Session 5 (2021) – The Loneliness Of A Well Baited Hook (Or Two) By ‘Ole Stick In The Mud’ – Incorporating ‘Its Cobs To Matty!’

Thursday 18th March, 0730, on was on the road to a club mixed fishery (AA-B) arriving around 0800 and was parked up and first cast was made at 0830 in Peg 5.

A cool misty morning, I was well glad I’d put my thermals on! The small tree adjacent to my chosen swim was dripping water and it looked like a drop of heavy was in progress but there no such thing, purely condensate falling… and it continued throughout the morning and into the afternoon albeit slackening in slightly in quantity.

Before tackling up my ‘just under 13’ Hardy Matchmaker clone’ for fishing lift method style I catapulted out a few small pouches of half-dead maggots – they were quite old really, and although they were all of the same batch, some were comatose, some lethargic and some almost lively – but whatever, with the temperature of the water as it was, they weren’t going to be performing in the ‘maggot olympics’ once they hit the water. Also a few micro-pellets, small cooked prawns, a few small cubes of meat and some sweetcorn were added – but not a lot, all of those additions together would probably make up 3-4 small pouches in total.

Tackle, as I said, utilised my float rod, coupled with 6lb line straight through to a size 16 hook baited with maggot. The float was a crystal waggler (no insert version) overshotted by about 1AAA (a SSG shot at the bottom 6” above the hook, a AAA shot at 18” from the SSG cocked the float so its tip was just proud of the water – and another AAA shot was added alongside the first to add the required ‘excess’ weight) and this was fished about 10” overdepth in the 4’6” of water in front of me.

0830 first cast was made ….. and catapulted maggots (ca 12 each time) were fed at around 5 minute intervals..

0930, not a single indication. So I decided to put out a ‘sleeper’ ledger rod… so the 11’ Grandeslam ‘Des Taylor Avon System’ was set up with its standard tip (also comes with a quivertip top) – again 6lb line, 1/4oz bomb, size 12 hook, was cast out to my right with 2 small cooked prawns as bait and a few prawns fed over it.

Now we come to Matty Territory – and as the famous saying went – ‘All done in the best possible taste!’

BITES OF THE DAY…

All Sainsbury’s Crusty and no paper bags were harmed in the process…

LOL!!!

Unfortunately, those WERE the only bites of the day as by 1430 when I tackled down the float had not even wiggled nor the buzzer beeped….

But more excitement lay ahead before I got home…

The area around this pool can get very boggy – and the club had issued a warning about it recently. However, area I wanted to fish was only just beyond the hardcore near end car park and that bit looked fine to me. Also it is a sheltered area in the bushes which would have been handy for ‘my needs’ if I had wanted them. Anyway, I gained access easily enough, no slippage on access and taking it easy…

Home time comes and, the car loaded up, I start to reverse out intending to do a sharp turn as I reach the main path to keep to the firm ground. However, as I come to do the full lock to make the turn I realise I’m too far over and a tree prevents the front end from making the manoeuvre – ok, so I intend to go forward and make a better angle to get on to the path …. however, I’d gone too far back, too straight and the rear wheels had dipped into an old tyre rut on the far side of the main path and consequently the front driving wheels started to spin when I tried to get out of it… so for the best part of the next hour myself and 2 other anglers tried all sort of tricks to get the car free … and after trying old carpet panels, tree branches, etc, etc I deflated the front tyres (to about 12 psi) and finally with a bit of ‘jerky rocking’ by on the clutch and accelerator the tyres eventually found some grip on firm land and I managed to escape from the grips of the rut. However, at that point I was now back to where I’d originally parked and thus needed to make the reverse turn on to the main path … and this time I actually managed to do the reversing as I’d desired to do it originally and got out on the main track facing the way I wanted to!

So, nice and steady up the track, keeping grip with the tyres on the firmer parts up to the exit gate and away.

Just had one job to do then – to get the front tyres re-inflated for which I had to drive back to the city centre Sainsbury’s, about 10 miles. Got there – that’s how I know the tyres were at 12psi – got inflated back to their required 35psi and then got back home without further incident where baits were fridged/freezered before a nice hot coffee and shower J

PLANS:

Currently the plans are that Liz and I will be having an outing at this same pool on Monday 22nd – parking in a safer place and with the bread crate panels along for the ride as surety.

Thursday, 25th, a solo outing for me to the pool that the club acquired access to last year but which I’ve not yet fished although I did make a trip to in November 2020 but I couldn’t get access through the gate for the car and ended up just climbing over and having a look at it before heading off to another pool just up the road.

TEMPS:

AIR:                  MIN:    7.6’C      MAX:  11.2’C
WATER:            MIN:    6.6’C      MAX:    7.0’C

WATER TEMPS:

water

AIR TEMPS:

AIR

8 responses to “Session 5 (2021) – The Loneliness Of A Well Baited Hook (Or Two) By ‘Ole Stick In The Mud’ – Incorporating ‘Its Cobs To Matty!’”

  1. We used to envisage a School Of Humanities and Information Technology… LOL

    Liked by 1 person

    1. In fairness Steve at work I did once have to sit through a presentation where some goon launched his Compliance Risk Assessment Programme …

      Sometime I miss work!

      Clice

      Like

  2. Great pics Steve, thanks. Maybe use the prawns in the roll next time. Seems like a waste otherwise 😋 . Good to see you’re still channeling Frank Spencer.
    I recall a previous trip where at the end of the session (during one of my many ‘fuel roulette’ games) I came to start the van and it became immediately apparent that I’d lost, and maybe filling up on the way was the more sensible option. But there I was, the last person in the car park, in the pitch dark , with no phone signal and low battery. The perfect end to a nice relaxing session.
    Anyway, the next two hours were spent trudging across a ploughed field to the main road (where phone signal could be accessed), then running out of battery, trudging back to charge the phone in the van, repeating this process again when it was clear that 5 minutes of charge doesn’t hold for long in the cold. Finally getting hold of my 70 yr old father (the nearest person who might not be too pissed at my predicament to help), who was then able to stop off and bring diesel to rescue me. Fun and games!
    Anyway, I’ve clocked that potentially the Gods may have smiled down on you so I need to get on to that post next. For some reason your posts don’t seem to be showing in my WP reader feed, so I end up having to dig through my tombola of junk emails to find your post notifications.
    Phew. What a ramble. I probably should have turned it into a post instead.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Em, maybe you should be added to the podcast/live vlog I envisage for Steve. Working title ‘Carpark Related Angling Pranks’ or CRAP for short!

      Clive

      Liked by 1 person

  3. I don’t know if it is the same for you, but Word Press sends me relatively daffy messages. A recent one was urging me to start a podcast. Yes, just what the internet needs – me with my South London accent droning on about blanking. However, I think you do have a podcast in you. Every trip an event!
    Clive

    Like

    1. LOL!!!
      Think the Black Country accent would make it incomprehensible beyond the end of our street..!!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Well you’ve just limited your market, but surely live vlogging of the car park escapades would go viral.

        Clive

        Liked by 1 person

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