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..
