First week of the season - progress so far...

So - the season is a week old and, as I haven't exactly been prolific with the updates on here of late, here's a bit of a catchup.

Thursday 16th:

For the first time in I dunno how many years, I didn't make it onto the bank on the 'glorious' 16th.  Sad, I know, but it's just a sign of how things are these days.  Work comes first and I was too busy to take a day off.  I went for a squint at the old place in the evening and it looked like I hadn't missed much.

Saturday 18th:

Instead, I waited until the weekend.  I got up there on Saturday morning and was quite surprised to find no-one there before me.  Had word gone round that it was fishing like the proverbial toilet?  I set forth to find out for myself, opting to avoid the early pegs which had likely seen the most activity.  As I crossed the bridge, I had every intention of a long walk up to the wires.  Sadly, the length of the grass meant I was all-but spent by the time I reached the second reedbed, so I dropped my gear at peg 16 and had a brew while I got my breath back.  

Has anyone got a petrol mower?  D'you fancy spending 2-3 hours walking up & down the top bank with it??  Failing that - d'you fancy lending it to me so I can do it??? That top bank is in dire need of some attention & needs cutting properly so you can walk on it.  I really don't mind doing it myself so long as we can get that grass down to a manageable length.  No wonder so many anglers are investing in powered trollies lately.  I really don't want to have to resort to Cocodomol every time I got fishing - just to stave off backache through having to drag a trolley through that lot...

Anyway, I sat and had a swallow of coffee from the flask (that Millicano stuff they're advertising on the TV is quite good...) and set about clearing my peg.  With the (lethal) Seymo double-bladed cutter carefully added to the landing net handle, it was another 20 minutes before the 'rampant' rushes were cleared from the front of the platform so I could get my keepnet in the water.  A discussion I had later in the day confirmed what I initially thought:  those rushes really have exploded all the way along the river and a major up-rooting exercise is needed around the pegs (draw forks at the ready, chaps...).  It'd be a crying shame if all the work done to put platforms in was wasted because they become overgrown by rushes, rendering them unfishable.

Preparations finally done, I setup & started fishing.  By this time, the sun was shining and I thought it may be a bit of a struggle.  To be honest I was quite content just being there, so fish would be a bonus.  What I didn't expect was a lunking great tommy Ruffe on the first put-in.  Now, the fighting qualities of these rascals are well-documented on here, but this one had me completely fooled until I saw it.  When I lifted the pole, I was met with a thump as the elastic came out and stopped dead.  It didn't move for a couple of seconds and I initially thought it was a tench.  Then, it woke up and took a dive for the far side.  Considering I'd started with the big worm rig & had the Fox red hollow elastic in the top-kit (can't remember what number it is...) this thing didn't half pull plenty of red stuff out of the pole.  It turned and headed straight at me, then came to the surface - the colouring gave it away instantly, but what a whopper!  Easily 4 ounces and a good 5-6 inches long.  They're on steroids I tell ya!!

After that as an eye-opening starter, I settled down to waiting - and waiting.  I waited some more (this was back to reality...) until I switched to the maggot rig and the bites started to come.  In fact, they kept coming for most of the morning and into the afternoon.  Some nice skimmers to start with; only small (3-4oz), then some nice netters around 8-9oz and the odd pounder mixed-in.  Trying a different tack, I switched lines to one I'd fed with hemp & caster & had an instant response;  a hybrid over a pound which fought like a fish twice it's size - typical hybrid behaviour.  Initial swim now abandoned through lack of interest, I focussed my attention on the hybrids, which kept coming; a fish a chuck, some up to 2lb - all on caster.

Sunday 19th:

All the while I was catching, the nagging doubt that this wasn't going to transfer to the following day persisted.  Fast-forward to Sunday and that nagging doubt was realised.  I drew the next peg to the previous day's success and - true to form, a struggle ensued.  In fact, several of those gathered struggled all along the length of the match.  Had I not lost a 6-7oz skimmer at the net, I would've sneaked a section win (which was actually won with 1-15-0).  that gives you an idea of how changeable it can be.

Monday 20th:

Monday night proved to be only marginally better.  The first of the summer sweeps was moderately well attended and to begin with, we had pleasant weather.  I indulged myself in snaffling a few roach and small skimmers early on, followed by a descent into nothingness thereafter.  The weather turned a bit off, with rain falling until dusk.  I added a pound to my previous day's total, but retired homeward feeling a bit disillusioned with the place.

Wednesday 22nd:

The disillusion happily only lasts a couple of days at this time of year, so I was back again last night for another try.  All thoughts of long walks were banished from my mind as I decided to fish one of the early pegs.  Peg 3 is pretty early (well, you wouldn't want to fish in the rat-traps that are 1 & 2 by choice, would you?) so I got setup a quick as I could.  I hastily threw a few handfuls of groundbait in a bowl and mixed/riddled as I fished.  that done, I cupped it in along with a few hookbait samples.

Again, the small roach & skimmers fed quite willingly, interrupted a couple of times by tench which plodded around and eventually transferred my hook on both occasions in the reeds.  I wasn't too upset at losing them, given I was only fishing on a light rig.  The fact they were there and I was hooking them was proof enough that the method was right, even if the rig wasn't - easily remedied another time.  Gord was scouting around - doing a sterling job of weeding the car park.  I keep forgetting to give him that picture back...  Anyway, (I digress) my experimentations with the groundbait (as hasty as it was) appeared to work.  It seemed to draw the fish in when I topped up, so thats more info. to store for future reference.  Roach, skimmers, hybrids and the ubiquitous Ruffe all showed themselves along with a couple of tench - a good way to wait for dusk.

So, there's my activity for the first week of the season this year.  Pleasure angling is the only viable proposition on that venue for me I think.  Time being the rare commodity it is these days, I've reached the decision that I can't waste it on the anti-climax that matches inevitably bring.  I love the place, but it's not a match venue - not really.