Odds and sods

Without dwelling on the weather subject too much all I can say is its wrecked my fishing good and proper this year. In my locality the rivers haven't really been fishable for a month or more, the brooks and streams are up and down like a whores drawers and the canals are also very coloured up. Most of the lakes I fish are now also part of the Trent and all in all I've been left with pretty limited options. I certainly can't fish for what I want to be fishing for in the places I want to catch them from.

The other week, after a weekend off due to a monster chest infection, I had a mind to try for some canal chub and although the place was chocolate colored it still looked pretty good for bite. The weather was sunny with a brisk breeze but sheltered areas were easy enough to find. I was hoping the coloured water might offset the effect of the bright conditions but by the end of the day I'd only had three missed bites and was left feeling very despondent indeed.

 

The following week I decided to hit one of our club waters in the hope of a carp or two. The fact the place was well flooded with the Trent flowing in at one end should've acted as a warning sign but I was determined to wet a line. In hindsight a session elsewhere would've perhaps been more productive but I was in a stubborn mood and a fish caught in tough conditions is worth so much more to me than an easy fish from a well stocked water.

 

Because I had to set my rods up in the water I was forced to wear my chesties all day and the combination of unlined waders and bitterly cold strong wind made for some shockingly cold legs and feet! Of course I finished on a very cold and miserable blank but I resolved that my next trip would be somewhere I could guarantee some action, a commercial it was, the conditions had broken me.

That brings me up to my most recent session, a perch trip to a local commercial and believe it or not I actually caught some fish! Small they may have been but it was an absolute joy to get my string pulled again after the dour time I've had of late. I was surprised to find the lake iced up upon my arrival which limited where I could fish but the sun was out and gathering strength all the time so I knew it wouldn't take long to melt.

 

After breaking a channel in the ice I commenced fishing with quivertipped prawns and it didn't take long to get some interest either. After a couple of missed bites I caught a small perch of around a pound to kick things off and although it wasn't prolific fishing it was great to see the tip going around again.

 

During the course of the morning I had a couple more perch, some nice roach and even a small carp of around 3lb but the bigger perch were conspicuous by their absence. By early afternoon things had slowed right down but the weather was absolutely glorious, the sun was actually burning my face and the gentle breeze even felt mild. I still caught the odd roach and even a chunky little Rudd throughout the afternoon but It was the perch I was there for and they weren't playing ball!

 

By now it was four o'clock and I was getting twitchy, I should have had at least a couple of 2lbers by now but nothing even approaching that had graced my net so far. 4.30 ticked by, packup time was fast approaching then suddenly the tip pulled round properly and it was perch on! My session was saved as a 2lb6oz fish slid into the net, job done!

 

I lost two on my next two casts, my swim had come alive! Another small carp interrupted play and had me thinking I'd hooked a beast of a perch but it gave me a good scrap and beggars can't be choosers!

 

The light was fading as I hooked and landed my last fish of the day, a perch of around a pound and a half and I packed up with a smile on my face so pleased at having caught a few.

I don't know what my next trip out has in store for me because I don't even know when or where I'll be going, obviously I'd like to get back on the rivers but unless something drastic happens like two weeks of dry weather then I'm doubtful they'll even be right enough to fish again this season, we shall see.

 

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