A river runs through it

Wouldn't mind this at the bottom of my garden..A feeder for the very young Bure up at Thurning Hall

Here the  Bure is  now it's own river, about 3 miles down at Blickling.

I get to see a lot through the car window as the Bureboy charabanc shuttles the young 'uns around for their weekend sleeps. This is Juno back in at Blakeney after her  autumn overhaul. Would be  a sight to behold in full sail

Got as far as the car park today, liquidised bread and really rank cheese paste which is a good year or so old at the ready but the rain did not look like abating and  with  a full day wild west Fens secret squirrel foray tomorrow decided to keep my powder dry.

Snapped off

Drove past Captains yesterday, the last vesitiges of ice were still valiantly hanging on in the shade of the conifer belt on the Norwich bank. Bure had been up again  and was chocolate brown.. 

Just had to get out today despite the rain. No one in the car park at Captains and there would be some shelter under the rhodos so that's where I stopped .

Still some weed but too shallow to pop up a bait. halved sardines as per usual,oily slicks calming the occasional chop. Rain petered out. Patches of wraith like misting off the surface. Pair of buzzards in the wood opposite. 

Got to Big Gap before the recently moved closer in poly moved sharply away. No fight at all unfortunately but  blank broken. 9 ish? perhaps a bit more. Note the new net. Wasn't til I got it out of the holdall today that I noticed that Angling Direct (we'll get you one out of the stock room Sir) had swapped the 42 incher for a 36.. Bastards. 

Farting about with the phone and What's App and the baitrunner on the further out (technical stuff) rod was ticking away. Much more spirited this one and  certainly worth a weigh. It went 15.5 which needed a re-check but it was solid rather than plump which is where the weight came from.

Was a bit lively so got it back in quickly. In doing so slipped and stood on the ferrules of my remaining North Western.  2.25tc but very fast taper  so no good for keeping hooks in carp at the net

but ideal for firing out small deads  and big bombs but equally good down the edge. I got the pair 2nd hand from sometime Layer legend in his  lunch box Zenon "Cliff Richard lookalikee" Boyko via Radcliffes. This was about 1983 and the £250 I shelled out was the best part of a months wages. The first one is about 4 inches shorter, and waiting  for a new tip ring and the one below moving down. Don't think I can salvage the one broken today but best get Len Head's Rod Building out of the Library before Cameron closes it down to resurrect it's twin that has sat waiting for me to act for 5 years....

Frost

Tuesday morming saw a really heavy frost which meant several stops on the way through the Bure and Wensum valleys to work.

Captains still has a skim of ice  but 12C is forecast for tomorrow, River is full and brown again after Friday's rain.  Either way it's pike time. Again. Will have to get some night time chubbing in. Norfolk's Mafia are descending which means the chub must be serious.

A bit flat, Norfolk

Norfok may be flat(ish) but when you live at the edge of the world you get this to look at. In my case often trough a car window as I ferry the little'uns round. Morston, a week apart

And Blakeney too

More of that than this.....

After Saturday's blizzard I had to get on the water somehow. First time I have needed thermals for ages. Even packed a flask. The river had been pushing through so opted on the lower beat with more slacks to fish to.

Hard going, needed 2oz plus in the slower bits to keep the bait still and it wasn't till about swim 5 that I had my first take,  but as the sardine was also attached to a large twig  didn't hang on long. Had then got to my next banker bush, first down then up into it before the really close in float began to bob, bob, bob. Love the fight of river fish and this was a very plump one of 12.08.

Couple of mat shots then into the net to rest whilst I found a few inches of bank to set up for  a grin and hold shot, only to find that pikey had made a fruitful surge for freedom and snapped the arm on my net in the process. Never mind, I'll have the mat piccies any way.  Computer said no and refused to recognise the two frames so this is all your are getting.. don't know if it was spawny or well fed.

Now the river has been in the field and the world  and it's dog have been trudging up  and down it  is a bit muddy.

Had a prolonged discussion with a person who thought it OK to neatly scoop up the afore mentioned world's dog's steaming shit into a bag, tie with a flourish and then hang on a fence post,  tried in vain to capture a kingfisher on a post shot, had my regular run in with Caleb and son who seem to think that permits and rod licences are for schmucks and oh yes, had another game scrapper of about 6lb before heading back through the mud.

A splendid day out.