Down to the wire.

A deflated ball bought the back garden footie to an early bath. I was sent fishing whilst the future mega stars were consoled with a half hour of You Tube rubbish. I opted for the Next Nearest Local water but I would have  to be heading back by 8.40 to be in time for wine o'clock curfew. Same tactics as previously but another five feet on the depth and as it was an impromptu fish the golden goodness remained in the freezer. Source on the left hander (creature of habit) and one of these shocking flouro pineapple perils on the right over a few handfuls of mixed pellet  about two rods out, past the emerging pads. Both rods in at 7.30.

It turned out these 10mm dumbbell wafters were too buoyant for the QM1 #12 so dug out the 8mm yellow peril versions and it was these that provoked mote interest, first victim being this silvery skimmer, which at least got the stink net wet and more stinky as only a couple of small roach were swung in.

More fish topping than on previous visits and little and tawny owl calls around me. Again though no swallows, martins or bats. 8.25 and just as I was contemplating bringing in the motionless left hand float the right hand one dipped and a ponderous weight and nodding plodding fight had me thinking big old barry bream and needing to stand up to exert some control as the fish made good use of the depth under the rod tip to circle about. Flashes of  bronze  kept me guessing mahoosive bream until I saw a series of big scales and a long dorsal. I had it's head up and managed to cram it into the stink net at the first attempt. A very portly pond pig indeed, flanks dotted with a few more metallic scales along with the regulation chain mail and a strange deformed upper lobe to the tail fin. The Korum digitals flickered between 14.11 and 14.12 so I took the lower value and slid it back to recover in the stink net before it made it's way back to it's watery home. A very happy Bure Boi turned the back door handle dead on the wine o'clock grandfather clock chiming in the hallway. I think that's species number 10 for 2021. Whiskey night too.