BACK TO THE POOL
The pool can be a cantankerous beast early season. It has traditionally been notoriously ungenerous to syndicate members in March, early April and even May, at least up until last year anyway. One or two have even suggested that it wasn't worth the effort much before June but a recent new stocking appears to have changed their habits a little.
If nothing else, last season at least treated me kindly with several Tench over a previous best; a best that had lasted since my early twenties and a PB Crucian as well. Say it ever so quietly but there is only one species I never tire of catching, Roach, but Crucians are right up there. I love catching Tench but for some reason, I lose interest after a month or two. It's really those Crucians, and of course the quiet beauty of the place, that keep me going back and I have a couple tricks that allow me to fish effectively and enjoyably for both.
More than ever, small baits are working well for me. Maggots, casters and bread punch on hooks no larger than a 14; 18s being an increasingly regular choice. Today I went down the middle, 2 maggots barely cover a 16 but it suits double caster very well and that is a bait that has really paid off for me lately. I feed two spots within my chosen swim, left and right, and both within a rod and a half the bank. A few of each go in religiously at 10 minute intervals throughout the morning but I never try fishing over the casters until the last hour and a half; fishing the maggots for the bulk of the morning.
I figure that maggots give me a better chance with a stray Roach, Rudd or Perch but leaving the caster line alone for a few hours can allow spooky fish time to gain a little confidence. It worked a week ago and it worked again today with a single bite on each occasion catching me a Tench on my last cast. neither were monsters but nice surprises after several fruitless hours each time.
I've also taken to raking both lines before I start hoping more than anything to colour the water a little but I'm not overly convinced. The few bites I have had both came after hours of inactivity long after things had settled out again. Indeed, it may be the disturbance that has kept them away for 4 or 5 hours before I'm about to leave. All I can say for sure is that I've fished there three times so far this spring and only blanked on the day that I never used the rake. Probably a coincidence, I guess, most of my life has been a triumph of luck over talent.
It's a beautiful place to fish but has some puzzling quirks of its own. It's 8 or 9 feet deep at the moment yet I can't catch a Roach, Rudd or Perch of any size to save my life: at least not yet. In the summer they're everywhere, bordering on nuisance levels at times but not in the cooler months. The club lakes which are a similar depth, throw up fish all winter. Local canals which average 3 to four feet likewise, fish well all year.
Maybe it's down to water clarity. It is particularly clear since all the Bream and Carp came out and the reservoir across the way is Cormorant heaven. Maybe it's due to the springs and drains that feed the place after heavy rain, although I would have thought spring water might be a degree or two warmer. It's had various stockings of something like 1800 Crucians over the last few years but last year it threw up half a dozen or less although they were all in the 2 to 2 1/4 pounds bracket. It's an enigma as far as I am concerned.
If nothing else, last season at least treated me kindly with several Tench over a previous best; a best that had lasted since my early twenties and a PB Crucian as well. Say it ever so quietly but there is only one species I never tire of catching, Roach, but Crucians are right up there. I love catching Tench but for some reason, I lose interest after a month or two. It's really those Crucians, and of course the quiet beauty of the place, that keep me going back and I have a couple tricks that allow me to fish effectively and enjoyably for both.
More than ever, small baits are working well for me. Maggots, casters and bread punch on hooks no larger than a 14; 18s being an increasingly regular choice. Today I went down the middle, 2 maggots barely cover a 16 but it suits double caster very well and that is a bait that has really paid off for me lately. I feed two spots within my chosen swim, left and right, and both within a rod and a half the bank. A few of each go in religiously at 10 minute intervals throughout the morning but I never try fishing over the casters until the last hour and a half; fishing the maggots for the bulk of the morning.
I figure that maggots give me a better chance with a stray Roach, Rudd or Perch but leaving the caster line alone for a few hours can allow spooky fish time to gain a little confidence. It worked a week ago and it worked again today with a single bite on each occasion catching me a Tench on my last cast. neither were monsters but nice surprises after several fruitless hours each time.
I've also taken to raking both lines before I start hoping more than anything to colour the water a little but I'm not overly convinced. The few bites I have had both came after hours of inactivity long after things had settled out again. Indeed, it may be the disturbance that has kept them away for 4 or 5 hours before I'm about to leave. All I can say for sure is that I've fished there three times so far this spring and only blanked on the day that I never used the rake. Probably a coincidence, I guess, most of my life has been a triumph of luck over talent.
Comments
Post a Comment