Can't Catch Wont Catch...

I'm struggling.

It's not helped by time restrictions, but none the less I'm crap at the moment.

Yesterday was my first session in over a fortnight, I've spent the past couple of weeks sorting out the NAC club magazine AnguillA. it's now with Nick for printing, but I'm not happy with it. I can't put my finger on why I'm not happy with it but for some reason I'm not... we'll have to wait for the feedback from the members to see what they think.

Anyway, yesterday I fished the river. I'd spent days looking at google earth searching for a likely looking spot to try,  I found an area that took my fancy but it was a good walk from the car park. Now if your anything like me I have trouble travelling light, everything has got to go with me. but this was never going to work for this session as pushing a barrow 3/4 of a mile through very thick mud is no fun, I'd already decided that I need to review my tackle carrying habits and unless there's a nice easy track to push the barrow over everything is going to be cut back to a minimum. I always take an unhooking mat for me it's an essential piece of equipment, my usual mat is huge, far to huge, but recently I purchased something a little smaller in the shape of a Korum unhooking mat. Now I like Korum gear, it took me a while to switch on to it, but I'm a convert, I like the way everything fits together. so why can't you attach the unhooking mat to the rucksack? never mind a length of para-cord sorted this out and the mat was tied to the rucksack. my next problem is holdall. I've got a trakker rod hod quiver, it's very old and very large, great for long sessions but a bit of a pain to carry... it's big so I can fit more "stuff" into it! I'd been thinking of buying something smaller for a while when a chance post on one of the forums alerted me to a titan rod sling, it's essentially a length of material with two Velcro strips at either end. strap your rods, landing net and bank-sticks together and Bob's your uncle... have a look at one at http://www.titanproducts.co.uk/

I thought very hard about taking a chair, I did in the end but hardly used it! After dropping Lin off at work I headed river bound arriving just after 08:00.  It was the first time I'd seen the river let alone fish her so I wasn't really sure what to expect, rivercall had her about a foot up and falling, ideal conditions? I thought so. getting the gear out of the van I started walking, it wasn't a bad walk but Christ it was muddy in places. 20 minutes later I arrive at the chosen area only to be greeted by the bailiff. on finding I was fishing for Pike he pointed me a little further down stream, "there's some big slacks and they're deep...." Just what I was looking for! so off I trotted down to the promised areas. he was right there where some big slacks but at only 3 foot or so deep there where by no means deep.

TIP: Take everything a bailiff tells you with a whole load of salt!

I persevered with the slacks until mid day, but my confidence wasn't high, so I upped sticks and moved back to the original area, now here there was a decent slack and some deeper water. so baits back out, tea poured and the wait continued... and then the snow came! it would have been brilliant catching a good Pike in the snow, but it was not to be, and at 14:15 I had little choice but to pack up and head home for the kids...

Another blank, and now I'm getting desperate!

I have made a decision though, from now until the end of the season I'm going to do one day on a pit and one day on the river, if I manage any extra time then I'll let the conditions dictate where I'll go. no more flitting about from water to water, we'll stick to two venues... apart from the odd social that is!

A Lesson Learnt (The Blank Continues)

When the e-mail came through from John about the location of Monday's Piking Adventure I was a little bit concerned.

I've always looked to gravel pits and the occasional river for Pike, or rather the larger Pike. but the quick snoop at google earth pointed to a park pond, not a bad looking park pond, but a park pond none the less.

An accident on the motorway delayed my arrival a little and I dosn't pull onto the car park until 08:30. Not to worry though as John reminded me that the Pike tend to come on the feed later in the day.

Have you ever found that? on certain waters Pike tend to switch on at a particular time of the day, it's strange but it happens, there's been a few times in the past that I've been able to fish a "morning water" then pack up at noon and move on to an "afternoon water". it's certainly put a few bonus fish on the bank for me.

Setting up in the end bay I was quite hopeful of a fish or two on the bank, John told me of the waters Pike fishing history, which while not producing "massive" fish certainly had a reputation of producing twenties and a good average weight.

I was surprised by the depth at 10-12 feet, most park ponds I've fished in the past have only been but a few feet deep and often featureless. Four rods cast out, baited with Herrings and Mackerel. two ledgered at 40 odd yards the others float fished just beyond the drop off...

Stand back, wait.

Sometimes time goes really slowly when you're stood fish-less in the cold, but John's a top bloke and it was good to share the craic with him, but the wait contiuned, with the alarms silent we packed up at 16:00 the blank continues!

But a lesson learnt, actually heres two lessons.

• Never underestimate anywhere, granted most waters wont produce the goods, but big Pike can come from the most unusual of places. pay attention and check them out.
• They come back; many times waters have produced decent Pike only for the water to stop producing. keep a not of the water and give it a rest it will come back, I'm not talking a couple of weeks either, leave it a few years there's plenty of other waters to fish. but never forget what a water has produced in the past.