First Pike Of Winter

 Friday was the first day of the meteorological Winter and the first proper cold day of the season. The gravel pit was covered in ice. Not thick, but still thick enough to be nuisance. Much like the lock on the gate to the old estate lake which was frozen. A bit of heat from a lighter  persuaded it to work properly. The old estate lake, though, only had about two thirds of it's surface covered in ice. Unfortunately it was the far end of the lake that was ice free so I had an epic three hundred yard trek to make in the cold foggy morn. I also had a brand winter suite as well. The old one, especially the trousers, was falling apart after eight years of abuse.

A medium smelt was dropped next to the reeds to my right and a 7" trout was tossed out to the old stream bed in front. Gradually the sun managed to burn through the fog and it became quite a pleasant morning. A cormorant sunned itself on top of the tree behind me. Just before lunch I wound the baits in to move them. The smelt went in front of a coppiced  willow to my left. The trout bait was falling apart, it had been in and out of the fridge for a couple of years. It was replaced with a large smelt and sent a bit further out into the lake.

The sun disappeared and the fog dropped in thicker than before. Not long after I'd finished my lunch the float to my left trundled away and I was into a rather lethargic little jack of 63cm.

 

Another piker turned up at this point. Making it two idiots sat in the cold fog. I could only just see him when he got to the far bank. Halfway through the afternoon I injected the baits with a bit of oil but his didn't this did nothing to stir the pike. I fished on just into dark but nowt else happened. The other angler lost a fish on his only run.

 Two pike willing to feed after the first really cold night of the winter isn't bad even if the one I got was rather small and lethargic. A bit of consistency in the weather should see the pike back on the feed.

Back T' Pit

 Another trip to the gravel pit as I suspect the brick pond would be still frozen, and the rivers are rising and or falling. Again I was the only one there, apart from the robin. I was surprised to see a large area of ice still floating about. The wind was blowing it into the corner I wanted to fish so I opted to fish the corner I blanked in last time. There was, however, a larger area of water to go at. The other problem was that the branches thrown at the ice and leaf debris kept drifting backwards and forwards throughout the day dragging the line and rigs about.

Baits were the same as last time. The sardine was placed near the tree roots in two and a half foot of water and left there as the pike are known to patrol along there. The trout would be cast about the area and be moved every 45 minutes or so in the hope of landing it in front of a pike. Apart form being pestered by two robins, one having a more orange chest than the other, nothing much happened except a visit from the bailiff. Another angler had set up on the far bank maggot drowning. I didn't see him catch anything. Three lads also turned up deadbaiting but didn't catch either. The sun also turned up which meant I had to be careful where I cast the floats, as pike floats go invisible in winter sunshine no matter how big they are.

Around one the float on the trout started to bobble about in the manner associated with small pike. I had the fish on for about thirty seconds before it came adrift along with my last trout deadbait. It didn't feel very big at all. The next bait out of the freezer bag was half a small herring. This hadn't been in the water very long before the float trundled away. This time I was in contact with something heavier That put up a rather lacklustre fight. A rather long and skinny fish of 86cm and 7lb soon graced the net. 2cm shorter and 4lb lighter than Tuesday's fish it had a big lump out of it's tail fin that looked like an otter bite. That was it for the day. Again I fished until I couldn't see the floats.

First Proper Pike Session of the Season

 With the weather being somewhat variable, by variable I mean drizzle, light rain, heavy rain, I decided to stay close to home so popped down to the local gravel pit. I was rather surprised when I got there to see nobody else about. I wasn't early arriving just after nine. I( was even more surprised to see it hadn't filled up since summer, being about two foot down. The final surprise was the ice. I'd not expected any ice at all as it hadn't been particularly cold for a while. A couple of swims were not fully frozen and one had a couple of good spots free of ice. The other only having the one. The more open swim was one of my favourites so I opted for that.

The ice wasn't that thick at all close in so shouldn't prove to be much of a problem. I was soon joined by a robin as is usual here. I had brought some liquidised bread so sprinkled a bit on the ground. The robin didn't look impressed I think they prefer maggots. never the less it tucked into the bread popping back through out the day.

I bit of plumbing about showed both spots to about three and a half foot deep. One in a little bay and the other near an over hanging tree. The float were set so the bottom shot just touched bottom. I'd not looked to see what baits I had in the freezer bags. first out was a slightly freezer burnt headless sardine which went in to the bay. next out was a small rainbow trout which went out under the over hanging branches. I tossed out some of the liquidised bread as well in the hope it would attract some bait fish.

 

After half an hour the float in the bay bobbed and shot away a couple of foot before popping back up. I contacted with nothing as expected. I'm convinced bites like that are either liners or tiny jacks. On this occasion I think it was a liner as there were no marks on the sardine at all. A couple of hours, just after the rain had started, later the trout bait was away. I didn't really strike as the fish was moving away from me. After  a brief but hectic tussle in the shallow water I had a nice looking tubby pike in the net. It was in near perfect nick. This surprised me as the pike in here get some hammer and some end up quite tatty. At 88cm and 11lb 1oz it was a good start and very welcome.

There was no more action until three when the rain stopped. I'd decided to move to the other swims there was now quite a large clear area in front of it. I wound in the sardine and dropped it in the margin. As I wound the trout in I saw the tip of the other rod whip over. I grabbed the rod and felt  some thing small on the end. A tiny little jack had firm hold of the end of the sardine but had missed the hook. The sardine came adrift and the jack shot away with it's prize.

I fished the other corner swim until I could no longer see the floats but failed to elicit any action. Still a double was I nice start to my pike campaign proper.

Three Nil

With river having dropped well into it's banks I had a choice of venues. Breaking the ice at the gravel pit or sliding down precipitous icy river banks. I chose the later., mainly because I suspect it'll be on the rise again by next week as things start to thaw out. As I arrived at the empty parking area the was some obvious heat in  the sun despite the fact it was still zero degrees. Three deer were grazing in the distance. It was only when they moved that I realised what they were. Too far away for a phone pic The big coat was strapped to the ruckbag as it wasn't needed on the walk to the river. In fact it wasn't needed all morning.  My plan was to start at the upstream end of the stretch and work my way downstream until lunch, then work back upstream revisiting the swims. I intended to give each swim forty minutes to an hour.

Tactics were a float fished roach near any over hanging trees and a half mackerel over the near side shelf. The ground was rock solid, banksticks were out of the question unless I happened on a half brick or similar. The swims were OK as well, the steps were still flat and been frozen easy enough to get up and down. After forty minutes in the first swim I saw my first pike as it grabbed the roach just as I was about to lift it out of the water. After a few seconds it came adrift. A new bait was cast out and I gave it another thirty minutes, but nothing showed. I suspect it had felt the hooks. Things were rather uneventful as I worked my way through the swims.

After lunch I found the roach bait snagged. Now nine times out of ten the forty five pound braid either bends the hooks or pulls a big branch out. This time it snapped at the knot with remarkable ease. I tied on another rig and stuck the hook on a fence and gave it a good pull. All seemed solid enough, I'd certainly applied more pressure than it took to snap the braid earlier. I did the same with the other rod and all appeared OK. The temperature was now four degrees, but with in half an hour the sun had disappeared, a very chilly breeze had got up and there were a few snow flakes getting blown about.

Eventually I was back at the first swim. As I sat having a cuppa the float started to jiggle about. It took me a little while to realise it was a bite. A strike met with solid resistance then back came the bait. A remarkably intact trout. I'd run out of roach as I'd only put two in the bag for some reason. I decide to stick it out until home time. Twenty minutes later the same thing. This time I didn't get my bait back. I moved the mackerel to the tree I'd got the bites near, but nowt else showed any sign of interest. It was now minus 1 degrees.

At least I'd got some runs even if they didn't stick. I have had good look at the hooks and they seem sharp enough. I've certainly landed pike on far worse. Pike are quite good at falling off hooks, even after you've played them for some time. One thing though, I've got the action cam to work in the cold by plugging it into a power pack which is kept in an inside pocket so doesn't get cold.

First Fish Of The Year

With the rivers on the rise again I made my way to the gravel pit. I was surprised to find ice still on it. In fact there were only four fishable swims, two of which were already taken. I did ponder whether it was worth fishing as there was only a couple of rod lengths before the ice. While having a natter one of the anglers landed a broad headed stubby pike of 15lb. This gave me some hope so I set up in the other corner swim.

 

A sardine was tossed out to the edge of the ice and a roach suspended just off the bottom was drifted into the little bay to my left until it hit the ledge.. The ice did slowly retreat on the side we were all fishing, but not on the far side. Just before twelve a pike drifted through the swim into the bay. Ten minutes later the float moved  very very slowly against the drift. Winding down I was in contact with a lively little fish that was soon in the net, which was a good job as the failure to strike resulted in the hooks dropping out the moment the line went slack. A rather empty fish of 77cm and 6lb 10oz with a rather distinctive scar on one side.

Another roach went back in and the sardine was injected with oil and cast into deeper water as the ice had now retreated some more. Mid-afternoon the temperature dropped and it felt like it could snow. A fret formed over one end of the pit, but disappeared as it started to drizzle. Those were the only fish of the day as far as I know. It was nice to get off the mark and nice to see a double in such good condition. I was also informed that pike a showing on the estate lake, not many but pike no the less.

Music while typing provided by : Idyllic Music Podcast

Second Session of 2021

With the local rivers a tad overfull, one even above it's previous record height, the second session of the year had to be at a stillwater. I headed to the local gravel pit half expecting it to be full of anglers. I was surprised to find only one there. I was also surprised to see some ice still left as well. The other angler, pike fishing, reported one dropped run. After a bit of a natter I set up in the opposite corner, after a bit of umming and ahhing. A trout was flung out to the end of the gravel bar and a roach dropped into the little bay to my left. The water level had final risen, but not as high as I'd expected. Still, it was nice to see it at a reasonable level again. Several other anglers eventually arrived, either pike fishing or maggot drowning. One informed me a couple of anglers had had nine pike out earlier in the week. Today there was nothing  coming out. Apart from the dropped run the only other sign of fish was the ones the kingfisher caught. Everybody seemed to agree last night's frost hadn't helped. It wasn't a bad day though. there was a bit of warmth in the sun for a while and when the chill breeze dropped the big coat wasn't needed.

I think the stillwaters are going to get a bit of a bashing over the next few weeks as we wait for the rivers to drop, provided they don't freeze over again. Which, given the projected temperatures could well happen. As usual when nothing much is happening I didn't take mnay photos, despite my New Year's resolution to do so.

First Session Of 2021

The last few days of 2020 had been cold, hovering around zero, but sunny. The first day of 2021 was to be warmer, up to four degrees, but wet and windy. As I loaded up the car in the drizzle and breeze it felt a lot colder than previous days. I decided to head to the river as it was now only one metre up and I thought the still waters may well be still iced over. The carpark had turned into an ice rink and had yet to thaw. It did mean however that the muddy path down to the river was nice and solid. The ings was covered in a couple of foot of water that was steadily draining away into the beck. Although it looked to have thawed the gulls wandering about on it told a different story. I decided to stat at the bottom swim by the confluence of the beck.

I'd got set up and the brolly up before the drizzle turned to rain. A trout went out just beyond the shelf but still in the large slack. A sardine was placed on the top of the shelf by an upstream sunken willow. My intention had been to fish several swims for an hour or so each. The rain put pay to this idea. In a short gap in the rain I had a quick wander with the lure rod. The rain on top over the frozen mud meant a lot of swims were just far to dangerous to fish. I did fin=d a couple of swims with large slacks in front of them that I could move to. The rain stated gain and continued to lunch time. Apart from a sunken branch dislodging the float there was no sign of activity.

After lunch I moved to another swim. The sun came out for a couple of hours and the breeze dropped which made things a bit more pleasant. No action was to be had after a couple of house I moved to another swim opposite Bishopthorpe Palace. A nice backdrop, but it didn't influence the pike in any way. I was blessed with a short view of the local otter though. Frighteningly it disappeared underwater rather close to one of the baits. I don't know if otters take dead fish, but thankfully this one didn't. I also witnessed a cormorant crash land on the ice which was rather amusing. Rather than fish to dark in the hope of avoiding a blank I decided to navigate the icy path back to the car in daylight. Back at the carpark I talked to a chap that had fished here several times in the past couple of weeks. He too hadn't had a run an any of his trips, but had seen a pike taken on the opposite bank yesterday.

 Not the start I would have liked to 2021, but the action cam worked properly. It clearly doesn't like sub-zero temperatures. Back to work tomorrow, so it'll be next week before I get out again.

Do You Have A Licence For That Minky

Today, Wednesday, was definitely colder then the other day, Monday. This was confirmed when I got to the gravel pit. It was completely iced over. I believe the technical term is lidded. It wasn't the thin cat ice of Monday either. A three ounce lead was not going to smash a hole in it. I ummed and ahed over the next stop. The clay pit has a couple of feeder streams where a clear area normally remains. The estate lake can also have clear areas. I decide to head to the estate lake as it was nearer. Sure enough there was a large ice free area. I was also informed by somebody that had just come form the clay pit that, although there were clear areas. it was heavily coloured from the rubbish washed in by the streams.

 

I set up at the far end of the lake. Another pike angler was fishing further round. One bait was dropped next to the ice and the other straight out in front. Apart from the edge of the ice there are no obvious features to cast to, so I just moved them about occasionally. Nat that the pike were bothered. Unlike the other angler I didn't even manage a drop run. The sun came out though and raised the temperature to -1C , along with the complete lack of wind it wasn't a bad day out really. I was entertained by a mink marking it's territory on one of the trees next to me and a rather noisy biplane doing acrobatics.

 

Next time I go fishing it'll be next year. Lets hope the pike are a bit more cooperative then. The rivers may even be at a fishable level. 

Ice, Ice Baby

With the local rivers high enough to flood pubs I headed to the gravel pit. As the temperature was struggling to get above freezing I wandered down to the pit from the parking spot All the club ponds and pits freeze rather easily especially if there is no wind, and today there wasn't  even a fart of a breeze. Another angler was already fishing and had had a jack around the 4-5lb mark. Part of the pit was frozen, but the swim opposite him looked clear, so I went back for the gear. As I empted the car I couldn't help noticing the bait bag hadn't found it's way in. I remember getting it out of the freezer, so what had I done with it. It's only 15 minutes home so back I went and there it was, on the drive. I must have put it down while nattering with the neighbour and not put it in the car before shutting the boot. Quite how I hadn't run it over I don't know. Back at the pond the angler I'd spoken to earlier was a bit puzzled until I explained.

I wandered round to the other side.  The swim wasn't as clear of ice as it appeared from the far bank. Thankfully it was very thin and after a bit of plumbing around had broken up. A float fished trout was dropped at the bottom of the ledge right and front. The other rod baited with a smelt was set so the bait was a few inches off the bottom and cast just over a ledge. Both spots have produced well in the past. I believe some of the pike patrol along these ledges as some days several can be caught from the same spot. 

These sort of conditions, when the temperature is hovering around freezing, I'd prefer mono rather than braid on the reels. As the braid tends to take on water and it freezes it does get rather stiff and awkward to manage. I recast every half hour to minimise the problem and stop any drifting ice sticking to the line. Around half eleven the smelt float bobbled about, disappeared then popped back up. I wound down and felt nothing, so gave the bait a twitch and left it. A few minutes later the trout float did the same thing, but this time I contacted with a something that gave a short but spirited fight, scattering ice about in the process. A rather portly pike of 9lb 14oz and 83cm. As the trout had come back intact I chucked it out again. I wound the smelt in, it showed no signs of pike attack. Injected with oil and it too went back out.

 

That was the only action of the day. A lure angler popped down but the was only one swim fishable. Later another dead bait angler popped in and went home fishless. After the sun disappeared and the light started to fade the temp drop a degree or two. This proved a bit a a problem when I went to pack up. The line was frozen to various bits of ice and took a bit of faffing to wind in. Not a bad day though. Any day's pike fishing and you catch a pike is not a bad day.

 

Don't know whether it was the cold, but the action cam wasn't keen on working. It kept shutting down without so much as a bleep. Now it's been in the house a while it appears OK.