Time to let summer go?

After Saturday's spite full wind and vindictive rain Sunday turned out nice again. Grass cut and leaves swept it was off to the Very Little Water Left.  I do really worry about the future of this iconic local water mark, nestling at the bottom of  a sweeping bend, all rhodos and lillies, a picture perfect lake. Don't think there is an identifiable or reliable water source except road run off. East Anglia is the driest region of  Britain, and then some these arid days. It's down past its bones. 18 to 24 inches deep for the most part.

So shallow in fact now you have to choose somewhere you wont strand anything you hook on the  silt. Fellow Member and ever present until we had a temporary closure was kitted out with chesties and a spade to make a deep enough spot to net fish from when I got there and he was almost straight away into a stunning mirror that waddled it's way in. Spot the spade

Looks like he's the cradle with the carp there.

Relived to see it get out into some water.

I settled in for probably the last time this year for my favourite method small boilie  under a small loaded waggler on a decent rod in the hope of tench and bream. First bite came as the ever present ducks were squabbling over  scraps so I had an impeded strike and a tench was pricked then off.

I'd also placed a small joey in the shallowest of shallows to my right and it wasn't long before the float began to bob then start to  move away. A decent pike on and surging as best it could through the water and mostly mud. Surprisingly solid if not plump and lightly hooked again.

I put out a sardine and got back to the float road.  Some bream-like single bubbles and the float dipped  long enough for me to take action, and  the Drennan Tench and Specimen 13 footer  was bent if not tested. Good reel too, rear drag and reliable. I've got another waiting to be spooled up. that'll be an excuse to get another rod to put it on.....

I thought I'd give the Greg Wallace cap an airing.

As I was putting the bream back the sardine  took off at a rate of knots, all baitunner and bite alarm.
The rod slammed over as the pike made hard for the left hand pads. Different gravy this one with real width across the back and a crodillian head. At the net the flying top treble caught in the drawstring and the mud soup meant I couldn't turn the net to scoop her in and as I contemplated stripping off to go in the fish turned and was gone. Not sure what with the summer leaness but come late winter that would have been a 20. Never mind. 

Another bream, this time my old friend big scales.

Last fish of the afternoon, again another fast take on sardine and a longer but leaner fish than the first.

I really do hope there is no big kill under the ice in the winter and that there is some water come spring. If nothing else it would mean the kingfishers and herons I was treated to all afternon had something to fish for.