What it is with roach?

Right now all I want to catch are roach. Low light, lighter winds than of late and still a touch of colour in the river. Bang tidy. However first things first and a stop off at the Horse and  Groom. Pint of Barsham in a Lacons glass and some decent scratchings.

Banks a quagmire and I did soak  a halved bluey  for an hour with only one missed run so down to the stile and build up the swim with several pouches of reds whilst I readied myself. Around 5 trots to suss the depths and suddenly the float had gone. There is nothing like the thumping down the long rod and a great silver flank and red fins. Not quite a pound and a half and a good netter the next trot.

Not a bad shot from a dog walkeress. No need to crop.

This one not quite making a pound and a half either.

I trotted till I could no longer see the float  leaving in the Stygian gloom with  fish rolling in the swim. Again a stack of netters, with just a few make weights, and three chunky dace too. The damage must be cormorants but as you can see in the brace shot some are like freshly minted coins.

Repetition, repetition

Repetition, repetition as Mark E Smith was wont to opine. Do repeat captures "count"? Should we care?

I've been followed round by Lumpy, Keith and The Nameless on the river often quite some distances apart. I had the same  mahoosive brownie twice in 2 hours  about 200 yards apart on deadbait. One lump of  a pike came out in the snow in spawn at 25 then 23 a month later.

I've a couple of friendly bream and tench on my beloved Golden Pond which also seem to move about its admittedly smaller confines.  The angling circus seems to quite specifically move around to "target" individual fish. (How unless you are sight fishing?)

Anyhoo, look what turned up again, this time on standard pike gear. Still gave a good account of itself. Very pleased that the trebles fell out in the net too. Weighed the same as well.

Just a dozen.

Just had to get an hour in to ward off the heebie-jeebies that have been ganging up on me of late. Passing the river on my way to Dangling Indirect my prior plan of some juicy lobs and meat down the bushes turned to thoughts of roach on that long straight and pinch point. Just as well as Dangling Indirect had no lobs, juicy or otherwise. A pint of reds, and about as much again maize meal and I was  ready to go with perhaps just over half an hour of trotting light left. 3rd trot and I missed the float disappearing and thus the bite. Not so the second time and I'd found my quarry. A net roach pushing the pound.

It's fantastic when the light drops, the wind stops and a big roach rolls. This time it was attached to my B520 and what a beast it was. I just love that thump thump.

A real handful at 1lb 8oz too.

12 netters, a couple of smaller ones and  a plump dace. Happy days.

Success or failure by the tiniest of margins

Dropped in on an occasional water with the intention of checking out the silvers potential in this unseasonal (relative) mildness whilst drowning a bluey and a roach, also on the off chance.  Both of which turned up a pike apiece, the bluey fish being quite a plump 'un.

Found some roach just over the pronounced ledge and worth returning in future with more than a handful of old maggot and manky caster. One cast and it all changed. Just back over the ledge, bang and the roach had been taken by a lurking pike.  A serious pike given the length of back from head to dorsal.  My 13 foot progressive action Drennan Waggler rod, rated for 2-3lb reel lines and the 3.2lb Drennan Float Fish line straight to a Kamasan B520 whisker barb spade in #16 was sorely put to the test with one heart stopping plink and brief slackness as the line pinged over that far slung dorsal.  The feared line slicing headshake never came and into the onion bag she finally went after what must have been nearly 10 wrist bending minutes. This is all that held her. Bent but resolute. And there is a nick in the line an inch above the hook too. Balanced gear Buh. 

20lb bang on the nose.

So of course a drop to celebrate.