Solstice solace

Despite having a free add-on trout permit for the river Syndicate I have not fished flowing water since the Last Day.  Given that from Sunday the nights will be imperceptibly at first pulling in I headed off  to the river below Buxton Mill. The local yoot were tearing up the pool but just below them plenty of dace and some small, black tail finned,white lipped chub, a spot earmarked for a possible drop in on the way back to the car once the denizens of Buxton and Lamas had headed home for FIFA and Mine Craft.

The Bure is pretty much unmanaged and below the bridge clear spots are difficult to find before the winter flushes. Looked like  not many had bothered  given the general lack of cleared marginal vegetation. First decent run where I had had a 5+ chub  in the winter, a deeper run  certainly. Too deep in fact, I had not bought a dropper and the loose fed was just not getting down quick enough. I did have one bite on red maggot under a Drennan stable stick, unusually being forced to give a little line but I never saw what it was. Not head thumping  enough  for a perch, given the darts into the cover  probably a small chub but either way the 20s Drennan match hook pulled..

First trot in the next available spot  and this bigger than it looks in the picture dace required the net. One of the roachy looking ones and very broad through the body. (It is a dace)

A shallower glide and much easier to fish. Plenty of dace and this little fellow:

Bites tailed off and a further move almost immediately rewarded with this sergeant that did pull a bit. Proably around the pound and a quarter mark and beautifuly coloured.

There had been a busy pair of kingfishers up and down the river all evening, on hearing a late cuckoo I glanced up to see three sitting on the telephone wires across the river,they swooped low across the meadow, very distinctive in flight. I have not seen a cuckoo for many years and never three together.

The light was quite spectacular as the sun began to set and this section often looks like this at this time of the day as the sun dips through the poplars.

Last fish of the evening was this nice little roach.

I decide not to finish off below the mill and delivered the remaining bait in for freebies.Of course there was a decent chub fanning over a bed of runuculus in the mil pool. Heh ho. Headed back along the meadow hoping for a glimpse of a barn owl but not tonight. Did get this quite nice shot of the solstice sun on it's way down.

Bread and chubber on the Yare after work Monday or Tuesday for a few schoolie chub and some roach I think.

Frustrating Friday.

Offered an unexpected passout on Friday , hadn't prepped for the river so half cock session on Captains (hemp frozen). 2nd Jetty again: and curry corn and meat to wake up the bream.

Unfortunately I hadn't figured on the ability of a million micro rudd to intercept the corn and meat quite so successfully so I don't think that the carpet of feed I had intended quite lived up to the description. Bubbles, yes, half half hearted lift bites, yes. Fish? No. I hadn't raked through as Macca was on the next jetty and I am sure that most of the time the prawn was hung up in the weed that had grown back triffid like.

Morning glory

Probably od ths one on all the social media platforms but you don't get  much better views on the way to work:

Ormesby Broad from the road

Mudpig.com

Sunday was a corking day. On the beach at Walcott Wall by 10 with ice creams and splashing in tidal puddles under the slipway. Barbie without the smelly old barbie in the garden and then a drive along the coast to Blakeney. The sea, usually muddy grey or brown, was almost Med like, blue with dark weed/rock shoals in the sunlight. over a passable blue bed.Cock-on for mackerel. Treated to three harriers displaying over Cley Marshes.

On Captains by 7pm. Had thought about a two rod attack off the island for the bream but given the time and with the rumble of thunder approaching headed on to the jetty where I had raked through yesterday. Chilli and ginger hemp spayed into a clearing and a juicy prawn was soon cast onto the remaining weed and silt under a home made (Shanus) reed waggler fished lift style. Used a Kevin Ashurst 12' match rod, Cardinal 154 and 6 lb straight through to a size 8 sedge hook. Lone buzzard over the pines.  Mud pigs every where including the yellow carroty koi and a very fat across the back common.

Just about to reel in to check the partially frozen prawn had not come off when a small fizz of bubbles showed just by the float. The red tip slowly sunk rather than lifted and I was into what clearly was not a bream. It moved off to the right with several bow waves ahead of it. The fish went into some of the lighter lillies, and with a lot of steady but through to the abbreviated cork pressure the fish was out and circling in the clearer space just off the jetty. It did not look too long in the water, with a distinct lighter underside and until I saw it more clearly  like a mirror.The action of the rod meant I was able to keep it in a tightish area and the biggest worry was the act of getting the net out far enough without toppling off the staging.

I finally got him in the net and what a fish. Like most of the older commons very dark, almost black with a gold edging of the scales, a very distinctive lighter creamy underside and an absolutely huge tail, definitely  a male as shedding milt. First cap from the Captains and although 6lb line is not gossamer quite a feat given the weed. Just over 14lb.  Not a bream though..

John boy shirt. Weed and rake to my right. What a fecking big tail.

Now this is hardly a bream either but too dark to be a skimmer. A lovely lift bite though. Hook pulled out of another mud pig  not long into  the fight and home in time for a nice chilled Chardonnay. Missed the charity football as well on the box. Result

Dragging

Popped onto Captains this afternoon to run a weed rake through a couple of spots for tomorrow. Looks stunning at the moment...

1-2-3 lift

Very short session on Captains tonight.

Those bream do like the prawn over hemp.  Classic lift bites.

 All warm to the touch.

 Not sure this has passed the skimmer stage yet..