SHEER HEART ATTACK

 

     This weekend has been a perfect reflection of my season as a whole. Inspired by George's outrageous success with big roach on the canal near his home, I was out and about at dawn on Saturday morning. As much as I love to watch a float, I am smitten with my little ultra, ultra light cane quivertip rod, 'The Barratt'.

     It is simple fishing, a 4lbs mainline on one of my Ambidexes, a six inch 3lbs hooklength looped on the end and armed with a fine wire size 14 hook. For weight I pinch on a couple of BBs, one 2" from the hook to anchor the lightly pinched on breadflake and the other a foot above that to keep the line near the hook close to the bottom. It is plenty to set the frail tip against but can always be topped up if necessary.

     Before starting, I chuck half a pint of liquidised bread and groundbait laced with hemp, tares and wheat around my swim. Hopefully that will keep any fish that find it searching for longer, giving better bites as they move off to look for more. Indications started within two minutes of starting, but they weren't proper bites. More probably liners but at least the fish were there.

     Despite having had to scrape a thick frost from my windscreen it was quite a comfortable morning. Sure enough, I had a couple of nice fish quite quickly. The first giving me palpitations as it turned in front of the net. Its very clearly defined scales and reddish tinged fins had me holding my breath until I netted it when the deception was exposed. Never mind, a 3-1 oz hybrid is a fine fish and a worthy opponent for the Barratt which it has to be said, is getting ideas above its station since it conquered an eight and a half pound carp at Rowington.

 

    

     The second was an equally fine bream of 3-8. A little bashed about but welcome for all that. However, that was my lot and by 8am I was back home cooking a celebratory breakfast. Maybe Sunday will be equally successfully I thought. It wasn't. There was no frost this morning, but the wind had swung a couple of points from NE to NW and goodness me I was cold. The fish were too I guess because although I had a lot of tiny indications, I never had a hittable bite. Every good day seems to be surrounded by duff ones at the moment. Every time it feels like things are picking up, they get worse again.