After yesterdays grueller i woke up this morning with intentions of washing the car, taking the kids out and all the other stuff that normal people do on a sunday. However, when headquarters said she had no plans this morning and that i could have a couple of hours fishing the angler within took over and i began to ponder my options. It was getting on for 9am and we were going out just after lunch so i didnt have much time, in fact i was in two minds whether to even bother. In the end I thought sod it, you gotta be in it to win it (hence the title) and headed for the river.
I was going to try a different area to yesterday, a slower and deeper stretch with form for producing one or two good fish. The weather was different to yesterday in that it felt much warmer, that icy wind had totally dropped which made all the difference. I intended to stay put in one swim seeing as i was so limited for time and keep some bait going in to draw the fish to me rather than my usual ploy of searching the fish out.
After that fish i recast, rebaited and sat back with that nice warm feeling of not blanking inside me. After a while of no more action the wanderlust began to take over and i could see a tasty looking spot upstream which looked worth a go. I headed up there but not before i had introduced some more bait to my first spot with the intention of returning before i left.
The spot upstream didnt produce a sausage so after about half an hour i found myself back in the first spot. Within 10minutes the tip walloped over and i was into another fish. This one felt heavier and stayed out in the main flow for most of the battle but soon enough i had it on the surface gulping air and i slid the net under it. It looked a decent one and after carefully zeroing the scales in the sling she went. At 5lb4oz i was over the moon, a new PB!
After that i didnt feel the need to recast so i headed home for lunch with the family. I was a little disappointed with the pics of the fish, i know its a self-take but for some reason the pics came out very white and i had to play about with them on the computer to get them anywhere near viewable. The camera must be on its way out i reckon, looks like im gonna have to fork out for a new one especially if i want decent pics for this blog.
Anyway, thats the first PB of the year done, i do hope its not the last though!
Well done Leo nice new pb - I'm hoping to up mine before the seasons end, we'll see it's not going to well at the mo for me !
ReplyDeleteYour camera's probably struggling to balance the light levels between the background and the foreground, try a shadier spot under a tree or against a tall hedge etc - might help, its gutting when they go wrong esp on a PB.
Cheers Lee, ive changed the areas im targetting now. Whereas before i was getting 3-4lbers with the odd 'proper' 4 now ive changed the scenery im yet to catch one under 4! Youll be getting amongst a few sooner or later mate.
ReplyDeleteYour right about the camera and the light levels. i reckon its seen one too many damp mornings and been knocked about too much, its long overdue a replacement anyway.