4 trips, 6 fish  and 3 doubles so far. Worm harvest calls as I do want to find some perch on the river  as autumn beds in.

Cromer

Saturday afternon walk at Cromer. 

A Midlands still water

Excellent day today on a Midlands still water with Wak Lite. As well as the fishing there were a wheeling flock of lapwing, a kingfisher, a buzzard and a hornet to liven  things up. Several abortive takes as well.

First of the day on a tiny mackerel

                                                                   Low double, perfection.

                                                      Look at the chin on that..........

 Wak Lite. Master of all he surveys.

Next trip maybe jigged zander on a slightly bigger Midlands still water.

Just old school

              Mak Morris with a Tip Pit summer double                         Me with a pair of Ardliegh browns

Pictures courtesy of brother Paul

Daze of future past (Part 3)

These are all from the Match Pit, Wivenhoe.

Top fish a bream, probably on maples from an area we imaginitively called the Reeds.  12 + feet under the rod tips and a great area for slider float fished brandling/sweetcorn for good nets of skimmers as well as our particle approach. Note the bike, essential for getting there but also whizzing round to check what was going on elsewhere.  This would have been Silver Machine. Rods were some trusty 11 foot glass blanks that got a beating and the poor man's cousin reel, the Cardinal 155's

Bottom fish a winter common just around doubles. Would have been on sidehooked seafoood boiliee off the point of the further island in the centre of the lake. (Opposite the Reeds) No hair rigs then. Dave Gripping Hands Lake the ghillie. Some morning fish but usualy runs between 2 and 3pm what ever the weather.

Speaking of hair one of my better dos I think....

Autumn evening piking

Beautiful autumn day, fished  a couple of hours late afternoon below Buxton on the Bure. Don't normaly pike it till after Cristmas because of the weed but tried  float paternostereed eel section  in clearer spots.

This was the biggest of two small fish. Excellent fight in the deep clear water in the small spot below.

Beautiful colours and its only the first week of October.

Daze of future past (Part 2)

Early stuff. Hairstyles may require further examination at a later date.

Daze of future past part 1

Thought I would begin a trawl through my old albums. Probably would have been best to start chronologically and put some thought into presentation but heh ho..

This my album tells me was winter85/86

Left pane is a last gasp 15.06 from the Match Pit Wivenhoe.Last gasp as it was taken on a freelined sardine as the last rod left out before I had to leave for a late shift. Usually I used to pack everything away, then the optonics, then the indicators and then rod rests and last the rods (by this time proper rod holdalls had been developed  so no breaking the rod down fully).   In this case I even took off the lead and recast as I had been there on what felt a perfect morning witiout a take. I had never fished this corner and only ended up there as it was the last swim before the track for my bike ride home. Friendly digger driver stopped to watch and take the pics.

Second pane is another pike this time from the Sandbank, Arelseford, now I believe a CEMEX carp water. Spot the Rod Htchinson rod holdall mentioned above. Cant remember if Dave Gripping Hands Lake or Mak Morris took the pics.  Fairly well framed so probably not Mak Morris.

Abberton Culvert. First time I tried eel section which went down a treat. After dropping two fish straight away cut a strip out of the skin so the hooks could at least get some purchase in the pike's mouth. Bigger one is a lean 18. Second one of 11.08 started to come in  (from some range) and then went solid in what was a very  snag free area (flooded grassland). Came to life feeling a lot bigger, had been grabbed by something with jaws that punctured from pectoral  to ventral fins that eventually let go. Next time I catch a low double I'll measure roughly how wide fins are  apart in comparison.  No seals out there so that would have been a very big pike.