going in the right direction

[Chappa]

Well having endured the insanity of the garden centre with the wife yesterday, I hit my favourite spot on the Soar for a bit of therapy today. I had my reservations as it was a last minute decision so the only bait I managed to get was from the fish counter at Tesco's! A pair of mackerel and some sardines, with a tin of tuna as groundbait. I did though have a hand full of casters, and some hemp and worms to try and get livebaits on the bank.

I got there at first light and sent out a mackerel tail ledgered flat on the bottom. As I set up the float rod and the dawn struck with mist lifting "Hammer house" style from the water, the alarm sounded and I was into my first fish, a nice little jack of around 3 1/2 lb. 10 minutes in and blank avoided! I put out the float rod with a sardine and confidently fished on! But as John Steinbeck wrote; "the best laid plans of mice and men..." The hours passed and I changed swim and tactic aplenty but to no avail, the brilliant sunshine and mill-pond still water were proving tough, so it was time to get a live bait out. This proved easier said than done as after an hour, all I could muster was 2 small perch; around 4 oz and a tiddler of about 2 oz.
I could see the silvers feeding so put the bigger of the 2 out right in the middle channel of the river. After another hour still nothing so I reeled in to re-cast and the line snagged up. Strange as I'd never hit a snag in this deep channel (14') before. Then the snag bolted upstream and I realised it was a pike which had struck as I'd pulled the fish in! A better fight from a better fish and I had a 4 1/2 lb jack on te bank

The static deads remained quiet so it was out with my 2 oz tiddler (not the first time I've said that this week;) )into the same spot. half an hour later the float showed signs of being "played with" but nothing definite, so I played safe and wound into what felt like a very small jack, but turned out to be a very nice perch of over a pound, and yes it had managed to get the whole trebble into his mouth!

The last run of the day was a different kind, a very shy dorp back which had the swinger lower by about 2" and stop, then 10 sec later lowered another 2" with no other movement at all. I struck into another jack of around 4-5lb It took a lot of unhooking as the fish had rolled and tangled the trace under both gill covers, and doule hooked itself just behind the scissors. After a bit of carefull work and keeping my head, I returned the best fish of the day, unharmed and I even got my mackeral tail back!

All in all the best day of the season so far. My home made traces worked really well (impressed with the titanium wire) and my confidence unhooking fish is growing with each visit. It's funny but I've tried mackerel here every time I've been and never had a take, and today it landed me 2 fish? The best thing though is I never missed a take, so my timing and overall ability must be on the up.

Tomorrow I'm off to the lakes for a few quiet days with the wife. She doesn't know I'm packing the piking kit yet! (I'll get her back for that garden centre!)



Chappa

[pingu]

excellant

dave