The cup that cheers

I did venture to the river yesterday and the snow did lay crisp and even, apart from mole tumuli and the scuffings of walker's feet. The mill pool was fairly benevolent though not quite as calm as the proverbial.

                                   

I trotted for a bit but found using a catapult almost impossible due to the weakness and warning pains in  my left hand so searched a while with worms on the tip but surprisingly with no interest at all.  

I moved down to a bend where I had caught my first ever Norfolk chub, nearly a pound bigger than any chub I'd caught from the Stour and Colne before my exile. 4lb 12oz on meat on a day of horizontal rain and I couldn't believe the stabbing round of the screw-in quiver tip. I'd rested my rod against  a fence  post long since gone due to the severity of the down stream gale and it was this that stopped the old Sportex 1.25lb tc Avon following the tip round into the river as the chub tore off. Thinking back it must have been over 20 years ago, nearly to the day. Today chosen as the near bank run was close enough for sparse loose feed.

Just as well as snow, as it does found its way into the the the bait box causing a wet sticky mess limiting further bait dispersal distance. Good job I'd decanted a small quantity only not having access to  Mike Newey's patent maggot warmer. Pre disaster maggots below along with for a while redundant catapult

A few small fish did top and I had 4 definite bites just before the glide shallowed up with sucked maggots but none connected with. 

A warming flask of LIDL's finest range tomato and chorizo soup didn't kindle greater enthusiasm but I'd been out which buoyed my crunch back to the car. Neoprene gloves, even when fingerless, what a game changer.

I didn't catch the glorious shepherds warning red sunrise most seemed to have seen as a grey murk swept in from the North Sea bringing more snow but the glass is rising, so my pike trip this afternoon should at least be dry, even if very, very cold.