As has been touched on in recent posts things have got exceptionally manic for me at work at the moment, so much so that I'm actually working a seven day week now! As I write on this sunny bank holiday afternoon I have just completed another 9 hour shift and its over two weeks since my last day off! As you can guess this has curtailed my fishing drastically and as such the best way for me to get on the bank has been with the lure rod for a few snatched hours here and there.
Friday afternoon saw me tackle a stretch of the river Soar which I'd not fished probably since my teens. Much of the stretch has silted up now and seems to have more reeds than water but fortunately I had my chesties with me which allowed me to explore swims which probably hadn't had a line cast in them for years.
A small Chub was the first fish to be caught and this was quickly followed by a half decent Perch which must've been getting on for 2lb. My trusty Mepps Comet was the lure of choice and it certainly seemed to be getting plenty of interest.
As I waded through the reeds I came across an open patch of gravel and had the shock of my life as I nearly tripped over two Barbel which must've been sunning themselves in the shallows. Surprisingly, They didn't bolt off, they lazily swam underneath some nearby streamer weed and I could still see their tails sticking out as a waded on by.
My next swim produced a small Perch first put in and then I had an explosive take just beneath the surface from a Chub of around 2lb which punched well over its weight on the light gear.
A couple of spots further along and the Chub were still providing the lions share of the action with another three coming to the bank in quick succession.
Another couple of Perch followed and i managed to lose a couple aswell. Seeing as the clouds were starting to gather and rain had been forecast I decided to call it a day, not before one last go in the end peg on the stretch though. Three casts in and I hit a pretty little Jack to round the trip off nicely.
I've been watching a few YouTube clips of people dropshotting of late as the method really intrigues me. I've tried it several times and had no success whatsoever despite the lure looking awesome when being worked in the margins. It's just a real bogey method for me.
Despite this I still went ahead and purchased yet more tiny rubber fish to add to the already quite sizeable collection I have already . A session on my local Trent was the order of the day and I made a point of leaving the Mepps spinners and Kopyto shads at home. This meant my only means of catching was the dropshot so the only choice I had was make it work or go home with a blank! My money was on the latter.
A dozen or so casts into the session and I was starting to get despondent already,' c'mon give it a chance' I scolded myself. Suddenly out of the blue I had a sudden rattle on the rod tip and I found myself swinging in a small Perch, well , I would've done if it hadn't dropped off as I lifted it from the water!
I was most excited, that was the closest I'd come yet to catching on the dropshot! A few casts later and I noticed a couple of followers but couldn't tempt another pickup.
I moved to a faster shallower stretch which is my usual summer lure haunt and an area I know well. I had a couple of definite taps first put in and struck into a fish, once again however the bloody thing came off. It was a decent fish too, at least I was getting takes, surely it was only a matter of time?
My next swim proved to be the game changer and on my second put-in I had a hefty thump on the rod and before I knew it I had a nice Perch of around 1.8 in the bottom of the net, result!!
My confidence was soaring now and it wasn't long before I was swinging in another fish. This dropshotting lark isn't so tough after all !
Shortly afterwards I had the phone call stating my dinner was ready and currently drying out in the oven but I couldnt resist a couple of casts next to a bush near the carpark. Blow me if I didn't catch another! A chunky fish of around the pound mark provided a very satisfying hat- trick.
The fish weren't big but having caught them on a method I'd previously lost all confidence in they have proved to be most significant captures. I can't wait to get out there and do some more now!
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