The first frosts herald the start of my Pike fishing season, usually this means sitting at the side of a gravel pit for hours on end for little reward. the pit I've been fishing isn't the easiest of waters and as it's situated on a council run country park, the rules go far beyond those of common sense!
It's not a water I'd usually choose to fish preferring somewhere a little quieter and without so many restrictions, but the water is or maybe was the home of a 30lb plus Pike. compromises are sometimes necessary in order to catch the fish we dream about, but two things have happened this year that have, had me questioning my future on the water.
The construction of an outdoor activity centre and subsequent letter from the parks office advising that from the centre would be the launch of several small dinghy's. My initial reaction was to drop the water like a hot stone and search out another water, but thinking that dinghy's wouldn't cause too much disruption I renewed my ticket. Unfortunately it wasn't just dinghy's that are now circling the water but wind surfers and canoes. A rectangular lake of 14 acres with a dozen young wind surfers who inevitably get bored and start doing back flips from their boards (right over the top of your baits) is not my idea of a good fishing situation.
Having spent £140 on my season ticket the floating idiots where a little hard to stomach but to top it off rumours began to surface that the big girl had actually been moved after her last capture some three years before. Fishing time is precious to us all, so I wont be fishing the water for the rest of the year and definitely wont be taking up a new ticket next April.
So where do we go from here? Well, I'm not a ticket hoarder, If I join two or three waters or clubs a year that's my lot, money plays a part but it's mainly because I like to get to know a water, and don't feel I can do that when I'm spreading my time very thinly. I fish with fellow National Anguilla Club member Nick Duffy as often as I can but differing work patterns and other commitments mean that fishing together is not a regular thing. Nick has been talking about big Zander all year, and a chance remark turned into a bet 'the biggest double figure Zander by the the end of the season! pounds and ounces equals pounds and pence... Nothing unusual about a little wager with a mate, but neither of us have caught double figure Zander. we do have a rather special resource though in our good friend Barry McConnell, now Barry's caught around 70 double figure Zander (actually it's 68 but he'll catch the other two this winter) All of Barry's Zander have been caught on the fens. so to stop either of us cheating and getting a trip to on of Barry's favourite swims... we set a rule that the fish must come from the Severn or Warks Avon... one thing is for sure, who ever catches the double will get a firm handshake from the other...
So that's the winter project sorted Pike will for the first time over the past few years take a back seat to Zander, and many 100mile round trips down to the lower reaches of both rivers will begin.
