Against my normal habits, I've been tench fishing today. I've by and large kept to the old closed season ever since it was abolished, but it seems more and more pointless each year. There's precious little anticipation when the banks have been trampled and the fish hammered since April. It looks as if I'm not going to get out for the first two weekends of the season, so I thought "sod it" and had a crack for the tench on Dabchick Lake.

I like Dabchick lake. It's smaller than Wickwater but actually has more pegs worth fishing. It's also (mostly) quieter, Wickwater being within Karaoke range of a rowdy campsite and generally much busier. The peace was spoilt a bit today by Biggles doing circuits in his light aircraft. I don't think he was low enough to see hand gestures. On the downside, it's a lot deeper, so I tend to fish a sliding float. Not a problem, but I'd rather not have to. It also has a lot of submerged vegetation.

I arrived late afternoon and was surprised to see quite a few cars parked up. The good weather seemed to have brought a lot of people out. I settled at the Eastern corner with the sun and the wind in my face. I was a bit disappointed to see that the water was absolutely gin clear and still a little cool. With this in mind I should have fed sparingly, but I didn't. I put down enough feed to keep the tench in for a July/August session. A mistake, I think.

It was very slow. I was having trouble seeing my float in the ripple and bright sunlight, but I in any case I didn't have a touch until the sun was almost gone. I saw a few bubblers appear at around 9pm, caught a micro-tench on worm a little before 10 and then they were gone. Very short feeding session, no doubt with their appetite suppressed by the cool water and the clarity forcing them to wait for low light levels.

So, a disappointing first session of the season. I think Wick would have fished better, it's shallower and it warms and colours earlier in the season. Still, it was an absolutely gorgeous evening, and I got some peace and quiet (once Biggles had buggered off), and I didn't blank.