Return to old school

Essex Scrbibler's recent charter boat reprise had me scanning for old gold.


Couple of trips way back when..

Down Berkshire way, and the night of the Kennet storm. After a charge down the motorway with Smeg Sawyer berating Mak Lite(pre-Scribbler) and Guzzaman who wasn't speed limited an evening in the pub was followed by neurotic old me trying not to be in direct contact with a metal tent pole when sharing a 1 man tent with brick shit house Smeg in a rather splendid thunderstorm.  Straight off fishing again, with no chance to even think about replicating my normal 2 flasks of tea and one of coffee.

Afore mentioned Smeg Sawyer

The fishing. I think I caught a gudgeon and the night before someone caught this (probably Smeg) lovely barbel, the first I had ever seen on the bank.

Essex Scribbler into a chub. Back of photo mentions hemp and a possibility that the Scribbler had managed to keep a large stash of much better hemp for himself?

And one he caught earlier. August 1992 the writing on the back says. Very much tank driver chic.

This was also down the A140 to the Stour, and what I remember was mad eyed screamer territory, a gaunt, haunted old woman with blood shot eyes and gouged in blue eye paint, also I think clutching a carrier bag?
This 11+ fish was caught by the Scribbler, swum past Smeg and then took my bait as well. One of many fish that day from a very small area. 14th March 1992

Who dares wins, you ain't see me right?

I thought this was same day but looking closer possibly not.

If only

Very quick lunch half an hour in Holt, snagged a gorgeous Chicken pie slice and took a quick look at Selbrigg Pond. Shocked to see the dam wall looking like this..

 Having remembered it like this..

Wearing a suit and holding a camera drew the suspicion of the land owner /contractor(not sure) who was quickly assured by my explanation of coming to look at the water with a view to fishing, proudly told me they were to take a lot of the encroaching reed back to somewhere around it's original 9 acres. It is a lovely water with copper beech on one bank. Shallow and very clear it is a picture. Known for perch and eel at one time. Free fishing now (when the contractors are off the dam).  Will definitely be visiting again. Always fancied for it tench early morning or along the reed fringes with lives for perch. One of the first places took @bain3z fishing (he got some small perch), and did have  a double figure pike on a lunch time lure session several years back

The left hand corner was simply alive with darters and damsel flies, mostly paired. I have never seen so many in one place. Sadly I didn't get my settings right which was a shame as it a magnificent sight with brown, electric blue and shocking Ferrari red darting everywhere.

This frame should be full of them but shutter speed to slow and lens only 18-55mm to pick them out.

Prawn again

Weather still holding out. Late afternoon stint on Captains. Intending to fish for bream but to tempt any stray carp spotted. Fished 2nd stage in the hole about 3 rods out. Mixture of fresh and slightly turning hemp and corn and to float fish meat or prawn over the top, lift stylee.  Plenty of rudd and roach activity but did not see one carp so a plan to drop a nice bit of fluffy fresh flake in front on one never came to fruition.

Had used a red float rubber for the bottom end reed float and this meant lots of mini rudd./roach action as they tried to move the float around. Missed the first down and away on meat, and the next lift on prawn but third time prawn was to tempting for this little bream to let go.

No bubbles at all, or any rolling but with the bucket nearly empty (that is a very oily hempy corny looking liquid)

I'd kept up some interest with several missed bites and this better fish of just over 5lb.

No fight to speak of but a reassuring thump on the strike and a nice bend in the Ashurst float rod. Essex Scribbler will raise an eyebrow but I think an autumn investment in some maples or blackeyes and a few more bends in the rod are called for before thoughts turn to pike...

Careless talk costs.

P.S
I am not sure about the character bottom right. Seems a bit too teutonic to me, look sharp and keep mum, there's a war on...

Mawkish sentimentality?

Not many of us where around to actually remember the war years. Even so a 40's weekend is now a regular North Norfolk event, centered mainly around Sheringham and the Poppy line terminus. The weather held today for a jaunt over there this afternoon.

Hungry work this nostalgia

The whole town centre seems to be involved

But when the throngs have gone there will always be this.

Somewhere else

No, I 'm not Rangely-Wilson. I drive past here sometimes and am getting very tempted..

The water slightly rocking

This is why

And this is a lump of a common, noticeably bigger than the two above

And the plant life is quite nice too.

 I do fancy a change of scenery and it's only down the road

Hybrids

Our local lake forum had this absolute belter on it the other day. Rudd bream hybrid we guess, 3lb 3oz
I 've also had few suspect fish but none quite as beautiful as this.

Not quite right these next two, sort of in-betweenies

Stretching it further but I'm not 100% that this all dace. Fins too red and a shade of blue across the back. Just looks different to what you'd expect on the stretch.

Cray zee

By the time I'd got on the Wensum the last dregs of the lovely hot morning had gone. Not many have been on judging by the overgrown banks. Hemp a bit toasted as I forgot it was on the hob..corn, not maggots  as this stretch is minnow rich. None on the Bure as far as I know. With more pace the float easier to run through with some semblance of bait first, and I find it easier trotting when the flow is right to left. Mitchell 300A, go faster red trim (I'd forgotten that) and a working bale arm but that old coffee grinder sound.
Small roach and dace, and  then a real down the hole bite, and something half decent on for a few turns. Chub possibly. This roach was nearly pike tea. You can see the gloomy light. A lot of kingfisher activity

Had a  rather large signal cray  that crawled away before I could get the camera out after a downpour. Never seen one before, did catch several native crays many years ago on the River Leam, in not surprisingly Leamington Spa.

Mundo massive

Mundesley. Have to say I usually only see the beach, and maybe footie in Gold Park with the boys but today Little-un and I spent a bit more time, enjoying the unforecast early Saturday sun. The council had come in for a bit of stick over their wild flower mix beds  in the early stages but now they are looking rather good, fantastically unregimented in fact.

 The  shelters are rather splendid too.

Down to the beach

and the spruced up beach huts. Some used to be for rent. All spic and span for the winter lay up

A glorious, sun still warming to the bones September morning

Back up the slope into town and for a small place tonsorially well catered for. Is there a domain name equivalent in the trade? From the obvious to the sublime in the length of a small street.

I do quite like this..

Talk about civic pride, the Parish council office is brilliant post box red,

and there is still some life in the sweet peas poking over the wall

For a brief period this threatened to turn in to something nasty but blew out to sea

Mundo massive?You can't quite make it it out on the door of the closed up but freshly painted bogs but somewhere in this surprisingly  brushed up well old Beeching axed coastal halt  beats the heart(s) of an urban crew or two with hopes of larging it somewhere in the bigger, badder world outside Poppyland. You'd better look further afield  than the Royal then.

Mitchell bail flap

Afternoon on the Bure, stuck with flake, this time with some lovely fresh hemp. Family fishing the only weed free swims below the bridge. Did see a decent chub  whilst looking for  any gap (4+ I would say). Only free swim deep, slow,  nice strip of weed but a little to far out to really control the stick and the inside line was almost still.

So. Up towards the pool, resplendent in the September sun.

Dropped in on the bend which turned out to be a bit of a nursery area, flake being hammered by little tykes too small to hook. No 16's in the box so down instead to a 14 and a smaller bit of flake. Stated to hit a few bites including a very small chub, and though not the pettiest today the biggest dace was this one.

The swim was clear and shallow and it was interesting seeing how the stick set up was working. Firstly, even with the shot grouped down the bait (buoyant  I guess as it was flake) took a while to get anywhere near under, let alone any pretence of being in front of the float as so lovingly depicted in every how to book. I could see how bunching shot in a string to act as a hinge over a clean bottom could let the bait trip over the bottom better once I had some semblance of down stream float control. I could also see how easy it was to miss any indication that a  fish had the bait in their mouth until that downstream control was at least technically in place. You would need to be fishing off a boat or a pier, or  chubber style float with a substantial amount of lead, or so over depth and held back that you would have caught on the bottom long before you could get that strung out presentation. The chubber or these days days pellet waggler style works as the float is buoyant enough to drag the bait and lead through and therefore is  in front of the hook.


I had just got some semblance of feed and semi control when the dreaded Mitchel bail arm flap occurred. I have discovered that mostly it is due to a bent bail arm, not the spring but in this case the spring certainly was where it shouldn't be and so that was that for today at least. It's no good being able to run the float through, trap the line on the spool rim and strike if you then have to fumble to turn the handle and set the bail arm  all at once, by hand.

 Had a quick look on the gravels at the tail of the pool and amongst the dace and roach was this lovely little wild brownie. Not sure what the slightly longer, leaner fish top right of the trio is. I'm guessing chub with that white mouth flash and more corally fins. Kingfisher sped across the pool, this time  more chestnut than azure.

Macca was on Captains so called in on the way home. He' d been on Cobbleacre  over the weekend but had been put off by the catfish (it's a designated catfish receiving water) so had finished off in Dead Mans Hole. Had 3 carp today and some bream, missed a take when I was there. Has convinced me of the better approach on Captains. No peeing about with KD's etc. Be confident. Had some predator action in front of him, one lunge was definitely a good sized perch.

And 23 more fish have gone in, including a lovely linear mirror. Wants to put some tench in but very expensive and hard to get at any size . Far better sourcing some new strain small tench as the one's that do come out are old and battle worn

I had had a look last night, and run this little feller through a few times to see just where was less weedy. The bigger light coloured fish I saw last week was soon having a look see  in the disturbed silt. The level is way down now, and the lilies are browning off in places. Kingfisher ( that azure flash and shrill call) seen.