Little Pond, Little Fish, Big Fun

There's something about having a whole pond to yourself, every sight, sound and smell is yours and yours alone, sometimes catching big fish doesn't always have to happen to have a good day which was just as well as I doubted whether any tench would show in this weather.

Whilst is wasn't cold the previous night was once again frosty and that northerly wind was still present as I made my way past the busy match lake to the tiny pond round the back, the one in the trees, the wild one that's full of tench and the one that was all mine, at least for today. I was full of optimism although deep down I knew those little rudd would be trouble. I set up by some pads knowing I could get owned by any decent tench but I could always step up if they did show.

Suffice to say I wasn't going to be fishing on the drop, using quite a heavy stick, the sort that deals with boily water on rivers, this was shotted to get the bait down through the potential boils caused by feeding rudd. On cue a succession of small rudd took my maggot and they were indeed small, even smaller were the perch but they offered variety and showed my bait was getting to the deck, they had dark colours in this clear pond unlike the washed out versions next door.

Quite a few small bream showed too plus a few roach and many more rudd, I ended up with 121 fish in total, 20 were tinnie bream, 20 were tiny perch and 10 were roach, the rest were those little bars of gold, 71 of them. It was fun though as the rudd, bream and perch tally were my best for this pond and I could have caught more, so I can target beating those totals next time if there's no tench showing. This was the biggest fish of the day which says it all, but I got bites and had plenty to keep me occupied.

Sometimes catching tiddlers takes you back to your youth, but you are older and wise enough to appreciate having a lovely little pond to yourself, I saw three people all day aside from the masses I passed on the match pool earlier. The kingfisher turned up like an old friend and a heron rumaged through the far bank as if it were a deer, I'm not sure what it was up to but it was entertaining, bounding along through the trees in a haphazard manner, it should have been feasting on those rudd like the kingfisher as the little blue expert got two in two before beeping it's way through the woods not to be seen again, job done.

I'll really look forward to returning when all the weed has grown, raking a swim and doing some proper summer tench fishing but this will do for today even though no tench showed. Whilst packing up I turned over a bit of old bark, two snails were having a conference but what fantastic colours they were, I gently put them back and walked back out into the open, it seemed like I was entering the outside world once more, having been cocooned in my own private woodland bubble.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later in the week I am back for a morning on a clear canal and once again it's blowing down the cut. My heavy winter jacket was cooking me in the sun but that didn't last long as the clouds came over and it got really bitter. I spotted some chub in the sunny spell and cast to one on the far shelf who I saw head for my bait it was so clear, it looked around 10oz in the water but it was much bigger and these chub sure go well, it felt good to get a bend in the rod after all those rudd the other day.

Aside from a few bleak and chublets I failed to catch much until moving down opposite a pub where I had a sole perch. I drew stares from the pub garden but for a change they seemed the strange ones, sitting there in their hoodies and winter coats. The canal fished better in winter for sure and is quite hard at the moment, the cold nights, wind, flotsam and clarity of water were vying to be my excuses for today. I looked once more across to the pub where everyone was enjoying a beer and just as I was thinking maybe it's not that cold a couple of lads went to the patio heaters to warm their hands up, what a difference the sun makes this time of year, or failing that a patio heater or two, now if only they could make one for us anglers.

Two Types of Perch

Tuesday

"What a lovely pastime to be doing on a morning like this" was what the first passer by said to me on the canal this week, I couldn't have put it any better, although the secret chub swim seemed devoid of chub and the wind was still a bit chilly, that lady hit the nail on the head better than any words I could muster, for it was good to be fishing even though I was yet to get a bite in the morning sun.

After half an hour I saw the first boat looming towards me so I decided to venture upstream on this running section to see if I could spot any fish before the water coloured up. I had a hunch that the chub had moved and this was proved right as I spotted them sunning themselves further up near the river entrance, getting ready for breeding no doubt. Trouble was the boat was full of rowdy drinking lads who also had a few lure rods on the go, they ironically pointed out to me the chub, which I had already been feeding and whacked a few casts out too with their lures. I hoped they would return, the chub that is, not the early morning boozy boaters.

The boat soon went out of sight and a while later out of earshot and despite all the commotion I managed two nice chub in two casts before it understandably went dead, with a blank avoided and two decent fish landed I ventured further in search of a some perch and a comfy spot to spend the rest of the session.

More boats passed, I think I saw more today than in the entire lockdown, as a result the water coloured up so I fished close in, at a nice spot where I had good perch in the winter. They were still there and they look like they are ready to breed too as a fish just shy of 2lb took a single maggot. Such beautiful colours, fat as anything yet fighting fit, this perch was a stunner.

A few more decent sized perch showed as did a few nice roach one of which was also a lovely fish, it's always good when you get through to the larger roach on the canal so when they are scale perfect it's an added bonus.

I had some nice fish today, not many but some crackers and it was a nice start to the week, as I walked home I saw a few big shoals of fish in new areas, they are definitely moving their positions and I was be eager to try some of these new spots next time.

Friday

I'm back down there once again in the morning, just in time to see the carnage of a boat zig zagging up the cut stirring up all sorts of silt. I'm not sure what he was on but he wasn't on the straight and narrow in regards navigation, I took my time setting up waiting for the water to settle glancing down to the barge in the distance which was now sideways like that ship in the Suez canal. 

I planed to fish a spot close in by a bridge where I saw a large shoal of roach and perch when I packed up last time. The only problem was the silt was now floating in places along with weed and all manner of flotsam and jetsam. This seemed to drive the bleak crazy, I couldn't get through them this time save for the odd chublet, to cut a long story short I didn't get any big perch today, matter of fact I caught no perch at all. 

It was a different type of perch that caught the eye as I noticed a small robin perch my net handle which was propped up on my bag ready to hand should I hook a 2lb bleak, the angle of which lead the little bird to do a comical slide slowly down the shiny handle whilst it looked at me, it would go back and repeat this slide, it wasn't the best perch and it took it a while to work out the rod was a much better option, landing just above the reel and right by my hand which was strange, it was so close I could almost touch it, so I tried....

I've always wanted to get one to land on my hand so I cupped some maggots towards the little fella, it never usually works but this one was brazen, trouble was a passer by almost upon us, the robin eyed up my offerings whilst glancing at the walker, it's head was going left right left right and it had to make a decision (the robin not the walker) The little bird then hopped across on to my hand and took a maggot, I was chuffed and the passer by looked shocked. 

Of course the camera came out soon after and of course the robin got camera shy but I managed a pic of it on my rod and one more attempt at another hand job (oh behave) before it disappeared.

Still not getting through the bleak I bade the robin farewell and tried a few other spots, usually reliable they too were all bleak as a dredger went through stirring up more colour with it's flat bottom, it's bucket lowered like a bull's horns ready to ram any zig zagging drunken traffic out of the way, despite not dredging the silt it was doing a good job of relocating it as it chugged through. 

I even tried the big perch swim but that was all bleak too. Nothing was taking on the bottom and nothing was getting a look in on the drop due to you know what. It was one of those days where the float was going sideways as soon as it hit the water and I didn't have enough bait nor patience to get through them.

Walking back I returned to another chub spot I knew and finally got a bite from something solid and the bleakopoly was broken by this get out of jail free chub, at around 3lb it was really welcome and had a mouthful of algae which you can just make out in the photo. Who knows what the fish get up to when everything gets stirred up like this, perhaps they do eat a lot of weed as this one seemed to be doing.

I fancied getting a few more chub but within minutes the next boat managed to ground itself on the ledge I was fishing and so the stir up continued once again, it was time to call it a day and in doing so I talked to a passing dropshotter who was blanking, I was lucky I got the chub as it really saved the day as it was one of those days. It wasn't boring that's for sure.

I headed back home and looked for my little friend where I was earlier but maybe it was sleeping off it's good feed. I will look forward to seeing that cocky little robin again hopefully. 

Now if only I could train it to eat bleak..

Snow In April - A Canal Challenge

 It's not often it snows in April down here, so much so my dad always used to state the fact when referring to any cold snap late spring. Not only can I now say I remember it snowing in April I can also say how I went fishing in it, but would I catch?

I wanted a challenge on the canal and left the house whilst there was still snow on the ground, ok it was rubbish snow, more like icing sugar coating the shady side of the garden,but it was still snow and it was well into April. 

The morning sun soon melted it and by the time I had walked to the canal both the snow and the sun were gone, as if to say it's job was done, clouds formed, the wind was bitter and the cut looked bleak.

I tried to warm my hands up and set up in the only spot without a ripple as it was blowing from the northwest right down the cut, the worst direction. Even with all my winter gear on it felt cold and this was a spot relatively out of the wind. I can't remember feeling this cold for many a moon, maybe because we were in t-shirts last week it felt colder than it was.

That's enough about me moaning about the weather (for now) so lets get fishing. I set up my waggler shallow as I have found that worked all winter hoping for a chub under the trees on the far shelf, the float dips first cast and I get ready for a battle only to see a confused little perch confront this confused angler, It was not the fish I was expecting but more than welcome.

A couple more little perch followed before I finally got a chub, not a big one, nor pretty but it felt hard earned, in the clear water I could see it's every move and it could see every snag, these canal chub sure do pull well.

The towpath soon got busy with hardy souls out for a walk all wrapped up in winter wear, much to the annoyance of the local robin, my maggots were manky old leftovers but the robin couldn't get enough, constantly flitting between the towpath traffic like a jack in a box to get them, the robin seemed to feed all day unlike the fish which had switched off for a bit.

With the water this clear it sometimes goes dead after a good fish but I looked left and right and the canal looked really bitter and unwelcoming, this area was more sheltered so I opted to stay here as I poured a hot beverage out of the flask, the first coffee of the day is always the best and always tastes better after a good fish.

I tried deep for a while with no luck so went back shallow and had another chub, slightly bigger and another fighting fit chevin. I had been having some really good chub days down here and not even done a blog post about them as it seemed too easy when the weather was warmer, but this was fishing at it's most rewarding, hard weather, hard fishing and a few hard earned, hard fighting fish.

I settled down to catch a few more tiny perch on the far shelf, their location no doubt due to the jack pike I spotted in the middle. I thought I could see a dark shape every now and then but it ghosted into view amongst a shoal of bleak right on the surface, it seemed to be playing blow football with them, gently teasing the shoal, it was either on it's last legs or this was part of a cunning corralling of it's prey, like you see the sea fish do on telly, I like to think the latter although that was the last I saw of the ghostly esox.

I soon get another bite on the far shelf and thought I was into another chub but the jagged fight made me think good perch, sure enough the sergeant major stripes showed in the clear water, too big for the pike I hoped as it tore around the swim. I really have a soft spot for the canal perch, they fight so well, better than their river counterparts sometimes and as I slipped the net under this fish I was really happy, it made the day.

Another good perch followed after lunch but I was almost out of bait and the weather wasn't getting better with my swim now complete with a full chop on the surface, to make things worse I seemed to be getting all bleak now, no doubt having a party in the absence of the pike, therefore it was time to call it a day at around 1pm. Not counting bleak and chublets I only had 8 fish but it was a rewarding session and all the fish were caught less than two feet deep.

Did I mention it was cold? I remember it's snowed in April once and I went fishing and a jolly good day it was too.

Pond Perfection

  I must admit I do like pottering about on the ponds and after a winter on the canal I was really looking forward to going with the missus to a club pond that was full of the usual fare, mostly carp but also other species and given it was still March I would be happy with anything.

I wanted to get bites so maggot was the bait, there was no wind so I set up a tiny pole float, dotted it down to the tip and fished a single red on a size 18. It felt good fishing under the rod tip like this and bites were shy but there were many. The missus was also glad to be out, so much so that she had the camera out and seemed to be taking photos of everything. Hey I waffle a bit so lets have the photos do the talking for a change....

As you can see many of the fish were in perfect condition and that last goldfish was a good size. I was so grateful to be catching as most of those targeting the carp were struggling. I had over 70 fish mostly roach, crucian/goldfish, bream and rudd using less than a pint of maggots. I had hoped for some big perch but only caught two small ones all day and the carp eluded me completely. I could have caught much more if I had fished on the drop but was just happy to be sitting there watching the float go under at regular intervals.

During the five hours I fished the wind got up a little and blew all the surface scum into my little corner of the pond, as a result my presentation suffered, I had to remove a no8 to see the float tip and it seemed to become all roach so we packed up at 3 o'clock, the sun hadn't come out all day but it wasn't cold and it was hard to believe it was still March, just.

The missus enjoyed it too as did the usual suspects who were far from camera shy, a heron watched our every move from it's vantage point in a fir tree and the robin stopped by for the usual buffet

The funniest thing was despite snapping everything the missus missed the opportunity to capture the Red Arrows flying over the fishery. To be fair there wasn't much notice as a wall of sound suddenly appeared and they flew over really low in two groups of three, quite what they were doing there I don't know but it made for a fine interval during a really enjoyable day's fishing.