08-07-08 River Dane Lithuania

Wandering_Angler · #1 07-09-2008, 11:14 AM

White fluffy clouds scudded across predominately blue skies as I arrived at my chosen swim on the Dane River, close to the Botanical Garden Bridge in the village of Tauralaukis. The water is now filled, in places almost to choking, with an abundance of plant life. Lily pads bounced on waves swelled up by a gusty wind while reeds and Calla swayed and rustled.

For those who regularly read my reports, I barely need say that my chosen method was a waggler with size 18 hook fished on the deck amidst the lily pads that virtually covered the near margin. I fished over loose fed caster and a bed of crumb mixed with salmon flavor cat food and strawberry flavoring.

When fishing the Dane in Lithuania, you expect to take Bleak early on so I was a little concerned when in the first 15 minutes the bites didn’t come. I kept the bait going in, feeding casters on pretty much every cast and finally the bites started, the first 12 fish all Bleak so parity had been restored.

Once the bites had started they came regularly and I soon managed to feed the Bleak off and as they moved away it wasn’t long before I was into a very good stamp of Roach.

It was nice to have a session where the landing net was so regularly employed with virtually every fish from that point onward needing to be netted. It’s lucky I had my eyes open too, as when swinging the net out for yet another good Roach I noticed something small and furry nestled in the bottom of the mesh. I managed to net the fish without submerging my new ‘guest’ then pulled the net in to find a Roach of half a pound sitting next to a vole.

Another good bite, the rod again went round but this time I was weeded by something that felt a bit bigger. As I managed to work the fish free I assumed I was playing to the net a nice Tench but as it came up from the depths I was in for a surprise. In stead of silky, green and rounded, it was mottled long and thin. For the second time this year I had managed to catch a Pike on a single maggot, my size 18 hook neatly lodged in the lip.

After a couple of hours the bites slowed almost to a stop. I managed 45 fish up until that point but only another 15 in the 3 hours that followed. Not a bad day although the second half of the session really took the shine off. It’s my best bag of Roach this year by some way and the Pike, all be it small, was an unusual bonus and more points for my Rod Race.