Daze of future past part 1

Thought I would begin a trawl through my old albums. Probably would have been best to start chronologically and put some thought into presentation but heh ho..

This my album tells me was winter85/86

Left pane is a last gasp 15.06 from the Match Pit Wivenhoe.Last gasp as it was taken on a freelined sardine as the last rod left out before I had to leave for a late shift. Usually I used to pack everything away, then the optonics, then the indicators and then rod rests and last the rods (by this time proper rod holdalls had been developed  so no breaking the rod down fully).   In this case I even took off the lead and recast as I had been there on what felt a perfect morning witiout a take. I had never fished this corner and only ended up there as it was the last swim before the track for my bike ride home. Friendly digger driver stopped to watch and take the pics.

Second pane is another pike this time from the Sandbank, Arelseford, now I believe a CEMEX carp water. Spot the Rod Htchinson rod holdall mentioned above. Cant remember if Dave Gripping Hands Lake or Mak Morris took the pics.  Fairly well framed so probably not Mak Morris.

Abberton Culvert. First time I tried eel section which went down a treat. After dropping two fish straight away cut a strip out of the skin so the hooks could at least get some purchase in the pike's mouth. Bigger one is a lean 18. Second one of 11.08 started to come in  (from some range) and then went solid in what was a very  snag free area (flooded grassland). Came to life feeling a lot bigger, had been grabbed by something with jaws that punctured from pectoral  to ventral fins that eventually let go. Next time I catch a low double I'll measure roughly how wide fins are  apart in comparison.  No seals out there so that would have been a very big pike.

First pike of the season

First pike of the season, from Captains, sardine head fished in about 2 foot at the edge of lilies. Great to hear the bait runner go. Went a long way into the pads but not difficult to get back through them. They certainly pull in their summer lean state though this is not anorexic by any means. Poorly framed and focused: I need to get a remote for the self timer, not so bad in brighter light as I usually set aperture as high as it will go for depth of field and I don't like the flash in auto mode anyway. I am not sure how many doubles there are as several repeats last year. Has thrown up a thirty in the past and there was a one eyed 23 out  a few times last year but that was a sick fish, eel like in fact. This one went 15.06.

I detest minnows

Nuisance fish. How I have hated that phrase. Until today. I had forgotten the Wensum had these fellers in..........

How can these little pests take two maggots on the drop with 7bb a foot from the hook?

Did find some ineresting glides and some better fish. Weed less of a problem than I thought it would be so  will be back with the pike rods.

Pixie led

Hemp amd luncheon meat. What an evocative smell. Takes me back to around 1988 and fishing off the dam wall at Frating, dusk or dawn, right under the rod tip and Hutchinson 12 footer bent right through into a douible figure mirror. Just got in from an late afternon session at a water I  have only just found 10 minutes from home. Forgotten how far hemp spray goes. Every thing coated in that sweet, oily film. Also a background buzz of chilli powder.

I say water, it's really someone's glorified garden pond and until recently I never would have guessed it was there, feet from the road.  A discreet sign and a Transit plastered with  adverts  has brought it to my attention.

It's stuffed full of fish as these commercials are, the water constantly rocking with movement. That leads to the pixie led bit. Bailey uses the phrase to describe the frustration of crucian fishing. Not what I was targetting but after much frustration  fishing a small chunk of meat finally just hovering on the bottom over that chili hemp saw me bumping a fish off on the retrieve, then bringing back a scale after a spritely but not tearaway tussle and  then pulling out of what must have been a carp I thought I had done it in the gathering gloom when what looked like and felt like a decent crucian appeared to come off then turn into a much fiestier small common. I think the hook had come out and lodged n a pectoral fin given the change in pace and power.

Plantation Pool

Fancied an hour somewhere slightly different so headed up to Plantatation Bridge below Oxnead Mill. River is still backing up though clear. The pool looks huge in this shot. Those horses look pretty 

expensive too. Once saw a horse open a gate here, using it's mouth/nose (not sure how to describe  a horses  facial arrangements) to open the latch.

Pool was very awkward to fish, far bank was a nice looking gravel cow (or horse) drink but very weedy and near bank under low trees with a big eddy and lots of crap coming down from the ornamental pond in the Hall grounds. Lots of fish topping in the main push which I thought were not splashy enough for dace.
Ended up fishing of the side of the bridge and those fish were roach. Looked very different from the roach further downstream, a lot leaner and with a tinge of green on the flanks.     

Looking back up towards the Mill and House.Tale is that this is where NACA put in some barbel many years back. Some ended up down below Buxton and one came out 14+ a couple of years back.

                                   

Captains Bream

Not that big but first over skimmer size from Captains Pond. Fished meat over hemp, fish moved over bait quickly and bubbling well. Haven't had a go for  the carp yet. I think something like chick peas ormaples will be a bit f differnt fro the pelet/boile aproach ging in at the moment.

All change down on the river

Lots has been happening on the river. The fishery management has changed and now it's part of Macca's growing empire. Shame the previous manager couldn't make a go of it.

River has been very high most of the summer, must be being held back down at Horstead as well as it being  such a wet summer. Just just within its banks mostof the time but  doesnt colour up. I have heard of weed cuts above Buxton but have yet to get up there to look. Find a glide with some clear water (not that easy at present), start to feed and pretty soon  some decent dace and roach are there to be had. I  have  had  more perch if using worm and really fancy it below Plantation  Bridge using one of Wak's  bobber floats as below especialy as we have both banks up there.

Surviving an amber weather warning

This weekend has seen a bashing by the weather, low pressure, big winds and lots of rain. The Bure  has ben bank high, but with only a tinge of colour (compared to the the raging brown torent that was the Nar on Friday). Tough high, the water being held up at the last non-tidal gates at Horstead gave a steady, if un-spectacular push just right for a stick float. Quite why I noddied about for 45 minutes wth a waggler from ar previous Captains trip then I dont know, as the float was dragging the bait though too fast. Changing over to a Drennan Avon inflenced "stable stick" enhanced presentation with more pick-ups on the strike.

Dace not quite so big this time but some still semi-netters.

As well as the dace several perch, threee small but pleasing gudgeon, a micro chub and  a few roach made it a pleasant early evening trip. Had to chase the fish round the swim at times, erratic feeding and an extra couple of feet of water didn't help

Captains is coughing up a few of it's new carp residents with more stockies to come in the next couple of weeks

I'll have to make an effort to clear a couple of swims and put some bait in. In the meantime I will get back and have a go for some of the smaller but very coloured roach rudd and hybrids like this skimmer /something hybrid off the road bank. Bigger Bream are evident  off Stages 1 and 2 as well, shoal usually split in to two groups with 30-40 fish in total

Back on the river again

First river trip since the break. Snatched a quick hour or so using the Drennan Waggler rod given to me by Mak Morris before he went to the wilds of Ontario.  Has a tippy action being a waggler rod but even so has an inpressive bend when tested by a better fish. Somewhat noddied out but river looks the best I've ever seen it.

It was a bite a trot on double red maggot, mostly dace..

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This was not the biggest dace either, not sure how big this was but like the other bigger oneI took had black spot, as did some of the chub I've had around this particular area before.

 
Had one decent roach and a couple of smaller ones, they all were very deep bodied fish and classic river blue and I think might be a good sign for the future. Had one very persistent pike on a couple of times and even this well coloured perch.

Captains Pond before the rains came again

Lilies will be out shortly then Captains will be picture perfect. I wander if the water is a bit to acid to give up biger fish? New stockies will be the test. Have'nt seen the buzzards lateley.