a great evening's fishing

[phil dean]

I posted this on the Wacac site yesterday, but had such a good evening that I wanted to post it here, I joined Wacac as a result of correspondence with people on this site and people I had met and fishins.......the venue is within 10 miles of my work and if it hadn't been for them I wouldn't have joined.

 

Annual membership is about £25 with a joining fee of, I think £5, this was the report from my first trip to one of their waters on friday 5th July 2002, I hope you enjoy reading it.

 

"The car is packed, one rod, tackle box and seat and a landing net, 1 pint of maggots and more than a little excitement, it's 4pm and I know that in an hour I'll be fighting my way out of Newcastle for my first evening on Milkhope, my first visit to any wacac water...I've heard so much about them I just hope that some of it comes true........

It's five o'clock, PC off, a quick good bye to my secretary then out to the car to sit in a traffic jam.

 

Five Forty five and I've just driven into the middle of an opencast mining site......a few laughed directions off one of the workers and I got to the gate..... wide open....I shut it behind me and headed towards the ponds, passing some timber guys clearing up where the earth movers had been (that explains the open gate), I pulled up in the parking area, left my gear in the car and went for a walk round.

 

It was a calm clear evening, fish were topping and the pigoens were going mad...but it was my idea of nirvana.

 

I chose a peg near the furthest island fishing facing the sun and the gentlest breeze hoping that the fish would be in the shaded water behind the island following what little wind there was.

 

I set up a waggler, fed a few maggots, size 20 hook and two pound bottom for my opening gambit.

 

I cast in and struggled to cope with the light....was that my float moving.....suddenly the line was tight I reeled in.....no strike needed, a half pound tench was on and fighting to do some damage to my hooklength. A few seconds later and he was safely in the net....game on.

 

I kept the feed going in and saw a large shaol of ide fighting for it, I took off my droppers and cast in, pulling my float towards me gentley after the cast....the rod hooped over and I was in again, my first ide, about 4oz. Ecstatic at catching a new species I was soon back in, another take but it bounced off...the shoal spooked and I was back to fishing off the bottom.

 

I looked round to see what was making a noise behind me and felt the rod (in my hand) kick, I reactively struck and another tench of similar size was on it's way in.

 

The water went quite no bites for a few minutes, I cast in, my droppers now back on...bang...yep a carp was on.

 

My twenty hook was just too small and after a few minutes it pulled from the fish.

 

Change of tactics, 4lb line straight through to a size 16 hook.

 

All the while the feed had been going in and a shoal of large golden orfe had moved in.

 

The float went back in, single maggot again.....much as with the ide I pulled the float back...nothing...I tried again four or five times....it wasn't going to work this time.

 

I pulled out some float doe (luminous stuff which is only slighter lighter than water so gives very little resistance), and set this 5 inch above the hook, the fish had been going for the baits away from the float so maybe this would help. I waited a minute, the orfe were all around but no connection, I reeled in just as an orfe hit the bait.....the fight took a few minutes and there were a few scary moments with the weed, but I finally netted my first golden orfe...not a bad fish at 1.5lb and again a species first for me.

 

I cast in again, the float hit the water and within an instant the float doe burried, I swept the rod back....fish on, and it didn't want to come in...I thought it was another small tench from the fight...but no...I couldn't believe it...it was a little carp...a crucian no less......probably nothing special to you guys but to me it was amazing...my third species first.

 

So 3PB's in one night could it get better?? ......you bet it could!!!

 

The float doe gave no more response, so off it came and back down went the droppers (yes the orfe were still feeding), the float dipped a strike and in came a gudgeon...about a quarter ounce.....a few minutes later and another tench...then all hell broke lose as I got into my second carp...one of the members was talking to me at this stage...pride took over i couldn't lose this....slowly it came to the net fighting all the way.....probably no more than 3lb but a lovely common and a good test through the weed.

 

She was quickly slipped back and I cast in again...nothing....a good twenty minutes passed....I decided to real in and go for the orfe again, the rod looped round, the fish must have been sat on my bait...again the water exploded as yet another carp joined in the fray....the line sang as I tried to adjust my drag...no good I had to backwind (memo for later don't leave setting your drag till the fish is on) a good fifteen minute scrap later and a fully scaled mirror, about 5lb, was in the net.

 

That was it....I stopped, realed in and went to pick my wife up, with a smile from ear to ear, three new species (and therefor three PB's (the crucian one was broken four times on sunday morning though the orfe and ide PB's still stand)), seven types of fish (counting the common and mirror as two...you goto cheat sometimes) and one of the best evenings fishing I've ever had...not the most fish...not the biggest bag...but, as I said, one of the best sessions.

 

Cheers Wacac for having a wonderful venue...that one evening made my membership fees brilliant value for money."

 

[ 09 July 2002, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: phil dean ]

[Andrew]

Phil what can i say, very well done, bravo, more,more,, bet it wont be long before you go back.

Go get em Phil,, mmmm tench very nice, wait untill you hook a big tench Phil, then you will be a happy chap,

[Chris Plumb]

Sounds like a good craic BTW Aren't Ide and Orfe the same species??

 

Chris

[phil dean]

Not sure, certainly very similar but the distinct colour difference of the golden orfe as opposed to the ide made me assume they were different....one for bruno perhaps

[Chris Plumb]

They are the same...

 

http://filaman.uni-kiel.de/Summary/Species...peciesname=idus

 

Chris

[phil dean]

so it's just a mutation in the golden version...much as golden tench???

[Chris Plumb]

Yup - my Father-in-Law stocked some Golden ones in his pond - they bred and most (all?)offspring had reverted to 'normal' colouring.

 

Chris