Same old, same old

Monday 20th. July 2020

Paddlesworth, Pollard, peg 26

09.30

Up at 05.00 to be at the lake before the new arrivals. Peg 29 was occupied but I preferred 27 anyway. Stopped by this my first choice but moved on when the bloke I'd just passed started spodding right in front of 27! Why do people think they've carte blanche to cast into your water? This sort of thing winds me up no end. It's pointless having an argument with the person though. You'll just get a gob full of shite. Or even worse.

Peg 26
There were fish here when I arrived.

No matter. I'm happy. I've just seen fish topping a short distance out. I lost no time in getting a zig out and left it to fish for itself while I put together the bottom bait rods.

Two rods fished straight in front, clipped up at twelve wraps in twenty-two feet of water. The Spomb clipped at eleven and a half. Didn't go mad with it. Just enough to provide a bed of bait for the Carp to find.

Left the zig out for half an hour or so and then brought it in. Fishing a wafter in the margin to my right in nine feet of water. A dozen boilies were thrown out around it.

Once again I am confident in my tactics. Not for the first time I'm lying on my bed praying for the Carp to cooperate.

10.05

Contemplated putting a zig out to the left as I've seen further action close in. There are two problems however. Eelgrass and Coots. Both the Coots and Geese are feeding on the tops of the Eelgrass which grows almost to the surface. There is a high probability they'd have the zig before any Carp got near it.

12.45

Just occasionally, a fish moves. Can't see where. I'm inside the bivvy keeping out of sight. Sounds quite close though. Checked the margin bait and it's ok.

16.50

Waiting for the evening session. Hoping there's going to be something happening tonight. Debating whether to put more bait out. Don't want to risk disturbing any fish there may be present.

18.00

Given the fact I have seen no line-bites or other activity on any of the rods, I'm going to leave things as they are. My spots are baited. Shouldn't need any more until the Bream move in.

19.12

My rig.

My conversation with Steve last week persuaded me there were advantages in using a braided hair (and longer than normal to boot). Nothing outrageous in this. A conventional hair rig is all - but eye-tied to make it slightly longer than (say) a blow-back type rig. One of the advantages is that it makes it more awkward for the Bream to get in their mouths. I think the additional range of movement helps too.

Steve's way of avoiding tangles. It works too but for some reason, I'm just not keen.

So all my bottom baits are out on eye-tied hair rigs... Oh! There's another fish moved. Seems there's some activity taking place after a generally quiet day.

19.45

Tactical change on the left-hand rod. I've withdrawn one of the bottom baits and replaced it with a zig, two feet down. 11mm. Proper Jobs pop-up. Fished over where I have seen fish moving. I'm anticipating 'shows' from fish in this area at some point so I have a bait strategically positioned for when they arrive.

19.59

Fish just moved in front of me, not fifteen yards out.

I'm trying everything I know to wangle a bite. Can't do anymore.

20.17

Someone's moved in next door and he's casting baits near to my margin rod! Why are people such a pain in the rear end?!

20.26

Now he's hammering in tent pegs! I can almost feel the vibrations through the ground!

God save me from *ucking idiots!

Saw a fish near the zig!

He's still at it! Just hollered out to him and he seems to have stopped. Grrrrrrrh!

Tuesday, 21st. July 2020

Misty dawn.
But where have the fish gone?

06.32

Blank night. One or two line bites on the centre and left-hand rods. This suggests fish moving up and down the margin. But nothing on the margin rod.

I'm going to get breakfast out of the way and have a session restart.

On a helicopter rig.
Still not convinced this is the best way to present in the Eelgrass.

[At this point my battery died on my phone. I plugged in the power pack. That had died too. These notes are therefore retrospective.

I decided to stay another night for no other reason than to do a double-nighter which I haven't done in a while. Most anglers on here do them all the time but I tend to assess things at the time and only stay if I think a fish may be on the cards.

There are several drawbacks to this: things can change very quickly on Pollard. What looks to be a blank session can suddenly turn into a successful one. You just never know. There's always the constant thought 'what if I'd have stayed?'

The rest of the session was indeed blank. Occasionally a fish could be heard further up to my right and at the end of the session my reconnaissance confirmed they had moved up to the pegs in the 30s. Another night yielded just one Bream caught at seven wraps just before dark. Not surprising this. Bream were rolling like mad in front of 27 next door as darkness fell. I'm surprised he didn't get any.

So what to do? As per usual, I have spent the summer trying to emulate the catches of my friends and acquaintances by trying to imitate their methods and tactics - all in the vain hope I shall break my duck. As usual, this just hasn't happened.

 I have now decided to go my own way and fish in my own fashion.

Solid Bags.

I just don't know why I haven't gone on to the bags before now. They are my favourite method and have been for more years than I care to remember. I have caught fish on them everywhere including some extremely weedy situations. I well remember a session on Heron Lake, Abbey Lakes in France where I was stuck with an extremely weedy peg - so weedy there was no question of getting a bait down through it. Solid bags were the answer. By casting out and letting the bag sink under no tension and as much slack as possible, it would sit on top of the weed and present nicely. Which it did, resulting in several fish to mid-thirties. I've been a fan ever since everywhere I have fished, And caught well too, especially where there has been weed. It's what they're designed for anyway.

So next session it's back on the bags.

I feel my confidence rising already!]