stevetheangler

0615 on Monday 1st August I headed off to the club’s bream/tench pool (AA-B) again with hope in my heart … as always LOL!

Arriving at around 0700 there were already two cars on the car park … people are setting their alarm clocks earlier and earlier it seems! But as far as I saw we were the only anglers on the pool all day long although one lady did walk down the pool on the opposite bank earlyish in the morning and, presumably, returned the same way but up the path behind the bushes so I didn’t see her again – if she’d circuited the pool she would have to have had passed me as there are only two access points to the pool, the one on the bank I saw her on and a gate just beyond where I was sat on the other bank as the field with the pool is surrounded by an otter-proof fence with just the two gates … also later in the day, after the other two anglers had left, my legs starting aching a bit so I had a walk a short walk to stretch them and I spotted, through the bushes, some bodies one of which was dressed in bright blue and pink garb by the adjoining carp/chub pool. However, when I left there was no-one around there and so I think they may have been ramblers…

Anyway, the peg I had chosen to start my session was on the far bank from the car park – but not a major distance – and on arrival there was already a chap ensconced in one of the neighbouring pegs (hi to MH, if you’re reading this! LOL) … so as a matter of etiquette, and also the fact that as I like to bombard my swims on arrival with groundbait and feed, and its a noisy procedure that can disturb others, I selected a peg a few places beyond… still a usually good area to fish.

Did all the usual prep and pre-feeding whilst tackling up…

I decided to return to my usual float fishing method – the lift method – with my trusty 13’ Hardy Matchmaker rod, 6lb main line to 6” of 6lb braid hook length with size 14 hook, 4AAA driftbeater floater shotted with a SSG shot about 18” above the hook to neutralise the bodies buoyancy and another SSG+AAA shot at the top hook length to provide the overshotting required for the method. I then plumbed up to the overshot (rather than to the hook) and added another 3”-4” so that the float at rest lay with the body submerged but could be sunk down to the sight bob by tightening down on the line…

Bait for the vast majority of the day was 2-3 maggots although I did try red dyed blackcurrant jelly bread which did bring nudges but not really any positive takes… also after getting the braid hooklength in a knotted tangle I took the opportunity to replace it with a size 16 hook on mono…

First cast was promising – before the float even had time to settle it sailed away … and a perch of about 3oz was landed … but then, as usual, there was an extended period of just nudges and minor knocks … and small quantities of catapulted maggots were added into my two fed areas … straight out in front as per photo above and also just off the edge of a small lily pad patch to my right as per below…

At this point I decided to transfer my attentions to the lily pad area … and first cast again the float lifted and the strike met the bulk of what would most certainly been the best fish of the day had not the hook pulled trying to hold it from accessing the pads. Didn’t feel like a ‘big’ fish per se… probably something around 2lb from the feel and a tench from the slime that had been deposited around the hook length…

After that things picked up a bit, at least in terms of quantity, with perch and roach being landed until I packed in at 1430 to head homewards. Final tally (approx) was 15 perch and 5-6 roach with the roach coming from the lily pad area.

Back home the gear was deposited, baits sorted into fridge and freezers, had a bath and head to the local with Liz for the customary pint – and there was Fownes’s ‘King Korvak’s Saga’ on tap, a porter which is one of my favourite beers of all time .. and whose brewery was originally located at the back of this local but quickly outgrew its origins and is now located in its own premises in Brierley Hill.

ALSO….
Check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWu0b-ymDHQ

The first in a new series of fishing videos created by Chris Ponsford – a well known angler who has appeared in videos for Korum and many others on YouTube. Knowledgeable and one of the nicest people you could ever meet. This first video details fishing for barbel and chub on the Warwickshire Avon