It’s been a long time.
In fact, it’s been nearly four months since I got out on the
bank. I don’t fish a huge amount in the winter, but I do enjoy a few hours down
the local river - a good excuse to trot
a stick float and get a bite or two, but the awful weather and heavy rain left
the river unfishable, and so an unusually long break from the bank was enforced
upon me.
Now, finally, I got out and wet a line or two. Having
followed the weather forecast carefully, it looked like a frost free night, and with
permission from SWMBO, I set out for a morning’s fishing at Wood Lane.
Arriving at 7am I was first there and I was greeted by a
healthy minus three degrees – so much for weather forecasters – and headed off
to peg 1 on the island lake. This is the peg on the venue, the one that always goes
first, so I thought I’d give it a bash. Normal tactics is to fish long to the
right margin and hope to pick up a lump or two, but the cold weather might not
produce. On a previous visit I’d caught a lot of roach in the margins, so I
set up with this in mind – if I bagged on roach that would be ok, but anything
that got the top of the float wet would be welcome.
A canal type rig and 0,10mm line to 20 hook went out at 11m to the margin with a
single maggot, as visions of roach filled my mind. I’d set up a cad pot with a
few maggots as feed – just trying to keep it tight and simple. Five mins later, nothing.
As I pulled the rig across I noticed a leaf on the maggot, I shook it off and
went back in.
Almost immediately there was a bite. And no 10 elastic. And
a slow dead weight on the end of the pole. A short fight and a 3lb common in
the net. Job done and the first fish of 2013.
15 minutes a repeat performance, this time a 4lb mirror that
wanted a little more of a fight. Fifteen minutes later another 3 lb common. Not
bad for 8am in the morning and below zero temps.
Then it went quiet. I tried a few different options, closer
to the bank (too shallow), further away (a micro roach) and after 30 mins I’d
added nothing more.
I fed the line again, and set up a deep rig for 11m straight
out (which I’d fed earlier, but not actually rigged up for). A good 10 ft of
water at 11m made for interesting fishing (thankfully I had some new number 4
sections to try out), but after 10 mins nothing happened.
It was then a case of switching between lines. I’d get one
or two bites from each and then it was time to switch. Sometimes I’d bounce out
of a fish and it would go dead, sometimes I add another carp, or micro roach, or on one occasion a
pound and a half skimmer, but action was steady rather than regular with the margin line producing slightly more action.
At this time of year, with this weather, you really can’t
complain – it was great to be out on the bank and catching some fish.
So at 1130 I called it quits, just over 4 hours for about
30lb of fish. Not bad at all. Can’t wait to get back out for a whole day.
Catch List:
Common Carp 6
Mirror Carp 1
Bream 1
Roach 5
