I had to get out in this weather and so did everyone else judging by the club's match pool this week, my only prerequisite was a nice sunny spot on a day like today, so after making sure there wasn't a match on (yes it was that busy) I made my way round to the only area where there were a few swims available, naturally the furthest from the car park and a good 30 second walk at that!
I set up a pole float and fished single maggot under the rod tip sitting behind the platform like I usually do, the only problem was I was wearing my thermal trousers thinking the shade could be chilly and how hot could March possibly be? Well ten minutes in I was in a T-shirt even if my legs were cooking.
I concluded March can be very warm indeed.
The weather was good and so was the fishing even if it wasn't hectic but that's a good thing sometimes, I love this time of year on maggot as the small roach don't tend to be as problematic and I was soon tallying up a healthy mix of fish including a nice perch.
Then the carp started to show, not big but good fun on .12 bottom and a size 18 and welcome given that very few were coming out to those who were actually targeting them. I stopped for lunch and took time to observe all the different methods and tactics on show by the others on this lazy spring day.
Opposite me was Wooly Hat guy who was in the only shady spot and looked quite wrapped up with his hoodie on, a stark contrast to Floppy Hat guy who was in shorts two swims along in the sun, both of them finally had the only fish I saw them catch whilst I tucked into my grub, decent carp that were bought in a lot quicker than I got my perch in. The two either side of me were hidden by bushes but were still fishless, the right hand guy seemed to casting his lead everywhere and the chap to the left spent more time sorting his gear out than he did fishing, it was a relaxed atmosphere.
It was a lazy day alright and what was remarkable was how quiet everyone was, how peaceful it all is I thought, I know it's not always like this but credit must go to anglers sometimes, there's not many places where 30 people can be in close vicinity yet it's as quiet as a library, except for libraries of course, some say they as they are as quiet as fishing ponds on a spring day, well almost.
The main bit of noise was coming from a couple of coots who were up to no good with one being chased into the woods after diving under the water for a good twenty metres to elude her mate, before porpoising out of the water onto the bank quite impressively, It was safe to say she wasn't interested, we've all been there I thought as I looked at the male coot whilst his lady friend did her best impression of a pheasant pottering about in the undergrowth behind me.
An hour's fishing after lunch saw more roach some of which graced the landing net, long and lean and not the pristine fat fish the rivers were producing a few weeks back that seem a world away now, skimmer bream, perch and another carp showed up which was the archetypal pastie in appearance and I managed to lose one a bit bigger that looked like a nice common, oh well never mind.
I finished off with a nice mirror that led me a merry dance for it's size and was a good fish to finish on. Just as I was packing up a really big fat toad swam around the front of my platform, like a lazy swimmer floating along doing the odd kick with it's legs it summed up the day nicely. I took my own lazy walk back to the car as slow as the toad swam, as it sure felt good to be out in a T-shirt this time of year.
Just a shame about those thermal trousers!
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A day later and I have to get out again, this time to the canal but the cut I wanted to fish had a match on so plan B meant going once more to the club ponds, however I would bypass the busy match pool for the quiet tench one round the back this time for a change. Once again the match pool was busy with everyone after the carp but I was pleased to see the tench pool was all mine on arrival.
It wasn't too early for tench as I saw a chap get one yesterday whilst I was walking back (sshh don't tell anyone) even so I didn't fancy my chances. I only had maggots as was planning on the canal today and this pond was full of small rudd, thousands of them and it could be suicidal so I set up a stick with a bulk shot in an effort get the bait down through them.
To my surprise it worked but not for tench, funny enough it was nearly all perch save for a few bream, roach and the inevitable rudd but not too many of those, I managed to get through them to get what I thought could be the most perch I'd had for this pond as I usually only get a handful due to the rudd, after working out that this perch quest would be the ideal target for today and anything else would be a bonus I went for those stripeys.
The weird thing is how much stronger the fish are on this clear natural pond compared to the muddy carp pool next door (aside from the carp), even a half pound bream went well and the perch I thought were tench although there was to be no tincas today and no real rod benders, however it was just as enjoyable as the carp pool the day before, perhaps even more so. That's fishing for you, it is what you make it and every day has it's own qualities.
During the three hours I fished the mind started to wander in between achieving my perch goal and imagining giant tench, a chap turned up opposite with a massive barrow of gear and the pond was suddenly no longer my own, not that it ever was mind, although when he started speaking on speaker phone I did think how the whole concept of these quiet fishing days could be rendered moot by the actions of one angler, thankfully he remained off the blower for the next hour or so. He had nothing in the time I was there so I felt vindicated in trying for those perch and whatever came along in between.
I then looked at the rushes in the margins and I could have sworn they had grown in the time I was there, it was eerie looking down into the clear water at their stems whilst they stood out proud, give it a few weeks of this weather and they'll be taller than me I reckon.
Lunch saw me take a break and look in the woods for deer in the spots I had seen them before. It never seems right looking away from the water and so it was the copse behind me looked devoid of life today, I knew though that was not the case as the freshest of colours was adorning every tree and bush and as if on cue a brimstone butterfly flew through a gap in the spring greenery, a yellow rivaling that of the sun, flitting through the spring air like it owned it, right then in that moment it did.
A few more perch followed after my break, enough for me to beat my previous record tally for this pond surely, although viewing my records (on getting home) showed I had beaten it hours ago, little things like this make the fishing fun if there's no big fish showing, I was quite pleased to have got through the rudd to another species that's usually hard. I ended with 31 perch and around 20 rudd, bream and roach, maybe I'll lose the plot and try for the rudd record next time if I'm feeling really mad.
I walked back once again to the car at the end of another short fishing trip, a few more welcome hours in the sun, just like the toad the day before but with a flutter of the brimstone in my step, it had been two pretty average days catch wise but spring had caught me and smashed me in the face with a whole heap of sunshine as if to say there's more to come.
Knowing the British weather it will be snowing in a week or so but make no mistake spring is here, for a few weeks at least, so I will always remember how balmy it was in the March heatwave of '22.
Now where did I put my thermals just in case?
