Well, the first thing I can say here is that I’ve always pronounced the name of the ledger weight that forms part of my heading above totally wrongly!! Typed it in initially to match my usual way of saying it – Arseley (ars-el-ee) – and it didn’t look at all right as you’d expect and even after slight re-arrangements I could tell it was wrong and ended up ‘Googling’ it… so it’s pronounced ‘arl-es-ee’ then – and was it named after the pool for which Dick Walker (bows head in reverence) developed it so I’ve not been doing that pool a favour either! And even now I’m having trouble getting it right in my head … but practice will make perfect I’m sure!! BUT at least I’ve always said ‘PREscription’ rather than the usually uttered ‘PERscription’ LOL!
Right then – on to expedition number 38!
So it was Friday 31st August that I set off again to the intended pool…. ‘again’ as I’d actually set off to the same venue on Monday 27th but due to circumstances I didn’t quite get there and had to turn back home … but all was OK really, just a minor ‘hiccup’….
I arrived at the pool (KF-WL1), a club water that we sell day tickets on and is one of two pools on site and one I’ve visited fairly frequently in the past at around 0730 … the other pool being larger and ‘members only’ and Liz and I will be fishing it on our next outing on Monday 3rd September…
As you see, I elected to fish a swim facing on to a small island, but actually only fished out about 3-4 rod lengths from the main bank – the water level was still quite low – about 18”-24” below the normal level as determined by the bare ground collar around the island and the main banks – and usually I haven’t had much luck anyway fishing tight to the island which would normally be perceived as the best place…. We’ve always done better fishing about 1/3 – 1/2 the way across.
I was float fishing for the day – water depth between bank and island probably about a constant 6’ deep on the day – and fished basically by the lift method. 6lb main line to 6” of 6lb braid hooklength with a size 10 hook and a 4AAA (it said on the float – but actually takes 3SSG to submerge all but the teeniest part of the body and then I use a further SSG to anchor) drift/windbeater type float set 12” overdepth in relation to the anchor shot which itself is 6” above the actual hook.
Baits used over the day – mainly worm and maggot and for the last hour I tried bread flake – all produced virtually a bite a cast – and I tried ‘luncheon’ meat and lamb’s liver but not a single touch on either after 30+ minutes on each bait – prawn, after its success on my last trip, was a bit of a disappointment in that it produced only a few gentle nudges/float wavers at best despite trying pieces of both cooked and raw versions.
At the end of the day I’d had 15-20 small perch (best 11oz), and a similar number of rudd (up to about 4oz) and a solitary tench of 6oz-8oz. Also I hooked into 3 better sized fish but all 3 managed to shed the hook before I even got a glimpse of them but one felt like a good perch and another tench-like in their playing….
Anyway, nothing major but enough float action to keep the mind active!!
And if I had have been dropping off to doze then something else saw that off as a possibility!
Sitting there, peacefully watching the float, when all of a sudden a huge explosion bursts out about three feet to my left hand side … and something whizzes through the air over my head! First thoughts were that someone was shooting at me!! But then I notice the item that shot over my head is now floating on the surface of the pool …. a clip-on top of a Tupperware type pot … in fact the top of the Tupperware pot that I keep my tinned sweetcorn in when fishing – I use frozen corn for feed but find that tinned corn makes for a better hookbait. Yep, it seemed that one of two thing had happened – (a) the corn had started fermenting and the pressure building up in the pot blew the top off (but corn was fresh and no ferment smell) or, probably the true reason, (b) I’d stored the pot and corn in the freezer since the last trip and had moved it in to the fridge for overnight for defrosting so it had been quite cold when carried out to the waterside… and, as the pot had sat by the side of my chair, the warmth of the sun had heated the air inside, expanding it and ‘BOOM’! as the lid was blown off! Anyway, I now know my heart is 100% sound as that must have been the ultimate test!! LOL!!
So, that was that for the day … and next trip has now been planned … and tackle sorted and fresh maggots purchased today … which leaves me free for catching up on the gardening tomorrow … a few hot and dry weeks with nothing growing and then a few wetter days and everything, weeds especially, sprout up faster than Jack’s beanstalk and probably as high too! … and includes species that I’ve never seen in our garden before! Scottish thistles??? How did they they get here in the Midlands? Invasive species even Hadrian’s Wall couldn’t hold back! LOL
stevetheangler 
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