Bad to worse.

Three days of cack weather have been getting me down, especially as I have been baiting a couple of areas for bream and had hoped to cash in.  4C when I set off this morning. 3 miles from home today (a grudging 7C)  in a gale and stair rods. A judder, a warning message  "check injector" and loss of power. Managed to get the Charabanc off the road and made the call. Recovery man flips off oil filler  cap an hour later, says "turn her over "and then delivers the coup de grace: "Cam belt gone." Me. It's fecked then." He. "You could say that."

I'd just put £60 of unleaded in, just paid £250 Road Tax and I still  have 6 months left to  pay on the Charabanc with no GAP cover.

Silver linings though. The car wash was broken so I hadn't paid for that and I hadn't rung to get a new key card as the two I am mix and matching are almost useless and certainly unreliable for getting in and out of and starting said dead Charabanc. So that's *saved* about £90. And the eldest of the Metropolitan Elite has signed me up as a paid lens man for a project he is doing on coastal erosion. The Essex Scribbler has signed me up for lens man duties for his Exhilarated Outdoors sideline. No fee has been mentioned....

I need a "decent" petrol estate, for about £3k. Like yesterday..... And I think  I have made my decision to take early retirement. Takes about 5 months to process once I have been given a projection. 

Getting your goslings all in a row

I endured rather than enjoyed a fishless blank on the very local water this afternoon. Sheeting rain, blown by gusting winds and I was not surprised when the car temp read 5C. I just don't get on with brollies and brollie weather.

Not long hatched, it doesn't take long for the pike to home in and  I don't recall any geese successfully rearing a brood since I've been fishing on here.

The end of the pier show

Jay Rayner bought his entourage to  Cromer last night to record Kitchen Cabinet for  Radio 4. Slickly done and with some good local colour.  Of course Cromer Crabs are the best and of course its pronounced Samfur. Goes out on May the 5th 10.30 am. Listen.

Spectacular light show as well.

Carved out of mahogany

I was tempted by bubbles and puffs of silt so stuck it out on the stages with corn and meat, just once did I get  a decent chance and this gunmetal bream graced the net.

Everything packed away and chap across the pond was into a good 'un. Offered a couple of shots to back up his phone pics, what an absolute stunner.

Storm chaser

I left the last blog on my way to catch some roach. Having roasted somewhat the day before  I made sure I slip, slapped and slopped before settling down in a swim with a modicum of backwards projection from that strange hot round thing.  Wind over my shoulder so set the Grey's 15 footer up as a flick tip with the insurance of a clutch should anything serious come to play. Got into a routine of feeding flouro maggot and swinging the rig out. Given it was just maggot and no seeds or groundbait I planned to pick up what ever came on the drop and then come closer in on dusk with corn or fake caster.  It was a bite a put in, mostly on the drop. No tow and a single no. 8 held should the bait get down that far. 

Had a brief glimpse of something following one of the smaller roach, something with red fins I thought.

Getting very grey behind me and the  rumbles of thunder  warning of an approaching storm, with the wind picking up. Just another routine lift of the yellow tip as the falling no. 1 bulks were halted in mid drop and the tip of the rod pulled hard down into the water as I  lifted, and I slipped of the anti reverse, line singing in the wind. Deep, ponderous head thumps, the kite to the emerging lillies and a lovely roach dived into the cover of the extended net. Another black spotted but big framed roach, and another pound plus fish for my tally,  1lb 2oz  this time. 

Just slipped it back when the  first spots of rain began. Hastily covered my tackle and made a break for my car  just as an almost directly overhead flash and crack signalled a monsoon like deluge and it was quite some time as the storm circled before I could think about getting back out. The fish were still feeding but more erratically and I was distracted about getting everything home and dried, sodden as it was. Another small hybrid in the way in suddenly got a lot heavier and with deep red fins and bold stripes. A very good perch had snaffled it and only spat it out at the net. Made a right mess of the hybrid too. Perhaps if I'd been on a single maggot the hook might have taken hold in the perch too. 

Little snapper

Had a very quick look at the now blue again lagoon in the week, and had two have a go at my shad right at my feet, the bigger one didn't stay on but this little'un did. I'm just not patient enough to really give lure fishing a proper go but the odd dabble happens sometimes and it can be exciting. Just I always forget that bit.

It 's been a week for a wander as the temps have picked right up and following my day out in the Wensum valley with (Dolly 9-5) John Bailey I'll give the Sparham complex more of a go this year. I do love a tinca.

Selbrigg is not open till June but it is a gorgeous place and on the commute route.

I've always loved that copper beech and so I learnt has Bailey.

Brief but lovely sunset last night over Skeyton.

Off for a roach or two now it's cooling down a bit. Toodle pip.

Filed under heavy reporting restrictions

Whilst the sun was only out briefly yesterday the world looked a slightly greener and better place. And the forecast rain never came to spoil the party.

I put a couple of big pellets down the edge and began to feed a line just past the ledge, hemp and maggot would be my line of attack. Quick results from a trio of perch that head thumped deep down way above their station.   A few more would come my way, though none would have made 4 oz. Not as many skimmers or hybrids today and as I was not being really selective a lot of smaller roach on the drop.  Did really test the Greys 15 footer with a foulhooked  double figure pike that kept insisting on getting airborne and frightening the bejusus out of the mallards. The hook hold went in the end. The rod does have some grunt that is  for sure.

No long after one of the members left after a mardle I knew I'd hit pay dirt as soon as I saw the flash of red and a thick body sliding towards the slightly bigger net this time. It would have filled the teaspoon one to be sure.  An absolute belter of a roach that took the zeroed Flyweight MK 2's  round to 1lb 10oz 8 drms. To say I was chuffed would be an understatement.

The fish is the star to be sure

The pellet rods did have  the odd flicker so it's a few evenings with  a bucket of splodge on the way home from work to see if the bin lids fancy a regular nosh. 

Tinca tinca

Had a guided day on some local spots today. Like most places today I would imagine grey damp and  a pesky northerly. Interesting perspectives and insights into the goings on of the various Norfok Mafia. Much discussion on bubbles and what might cause them.

I had one positive bite and converted it despite my guide saying too early..... lovely plod round in the deep margins on my Tench Float 13 footer.

Looks bigger on the mat. A big high back. First tinca of 2018.

Just deserts

Weather foul again. Did have  quick look at the river on Saturday, quite low but still carrying  a lot of colour. Celandines look lovely.

Put some graft in on Sunday morning, paying my dues as it were. Good to be with a sensible group of blokes. Wished them well with their day, conditions looking spot on despite the mizzle. By the time I got to my chosen stillwater  the umbrella was still required but only really to shelter my stuff. and myself a bit. Virtually no wind so little tow. When  the float moved it was a bite.... I have developed  a very stupid habit of throwing my little and often ground bait in overhand and not very well. Must sort that out. Brolly didn't help and in the end I just covered my gear up and put up with getting wet.

Despite my erratic feeding had a really good afternoon/early evening. A lot of smaller roach and just a bit bigger skimmers and hybrids on double maggot and enough dog roach to keep me concentrating.  I love the almost imperceptible burying of the float the bigger ones seem to give on here, and waiting for that thump on the strike 

This one really made my trip. Straight away it felt better, and once I saw that red flash I knew I had to get it in. A bit of  a warrior and big in the beam. A very solid 1lb 3oz.

I had a flutter when one stayed very deep, more power than thump so was sure it wasn't  a big roach or hybrid. Let down by the small net, it was a reasonable pike that must have snaffled the small roach as it took the maggot, it spat out the mangled roach as I tried to get it into the teaspoon sized thing.

To damp and cold to stay into dusk, will come back for that and target the bigger fish on the drop off with a pole and more accurate feeding. 

Mostly jays,  buzzards and a yaffle or two today. There were lots of dead and mangled frogs round the pond.

Sundown

Brief but lovely sunset on Friday.

Down the edge

Very brief foray last night. Well, I had to with temps edging up to 15C earlier and no rain. It wasn't peaceful by the road, and not really productive but I was out of the house and on the bank. Drizzled in some fengureek and ginger chick peas and some krill coated  Bacon Grill for next time. 

Down the edge. They like it there.

 A 38 tonner has the dam shaking.

Need  a light source time as the gate and padlock are buggers in the gloom. Can stay a bit longer into dusk if I know I can get out of the place. And some neutral colour float rubbers as the small stuff kept knocking the float down as they investigated the red rubber.