Monday, 7th August, I set off at 0600 for the Mike Day Fishery – and this time I’d loaded my weedcutter-on-a-rope (but also screws into my landing net pole) and my tree loppers into the car as the swim I intended to fish (and had intended to fish on the previous few visits) was a bit overgrown and was in need of a small amount of TLC.
The previous two days had been exceedingly wet around here – as I believe it had been in most of the country – and so I was pleased to discover on arrival that it was possible to drive to the far end of the pool as usually the way around gets quite boggy and then a fair few cars get themselves bogged down needing a tow out. I had thought I’d need to park on the hardcore car park at the near end of the pool and barrow my kit the length of the pool but, as I said, the ground was actually quite firm and I was able to drive up to the far end. Glad about that as I was the only one around so if I’d got stuck I’d a long walk (1.5 miles?) up to the farm to get hold of a tractor assist with possibly a long wait for the farmer to be available OR use my European Assistance membership (£20 a year instead of about £200 for Green Flag or seemingly millions for the AA) to get a tow truck sent to me… but I did walk the danger areas first to ensure all would be OK.
So, having driven up to my chosen swim, I firstly unloaded the ‘gardening’ tools and made a start on making the peg fishable – actually wasn’t a long job as the loppers weren’t needed with the tree alongside/overhead fine as-was and all that was needed was the weed cutter head to be screwed into my 3 metre landing net pole and the reeds across the front of the peg chopped down.
That job done it was then the matter of setting up and arranging ‘the station’ and tackle and pre-feeding the swim with the usual mix of cereal, seeds and maggots.
Finally, the rod was set up – much the same as usual – Hardy 13’ Matchmaker rod, 6lb Daiwa Hyper Sensor main line with 6lb braid hooklength, size 12 Kamasan Animal barbless hook.
BUT a slight change in the float used as, although I fished ‘lift method’ with a driftbeater float per usual I used a Drennan version instead of my hitherto Premier one. The reason behind that being that I had lost my float on the previous trip out and had only one left of that particular size in my float box and so I needed to order more. Whilst looking for my usual Premier branded one they seemed to be unavailable/out-of-stock everywhere I looked and so I looked for similar and found the Drennan ones and so ordered 4 x 2.5SSG and 2 x 3SSG ones. AND I actually prefer the Drennan over the Premier!
One thing with the Premier version I disliked was the sight bob – too large and buoyant – and I had resolved this by removing the bob with a craft knife and replacing with 2 x 4mm polystyrene balls. Discussed a few posts ago. But, as you can see in the above pictures the Drennan features a smaller bob which I find is just right and I’m happy with. The Premier floats I used most were 2SSG size and the newly purchased Drennans are 2.5SSG but they do a 2SSG version so I’ll probably add 2 or 3 of those to my float box.
Anyway, back to the waterside…
0725 – first cast made with a bunch of 4-5 maggots….
All quiet apart from a mother mallard turning up in my swim with 4 young ones in tow, who then spent about 10 minutes duck diving (definitely, not swan dives nor pikes LOL) around my float – I think possibly interested in my groundbait….
0850 – first (and only) fish of the day – a small perch…
Over the next few hours the mallards returned several times, again diving over my baited area, plus a few Canada geese passed by…
1100 – I found that I needed to return home quickly due to digestive problems and just threw tackle, chairs, etc in the car to get sorted at home later… OOOOPS!
Anyway, weather was good but I think possibly the rain of the previous days may have sickened the water especially as the pool is surrounded by cow fields and the run off from those had entered the water and also the pools are fed by a small brook that border those cow fields too… there are two pools on site … one pool is directly pipe fed from the brook, that pool connects at the other end via a short buried pipe to the other pool from which it overflows back via a pipe into the original brook…..
PLANS
At the moment unknown and undecided…
Sunday 13th August Liz and I are off the Edgbaston to watch the Ladies Birmingham Phoenix play their Oval Invincibles in The Hundred series … the men’s matches are the same evening but not sure if we’ll stay on for that…
Sept 4th Liz was supposed to be going to Alicante with a friend staying in a friend’s apartment BUT it seems the apartment has just been sold and so is not available. BUT they have now arranged to go to Haven in Burnham-on-Sea for the week (Mon-Fri) in a caravan … and only £165 for that week! They’ll travel on train to Burnham and Highbridge station and then get a bus or taxi out to the site about 10 minutes away so I’ll have the car for the week J A good site for them too as Burnham town is only a 15 minute walk from their site and a regular bus there to visit Weston-Super-Mare etc … and it has a decent Wetherspoon’s too!
End of Sept is the local village’s beer festival – usually a good one too!
Good experience with the dentist today – check-up – in surgery for 2 minutes and pronounced ok until next 6-monthly check up!
stevetheangler 
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