Going Down

With a change of schedule I found  the afternoon spare, so decided to have a look at the canal and river to see if they were at fishable levels. I also took a lure rod with me just in case. The water was now off the path by the canal, though you had to wade through 4-5" off water under the bridge and the surrounding fields were full. The edge of the bank was now discernable, for the most part. It was very slippy under foot though. After an hour of sling pike lures about all I'd seen was a couple of 6" perch accompany an 8" lure in, swimming either side of it.

I then went down to The Derwent to see what that was like. It had dropped quite a bit and like the canal the bank edges could be seen. By the looks of it I think the sluices had been opened as it had dropped quite rapidly. I did nearly end up with a boot full when a solid looking area of mud turned out to be a layer of mud on top of flattened vegetation.  After 45 minutes I'd had one follow, only seen as a swirl when I lifted the lure out of the water. Not long after I managed to snag my lure while fishing under an over-hanging tree. At first the snag appeared to move, but the line then gave. By the feel of it I suspect it to be a tree limb that's been washed down. That's the price you pay fishing to features on post flood rivers. The problem is, it's always the expensive lures that get stolen by the snags and I'd only bought this one yesterday.

The new decade didn't get off to a flyer and my new net hasn't been christened, but there's still a way to go yet. I'd be a bit more optimistic if every pike angler I've talked to recently didn't keep telling me it's the worst start o a season they've ever had. Going to fling some dead baits in the Ouse tomorrow, that should produce something.