Out with the big guns.

Rained Sunday/Monday so a bit more pace and colour today back at the Noddy Train Bridge but nothing the big guns couldn't cope with. The Greys 15 footer and  a Korum wire stemmed float. Sits nicely and sensitive too, but a bit noisy on the strike so probably more suited to deeper, boily water. Those two feet extra length make such a difference too so my trotting was pretty well spot on. 

 

Shame the fish didn't think so. Or perhaps they'd moved. I did get  a female/male dace brace.

 

And a non-gender specific chublet 

I also got a stonking great kype-jawed brownie that I struggled to get in the net. Fortunately it didn't get airborne and the 2.6 lb bs Bayer Perlon hook link and #16 B560 held out. One more dace down its throat and it would have made 6lb. Not a beauty but a battler.

If you know you know.

Still struggling with my left ankle after a fall on Saturday so probably not a yomp on Thursday following a bucket of mash down the Wensum with a hunk of flake as planned, I'm thinking a spot of feeder fishing on the Yare, conveniently between two pubs doing food, Bream and perch the quarry.

 

Toodle pip.

No two dace the same at the moment.

I had a short session on the syndicate stretch yesterday, on a run above the Noddy Train bridge where I've struggled  a bit of late but yesterday it looked bang on for a fish and it was first trot as well. A dace and they do look different to the Chicken Town dace, being more uniformly silver/blue. But then Chicken Town is mutantsville. A different river so a different gene pool. And these fish are nearer spawning, with several males sandpaper rough and the hens looking more pigeon chested than just plump. 

Could have done with the 15 footer to keep the float on a truer line down the run so one will  get an outing now I've had one repaired and both with replaced missing rings. Good sport, and no coat again,. In fact the fish in the net shot didn't feel cold at all. 

Double figure delight

Weather man said no rain and a balmy 14 C. Windy though. You cant ignore doubler figure temps in February. Rod and some nearly past their best  reds and casters in the back of the charabanc for a dabble on the way home. Tactical stop at Chicken Town to check emails and field a video call from the boss. 

River low and clear and shorn of it's summer weed fest

Short walk to the bog shed door blue rope swing swim. 10 minutes (well nearly 10 minutes) of loose feeding then an underarm swing of the 4grm balsa. Two yards into the trot the red tip dipped then buried, a sliver dart twisting in the current.

Several followed,  mostly cock fish but no sandpaper scales yet.

The hens definitely plumping up though and by now the browns were muscling in.

Thoroughly pleasant after work session on the pin topped off with this cracking hen of a whopping 10oz. Double figure delight indeed.

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Something about chub

There is something about chub. Even chublets.  Had a few roach yesterday as dusk fell, mostly burnished blues and bold reds and all with big shoulders. But this little chublet was  my prize of the late afternoon as the sky cleared, the frost began to sparkle on the lock railings and a pike-toothed new moon and Venus shone bright low in the sky.

Oh, and a kingfisher that arrowed in and crouched on the concrete sill just feet away, intent on the fry that always become active at this time in the lock. All Merlin could pick up from the increasing dusk chorus were the robins waiting for my left over maggots. The several times frozen corn went in for the fish 11 feet down.  

Hoping for an hour tomorrow at the tail of the weir, amongst the carpet of snow drops.