Flying ant day

I got as far as looking at the shingle (no sign of life) buying feathers (tiny ones, got mugged off by tackle dealer who had the  'special ones' under the counter for his mates, never going back) then taking the safe option of there is always next year.

So you'll get  the usual suspects to look at again.  I think they are in the right order. Can't keep away from the shaded swim and that is in part because the fish seem to swim away from the pads (mostly) on their first run. I  really don't want to lose any towing gear, even with barbless hooks or break my replacement  tip section again. 4mm pellets, a few 12mm Source and a gentle swing out of the Puddle Chucker. Simplicity itself. 

First up a dashing little male hitting the line with its paint brush tail. Plucky things aren't they?

I kept getting my attention on the float tip drawn away to the pair of kingfishers to my right so often looked up to see I'd missed a bite but what a delight they are to see and hear at such close quarters.

Didn't miss this slobbery old barry

or this sleek, smooth doctor fish, which did get briefly acquainted  with the pads  which of course were use to add some interest to the safe option net shots from then on in.

I'd been fishing with the anti-reverse off to avoid being pointed and the inevitable loops of line from the settling rotor arm  meant a long cast to to clear them and  the float buried almost as soon as it landed. A decent roach had taken the boilie on the drop.  They've been overshadowed by the skimmers and hybrids for a while so nice to get one of this size. Autumn plans to be hatched. Probably.

One more bream to end the short evening session and snot up the net some more. Slightest hint of moisture and  it really hums.

Hums so much (along with the obligatory large mat) that as so as I'd got them  out on my next late afternoon bash a cloud of irritating flies were swarming over my shoulder from the field and covering the net, mat and me in a horrible stinking miasma. On closer inspection they were flying ants, having made the inbuilt decision to fly as one. The swallows were on them quickly rather than the usual clacking beaked gulls they usually attract. I started off with the corn slow sinking to try for some of the roach  and had a few but no real  netters but had hedged my bets with some pellet and groundbait and once the bubblers started, bunched the shot down

I was on the lighter Drennan waggler rod and for some reason lost the first two bream and a tench. he kingfishers where still as active but my view was more distant as they swept up  and down the pond , only occasionally whizzing past just past the sunken rod tip. At one point there was a fall of much smaller flying ants coinciding with a hatch of small midges and the pond surface was covered with thousands of small fish taking them as the swallows returned, feasting on the bounty. 

Two bream did end up in the net and one tench did get in the pads with resultant carnage but I 'only' left a  fine wire #12 and 3 inches of 3.2bs line in it.

As I left two squadrons of screaming swifts scythed down the valley, their calls easily overtaking the distant hum of harvesting and the church bells tolling 8 over the water meadow as the dew fall began. Magical.