JUGGLING SOAP IN THE SHOWER

    

    I do like to catch big fish, don't we all? However, I am no specimen hunter and there are many other things about angling that light my candle. When I was lure fishing, it was all about the take. That electrical connection between angler and fish, that sharp knock felt through rod and line even when not paying attention. A fault of mine that still rears its ugly, lazy head when things are slow and which always heightened the excitement of an unexpected take on a slow day

     Nowadays, as a traditional bait fisherman, there is nothing quite like restoring a rod and catching that first fish on it. Only when a fish is hooked will I know whether or not the time spent restoring it was wasted. Only then will I find out if the rod has a practical angling use or whether it is just a job well done.

     Today, in yet more miserable conditions my recently refinished J B Walker Mk IV was both given and took its first chance. It wasn't a carp and it wasn't a big fish but it fought with all the vim and vigour of its kind. Male tench fight so much harder than the females do. That fish was never going to beat a Mk IV on 10lbs line but it fought hard enough to show what a sweet action Mr Walker had built into the cane. Not surprising really considering that his carp rod tapers were almost certainly authorised by Richard Walker himself. In short, a happy debut.

     And small male tench don't just fight in the water, they carry it onto the mat. They are so slippery and muscular that trying to unhook them in the pouring rain can be like juggling bars of soap in the shower.

     By 11 o clock I was getting pulls and twitches all the time but the hair rig was not hooking anything so I decided to try three grains of corn directly onto an 8 hook. I endeavoured to leave as much hook showing as possible which quickly paid off with a small bream of much the same stature as the tench, around a pound and a half.

     I had to pack at 12.30, so with no more fish hooked despite their continued interest and with 15 mins to go, I tried another variation. This time I threaded just one large grain lengthways onto the shank with immediate success. A couple of knocks, the bobbin rose and the tip pulled round. A feisty male bream, head covered in spawning tubercles, came to the net and weighed in at 3-7. A nice if frustrating way to finish but at least I shall know where to start next time.