stevetheangler

Monday 3rd January Liz and I set off for a couple of hours lure fishing on the Staffs-Worcs Canal at Greensforge in Staffordshire, a stretch under the control of the Birmingham Angling Association (BAA) leaving the house at around 1000…

The venue was one of a few possibilities, the others being on the same canal but different areas thereupon, some  controlled by the BAA and others by Wolverhampton Angling Association and originally I considered several of the WAA stretches to be the better option based on parking and access and general ambience … those were soon dropped though when I heard that the WAA had had the Canals & River Trust people come to electrofish their stretches to remove the pike! And from, unsubstantiated, rumour it also seems that the company, MEM, engaged by the C&RT to remove the pike also removed other species to stock other waters… Anyway, it seems getting our WAA cards has been a waste of money as our only interest in their waters (they only have canal stretches on Staffs-Worcs and Shrops Union) is purely for pike (and perch) lure fishing really. Oh well…..

The actual stretch fished today has access via a path down from a bridge – and a pub lies alongside the bridge – and the pub has a car park :) which is useful :) but we did pop in for beers on the way back when they opened at 1215 … a bit too cheeky parking and then not giving them some trade…

Tackle for both of us was a 9’ Ron Thompson 7g-30g EVO spinning rod coupled with 3000 size reels loaded with 30lb Spectra braid terminated with 9” 30lb BS wire lure traces.

I started with a Mini-S type lure for the first 45 minutes but ended the session with a jig headed 4” red jelly bodied lure whilst Liz used her favourite Shakespeare blade spinner….

Results …. not a single knock! The usual start of year really LOL!

We both had real/reel issues too…. Liz’s bale arm arm was sticking open so had to be flicked closed manually after casting rather than closing on the turn of the handle but probably just a lubrication job as the reel hasn’t had any use for probably 18 months … but mine suffered a more deadly fate in that the spool wasn’t oscillating  and thus line was being wound over itself on one region of the spool rather than being laid up and down the spool and this affected casting due to the line getting bedded in… cure, went online whilst in the pub to Go Outdoors and ordered 2 new reels (Svendsen Electron 130RD) at £10.47 each in their sale – already have a couple on other rods and they’re good – and come with 2 spools. I’m falling out of favour with Shakespeare reels – have had 3 of their reels snap at the stem to the foot and have had issues with the gearing/oscillating  on a couple – not quite as bad as Dragon Carp’s own brand of reels with their anti-reverse systems that fail and fall apart but… :)

Anyway, it was nice morning to get out for a bit of exercise – at 0730 when I got up it was bright and sunny, by 0930 the skies were grey and some rain – but by the time we’d we arrived at the waterside the clouds had dispersed and it was back to the bright and sunny.

PLANS:

I’m hoping to go pike fishing at a local water on Thursday 6th … the forecast currently is for some rain but with the 60” oval brolly I should be fine :) …

Next Monday (10th), forecast good as dry and 12’C, Liz and I are hoping to visit the tench, perch and bream pool – the summer weed which has been a pain the past 2-3 seasons will hopefully have died away – and we should catch even if its only the usually annoying carp!

So until then … auf wiedersehen and au revoir!! :)