It’s been a manic few weeks with one thing and another so didn’t get a chance to write the last instalment so I will carry on from where I left off.
Following another terrible week at work I was keen to get down the Pit and let off some steam so was over the moon when 5pm finally rolled around and I could point the van in the direction of the Pit.
I must have been driving like a man possessed as I made the journey in record time and was soon pulling into the fishery gates.
My frown soon turned to a smile as I saw the swim that I had been successful in and had primed for weeks was vacant and as an added bonus the wind was hacking through a channel right on top of my spots.
I couldn’t load the barrow quick enough but after what seemed like an eternity [but was probably only a few minutes] I was standing in the swim and feeling confident.
I went and sat down by the margin, rolled a smoke and watched the water for a few minutes, during a break in the wind I could just about make out some coloured water and some fizzing tight to the overhanging bush which I had landed the miracle common from the previous session, that was enough for me to go on!
I quickly put a rod together but instead of my usual naked chod I opted for a solid bag presentation with a XXX dumbbell on the hair and filled the bag with snails, active feast and pellet, I was hoping this would keep them grubbing about a bit longer.
I didn’t bother casting to the spot and clipping up, I knew the spot well and fancied my chances so the solid bag was cast straight out and just brushed the branches as it hit the water, bang on the money!
The other two rods were fished on naked chods baited with XXX corkballs and cast out to their normal spots at the bottom of the marginal shelf tight to the Island.
With the rods sorted I put the kettle on for a well-earned brew as I felt I had done all I could and would just have to wait for the outcome, I also decided not to introduce any bait over the chods until it got dark in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the last session when the swans noted me baiting up and became a nuisance throughout the duration of my stay.
I sat on the bedchair watching the water for an hour or so when eventually the light faded enough for me to safely bait up so I introduced a couple of kg of XXX over the two chod rods using the catty.
The mozzies were turning into a complete nightmare, more than usual and whilst sat listening to the radio at about 11pm I felt a sudden surge of pain in my lip so punched myself in the face as you do to try and stop whatever was the culprit, however all I was left with was a swollen face and resembled Shrek.
I sat up until about 1am listening for anything that might be moving in front of me, but other than a few maybes the swim seemed quiet so I eventually gave in to my heavy lids and climbed into the sleeping bag for some shut eye, pulling the sleeping bag over my head in the process to try and stave off my blood sucking friends.
The next thing I remember is being rudely awoken by “BANG BANG BANG, WOOF WOOF!!” I opened my eyes in the half-light to see a flock of geese looking cagey and on edge, pleased the world wasn’t ending I fired up the coleman for a brew and whilst taking the first sip I remembered it was Sept 1st and start of the Duck/Goose shooting season – Normally I would have been out there with them but with no land permissions at present my shotgun is firmly locked up in the cabinet.
The morning past quickly whilst I chain drank coffee, but bite time came and went and so did my chance as the sun climbed higher in the sky and the temperature rose.
I had to be off by late morning as I had promised the wife I would be home, everything was packed away with just the rods left on the floor but eventually I gave in, chucked the rods on the barrow and made my way back to the van about two hours later than planned, I knew she would understand!
I headed for home dreading the following week at work but knew once it was all over I would be returning the following Saturday for some more therapy and a good social with Pete who I managed to arrange a guest ticket for.
As expected the week was dragging, on Tuesday evening I gave Pete a call to see if he fancied a walk round the Pit to do some marker work and a bit of a reconnaissance which he quickly agreed to.
My van was off the road on the Wednesday having some paint work done so Pete came and picked me up then we shot straight down the Pit (via the chip shop!).
Once down there we began our walk round in a lucky anti clockwise fashion, we had only walked about 200 yards when I saw a fish show out the corner of my eye in the “Sticks”, we stopped and watched the water only for it to roll again 10 yards further up the Island margin.
So out came the marker rod, I wanted to see what it was showing over and it soon became apparent that it was a silty channel 8ft in depth before becoming much shallower and onto a plateau which was then only 3.5 feet pretty much all the way back to bank.
After that we carried on round the lake having a chuck with the marker anywhere that looked the slightest bit carpy whilst talking excitedly about the weekend, that chat continued all the way home and in the pub over several beers which I felt slightly worse the wear for the following morning!
The next couple of days were spent aimlessly staring out of the office window praying for my freedom and eventually it came in the form of 5pm Friday afternoon.
I shot home to prepare the gear for the following morning and then spent the rest of the evening wearing a trench in the living room carpet whilst pacing up and down waiting for bedtime!
I was awake early so put the camera gear in the van and had a quick coffee before giving the kids and wife a cuddle and telling them I would see them soon, with my eldest shouting “catch one bigger than me daddy as I walked out of the door”.
I quite enjoyed the drive down the lake, the music was blaring out whilst I tackled the quiet country roads and before I knew it I was in paradise.
I parked the van up, grabbed a bucket and quickly walked round the lake to where the fish had showed a few days previously, once in the swim I sat on the bucket and rolled a smoke to see if anything occurred.
I had only been sat there 20 minutes when I noticed some fizzing bang on the spot I had seen the fish show on my reconnaissance mission so I jumped off the bucket and ran back to the van to get the rest of the kit.
The weather forecast had told me it was going to be a scorcher and for once they had got it spot on, it was getting hotter by the minute.
My head was telling me to cast out but my heart was telling me to rest the swim, naturally I went with my heart as my head usually has a tumble weed rolling around in it.
I set up the Titan to provide a bit of shade, laid out the bedchair and then fired up the coleman for a brew whilst I had a think about what to do.
I decided to bait up lightly around the Island margin and also another spot close in which I found then rest the swim for the day, only casting out once Pete had arrived so with that took my time setting up the rods.
The left hand rod would be fished 20 yards out in a solid bag of Live System Pellet and a matching 15mm hookbait, the other two rods were going to be fished in the channel close to the Island.
Once the rods were set up I found the spots with a bare lead then clipped up, removed the lead and attached a mini spomb to introduce a small amount of bait, once I had finished it was just a case of clipping the lead and rig on and propping them up against the Titan for the rest of the day whilst I gathered my thoughts.
The afternoon passed quite quickly and at about 4pm I took a stroll round the lake and chatted to the few anglers that were fishing, all of them sharing the same story of no luck and a few of them no luck this season. I really felt for them and hope that their run of bad luck ends soon.
It was soon 5:30pm and my phone ringing told me that Pete had arrived so I made the walk down to the gate to let him in, he looked like a kid at Christmas and very excited to be coming back to his old haunt.
I left him to load his barrow and made my way back to the swim to finally get my rods sorted for the night which took all of 5 minutes and in fact I had already made a brew and had one waiting for Pete when he barrowed past my swim looking like he was going to collapse, so naturally he was more than grateful for the waiting beverage.
It took Pete an hour or so to get sorted next door but once he got the rods out he walked into my swim carrying a 4 pack of warm beer, but it was the thought that counted I suppose!
We spent the next few hours sat in my swim talking about next season and what we expected or more likely hoped would happen but was soon brought back to the here and the now when a good fish rolled over my right hand rod, Pete simply said “how big do you reckon it will be then?” I just said “No idea mate, we’ll find out at dawn I guess!” before we both burst out laughing.
I was having a great social and it was exactly what I needed after a few terrible weeks in my non angling life but I’m not one to moan so I will leave it there (those that know me are now laughing rather loudly and calling me a lying ba$%ard!).
After we had slowly drank our small amount of beer rations we decided to call it a night, so Pete returned next door and I sat on the bedchair for one last smoke and coffee then set my alarm for 3am so I could listen for a little while then got into the bag and soon drifted off.
The next thing I recall is the alarm on my phone going off at a deafening level so quickly turned it off, answered the call of nature, popped the kettle on and rolled smoke.
There was a heavy mist all around the lake and an eerie quietness all around me, I was sat there for a good half an hour when I eventually heard a fish roll somewhere out in front of me, I couldn’t be sure exactly where but it sounded very close to my right hand rod.
I had another smoke and sat there a little longer to see if I could hear it again but nothing materialised so I climbed back in the bag at about 4am and fortunately returned into my dream where I left off but that isn’t suitable on here!
I was awake again at 6am, so did the normal ritual of rolling a smoke and putting the kettle on, there was a heavy mist all around me and I could barely see a few feet in front of my face but there was very carpy atmosphere, it was electric!
I was just lighting the coleman to have a brew and savour the scene when I heard a few bleeps come from my right hand Neville, I turned around just in time to see the tip wrap round so lifted into the fish instantly before it even had a chance to take any line.
The fish must have been just as shocked as I was to the action as other than a hairy moment in a weed bed I pretty much led the culprit to the waiting net like a dog on a lead and was half expecting a red eyed monster to be the culprit, so was made up to see the scale pattern of an immaculate common glistening in the early morning sunlight.
I secured the fish in the edge then went and woke Pete to do the honours with the camera, fortunately the mist cleared enough for us to get some good pictures which as per normal Pete did superbly, we weighed the old warrior in at 24 lb 15 oz which we were both shocked at because the frame of the fish seemed a lot bigger but she just felt empty then we slipped her back to her watery home safely to fight another day.
I was absolutely made up but bloody thirsty so had the first brew of the day and it was good! After caffeinating myself I got the rod back out onto the spot hoping for another and spent the next few hours hovering over the rods but unfortunately the Nevilles remained silent for the rest of the session.
We reluctantly packed up late morning before the sun got too hot and I am glad we did as I was dripping from head to foot during the barrow journey back to the van!
So with that we loaded the vans and headed for home, well I did – Pete has got a week off work so shot straight down to the Ouse Valley for a week on the bank the jammy sod!
I’m not sure if I shall manage to get out next week due to it being my youngest’s 1st birthday but you can rest assured that I shall be out the following week hoping to out wit yet another mythical creature.
Until then,
Smithy