Of Missed Bites

Sun. 18/09/11

Due to a birthday party on the Saturday, it was to be a Sunday session.  I arrived at half-past-ten to find an angler in that peg on the weir pool.  That would make catching bait a little slower, but, the best thing is I wouldn't be tempted to fish that swim.  It's not that I've got anything against fishing a productive swim, I just think by doing so, I miss out on discovering other good spots.  Was it Einstein that said the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results?

A few dace and bleak in the bucket, the angler in that peg packed up.  Having no will power, I dropped into that swim, there I remained until it was time to pack up!  Dear me, D.  Still, my main aim is to catch a PB perch , if (only) I could get that off my back I would be more inclined to explore other spots.

The swim really does scream perch.  Not only have I heard rumours of large fish coming out there, it also contains several perchy features.  An overhanging willow has created a raft to the left, timber used to reduce erosion is exposed creating good stalking grounds, the river bed drops sharply into 5 feet of water, then slopes down quickly into 10-12 feet and the flow is steady.  Most importantly of all, it is stuffed full of bait fish, bleak, dace, roach and small perch.

My float was lowered between the drop-off and exposed timbers, and maggots were regularly fed to create interest in the area.  The weather in the afternoon was grey, with the occasional light shower.  The wait began.

While the sky was dressed in light cloud, the float was dragged into the depths and the strike met resistance.  After a couple of moments of nodding on the rod, the line went slack.  Upon retrieval of the rig, the dace hookbait had apparently swiveled around on the hook and masked the hook point.  I've had that a couple of times now and it's always dace that do it!

The bait was adjusted and re-cast to the same marginal spot.  It wasn't long to wait before the very same happened again - bite, strike, resistance, slack, masked point.  I must look into preventing the hookpoint becoming masked.

The sun broke through, the reflection landing right beside my float, making watching it very difficult without sustaining burns to my retinas!  At around 5pm I was practically blind, but no matter, my float vanished and the rod arched over upon a very aggressive take.  No masked points this time, the fish was on and it was making a bid for the timbers and raft!  It felt like the mother of all perch and my heart nigh-on exploded...

Of course, a small but energetic jack pike was netted, unhooked and released.  Good fun on perch tackle, but the adrenaline rush was purely because I thought it was the large perch I was after.

No more bites materialised, not even in the dusk period.  Maybe the feeding spell in this swim is mid-late afternoon, or maybe I should have moved after catching the pike.

This weekend - 24th/25th - I am not fishing, in order to spend time with my family.  Looking out of the window, the sky is wall-to-wall cloud and the air is mild.  Perfect conditions for just about everything that swims.  Oh well, let's just hope the rumoured early autumn heatwave doesn't arrive....

Best wishes from me, I hope your fishy dreams come true.  D.