THIS WAS THE ONE IN FOUR...
I read somewhere that good days average out at one in four over the course of a season. Whoever wrote that was probably a better angler than either Pete or myself but I get the point; however average one may be, every once in a while the fish will show up regardless. This was one of those days.
I'm sure it will take another season or two yet before full normality returns but we like it there so much that we were tempted to make some early attempts. For our first visit we dropped into the usual, car park pegs and struggled somewhat. I scratched out a handful of small silvers; unusually all Roach and no Rudd. It wasn't fantastic but it was more than we had really expected so we went back. This time we fished the opposite bank. It was a nice sunny day but unlike our previous visit, no fish showed at the surface at all; not even a single tiny Rudd and yet my first bite came within two minutes.
It wasn't a huge fish but it was a Tench and it was the first of five that we caught between us. Bites were few and far between but they were all confident and all from Tench. Pete's first was a good while longer coming than two minutes but when it did he was fast into something heavy. Hoping only to get a Roach bite or two he was fishing a couple of maggots on a two pound hooklength and this fish treated the small amount of pressure that he could apply with disdain. It took a good five minutes to get the fish to the net but its appearance at the surface set our geriatric hearts racing; it was huge, absolutely bloody huge.
We are neither of us determined big fish anglers seeking only consistent bites and entertainment. We'd prefer them to be from bigger fish if possible but not if we have to endure long, mind-numbingly boring visits before one comes along. This fish was well out of the norm for us if not big enough for some, but at eight pounds five ounces it was Pete's best ever by three pounds or so and certainly larger than either of us had ever witnessed before. The day could scarcely get any better but in some respects it did because bags of five Tench of any size are not, to my knowledge at least, a regular occurrence here; certainly not in early April at any rate.
As usual lunchtime in the pub was spent analysing the morning's sport. Unusually some of it was spent gloating but we spent most of that time wondering if we had wasted too much time in the past fishing swims that didn't see enough sun early in the season. Maybe they should be left until summer when their shady aspect might be more beneficial. Bait too was a subject for discussion, maggots being a bait that we have overlooked on still waters in colder weather. It is only really this season that I have used them through the winter and they have proved very effective. Initially it was a case of using a bait that might scratch out a few tiddlers in tough conditions but in practice they have produced steady numbers of decent fish. If things carry on like this it won't be a bad year at all.
But that Tench; blown away to have just seen it, Pete must be over the moon and David who has located stock and masterminded the conversion of this Carp-filled ex-club water into a Tench and Crucian fishery should be pretty pleased as well. I know how grateful we are to him.
The Pool is a notoriously late starter with some members not even bothering with it much before June. Truth be told I have a lot of sympathy with that sentiment having tried and failed miserably in the past to catch fish there in April. Over the last few seasons, the fisheries management has necessarily been somewhat intrusive. Large areas have been deepened and cleared, Carp, Bream and plenty of silvers have been removed while Tench in various sizes and Crucians have been added in some numbers.
I'm sure it will take another season or two yet before full normality returns but we like it there so much that we were tempted to make some early attempts. For our first visit we dropped into the usual, car park pegs and struggled somewhat. I scratched out a handful of small silvers; unusually all Roach and no Rudd. It wasn't fantastic but it was more than we had really expected so we went back. This time we fished the opposite bank. It was a nice sunny day but unlike our previous visit, no fish showed at the surface at all; not even a single tiny Rudd and yet my first bite came within two minutes.
It wasn't a huge fish but it was a Tench and it was the first of five that we caught between us. Bites were few and far between but they were all confident and all from Tench. Pete's first was a good while longer coming than two minutes but when it did he was fast into something heavy. Hoping only to get a Roach bite or two he was fishing a couple of maggots on a two pound hooklength and this fish treated the small amount of pressure that he could apply with disdain. It took a good five minutes to get the fish to the net but its appearance at the surface set our geriatric hearts racing; it was huge, absolutely bloody huge.
We are neither of us determined big fish anglers seeking only consistent bites and entertainment. We'd prefer them to be from bigger fish if possible but not if we have to endure long, mind-numbingly boring visits before one comes along. This fish was well out of the norm for us if not big enough for some, but at eight pounds five ounces it was Pete's best ever by three pounds or so and certainly larger than either of us had ever witnessed before. The day could scarcely get any better but in some respects it did because bags of five Tench of any size are not, to my knowledge at least, a regular occurrence here; certainly not in early April at any rate.
As usual lunchtime in the pub was spent analysing the morning's sport. Unusually some of it was spent gloating but we spent most of that time wondering if we had wasted too much time in the past fishing swims that didn't see enough sun early in the season. Maybe they should be left until summer when their shady aspect might be more beneficial. Bait too was a subject for discussion, maggots being a bait that we have overlooked on still waters in colder weather. It is only really this season that I have used them through the winter and they have proved very effective. Initially it was a case of using a bait that might scratch out a few tiddlers in tough conditions but in practice they have produced steady numbers of decent fish. If things carry on like this it won't be a bad year at all.
But that Tench; blown away to have just seen it, Pete must be over the moon and David who has located stock and masterminded the conversion of this Carp-filled ex-club water into a Tench and Crucian fishery should be pretty pleased as well. I know how grateful we are to him.
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