Rainbow rising

Out to use up the last of the hemp and casters. That's about all there is to say really. Every time I changed the shot pattern got  a bite and a fish and got my hopes up (3 times any way) and then I had some little wasps by design each time I stuck a dendro by the pads. Enjoyed the high rise kingfisher using the telegraph wires as a perch.

Think its time for a change of scene and for breaking out the pike rods.Ned some water in the river as well.

Getting the wind up.

Big, gusting wind and right into my corner. Passed on that one. Headed over to the bridge pool on the river and couldn't buy a bite.

Last chance saloon on the mill pool. Gin clear and lots of leaves swirling around. No point in feeding due to the turbulence and no pretence at holding back. Undershotted big stick but with plenty down and three maggot through the deeper channel and more often than not a dace or a roach. Good dace too. Lovely seeing them twist and turn in the clear, clear water.

This dace has had a brush with a pike

.

Ears still ringing from the mill race and the wind.

Ruddy hell.

Still had the #12 on from yesterdays perch bobbing so it was see what the worms could throw up from the bridge pool.

First trot and the usual suspect couldn't resist a little dendrobena. No, not a perch but a brownie As per usual from here. Not that I am complaining as they do pull your string a bit.

Next up a bit of surprise in the shape of a glowing rudd.

Found  a few roach towards the end of the trot

And yes, a perch or two. This is the best of them. Robbie of the North is searching hard for the grandaddy .

Fed some hemp and caster but only found some small dace in the close in scour. And this beauty couldn't help sipping in a couple of casters on the smaller #16. A bit splashy this one so I called it an early night.

What is it with worms?

Very quick stop off at the gentrified mill lock on the way to the bluish lagoon. Shallow and clear,  (water down for lock repair) and lots of dying weed popping up off the bottom. Nothing on maggot, put in  a worm back in the same spot and away. Talk of tench of on here of late and this felt like a good one, however it was really a pike and not far short of doubles but the inevitable bite off. Didn't spot the albino pike that has been seen in the lock.

Headed off to the bluish lagoon, mild, still and woodsmoke in the air. In with a worm down the edge whilst I fed the ledge and bingo. Bob, bob, bobbing away. Perch like a worm even more than pike. Every drop in and up came a coconut.

 Further out on the spray mag and wag and it was mostly skimmer and hybrids.

Very pleasant. What next? The Essex Scribbler has his ray head on with some lovely double hook ups today but  I only have  hours  not a day. Back to the lagoon with hemp caster and corn, and a last hour into dark with flake? Spray the bridge pool for dace and spotties and again a last hour on flake? Or shit or bust worm and flake on bigger hooks down by the noddie railway? Or drowning some deads  in the mill lock?  

New dawn fades

Sunday's post Brian murk was being seen off early doors Monday but even then something was sneaking in stage right. New dawn fades and all that.

Bastard Brian

Strict instructions to "sort out that front garden". Cue waging war on the self sown Valerian taking over the the gravel drive in front of Bureboy Villas. Being old, sedentary and fat a job best tackled laying down. Much to the chagrin of the Sunday drivers pootling up and down Naaarich Road.
Rain ended play but not before I'd got the hedge cutter out and attempted some ironic topiary.

Rain continued as Brian finally decided to do some damage  though he hadn't really prepped his response to Ophelia's red sun.

Typical wife is away blokes lunch. A sausage sandwich. I am doing a large jar of gherkins a week at present. Can't get enough of them.

Suitably reinforced I stocked up on some more casters and hemp and headed to the river to wait for the rain to slow a little. Had a look further down towards the big riffle. Bank still very overgrown, only a couple of access points but those were otter slides. Bit of a dilemma as I'd like to open up a few  but that then gives the game away.

Made my  first downstream cut a bit wider so I could have the top end of the glide to start the trot but despite half an hour of feeding nothing taking. Perhaps the downstreamer was rushing the bait through too fast. Apart from one trout slashing  nothing really showing either. Moved up to the top of the back eddy, and  now the downstreamer was actually slowing the float is it swang back towards to the bridge. More fish showing in the surface and bites from the off and of a better stamp in general than yesterday. I did lose a clonker which was a real gutter. Hook pull as it rolled on top and well over a pound.

Lost a brown of about 2 lb to another hook pull, then an even bigger one that took me round the pool twice and really bent the Drennan Waggler through to the joint. I'd say getting on for Jasper Farquahart size. The third stayed stuck and in splendid shape and colouration. It spewed up a good handful of the loose fed casters, just like a chub. 2.03.

One more one more last cast.... curfew in place today and arrived back at the guard house just in time. And no, that's not the toe of a Derri Boot.

Pike are starting to call, especially as the circus will be on them this year but think I'll stick with the roach and dace until we have some sharp frosts anyway.

Avoiding Brian

After Ophelia's red orb we are now being beat up by Brian. I was surprised to find anywhere not being whipped up to a froth but the long stand of poplars were doing their job keeping the wind off. Very pleasing to hear the final whistle as Huddersfield held off Man. U as I turned off down the track towards the bridge.

Only a scant hour so slipped in at the top of the back eddy using the dying reeds fringe for cover given the clarity of the water. Had about half a pint of turning maggots, though the casters all seemed to still be sinkers.

Do mean to attack the main flush with  a fixed spool from the other bank of the pool soon but today just happy to drop in with the 5bb Avon today.

Lots of dace in the hour or so with the odd smaller roach.

This one escaped a pikey end.

This perch came on last knockings and was the only fish to warrant the net.

And the inevitable cray. Locks like it has been in the wars

Got most of tomorrow and have a couple of new spots to search out, Brian permitting. Might be brave and give flake and worms a go.

A game of two halves and a little wander

Did the usual last night and fell asleep at the start of MOTD. So I missed Man City tonk Stoke but woke to see Chelski and Arsend Wenger get turned over by the minnows in the pond. Which made me smile. A lot. That Erikkson at Spurs has got a wicked pair of feet btw.Whipping it  in on the run on the voley, dead ball and everything.

No minnows on  my local river Bure but a lot of fry which is good to see. Thought I'd start off on the river after lunch now my pin is back in service.  Bright and clear so I wasn't expecting the better fish to show, and that was how it turned out. A lot of very small dace on the bait straight way even with 5bb just up from the hook. Sometimes a bit more of a pull back and that lovely twisting fight of  a better dace..

the flash of red and lovely blue sheen of a roach..

the bullish charging about of a perch, all hump back, spiky dorsal and stripes..

and the more determined dash for cover of a chublet.

And on the bluish lagoon as the clock struck 3 (always 5 minutes late) and hemp and caster or bust. I
I'd gone back to the stage to give my corner patch a rest. First cast and it seemed  I had chosen well.

Despite dotting right down with enough down below to also register a lift it was hard going.

Of course looking back given the warm wind I should have sprayed the remainder of my reds and fished up in the water.  But I didn't.  An hour to go and I dashed round to he corner swim, amongst the thickening carpet of falling poplar leaves. No dotting down here given the tricky dark and light fishing into the sun but increasing the feed and moving the droppers up did result in more  and better fish as the light went.

The bigger ones often have this golden cast but there are no rudd to cross with.

Not enough time to fish today but had to get out to feel the sun in my bones and my upturned face .

Oi oi Mr. Roach

Now, for that wander, and wonder a bit further afield. 14 fish there at least, and not much change from 75 pound. Probably a bit more.You do the math.  Slightest sound and they are all under that overhang, all tucked in and nothing to see. Verbotten unfortunately. Isn't that.always the way. Just like those chub in that millpool that always  featured in Lewis.

Sloppy seconds

A little longer on the blueish lagoon (3-6) and though I  had plenty of fish to hemp and caster nothing of yesterday's stamp. They seemed to be moving from the shelf out deeper and back again. Still it was a mild and drier afternoon and had a nice chat with the blueish lagoon bois.

Pretty little hybrid and those all important telltale shot.

A sample of the better fish from a very mixed bag.

Casterama

Had an afternoon pass and was on the blueish lagoon by a little after 3 having taken a detour to try and source a replacement screw for my pin.

Had some scrummy shop turned caster, some much defrosted and  refrozen hemp/corn and back up maggot should I run out of the autumn angler's staples. I have had a few fish out of the blueish lagoon but not many of the bigger roach for a while and was hoping to  put that right before we get any frosts.

More rain forecast and certainly quite low light levels. Just right I thought. Not much tow today and I seemed to be able to hold the double casters nicely over the dying weed. Thee or four small roach fairly quickly then a decent fish  had me zeroing the scales. A gnats under 13 oz.

Despite some wayward feeding soon got into a good rhythm and a mix of roach (several netters), skimmers , hybrids and perch kept me busy in the increasingly heavy rain  culminating in this absolute stonker of  a roach, coming in at 1.05 and a reason to stop and retreat. 

Must of had a stone of fish in less than two hours. Had thought of the river tomorrow but weather permitting I might just have a longer bash on the blueish lagoon. Just can't turn down the prospect of  a possible bagging session, as long as my gear has dried out .

Gudgeon pie

Had the trots again today, well an hour on the way home anyway. River in perfect shape and I dropped in below the bridge  in a  short deep and  slightly tricky run. The bow saw will have to come out as the willow is encroaching.

It was a veritable gudgeon nest down there and every chuck a small coconut. I did let a few plod about to see if I could entice  a perch to strike, the only one that did was on the legit maggots. Which by the way at only 2.50 a pint are a steal. (3.30 in Dangling Indirect and small as pinkies to boot) The casters were hand turned to. They are for tomorrow.

5- 6 oz ish  and brightly marked as ever on this river.

Just a 15 minute  sample of the hour or so.

261. INGREDIENTS.-- Egg and bread crumbs sufficient for the quantity of fish; hot lard.
Mode.-- Do not scrape off the scales, but take out the gills and inside, and cleanse thoroughly; wipe them dry, flour and dip them into egg, and sprinkle over with bread crumbs. Fry of a nice brown.
Time.-- 3 or 4 minutes.
Average cost. Seldom bought.
Seasonable from March to July.
Sufficient, 3 for each person.

THE GUDGEON.-- This is a fresh-water fish, belonging to the carp genus, and is found in placid streams and lakes. It was highly esteemed by the Greeks, and was, at the beginning of supper, served fried at Rome. It abounds both in France and Germany; and is both e

Think they had bigger gudgeon in mind, 2-3 per person?

Troot alors

Had to have a few trots today. Well you do don't you. Especially when it remains so mild. Rain did threaten and indeed end the brief foray but not enough to dampen my spirits. Went with red maggot and whilst not  a coconut every chuck fun enough. I have had to retire my pin whilst I track down a spare screw for the reel seat. Definitely less control with a fixed spool but a lot quicker to retrieve at the end of the trot.

Best roach of the session just before I called it quits. They do pull in what is a good flush of water through the pool. Had some decent dace, a tiny perch, some tinier gonks and two fecking  crays.

A lot better marked and  a fair bit more solid than the fish last weekend this spottie did a good tour of the pool before hitting the net.

Speaking of spotties The Essex Scribbler did a great double on the fly recently, a mullet and then this  fantastic silver tourist from a localish estuary. Bet it went well on his 5 weight.