Prryhic victory

Small window of opportunity: too short for the river and anyway, haven't replaced my mice nest polyballs yet. So off to Captains then. Damp but very mild. Some openish water in the Big Gap so started there.

Swim, like most of Captains is very shallow, but good value for a fish, or sometimes two. Two halves of a small mackeral, one to left and one over the small clump of lilies  mid swim. A lot of activity in central strip of weed, sizeable fish. Line tightened to drop-off on right rod and into a fast moving, heavy fish. I had not flicked off the anti-reverse and got pointed before I could, or think to slip into baitrunner mode. Think that if I had let the rod absorb the power might have avoided it. Leaving hooks in a fish is never pleasant and this was a good fish. You expect that normally a carp or tench could cope with a single left in, but a two treble trace is very different. I did once land a pike with a large goldstrike that had worked it's way out of the gullet and out around the pectoral fin. I only use the anti-reverse when I am casting to stop the bail flipping over and cracking off but these cheapo reels are not totally balanced and when not using baitrunner sometimes it is  difficult to stop the bail spinning round under it's weight with out locking it first  when slipping line in to the drop-off clip. Get floats and  use baitrunner....

Leftie was away next and again a fast moving powerful fish but able to backwind, and use the rod to absorb the lunges. Did get a knuckle rapper as the fish motored off in the margins. In the net first job to check if a second trace in fish but sadly  no.  A sturdy fish around the 12lb mark.

Looks a little leaner off the mat.

Hope the lost fish turns up soon and the captor can get hooks out.