One man's meat......

River only just in it's banks and brown as proper tea.

3rd swim down, and the 3 droppers of meat must have done their work..

Large chunk of meat, size two hook and an ounce of lead. Tap, tap and steady pull round. Several strong chubby surges to the marginal growth, line cutting through the surface and the fry gathered in the slacks scattering. Don't come off, don't come off. Which of course it did. Bite off? Which increased the chances of it being a pike not a chub but I'll never know.


Dad and lad on the ressie capturing a magnificent tench with an exquisite orange belly..

Valerian, Valerian

Another vague suggestion at a lyric in the title.

Aldeburgh jaunt.

Daisy, Daisy

Wensum valley verdant under the glowering clouds.

Just looking

Always worth having the camera in the charabanc. Stopped off at Costessey, where my years free fishing starts.  Moody sky

The Weir..took camera off P setting for this one. Seems to have worked.

Captain's now stunning as the rhododendron, lilly and flag iris reaching their peak.

Carp giving it a go over Deadman's Hole

Repetition, repetition, repetition.

If you're catching carry on? Sometimes anyway. Rivers and traditional closed waters open soon. so plenty of time for trying something new ahead. I'd seen a lot of fish feeding off Stage 1 so out with the float road and a prawn sleeper. One of those afternoons when it is light drizzle but only enough to lay the dust and not get wet, except from the sweat and steamed glasses such humidity brings. One heavier shower then a much pleasenter end to the session.

Can't say I held the shoal with precision feeding but good enough rewards. After a spell of the intermediate fish

stated to get the bigger ones interested in the corn or prawn amongst the chilli hemp.

Seem to be filling out post spawning. Some still bearing the scars though.

9 netters in total, and gathering clouds had me home in time for the footie.

Here and there.

Monday and a quick bash on the Pond, though I'd had a reasonable amount of fish Sunday the swim was not the jacuzzi I'd have liked it to have been so popped onto Stage 1. All I can say is the midges kept away, A small roach first cast and a slightly less small skimmer was it. Lot of carp activity though.

Thursday and I had I one of those texts whilst at work...get some wine and milk on the way home and go fishing..rude not to.

Thursday and back to Stage Two. Again, not able to concentrate the fish as I would like and more activity under the emerging cover than where I was stubbornly fishing to.  Had four  bream that had just made the jump from skimmer size. All mint, young fish.

Midge mania descending I decided on last cast curfew when a spirited hybrid gave me the run around and looking like a small common as it surged around the swim, all golden scaley flanks. In truth a bit battered from spawning hence the mistaken scaley identity. Much more rudd in this one and one I haven't seen before. A good 4 plus.

Friday and stopped off at Buxton. Mass ranks of mega chub off the Rail bridge, love showing the walkers and cyclists what is there once the Polaroids take out the surface glare. Two good bream with them.

This syndicate member was working the mill pond.



Got in to find I had won a years fishing on the Ketteringham's Fishery on the a Wensum below Costessey Weir. A fabulous unexpected treat. Must explore ASAP.

Sprint round the pond with a drop shot rod, only two taps but virtually no weed anywhere. Is it the unusually coloured water or cold spring? Fish feeding everywhere, cover on not. Hemp on to soak, boosted with chilli, ginger and  salt.

Dinosaur hunting on Saturday with little'un's.

There is a hole in my bream dear Lisa

Sunday was spent with the chipeaters in Yarmouth. Sun was hot but the North Easterly not.
If you have children and been to Yarmouth you will know Joyland and the Snail ride. It's the law. You will also know the Teacups ride, and why you never went on them again..

Had a couple of hours on the Pond later. The wind doesn't come from one direction on there, just gusts and swirls about. Cold enough to make me wish for gloves.

The round half  a dozen bream all seemingly female and various shapes and sizes. All determined to put up a bit of a fight, even this one foulhooked in the belly.

They came to  prawn or corn over half a tin of corn. Total bait cost? About 20p.

This one had a noticeable hole, about the size of a penny on the gillcover.

Was driven off the water by the cold and the irritating midges finding shelter about my large head. Treated to a pair of buzzards at close quarters over the water just as  I got set to leave the platform. Big birds, measly little calls. Spooked the rooks though.

This week I have been mostly..

Watching fish in the sunshine....Mudpigs everywhere today. Couldn't miss this ghostie.

And this is a grass carp

Had a little dibble with the drop shot and had this little snapper.

Lavender's (not yet) blue

Launched a pre-emptive lemon and lavender cake run on Sunday. Blickling was the requested spot so a detour so little'uns could sleep through kek-lined lanes and chromium yellow rape fields.

Posh containers and the afore mentioned kek (cow parsley).

I used to have an office in the West Wing.

What  a vista.

Littl'uns enjoyed the fountain.

I enjoyed the Orangery. That orange blossom smell.

This is a hedge. And the West Wing. Son said, but how did you do e-mails, did they have wi-fi?

Brighter , later

Woke up to the realisation that the clock was lurching on to my possibly impending doom. 4 weeks and counting till the P60 could be handed down with 12 weeks notice.....

Anyway, after a fruitful bash at the garden got the green light to go and off I lurched to the water's edge. Wasn't staying past 8 so made the short trip to Captains. Warm but swirling wind and that strange showery rain from no visible cloud. Wasn't bright, or clear but the cloud was thin and very high. Earnest newbie in Stage 2 had seen a pike attack the cygnets earlier and sure enough only 2 balls of grey fluff remained. He/she has cleaned out the canada and greylag goslings already. Probably the big headed lean old croc that took over when Cyclops karked it. 21 lb but the length of a thirty. Head like a bucket

Didn't start off to well, swan had stirred up some crud and I spent a while chasing bubbling fish round the disturbance  until a tench took a high speed tour round the swim, tying my lines in knots and shedding the hook.  Got that lot sorted and the mood was lifted by this roach.

Concentrated the feed with better results.  Ended up ditching the float road to reduce the chance of another tangle. Generally it was the better conditioned bream today, favouring prawn and corn equally.The skimmers are like newly minted coins.

Most of the tench so far have been thin and battle scarred. All females too. Loking at this one does look like we did well to fence off tarka. A couple of otters have been run over on the road this year so they are nosing about outside the perimeter fence. 

This one though was a lot plumper and cleaner. It took off on a mudpig handle churner with an impressive bow wave before transforming in to a merely fiesty tinca.

By this time Mr. Swan Shady had had enough and after a touch and go round made it over the trees on the dam with a shade more afterburner to find his nightime family elsewhere in the valley chain. Wonder if he will have to experience empty nest syndrome on his return?. Finished off the afternoon with the biggest bream of the day at about 5lb ish.

2 tench, 2 skimmers, 6 bream and a roach if you were counting. I was. Slow start but brightened up.

That might be it for a while as Lady Bureboy is flying to New York for a week. Multiple carrot cakes to keep the peace with the littl'uns I imagine.