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A Great Way to End This Season


Rusty

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River Kennet and K&A Canal, Newbury, Sunday 14th March 2010

 

Since Friday my plans had been a little uncertain, I was intending to solely target Perch but the recce trip to the chosen venue cast doubt on that plan. Then I thought I’d try chubbing on the CSAS stretch but I learned that a match was planned on that water for Sunday so that was out. What to do now?

 

A quick chat to Steve and the solution was obvious, the suggested venue benefits from being adjacent to a stretch of the K&A canal so I could try for Perch in the morning, move to the river for Chub during the day and finish the season with a dusk session on the canal again. It did mean that this was going to be a long day but to give myself the best chance of catching a decent Perch dawn & dusk it had to be.

 

On previous trips I’d identified a reed lined swim that had clear potential. Getting a float into the water wouldn’t be a problem but getting anything other than a tiddler out might be so I rode down on Saturday to have another look. Thankfully the reeds had died back sufficiently for it to be feasible and so that’s how I came to be stumbling along before light early on Sunday morning making my way to the chosen spot. After some effort fighting through reeds and brambles I got there and just as it became light enough to see what I was doing I cast the float over the reeds, threaded the rod between them and gently wound in.

 

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A few maggots were thrown in along with a couple of torn up lobs for good measure. Nothing happened for half an hour or so and I was beginning to wonder if the effort had been worth it when the float dipped and popped up again, then it disappeared sharply. I struck and was rewarded with pleasing non-tiddler resistance, not a huge fish (about a pound) but I was thankful that the first one landed through the reeds was manageable. Out went the float again and five minutes later another very similar bite and another fish of similar size was landed. Phase one of the plan appeared to be working. I missed a couple of bites during the next half hour and then all activity just stopped. It was getting light by then, too light as the forecast bright day materialised overhead. My swim was shaded so I hoped that I’d get away with it for a bit longer but it wasn’t to be, someone had nicked all the Perch.

 

Heartened I was really looking forward to Phase two, a roam around the Kennet in great weather trotting likely looking swims. This session really was enjoyable although there was one particularly poignant moment as I walked past a swim on the large weirpool. A note accompanied by a small bunch of flowers had been placed at the foot of a tree, it read “Daddy, I will always be thinking of you, love xxxxx”. I decided it wasn’t the right day to fish the weirpool.

 

My efforts on the main river where somewhat less successful than the canal with a chublet being landed and something a lot larger not being landed. I think the lost fish was a big trout as it displayed the same tendency to head straight up river at a slow but powerful speed that I’ve seen before. Whatever it was it spat the hook and waved goodbye. Further explorations revealed a lovely lunch spot just behind a fallen tree which spanned most of the river. A leisurely lunch was followed by an hours trotting in a swim which had everything, fast shallow sections, deeper slower glides and snowdrops on the far bank. The only thing it didn’t have was fish!

 

Nice though this was I was itching to get back to the canal and temptation got the better of me at about 3:30pm, well before dusk. I amused myself catching small Perch from the lock cut for a bit and then headed back to where I’d started the day at about 4:30pm. Steve had caught up by then and having had no luck with the pursuit of Pike or Perch on the river he too was tempted by the lock cut easy pickings.

 

Phase three commenced with a lobworm stock check, only eight. Hmm let’s hope that I get some back then. The next sequence of events will be etched in my memory for a long time. As before the float was cast out but unlike before I ended up with the line tangled around the reel, not a bad tangle but the float was in prime position so if the Perch would just give me a minute to sort this out I’d be grateful. They almost did, I was about to unwrap the last loop of braid from the reel foot when the float sailed away, I had no choice but to grip the line above the reel, strike and hold firm. It was obviously the biggest fish of the day (it would be wouldn’t it) and so it was with some panic that I held the line with one hand and sorted out the reel with the other After what seemed like an age (probably only 10 seconds) I was able to play the fish on the reel and appreciate that it was significantly larger that the two from the morning session.

 

The scales confirmed that it was a PB of 2lb 1oz, modest by others standards but by mine it was huge. It was very fat but not particularly long and I'd be the first to admit that it doesn't look anywhere near 2lb in the picture. In the landing net it felt heavy but on the bank the proportions didn’t look right so I checked the scales later at home with a bag of sugar and they were spot on.

 

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The day could’ve ended there and I would have been happy but the next three casts all produced Perch between 1lb13oz and 1lb 3oz and all four fish managed to get the lob. Then bites stopped for a period and I thought that was it for the day but strangely they came back 15 minutes later. It was almost as if the fish were on patrol, they’d feed somewhere (irrespective of how many were caught) move on and return after a while.

 

Although after the first four fish the bites were still coming I’d somehow lost the ability to hit them and the last of my lobs disappeared as I stuck at another vanishing float. No matter really, I’d had my day and learned from personal experience that the right conditions and timing will greatly improve your chances of catching Perch. I think I’ve always known that but hadn’t previously appreciated the difference it can make. I also know what to look for now and from what I’ve seen of the canal there are loads of good looking perchy spots…and I’ve always got a good swim to go back to.

 

I probably won’t fish much during the next three months so this’ll be my final blog entry of the 2009/10 season, I hope you've enjoyed reading the warts'n'all experiences.

 

Big thanks to Chris Plumb for all of the help & advice received over the season and to Steve (JV44) for being an all round good bloke and expert small boat skipper.

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