Old school memories

One for Wak Lite. Fishing Frating Pit in the  late eighties. Early morning or late evening, from the dam wall on the first ledge with meat over hemp. Right under that rod tip, halcyon days.

Snow-melt

Sunday dawned windier and the local rivers had risen considerably since last night as the snow-melt  has begun to find it's way off the land.  Walked down to the burnt down and long vanished Horstead Mill which is the limit of the tidal river and back up to the S bend behind the butchers yard.

These trees might be worthy of  a Grimm's tale...

This pool below the bridge is deep  at the near bank by the bridge and looks very tempting but not today.

Looking up to, and on the S-bend as mentioned by Wilson. "the wide double 'S' bend above the bridge is known locally as Bream Corner.." A lot of water in the river already and  a lot more to come.

First fish of the year (Twenty13).

With the thaw on I decided on a trip to the river this afternoon  in an attempt to beat the snow-melt. I had been thinking about chubbing for a while, and though the water was a little clearer than first thought it would make  a change from watching two of Wak Lite's famous poly balls not doing a lot.

The first bend below the mill looked quite good today.  I caught my first ever Norfolk chub from this bend, on a wild windy and wet afternoon on meat when it was not easy discerning the savage pull round on the gale lashed (screw-in) Drennan quiver.tip. Remember those? At 4.12 seemingly massive compared to the Suffolk Stour/Essex Colne chub I'd cut my teeth on before leaving Devil Dog land in the early 90's. Dog walked with no cover so pencilled it in for the last spot on the way back to the car. Someone fishing below so probably had been through anyway so dropped in just below the bridge.

Tried liquidised bread in a cage feeder with good old frozen pastry cheese paste, didn't realise feeders had built in lead strips so not as effective as I had hoped as I couldn't get them to swing in with the flow and were a bit solidly placed for upstream drop-backs. Will try again with no lead on the feeder and use a couple of swan on the link so it can swing into place.

Getting gloomy and colder now and at last broke out the pike rods as I wasn't happy with the feeder approach. Around half four a sardine tail fished  over to that seemingly featureless far bank in about 3 feet of water was away. Usually the fish show on the strike due to the shallow water and it was obviously a double.
Once in the slightly deeper main channel began to bore away and feeling heavy. Just how heavy was apparent at the net and it was a struggle to get it up on the snowy bank. Hooked just in the scissors.

Not sure if it had a recent meal or was starting to build up spawn but that is an impressive pot. My previous best, also from this stretch was 23lb and this had to be bigger.

It certainly was, and I settled for 25lb 2oz. Beautiful hen fish, with no otter damage, unusual on this stretch. An absolute belter. And Col U won 2-0!

Bure blues

A light dusting of snow and brightening skies made me put the chub gear away and out came the sardines. I hadn't  taken into account the possibility that Captains would be frozen but it was so off to Mayton  Bridge. Someone was downstream of the bridge where I had intended to go so headed up to the syndicate stretch, and by the stile above the Spinney one of the other members was about to start chubbing. At this point even though it was quite bright the water looked a little coloured and we thought he'd made the better choice. He decided to fish down the Spinney stretch and I went up a few swims and despite covering a reasonable amount of water didn't have to put on new sardines as nothing doing. Again. Chub bloke also reported a blank as we past on the way to our cars. Little owl heard but no barn owl seen.

When Saturday comes.

Geo Man and I made the trip down the A140 for the very first time this year to the soulless out of town concrete void locally known as Cuckoo Farm, or officially the Weston Homes Community Stadium, proud (latter day) home of Colchester United. Probably the coldest day of the year so far. Apparently 3,258 of us decided this would be the place to worship at football's feet though this shot doesn't quite do justice to the swelling throng numbered above who assembled to marvel at the athleticsnm and grace of the 22  gladiatorial combatants pictured below.

I would say this scene sums up League One very well. It'll be even worse next year in the "bottom tier of English football" which is where Col. U are headed after slumping 1-2 to a just as hapless "Iron" (Scunthorpe). Joe Dunne is reported to be considering his future after guiding the U's to 9 straight defeats in a row 
I think that this is a solid bank of five or holding a very deep line?

 

No rain..(and no fish)

Saturday. No proper rain for a couple of days and degrees in double figures. Worms had turned to mush so grabbed the last of my lampreys and smelts and off to the river. Dropped in at  Captain's on the way as Macca's van in car park. Cursed him I think as he dropped a good fish on a dead bait as I caught up with his recent trips.

As a short trip only settled for the stretch above Buxton Mill from the first bend down. Flow off the big right angle bend down the near bank and usually good for a fish somewhere along the stretch. The far bank looks fishy but is about a foot deep. Searched well I thought but nothing doing. Good to be out though and almost balmy at some points though I think it will be colder tonight.

This is above the bend looking up to another tight bend with a large willow.Some surgery has been done and the raft has altered it's position. Back with a paterenostered bait soon.

Sunday After a much colder night and a light frost out for a good two hours pushing little 'un in the pram, and an hour leaf clearing got the green light for an unplanned sortie after lunch. Morrison's finest sardines had frozen and I fancied a couple of hours further up around Kings Beck. A couple of hundred yards down the road and thick fog appeared from nowhere. Nearly stopped on Captains but pressed on. Got to Plantation Bridge to find two cars there already which was the first time that's happened. Fished like a prat, possibly as I was rushing to fish as much water down before the two blokes I could see  dimly through the murk fished back up on their way to the cars. (they are just round the bend)
As bright as it got....

And descended to this (OK, even more out of focus but you get the idea)

Only highlight was the clamour of rooks (how apt a collective term) trying to work out where to roost in the murk. I wonder how Wak Lite  fared at St. Osyth after the dabs and whiting?

Where's the horizon straightener?

Or why don't I line up the dots on the LCD screen?

Wak Lite giving it the big'un on a Midlands stillwater.

Managed it with this one though. Squalls approaching.

Autumn colour, Cromer beach

Found these when tidying up a drive....a touch of late autumn colour from Cromer. Didn't go to see the fireworks this afternoon, perhaps next year.