With the rivers running low and the temperatures up and down for the lakes, I stuck to the canals. Last night was warmer than of late, and with it overcast with no wind, I fancied a crack at the perch. I set up in the coloured water below Guyers Bridge for a second session on the recently built platforms. 5 seconds into the first cast of the day, something grabbed the worm and took the pole tip round hard. It was on for 30 seconds or so before the 4lb hooklength snapped. I'd seen a big flash of silver as it turned - it had been pretty big. Perhaps the culprit came a couple of casts later, this time it was a pike, maybe around 5lb or so when the hook pinged as it approached the net. Ten minutes in and I could have had two good un's, but there I was blanking. My state of indignation remained through the biteless next 30 minutes or so I switched to maggots and never looked back. Nine perch, including fish of 2lbs, 1lb 12, 1lb 4 and 1lb 8, 10 roach and 7 bleak. The rain started to fall which kept the level of pedestrians walking immediately behind me down, and had me huddling under a small brolly, with just two sections of pole out in the water. I only had one fish during that30 minutes or so, but it was a ruffe, my first 'snottie' possibly since circa 1978. The skimmers I'd hoped to find never showed and it was a fun session, but I left cursing that first few minutes.