Flying a kite

One reason to look forward to the long drive up to Loughborough is the certainty that I will see a red kite somewhere on the journey. The sat nav wants me to take the Old North Road but I stubbornly stick to the A47. Two contrasting rivers, the cabbages and pads of the Nene and the infant Welland, miles away from ponderous bream and maruding seals.

 And what I came down off the road for, wheeling over the sheep in front of the watering hole of the well heeled, the Royal Oak in Doddington.  Only have a standard kit 18-52mm on the Nikon so these kite can't be seen in their full, rufous, fork tailed majesty.  Distinctive call, several stops above the rather mealy buzzard mewing.

Ent(r)enched views

Decided to rejoin the Sparham lakes syndicate this year. One well established pit, lots of shallows, bars, gulleys and not many swims. Big tern colony. Holds tench and some lovely roach and  a small stocking of crucians a few years back as part of a county reseeding project. Square pit is well, square. Open and contents a mystery. A couple of trout lakes off ticket adjoining. At the back of the older pit what used to be one of the best big barbel stretches in the country. Till Tarka came to visit.

Friday and headed out of the city along the Wensum corridor. Over the river at Attlebridge, poplars striding along the flood plain.  Cossing it again at the Mill and Bridge Inn at Lenwade. Up the hill and left at the sign for Lyng. Along the farm track, sharp turn and open the big gate. Foot if the hill and the floor of the valley laid out with sheets of bright water, olive green willow shedding capoc like fluffy seeds.  Poor soil over the gravels enough to support great sheets of ox eye daisies. Have always thought about upping the species mix with some Californian poppies and cornflowers. Guerilla gardening,

Through the gate and along the river bank. Rain promised but brolly not packed. Hate them. Had decided not to complicate things with a float rod, intended to fish a method feeder over hemp and pellet at the foot of the first slope and corn with open ended feeder. First rod out of quiver and ready go. Second rod out of quiver, not good. Broken tip section a way above the  female joint.  30 years old sweet actioned Sportex 1.5 tc. Feck.

Options halved. Decided to search the water on and below a bar about 30 yards out.
Previously a dead  cert for tench.

Quick response from the roach, which were as as darkly golden as I remembered.

Couldn't maintain consistent bites or postive indications of tench moving in over the feed. To be honest would have preferred the waggler approach if the tench were not playing ball.  Decided to cut my losses and have a poke about on the way back to the car. Found a pod of tench fizzing in a shallow corner bay, shallow enough  for the tench to  need to flop rather than roll. Enough to hasten me back better tooled up. And if English Nature are bot snooping no messing with fragile ecosystems I promise. Unless I want to release some lovely cute otters with scant regard for sustainability of course.

Ox-eye fest

I quite like Norfolk...

Sparham.  Write-up laters

Back on the flow

Straight out of work and on the river at Earlham. Strange seeing an egret in amongst the paddlers and dogs cavorting in the low, clear river. Years of the great unwashed and the uni crew alike have worn the bed down to the chalk substrate. Norwich is sited over a great honeycomb  of chalk workings. Remember the bus that slowly fell backwards into a Norfolk sink hole?

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An aquarium swim, the better roach and chub hanging at the back of the run. Shallow  fast and fascinating to see the reaction to loose fed and the splash of the float. Tiny dace and minnows every put in.

Time for a move. This tree and pool sometimes holds some lovely roach.

No roach at home today but a lovely dace and a dashing little sergeant made up for that.

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Gudgeon, more dace and minnow from the next bend, and this tiny chub. Bread  not maggot next time.

Had a look right down to the  bridge near the UEA lake. Not much access  due to the undergrowth and "managed" marsh. Some clear runs, and small holes. Some nice roach ghosting in and out of cover. Chap fishing below the bridge, laying on with flake had a very nice roach. Autumn and winter river.

Lazy wind

Coastguard notice stated North North East wind. If there is any East at all it is generally freezing up here. Too lazy go go round you it goes through you. Perhaps that was why this glorious strand was virtually empty. Save two walkers and their hound I felt added nothing to the composition so retouched them out into digital oblivion. Along with the bits from the shutter curtain in that have started to stick to the sensor again. Will have to clean it

Why don't more people come here? No beach huts, no wants..ice cream, plastic tat possibly.  More space for me.

R

Rain stopped play

England  spluttering to 300. Not enough these days.  Rain now just light mizzle. Hemp has been fizzing away waiting for this break in the weather. By the time I' d got on 1st stage almost pleasant.  Shame I'd left the float rod at home. Luckily only 2 minutes drive  back home to get it.  Prefer 2nd staging but it has been closed for safety reasons.

Not sure how weedy this spot is but no rake handy. Odd bubble or two, wait for this lovely, oily hemp to weave it's mystical magic, topped up with some corn. Oozing oil today. Salt , chilli and ginger to spice it up.

Bumped out of an express train carp before the first bream uncharacteristically charged around the swim. 5 and a half pounds female, somewhat battle scarred.

An absolute. cauldron out there now, but the wind picking up making presentation difficult.  Despite this another 4 bream on the prawn. This one the smallest, but prettiest.

Buzzard  overhead, kingfisher making several low passes across and along the pond. Swans have left, their 7 strong brood whittled down quite quickly by the pike,  along with the greylag goslings.

Rain setting in, prawn snaffled on the drop and fish surges off. Can't seem to get good contact then realise the handle has sheared off the vintage 154. Clearly  not a bream. Orange flashes, it's one of the bright undersided tench that seem to come from this stages particularly.  Long  plump without being hefty. Lovely way to bring a premature end to the afternoon,  rain stopped play.

Cheeky look on way home from work

New season is nearly here, had a look on the way home from work Friday.

Cranes looking good.

Rain forecast but whatever,  a few hours on running water again on the 16th.

Bream ticket

Captain's off the menu today, been fished hard over the weekend  so headed off to Crane's for some afternoon feeder flinging.  Windy and warm, why wouldn't you?
Coudn't resist a look for the chub off the bridge. Still there,  and after a while get a bit blasé about so many 5 and 6lb  chub milling about below. Humongous.


Feeder fishing  by the large willow at the pump end gave several bites and two almost golden bream, this one of 5lb 8oz second cast

and an even plumper fish of 6lb 7oz. Very different to the Captain's fish.

Masses of tadpoles,  great drifts everywhere. River is looking good too.