My plan is to fish with the wind behind me again; this gives assistance in casting the long range bait as well as being more comfortable to fish. Unfortunately, when I get to the lake there is someone in the swim and I have to look elsewhere and I choose a spot with a left to right blow. Casting is more difficult but I can still get a reasonable distance. Because of the ‘bow’ in the line though, I cannot fish tight to the feeder until the line sinks well down. Could be missing bites. Oh well.
It is a quiet start. A good half hour goes by before I get the first fish. A small Roach of four ounces or so. Gradually, introduction of bait on the ‘short’ line yields more action and a series of Roach and Rudd come to the net. Things start to pick up when I get the best Roach of the day - 1lbs. 12ozs. For the third session in a row I get a good fish and I’m thinking I should do more of this type of fishing. A number of setbacks occur however and I lose three fish due to hooklengths breaking. These were undoubtedly good fish and I feel I would have registered something special - I have a fish on for several minutes which I am convinced is a monster; unfortunately the hooklength lets me down.
I have been ‘twizzling’ the hooks-to-nylon, knotting them to the three inches length for the bolt-rig. On each occasion they fail at the knot and I abandon this method altogether, tying the four pound line straight to the swivel of the ‘helicopter’.
Then I get into a run of Perch. It is quite normal to get one or two Perch in with a catch of Roach and Rudd but today I must have had at least half a dozen. Two weigh just a shade under two pounds and I’m pretty chuffed with them. They also beg the question as to just how big the Perch in here actually go. Must find time to do some prawn fishing at some point as I’m sure this will sort out the big ones.
I just love Perch! There’s not a feistier fish that swims! Even on the unhooking mat they fight back, erecting those spiky fins with their needle-sharp spines which damn well hurt when they puncture the skin! They are the ‘Karate Kids’ of the piscatorial world!
Weirdly, sport dies around four o’clock in the afternoon and I can get a take neither close in nor far out. I’m out of maggots anyway so it’s a good time to pack up. I chat to other anglers walking the banks who are setting out their stalls for carp. Although it is not warm by any means I get the impression they are awakening from their winter slumbers. Although my short series of sessions after ‘silvers’ has been successful, I am thinking it is now time to focus on carp fishing. I can and must return in search of the big Roach, Rudd, and Perch for it is a wonderful way to spend a day.
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