Some More Gravel Pit Piking

 Wednesday I had a trip down to the gravel pit. It had now turned to winter weather wise. A cold day but with a bit of sunshine. With the ground frozen I felt it was safe to drive into the field up to the swim. I did keep checking the ground to ensure it hadn't defrosted and turned to slippy slidy mud making it hard work to get the car back out.

I started with a small roach under the trees to my left and a joey mackerel out to the area where the weed beds had died back. The sun, while providing a bit of warmth, made it awkward to see the far float at times. Mid morning I moved the small roach to the right after seeing some bait fish scatter. The float failed to settle properly so I wound down but it was only a leaf that had snagged the hook. As I lifted it from the water a small jack swirled just below the surface. Removing the leaf I dropped the bait back in. Less than minute later the float headed towards me. I failed to contact with anything. The roach had a couple of teeth marks near the tail. Out it went again. The little jack grabbed it just after it hit the water. Winding down I could see it had hold of the tail again. It quickly turned ripping the bait from the hook and disappeared. Out went a fresh bait to the same spot along with some liquidised bread. Some more went under the tree and some on the bank for the robin.

After Lunch I moved the roach back under the tree as there had been no more action to the right. The mackerel was injected with a bit of oil and launched back to the dead weed bed in the middle. Three o'clock, cup of tea in hand, the float over the weed bed fell over and stayed there. Winding down I found there was nowt there. I retrieved a chewed mackerel which I launched back from where it came.

Five minutes later the float moved away to the right and this time i contacted with something fierce. After the initial run, which felt like a good fish, it just kitted left and right and felt a lot lighter as I wound it in. A rather plump little beast of 70cm.

 

I chucked out another joey to the same spot for the last hour or so But nothing more was forthcoming by the time it got dark.

There seems to be a lot of activity from the little jacks in the last couple of months I'm hoping the cold weather may slow them down a bit and that the big 'uns will start to fatten themselves up.

Pike Fishing an Old Estate Lake

Having carefully considered the moon phase, air pressure, water temperature, wind direction, etc. etc. and with only one other angler at the lake I opted for a swim near the car park that had produced pike before.

A small roach was dropped in by an overhanging tree and a large smelt into deeper hole in front. A small handful of mashed bread was dropped in by the floats in the hope of attracting  some baitfish. Despite a couple of cups of tea nothing happened. A Bank Vole popped out of the undergrowth occasionally. I tried putting a bit of the mashed bread down in the hope of getting it to stay still long enough for a photo but it didn't seem to be fond of bread. I could hear it at time munching on whatever in the undergrowth.

About midday the float by the tree bobbed about and headed under the branches. There was no time to strike as the pike shot towards the roots, just a good heave to pull it away. It felt like a little jack at first but soon burst into life taking three attempts to net it. In the net it was clearly bigger than I'd thought. At 10lb 1oz and 93cm it was one of the biggest I've had from here in recent years.

Another little roach went out, but this time next to the overhanging tree to my left. A bit more mashed bread was tossed in as well. The smelt was replaced with a larger roach and the smelt chopped up and the bits flung about the swim. There they sat until dark. The Bank Vole became bolder in the afternoon and I was able to get a few shots of it on video which helped to pass the time.

Another double so not a bad session. Should I have moved to another swim? Maybe, but this is a swim that often produces two or three fish so I couldn't see any point.

Clay Pit Success

 For some barmy reason I decided I'd have a go at one of the clay pits today (Friday). My success when pike fish clay pits is not good and I don't know why. The three I fish all have a good head of pike which are happy enough to grab your rudd when fishing in summer or autumn but seem to disappear come winter. They all have nice pikey features as well. Reed lined swims, dead and dying lily beds, drop-offs and deep holes fallen trees. They're all there, but where the pike are I just don't know. So far this season I've fished three clay pits and extracted two little jacks out of one of them. Perhaps it's the desire not to be defeated that brought me back to this one.

The swim I originally intended to start in had a couple of problems. Despite been a well built wooden platform it was slippy as hell and I nearly ended up in the drink when I stepped on it. It also happened to be facing straight into the lovely sunshine, so I'd probably have a problem seeing the floats. The swim I choose had chicken mesh nailed to it which solved the slippy problem and also the sun behind me. A mini mackerel was dropped into the deep hole next to the dying lilies in front of me. A small four inch roach was dropped to my left under a tree and next to bankside reeds. The tiny roach were part of my cunning plan as there was a lot of little rudd and roach that size in the pit.

Halfway through the morning I changed the roach to the right hand side, next to the bankside reeds and the remains of a lily bed. Another pike angler came past having failed on the other side he thought he try this side. He wasn't a great fan of this pit for the same reasons I'm not. Some fish scattered  further down the bank so he headed for that swim. He caught nothing and left by lunch time. The float to my right started to bob and move away. I wound down to some thing but a strike failed to contact. Out went another roach to the same spot. Again the same thing. With the hook through the eye sockets of the deadbait I didn't want to leave it too long. I put another roach out to the same spot but this time hooked at the dorsal fin. Again the float moved away and I left it a little longer. This time I felt something when I struck but the bait was gone and I contacted with nothing. Everything was quiet after that.

 

After lunch there was more fish scattering down the bank so I switched to that swim. Again the small roach went to the right in the middle of a dying lily bed. The mini mackerel, now headless and injected with a little oil went to the right where there'd been a gap in the lilies and it was a little deeper. This was the first float away, trundling across the surface. Again I failed to contact with anything. There were no sign of teeth marks on the bait either. The cuppa trick then appeared to work as the mini roach float disappeared and this time contact was made. A very strong and athletic fish which put on a splendid display of tail-walking was eventually netted. A nice healthy beast of 93cm and 11lb. It's belly wasn't full either. Another mini roach was dropped back in roughly the same spot and not long after I was in action again. Another strong a lively fish though somewhat smaller at 72cm was soon in the net. Just after I released it the mackerel float rose and fell flat. I strike again contacted with nothing and again there were no teeth marks on the bait.

That was it for the day. Two blanks then two nice fish in one session. Have I cracked the code. I doubt it. What had nicked my baits earlier I doubt know but I suspect carp were responsible for the two bits of activity on the mackerel rod.

Testing New Kit

As I'd recently bought a shiny new baitcasting outfit for perch fishing and I was going to be in the vicinity of the navigation for a couple of hours I took it along for a bit of casting practice. The new set up consisted of a LMAB La Moustique 2-10g rod, though, I'm not sure naming it after one of the worlds most loathed insects is a great idea. The reel is a Lew's ProSP, one of small number of baitcasters with a half capacity spool ideal for light braid. 

 

I started with a 5g jig head with a small white grass minnow. The first cast ended in a bit of back lash. A bit of a twiddle of the brakes and things improved. After half a dozen casts I was able to get to the far bank some 35m away. On the seventh cast as I jigged the lure back I felt the rattle of a perch and was in. The last three whippings are yellow to help bite detection though I'm not sure it helped.

Over the next dozen or so casts I had half a dozen more small perch. Nothing to really test the power of the rod but the bite detection was excellent. I wasn't too sure about the skeletal reel seat and the small grip but once a reel was on it was perfectly comfortable. I then tried with a 3g jig head. This again I could get well over to the far side but it was too light to fish properly. The tow on the canal combined with the breeze and depths of ten to twelve foot were just too much to keep in contact with the lure. It would be nice, though, if manufactures would make ultra light casting rods in longer lengths. This one is 1.98m, 6'. 2.3m, 7'6", would afford better control of the lures. Still I think It'll serve its purpose.

Sunday I again had a couple of hours spare near another section of the navigation. So had another session with the new outfit. Another angler was fishing near to where I wanted to be taking the odd small perch. Using the same lure as previous I was soon into a record breaking perch, or maybe a little jack pike. The rod performed excellently and quickly subdued the little 61cm beast.  I then had a wander along away from the other angler and picked up a couple of tiny perch from near an overhanging bush. The cold breeze then picked up and I wandered back to the car for a cuppa and the big coat.

While I had my cuppa the other angler left. I changed from a jig head to a weedless setup as the spot I wanted to fish was rather snaggy. The problem with this was the hook up rate was rather low. I could feel the bites but the small perch weren't chomping down on the bait hard enough to expose the hook point. The advantage was that i didn't lose any lures. It took about an hour to land a dozen small perch. Clearly the larger fish weren't in residence. As it got close to packing up time I did manage to snag on something. A length of rope came up followed by a magnet. I suspect somebody forgot to keep hold of the end. It clearly hadn't been in there long as the was no algae or beasties on the rope.

Overall the outfit works as I'd hoped and I look forward to using it on some of the smaller canals.

After Ciarán

Ciarán had been on gone by Friday. Apart from the persistent rain on Thursday, filling the rivers, we didn't really get much of it.  I decided on a return to the gravel pit. I was surprised nobody else was there given the state of the rivers. Attempting to turn left as I entered the parking area had the car understeering dramatically. I should have known after all that rain the ground would be very soft and slippy. I carefully reversed back out on the road and parked on a harder surface further down. Being lazy and arriving late I opted for the first swim I came to. All of them produce pike so it really doesn't matter that much.

A small smelt was dropped into the small bay to my left and a small headless mackerel cast to the bottom of the shelf. After twenty minutes the float in the bay shot left to right at great speed for a couple of yards. No sign of damage to the bait. I suspect these sort of very fast runs are the result of carp snagging the line the panicking when they feel the resistance of the float and/or shot. Around eleven thirty, with out the aid of a cuppa or pot noodle, the same float bobbed about then moved away very slowly. Tightening down induced a bit of panic in the fish as it then shot away causing the check on the 'pin to clatter a bit. A brief but hectic battle then ensued before the fish was chinned. Somehow I managed to cut my left thumb with one of the hook points as I unhooked it. At first i thought it was the same fish I caught last time I was here, but I was slightly longer and heavier at 10lb 6oz and 93cm.

The sun then popped out from behind the trees and clouds making it a rather hard to see the floats. I had to move them to different spots in order to see them. I would have tried these spots anyway as all of them have a bit of a feature. A cast out to the shelf saw the mackerel escape so I replaced it with a large smelt. Several more anglers started to arrive after lunch. All but one parking on the soft ground. I didn't see any catch while I was there. Despite moving the baits around I didn't have another run.

 

As there is no dusk now. I decided to back up slightly earlier than intended. Also I wanted to be away before the others packed up as I suspect one or more was going to need help to get back out on the road. i really dislike extricating vehicles from slippy mud. Despite only catching the one fish it was my first double of the season so I was quite pleased.

Weekend on the Navigation - Now With Added Pike

 Arriving at the navigation I found cars strewn everywhere. According to the web site  there wasn't a match on so I assumed it was the new moon rush for the pike. Turned out it was, sort of. It was a PAC get together. I saw one pike come out and believe another had been caught.

I headed in the opposite direction flinging all many of large lures about with out any sign of a pike. As I returned towards the car for a cuppa I met a couple of anglers I'd met before. One of whom had a small pike first cast. I had my cuppa and headed back with a lighter set up. A variety of lighter lure were chucked about with little success until a mighty thump on a Jerkster. Consider how hard the lure was hit the pike came in like a wet blanket. I chinned it and lifted it clear of the water. It was then it decided to put up a fight. The lure went one way the pike the other, skinning my knuckles as it went. A fish of 5-6lb but a pike at last. Time was now running out. As I headed back to the car a bait angler had a fish slightly larger than mine. The two anglers I'd met earlier had had nothing else.

The next session headed further down the navigation. The swans seemed quite happy paddling about the flooded field. While over the other side some twitchers were playing spot the duck, or something. It was a warmer more pleasant day than previous. I started off with a spot of perch fishing under the bridge and eventually managed to winkle four fish out. Little perch like that shouldn't be so hard to catch.

AS I was having a cuppa contemplating whether to fish for perch or pike another lure angler turned up on the opposite bank. He seemed to be having a bit of a problem with his baitcaster. Whether he was new to it or what I don't know. As I finished my cuppa a few fish scattered ahead of a large swirl. I already put a SG Da Bush spinnerbait on with the intention of trawling it along the edge for pike so cast beyond the swirl.  The bait had probably travelled some ten yards along the edge when it went solid, then swung out into the cut. The pike put up a very spirited fight before giving up and allowing me to chin it. A 90cm fish of 8lb 10oz.

I then spent the next hour or so chucking the spinnerbait about but didn't see another pike. When I got back to the bridge a cormorant was happily sunning it's self on the far bank. I flicked the lure over which hit the stone work and had the bird dive into the water. I looked up and down for it to reappear which it did along way down. I'm still surprised how far and how fast these things can swim underwater.

Two sessions. A pike on each. Not brilliant but things are getting better. With another storm on it's way I'm not sure where's go to be fishable later in the week. Somewhere will be and hopefully the fish will get bigger and better.

I Picked The Wrong Day

Barbel or pike. Thursday or Friday. These were the choices on Wednesday. The weather forecast for both days was much of a muchness. I had other things to do involving other people as well. Friday was agreed on for the other things, so Thursday was fishing day. Thursday morning the weather forecast had changed a bit, with a rain rather than drizzle. It didn't look too bad when I got up though. I decided against flood water barbel fishing as I really didn't fancy the steep slippy banks above a fast flowing river. A trip to the gravel pit where I could hide under a brolly looked more inviting. The rain had stopped when I got there but it continued under the trees where I would be sat.

I moved one swim away from my last visit. A small trout was tossed out under the trees to my left and a large smelt out to the weed bed in front. The rain then turned up as expected. Looking at the weather forecast and rain radar on the phone it was going to be like this for the rest of the day. Bands of rain sweeping through with clear intervals. Not that it mattered under the trees as it would carry on raining under them. Apart from fog, Friday was now looking a lot better day. After an hour the rain eased and I tried the old cup of tea trick. This seemed to fail until I took my last mouthful. The float near the weed bed slowly trundle away, left to right. Winding down and sticking I came into contact with nothing. I retrieved the rig to find the tail section of the smelt attached to the hooks. The head section neatly chopped off. I put another large smelt on and cast back to the weed bed. I was about to chop the tail up for a bit of groundbait when the float under the tree moved away. Again I failed to contact with anything. As the trout had gone I put the tail on and cast back under the tree. Unfortunately I got just a little bit too close to the overhanging branch and in pulling free the tail fell off, so I did end up using it as groundbait. A small smelt was attached and cast under the tree with out any mishaps. 

 

More rain came down and the floats remained nearly motionless except when the rain hit them. Lunch passed peacefully. As I started to make my afternoon cuppa a few bait fish scattered the other side of the weed bed. As I finished the cuppa more bait fish scattered near the float little while later the float moved right to left very slowly. A strike yielded nothing but a chewed smelt which I cast back to the weeds. It wasn't in the water long before the float stated to bob about. I wasn't sure if I'd contacted anything when I struck but it became apparent that the fish was heading towards me. Once I connected with it again it came in like a wet rag. I carefully chinned it but as I got to the mat it woke up for a moment and drew blood. It did, however, throw the hooks which saved a bit of messing about. 74cm of apathy.

 

I'd run out of large smelt But found a large 9" roach. Out this went to the weed bed. More heavy rain turned up. During a short lull the float by the weed bed shot away at speed before coming to a halt. Winding down I could feel nothing. I gave it a bit of a twitch and left it. Off it went again. I quickly struck but contacted with nothing again. Back came a chewed roach which went back out to the weed bed. The float under the tree then moved about a little bit. I wound down and thought I'd snagged a branch, but as it came to the surface a little killer cucumber had hold of the head of the smelt nowhere near the hook. As I grabbed the leader it let go. The chewed smelt went back under the tree. As the rain eased off I had a look at the rain radar and there was a reasonable gap in the rain which looked like a good time to pack all the soggy gear away as it looked like the next band of rain would last into dark. I'd got everything in the car except the mat unhooking tools and the rod out by the weed bed. As I went to retrieve it I tripped/slipped on a combination of tree root, wet leaves and mud. As I landed on my arse I simultaneously kicked the rod off the rest. I sat there for a moment watching the float disappear into the weed bed and the rod heading into the lake. Thankfully the reel snagged the rod rest and I was able to grab the rod. There appeared to be a fish on the end but it was well into the weed bed. All I could do was heave and hope. eventually the fish cleared the weeds and kited round to my right taking line against the drag. I began to wonder if I'd finally caught a twenty from the gravel pit. When I finally caught a glimpse it was clearly somewhat smaller than that. Eventually a very tidy pike of 90cm and just under 10lb was on the mat.

I pondered staying but the rain had started  again and I really couldn't be bothered any more. The last fish had put up a damn good account of it's self so I ended on a high. I suspect there were a lot of small fish feeding. They tend to pick baits up and wander about with them for quite a while. I like to strike quite quickly so they wouldn't have time to turn the bait and swallow it. Gone are the days of reciting the Lord's Prayer before striking.

 

 A rather frustrating and soggy day that came good in the end.