stevetheangler

Friday, August 11th, saw me at the pool (AA-B) where all I seem to catch at the moment are small perch – lots of them and occasionally I have a few roach/rudd amongst them and last time a surprise crucian carp – despite the pool having a good head of many species including bream, tench, chub and barbel…

I arrived at the pool at around 0700 and elected to fish a swim (Peg 5) I’d only fished once before and that a few years back … not really my first choice of swim as it’s a ‘convenient’ swim right by picnic benches and a parking area and thus is probably the heaviest fished swim on the pool … but people do catch there and I know mixed bags had come out of it fairly recently.

So, water at the pool is generally a standard 4’-4.5’ deep although, due to the dry weather (and recent rains haven’t improved matters as the ground is so dry it’s just soaking it up) it’s about 12” or so lower than normal and as there was a fair breeze (and it was a cool one too) I tackled up initially with a 3AAA wind/driftbeater float loaded with a 2 SSG shot main load at about half depth to cock the body with another SSG shot about 6” above the size 12 hook I used – and the float set, by plumbing with an extra SSG shot temporarily added, about 9” overdepth to the bottom SSG shot so that when fishing there was 9” of ‘slack’ between float and the bottom SSG and the bait had 6” freedom of movement – basically I was fishing using the ‘lift method’ … cast out, put rod in rests, slowly tighten line until the tip of the float (in this the sight bob) is pulled down to sit on the water as required and a bite is indicated by either (a) the float lifting in the water as the fish takes the bait and lifts the bottom shot or (b) the float slides along and under if the fish takes the bait and swims away.

As can be seen in the picture there was a patch of lilies to my left and so I free fed some maize, hemp, wheat, small meat cubes and a few small balls of red groundbait off the edge of these whilst I tackled up (and extra added as I fished)…. and when ready I fished in that fed area using meat on the hook for the first hour, then swapping to sweetcorn and then prawn (they were also known as ‘cocktail shrimps’ back in the day). However, apart from a couple of small nudges on the meat nothing was doing at all … and so I decided to try worm and maggot knowing full well what to expect after the previous sessions … perch, perch and more perch…. and expectation were met. After a while I switched back to meat and sweetcorn baits for a re-try but still no joy and in the end, as the wind dropped a bit, I changed my float to a 5AAA bodied antenna (waggler) and fished maggot/worm for the rest of the day in the hope that something else might turn up amongst the perch – but on this day not a solitary respite from the ‘stripies’ and in the end at packing up time at 1530 I’d had 80 perch up to around 4-5oz…

So, again the landing net and other equipment required for larger fish were unused….

 And … driving out from the pool … the bullocks of last week’s session decided on a repeat performance of blocking the exit gate whilst emptying bowels and bladders … so once again I had to ‘push’ them away from the gate with the car and dash to open it through the soppy droppings … but practice makes perfect and although the car did require the use of Febreze to remove the clinging smell there was not much physical cleaning needed.

OK…. so not sure when I’ll get back to this pool… other places I want to visit and two holidays upcoming and the pike (my favourite species) season imminent…

Next week, possibly a trip to the Severn, possibly the Warks Avon, possibly one of a couple of pools… not sure which and not sure when as I had teeth removed on Tuesday and dentures fitted and having a slight problem so may need to see the dentist at some stage and that could coincide with one of the fishing days…