A Tench Amongst The Weeds

 After the reality check of the last two weekends I just wanted to keep things simple, get a few silvers under the rod tip on maggot. I arrived back at the tench pond happy to catch anything this time although a 'bar of soap' tench will do or anything that would wet the landing net. People say it's suicidal fishing maggot here but I wanted a few bites and a few fish regardless of size.

I set up in the most open spot I could find given I was going to fish lighter than last time, far away from the snaggy lillies to give myself a fighting chance should I hook anything willing to test the 3lb bottom I was to use today, going back to basics rather than the heavy stuff. It didn't take long to rack up a good tally of rudd, roach, perch and bream, for some reason (probably cormorants) none of these species grow to any size here but it was fun catching them to 6oz

More impressive was the fact that I actually got through them, well kind of, I got the bait on the deck and picked up fish mostly on the bottom with the odd midwater intercept, it was no longer the pole float dashing away and boils on the surface that I started with. It still was a fish a chuck though but I didn't that mind one bit.

I was getting close to packing up and in the process of drying out my gear that was on the wet grass all morning when a few bubbles turned up, this was the second time this happened so this time I shallowed up a touch and fished closer in dropping the pole float amongst them. Whilst doing this a chap turned up and stood next to me, the first person I had seen all day, the bubbles stopped.

But then....

The float shot under and tore across the pond, the rod bent well. Then I swear the chap asked if it was a roach, maybe I was hearing things but I said "Tench" as It was that unmistakable fight as it edged further and further across the pond. The chap then asked if there was any weed under the water, he was about to find out. I knew it was growing rapidly in this weather and I could feel it's weight as the tench crept further into it. Then it stopped, eventually, like one of those tractor pull events you see in the U.S. although there wasn't much stopping power in my 3lb line, but combined with the weed there was enough. Everything went dead weight, I feared the fish was off given there wasn't the token tail swish or head shake. I ended up dragging a massive clump of weed but there it was like a bar of gold rather than a bar of soap behind it all, lit up in the sun. I knew one kick and it would be goodbye and farewell but everything came ever so slowly to the net. The chap then said it was a carp before saying it wasn't in the net when I went for the scoop, I backed my judgement fully and was rewarded with a paddle tail just visible in the net as I lifted the heavy weight of weed and fish at the spreader.

I joked I'll take 10lb for the fish if I include the weed and remarked that it was like unwrapping a present as I pulled weed out in clumps eager to see the fish. Then a beautiful tench revealed itself in the mottled sun under the trees, a glorious sight if ever there is one. The fish here always seem to be lookers and this was no exception. It was a present all right, a mix of dark green and gold, just perfect.

Here's the weed, the poor person who fishes here next is going to think I've raked the swim.

I packed up not long after and looked at my tally of 17 roach, 14 rudd, 32 perch, 15 bream and 1 tench, a really good 4 hour session with loads of fish with one good one at the end. It beat going all in for big fish and failing although I do know I was fortunate, but that makes it more special. Soon the weed will be far too dense for this approach but for today it was ok and this trip was just what I needed.

Poor Fishing But Perfect Perspective

 Perspective is a funny thing, it's almost something you can't obtain unless it is thrust upon you, to have it you must suffer both highs and lows, to see things deeper and to put yourself in another's shoes, be it someone else or the person you once were in the place you once was. I am of course talking fishing related perspective and there's nothing like this pastime to ask questions of you on a regular basis.

The first of two trips to report was on the bank holiday, this saw a long awaited trip down the docks for a bit of sea dangling. Ok I knew the start of May was probably a bit too early but I hoped to winkle out a small bass or blenny. A long road trip for a tiny sea species is less mad than it sounds given I hadn't been down the coast to wet a line since before Covid, the missus was up for it so that road trip beckoned.

The docks looked still and lifeless when I arrived and no one else was fishing on what was a cloudy day forecast to brighten up later. I fed some mashed bread and the surface erupted as many tiny fish hammered the white stuff and with that moment the docks came to life. I even jubilantly stated that I won't blank today which as we all know is probably the most stupid thing any angler can say, some people never learn.

I was regretting my words two hours into fishing without a fish but with many a bite, these fish were too small to hook as they looked around the size of minnows with the odd slightly larger fish in there. Usually even the smallest bass will wolf down a bit of bread here on a size 12 (a small hook by sea standards) but these fish were dragging the bread around under the surface and just sucking at it. Even changing to a size 18 to get a sand smelt didn't work so I'll never know what these tiddlers were. 

I then watched a shoal of mullet sulking around just below the surface, these fish seem pretty impossible to catch here when they first enter the docks, from what I've both seen and heard but it's nice to see them turn up.

Then the first other angler of the day arrived and we had a good chat and a laugh with us both having the same mentality of any fish will do. The guy had such enthusiasm having taken up fishing during Covid and had only fished these docks with his carp rod set up, which to be fair was pretty decent and whoever had had given him advice had done a decent job. I then pointed him in the direction of a good spot where they catch on cage feeder as he was also fishing bread. The folly of me giving someone advice regarding sea fishing was negated when I saw him bend into a small bass, it was however the only fish I saw anyone catch that day.

Boats came and went as did other anglers all catching nothing like me, the newbie angler packed up and I informed him he was the only one to catch which he put down as a fluke of the bass taking his bread first cast but there you go, it happens and you have to make the most of it, he did and was over the moon and I couldn't blame him one bit. His enthusiasm was the highlight of the day as was me and the wife stopping off at a nice pub before the drive home, the sun had finally come out and fresh sea air was in the lungs, the fish were missing for me but that's sea fishing for you.

The next weekend I'm off down the tench pond with the goal to sit there and catch maybe one tench and rest the arm a bit, it had been a chilly night but It seems everyone is catching them now, I was therefore surprised to see the pond devoid of anglers although the cold night and the bright sunshine may have made the wise stay home, the fish certainly stayed away again and to cut a short story even shorter I caught nothing on a variety of baits in a couple of spots.

I then dragged the wife round the corner to the bream pond featured in the last blog entry, I knew here my bread attack would get plenty of bites - Wrong again!  This time the float wasn't getting zipped away, there were no bream bubbles and even the carp in the upper layers were ever so cagey with half hearted, infrequent takes of bread from the surface. The difference a few weeks can make this time of year.

There was a lot of pressure on the little pond to be fair, two had packed up already and another two were giving the whole area a running commentary of what carp were where. Then others stopped near why I was fishing as if to point them out by counting them. This must be what I look and sound like when I'm going "Ooh there's some mullet" down the coast, although you would think seeing carp in a pool stocked with carp wouldn't be such an unusual event.

By now I am trying to catch one of these carp off the top just to catch something. I had gone full circle in going for catch the fish I am often trying to avoid, to make matters worse one of the noisy fellas just caught a nice bream on his carp set up. I was also fishing too heavy for my liking using 6lb line as I started on the snaggy tench pond, the difference between floater fishing with 6lb and 4lb line is chalk and cheese both in presentation and casting distance, It was however gloriously sunny and I by now was too lazy to change.

Another couple of anglers then turned up, one of whom had pretty severe disabilities which put into perspective my painful arm which of course I haven't mentioned in every blog post since February. I then said to the missus I'd rather he caught a fish than me if one of us were to blank, much like with the enthusiastic lad down the coast last time. Seeing others catch can be as fulfilling as catching yourself although I'll never know if they caught or not as they disappeared around the corner choosing a spot opposite the noisy pair, even the bird life stayed well away.

Finally I slid the net under a 5lb common then an even smaller mirror before packing up, both really tatty fish which left me wondering why people target then so much, but at the same time I was grateful that they were there for me to catch today. It was hard to get perspective with my own contradiction, especially with a two carp day being deemed poor given I had blanked previously, I should have been over the moon to get two off the top last knockings but even that catch was taken for granted, maybe another blank would have served me better as I packed up rather than try for a third. 

I know the next trip will be with a small hook and a pint of reds fishing in the margins just see what mix of the unknown comes along, this of course will negate any pain in my arm, and will see me catch loads. Of course neither could well happen, I'll likely be plagued by tiny roach, be popping painkillers by midday and be opposite the noisy brigade again. Hopefully however I'll draw from the last few trips and get a bit more perspective to make the day more positive, who knows? I sure don't.