stevetheangler

Problems of access to the pool on our last trip seem to have now been resolved – and I’m hoping to try to get a last minute return there in a couple of weeks time.

Anyway, Tuesday 21st June I headed off for my first tench session of the season at a club pool (DBP). Its a pool to which a ‘close season’ of March 15th to June 15th inclusive is applied by the owners and thus this outing was of first of the current season’s for me.

I arrived at my selected swim a little after 0615 and set up two ledger rods – both with 8lb main line, a 15g frame feeder but one with a size 6 hook baited with bread, the other a size 12 hook baited with maggot/worm cocktail.

And strange things happened … the worm/maggot baited rod I landed every fish I connected with – 2 small rudd, 2 small perch and a 3lb 8oz tench with no problem whatsoever … however, on the bread rod I connected with four fish and lost all four due to line snapping – or cutting. On each loss it seemed that the line had parted at about 4″-6″ above the hook – and there was no crinkling nor tapering of the line end to indicate stretching leading to snapping due to over pressure – and, in fact, I’d say that the pressure applied on each and every occasion at the time of parting was well below what I’d expect any break to occur at… and not only that but the losses occurred when 12″ hooklengths of 8lb mono, 8lb uncoated braid and even when the 8lb mainline was connected straight though to the hook – AND when I used a hooklength of 10lb BS wiry mono (still 8lb main line) it still gave way about 4″ or so above the hook (ie snapped a hooklength of 2lb BS greater than the mainline…)… So different materials at each break… only constant was that each cast was on a consistent line and at constant distance … so could it be due to some bottom feature?? Mussel shells with their razor like edge cutting the line? Must have been something like that to my mind…

Next outing – the middle River Severn tomorrow, Friday 24th June…..