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Gaz51's Blog

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Cast Retrieve, Cast Retrieve


Gaz51

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Woke to a breezy clear day this morning. Still in the good books from my gardening duties yesterday.

After my second coffee of the day decided today would be my last chance to wet a line until late next week owing to work.

Still sniffling from a bad cold (this one's taking some shifting!) I decided that maybe sitting perched on a seatbox may be unwise. A more roving approach would keep the blood circulating.

 

I had considered having a session on the river but felt with the previous nights rainfall and the total lack of suitable bait prepared I may be on a hiding into nothing.

A good time to dust off the spinning rod and have a bash on the local cut.

 

Travelling light with an 8' Shimano spinning rod coupled with a Super Aero GTM 4000 (unbalanced tackle or what), landing net and small rucksack with assorted terminal tackle and lures. I took the short journey in the car to the local canal.

 

First impressions didn't look good, I realised Autumn was a bad time to try spinning as large areas of the waters surface were covered with fallen leaves. A sort stroll along the towpath brought me to a clear stretch with likely looking perch and pike holding areas. The far shelf vegetation was still dense enough to perhaps hold a few predatory fish. A snaggy area with submerged tree roots was duly spotted and noted - a good area to try.

 

I tackled up with a small Ondex spinner with the mandatory red fluff partially obscuring the barbless treble. A quick flick to the far side, bale arm closed then a steady retrieve. Swing spinner to hand, remove leaf and floating nearside detritus from the hook. Cast again, and again. All textbook stuff you realise, mentally casting in the classic fan pattern brought nothing, not even a tentative follow.

 

I switched to a small shallow diving fat lure. What self respecting pike or big perch could resist this beauty? In a word, all of them, nothing registering on the lure. Wandering up the towpath again casting to likely looking spots brought no joy.

A further change to a minnow pattern shallow diving lure, could this one do the damage? More towpath stalking, more casts to vegetation, down the central track, nothing doing. As I mentioned earlier, having to combat the floating leaves must have hampered my lure presentation and retrieval.

A look to the heavens told me a downpour was imminent.

Time to backtrack the way I had come, again flicking the lure here, there, straight into the weed on occasions and one badly judged cast saw me wrestling with a bankside willow. Fortunately a sharp tug saw my lure returned pretty much non the worse for wear.

 

In summary, a bit of a non event fish catching wise. Still, I classed it as good quality time by the water as it would be my last opportunity for at least a week. :(

I think I may be back, maybe in the depths of winter when the leaves have gone from the water's surface. I know the fish are in there, and I know I will have a decent specimen from there.

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"I switched to a small shallow diving fat lure. What self respecting pike or big perch could resist this beauty? In a word, all of them.."

 

LOL – one of those days, eh?

 

Better luck next time, great read all the same.

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