Gardening Leave

Sunday I had a day off, my last one of the year, the one you save just in case. My intention had been to finish off the garden, but wet and windy weather isn't really gardening weather. It's far more suited to sitting under a brolly on a muddy bank fishing. With admirable persistence I again set off for the clay pit. The swim I choose, on the same bank as last time, has a fallen tree to one side, a dead and dying lily bed in front, an over hanging tree  and tree roots to the other. All prime pike fishing spots, so the learned angling writers claim.


 







The first rod out went next to the fallen tree baited with a sprat. The second rod, however, had developed a slight problem. The tip had broken just below the tip ring. A bit of heat from a lighter soon set fire to the epoxy and the offending bit of carbon was removed. With the aid of a bit of braid I was able to jam the tip ring back on. A bit of hot melt has now secured it properly, although I haven't bothered to replace the little bit of whipping with it's metallic red highlight as it adds nothing really. This rod was then baited with a headless sardine, mainly because I'd stood on it and squashed the head, and fished next to the old lily bed. The remainder of the sardine, along with some sprats were chopped up and tossed about the general area I was fishing.

 













Between the showers, of varying intensity and the occasional roar of the wind as it blew through the trees, very little happened for the first five hours or so. Every hour or so I moved the baits to different spots and occasionally twitched them, but to no affect. Around this time there was a bit of commotion in the middle of the lilies so I dropped the sprat back there. I'd tried all the usual tricks for eliciting a bite, cup of tea, pot noodle, checking the football scores on the phone, all that was left was to go for a pee. As I turned to go the float moved away and one of the little beasties I'd had so much trouble with previously stuck to the hooks. Not the biggest at 55cm, but a pike all the same. It did put up a bit of a struggle and attempted to get under the fallen tree, but was quickly subdued. Although I fished into dark that was it for the day.


 







As pike venues go this one produces more blanks than any other I fish regularly. I will persist with it as I've not had a double out of here this century and the only way of getting one is to stick with it.