Not Quite The Outcome I Had In Mind

I made my first trip to the syndicate water for this winter. I should have known soon after arrival that things weren't going to be quite as I'd hoped when I discovered I'd forgot my cup, so no hot drinks. Thankfully a solution was found in the shape of an old, clean, pot noodle container that happened to be in the car. I'd also knocked the liner out of one of the guides, but as this was on the short extension section the rod was still usable at 3m.

Having selected my swim, I dropped a float fished sprat close to the remaining bank-side vegetation. As the sprat was still frozen it sank very slowly and  a dinky little pike shot out and grabbed it's tail, quickly letting go as it dived back into the weeds. Pity really as it would have bay a nice bait given it's tiny size. The two legered baits were chucked out into known spots. One popped up smelt and a bluey to be fished on the bottom. These were to be moved every 30-40 minutes, which I did, all morning. Once they baits had defrosted I injected them with oils.

After lunch the drop off on the bluey rod dropped off, but I wound down to nothing. I retrieved it slowly back just in case,. On arrival at the bank it had clearly been chewed on, so I stuck another on and swung it back to the same place. The remains were chopped up and dropped around the float. Half an hour later the float started bobbing, I wound down and struck, I felt a couple of jags and then nothing. Hmm. Out went another one. After a short while the floated headed off out into the lake for a couple of yards then stopped. I contacted with nothing. There were a few scales missing from the bait so I dropped it back in. That, though, was that for the day even though I stayed through the showers and in to dark.

Not the start I was hoping for, especially as the carp angler in the next swim had had a twenty pound pike out earlier in the month, on a boilie.