stevetheangler

Thursday, July 11th, I set off for what used to be a carp-free pool (AA-B) but about 18 months or so ago had carp added in order to protect the water from cormorants. See earlier postings about the whys-and-wherefores of the reasonings, etc behind this as I’ve already detailed such a few times therein.

OK, started off out on a mild but quite overcast day at around 0530 … and decided that in future I’m not starting out until 0630 at the earliest, more probably 0700, on future outings as it doesn’t me any good later in the day – and I went to bed at 2130 following this trip having fallen asleep in the armchair at 1900’ish and having to drag myself upstairs. So, the later starts, I feel are in order, especially as the ‘early hours’ don’t particularly provide any improvement in the fishing nor aids getting the better swims … usually I’m the first on any waters I fish and no one else usually rolls up until 0930 at the earliest and more often its gone 1100….

I arrived at the pool and headed over to my desired swim about the way up the pool on the far bank – not that far from the car actually as the pool is long and thin (165 yards by 35 yards) – and Google Earth’s ruler reckons it being an 86.79 yard walk from car to swim.  

As you can see the swim has a lily pad patch to the right hand side and you can also see a fair bit of floating weed down the windward end of the pool – what you can’t see is (a) on the left hand side a blue rope, one of several that stretch from bank-to-bank between swims as a cormorant deterrent (but not so close to the swims as to affect fishing too much, and are high enough to allow the playing of fish that travel beyond the ‘borders’… and (b) the underwater weed, Elodea, of which there was MASSES.

So, following my usual routine, I mixed up my cereal+particle groundbait and threw out 4 cricket ball sized balls just off the outer edge at the far corner of the lily patch followed by few pouches of catapulted maggots. Over the day, this feed was supplemented by 1 or 2 golf ball sized balls of the cereal feed and a small spraying of maggots.

The ‘station’ was laid out, with rod tackled up and equipment and baits to hand and first cast made at around 0645 with the float rod, 6lb line, 3AAA bodied antenna, 16 hook, maggot bait … and first fish, a small perch (one of about easily 25+ over the day) was landed at 0700…

However, the submerged elodea was making life quite difficult and was catching up the bait and shot and preventing the float cocking correctly most casts. However, I do carry a small, castable, weed rake and have done so for several seasons but it had never been used previously for the purpose of its intent although it has been used several times to aid the rescuing of vegetation trapped lures, etc (and several rakes have also been lost in that endeavour when the vegetation has shown Arnie like qualities and won the battle of strength with the 40lb braid to which it is usually attached). Anyway, the rake got a chance to be put to its proper use on this occasion and worked well and I soon removed a far bit of weed (well, over 50lb in my reckoning!) in the area of interest.. And the fishing became far easier, in terms of tackle control anyway….

I also carry a similar device, but with blades rather than pinned bar, which is useful, when attached to a landing net pole, for reaching out to trim reeds or, attached to a rope or the braided line and thrown/cast out can cut off lilies and other obstructions close to their roots.

Anyway, its propensity may actually be a blessing as it makes life even harder for the cormorants and gives the resident fish somewhere to spawn and provide the fry with cover – and if that costs a few minutes with a weed rake to create a small fishable hole then so be it … I’ll not be moaning about that, at all!

Fishing now easier, the perch kept coming although I don’t think the biggest was even 4oz, along with one small rudd. I changed bait to worm on a size 12 hook and … more small perch …. but there were plenty of tench bubbles showing in the area of the swim and frolicking carp over a greater area  albeit they seemed to be in the 3lb-4lb range (since the introduction of the carp they have been caught into double figures) around but seemingly not wanting my bait… then around 1030, a bite and a heavier than usual fish is felt – and a crucian carp of 6oz-8oz is landed – not a milestone in terms of size but as probably the first crucian I’ve had from this pool in over 5 years its was an ‘occasion’! :)

And shortly after a 3lb 7oz tench was landed…

… and then the small perch captures continued until 1330 when I decided to switch to sweetcorn.

Obviously, the bite rate slowed appreciably having offered something not as perch friendly as worm and maggot but there were still ‘nudges’ on the float (possible line bites though) and the occasional lift and float drag type bite but unfortunately none of these fruited into rewards on the bank.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable day – mild for the most part and overcast but there were at time a few drops of rain and the breeze was starting to pick up at the end of the session – and on the way home the rain became heavier so seems I packed in at just the right time.

PLANS:

Next outing will be Monday, 15th July – planned to be the local pool (canal reservoir, so quite sizeable) of a club recently joined but I’ll will be without Liz, who ‘has things to do’, on this trip. I’ve only fished this pool twice so far, both at the same end of it but heard the fishing is better towards the other end so I may venture down that way … but whilst there last visit I saw intriguing signs of movement in a lily patch close by, so I may go and check that out …. Which will it be…. find out in the next thrilling instalment of ‘Zorro doesn’t die…’ … Sorry about that but writing the words ‘thrilling instalment’ just jerked my memory of the Saturday morning children’s matinees at the local ’flea pit’ and the weekly serial, particularly one of Zorro on board a stagecoach/wagon that drives over a cliff face with Zorro clearly sat in the ‘drivers’ seat … and then in the following week’s follow-up he jumps off the coach a 100 yards before it even reaches the cliff!! What a fix!!! … Ha ha ha … the matinees themselves, so full of ciggie smoke from the previous nights showings that you could the see the beam from projector to screen and was never sure if the projector was out of focus or if it was the smokey haze … probably both, truth be known!!