New Venue New Rods

 Thursday I headed to a stretch of river I'd never fished before in an attempt to christen my new rods. Their previous outing had been a blank and fishing a unknown stretch of river probably to christen them probably wasn't the best idea. I'd been for a walk on this section previously so had a good idea where the pikey looking swims were. I wandered upstream to the first swim I fancied. There was no sign anybody else had been down since the water dropped. My tactics were to drop a bait in under a float just over the shelf behind over hanging trees and place a bait midstream with a ledger. The first bait out was a small roach under the float dropped into seven foot of water. A trout was flung out on the ledger. I also had smelt and sardine with me. After a runless hour I moved swims. This one was just as unproductive, as was the next. In the fourth swim the shelf was somewhat closer and the depth nearer nine foot. I changed to a smelt on the float rig. A spot of oil was added to the trout before it was plonked midstream. Just as the kettle boiled the float started to bob about. A quick strike and I was in. A small but rather athletic jack was quickly chinned. At least one rod was christened. Another angler turned up at this point. He was doing a spot of lure fishing for chub and/or perch.

After my cuppa I moved on to the next swim, then the next, then the next. I was all rather quiet apart from a Great Tit. Their 'singing' is OK for a little while, but when there's several of them doing their squeaky wheelbarrow impressions it gets a bit annoying. By now the collie from the farm had come down to investigate. Though it spent most of it's time sticking it's nose down rabbit holes and barking at them. I'd just got my Pot Noodle ready when the alarm went and the drop-back dropped back. Keeping one eye on my lunch in case the dog tried to nick it I struck into what felt like some debris. It wasn't until it got to the surface that the little jack woke up and started to thrash about. Second rod christened.

As usual I stayed on until dark but there was no more action. At least both rods are now christened.All I have to do in the remaining two weeks of the river season is find some bigger and better pike.