stevetheangler

Well, its Friday 6th March and at 0900 Liz and I ventured out for a day at our club’s tench/silvers pool… only to find when we arrived there that there was a problem with the padlock on the gate to get in…. without explaining in detail why, too many words and you wouldn’t understand the situation, just take it that we couldn’t get on to the water… and so had to turn and head back home… so that was the session that wasn’t! :)

However, clouds and silver linings came into play as on the doorstep was a parcel – my newly purchased replacement radio-controlled boat for the purpose of pulling the transponder section of my fish/depth finder around – a device I use for the depth sounding/bottom type determination facilities than for fish finding which I consider a less useful purpose – you can find the fish, you can’t make them feed though – and prefer to fish to a ‘contour feature’ without any fish being apparent than a mass of reported fish over a unfeatured bottom. And I find the depth finder of itself is far superior to a plummet for determining bottom info – and does in 2-3 minutes what would take the same in hours with a plummet – even if cast out on a rod/line – and if the transponder is attached to a R/C boat then an area of 50m * 50m can easily be scanned within 30 minutes. Unfortunately, myoriginal boat suffered a dunking some months ago and the electrics got wet and trying to effect a drying/repair operation I damaged the seals, etc and it became un-poolworthy. Attempts since to locate a suitable replacement led to a couple of purchases that were not suitable and had to be re-sold on eBay … but now I have found the exact boat I had before… and only £25!! Actually, the original was only £16 from Cash Converters second-hand.

Yesterday, I also resolved a problem with hook tying, etc – fiddly close-up work – on the waterside. Being a specs for long distance wearer I’m generally OK at home with such stuff – basically I just look over the top of my specs to read for short periods (eg read letter/note, tie one hooklength), or remove them altogether for longer periods (reading a book, tying a batch of hooklengths) BUT at the waterside it’s a bit of a pain as I often wear a peaked cap or brimmed hat which limits over-the-specs viewing and so I find I either have to completely remove my headwear or my specs even for a quick task (baiting hook with maggots, etc)… However, now resolved that – another pair of glasses! :) NO, NO, NO!! Not bifocals or varifocals (or contact lenses come to that) – just bog standard reading glasses from PoundWorld for, yes!, £1. I notice on my latest spec prescription of a week or so ago that the ADD for near distance required on bi- or vari- glasses for the near distance viewing was +2.5… and so I’ve purchased a pair of 2.5X reading glasses, which, when worn OVER my normal glasses means I can see/read close distance… and so now I wear my normal glasses with the reading glasses flipped up on to my forehead and when near distance viewing is needed I just drop the readers over the front of my normal specs… and Bob’s only yer flippin’ uncle!! :)

Anyway, future plans for the fishing… Tuesday 10th I intend to go pool piking (and hopefully get another couple of pike sessions in too before the end of my pike season with the expiration of March), and next Friday, 13th, planning on heading to the Shropshire Union Canal with the lures in search of pike, perch and chub.