NIGHT FISHING

[Janet]

Well, I did it. I don’t quite know how, but I did. I survived a whole night out in the wilds, and what an experience it was. I'd been looking forward to the session for ages, and thankfully the weather stayed good for us. We couldn't really have wished for a better evening. I have some great pics, but I'm having problems getting them onto the site. I'll try and rectify that tomorrow when I've had some much needed sleep....

 

I managed to leave work early, so had plenty of time to nip up to Padiham Angling Centre for some maggots and my favourite feed pellets before dashing home to get my bags. (I also bought myself a whip, but that’s a story for another day!) The weather was lovely - clear blue skies, fluffy clouds, and best of all there was scarcely a breath of wind. Paul picked me up just after six, and we headed off up to the lake, once he'd stopped laughing at the amount of stuff I had sitting on the pavement! Chair, rucksack full of food, flasks and sundry bits and pieces, another small rucksack containing bait, rod bag with bank sticks etc, rod bag with my nice shiny new rod, bag with extra layers of clothes, kitchen sink etc. He did point out that we were only going for one night, but eventually gave in gracefully and helped me to load my stuff into the car. I think he may be sending me the bill for sorting out his suspension….

 

It looked absolutely glorious when we arrived, and on a night like that, I find it hard to think of anywhere that I’d rather be. The waterlilies were just beginning to open, and the margins were a mass of tall yellow iris. The lake itself looked like a mirror, the surface broken only by the bubbles of feeding fish and the birds swooping down to sip from the surface. Our resident coot was darting in and out of the bulrushes, and it made a perfect scene. We left our tackle in the car, as we were in no hurry, and went off for a walk round the lake. That's when disaster struck!!

 

There was someone on my peg. No, it was worse than that - there was someone on Paul's peg too! One of the members was there with his two young sons. What were we going to do? Did we fish different pegs for a change? Should we give up and go home? Oh God - decisions, decisions!!! In the end we did the obvious thing - we sat on the grassy bank behind them and proceeded to heckle them furiously until they gave up and left! It was pointed out to me that as a club member I could ask the guest to leave my peg....what a good idea! “Oi, you….off my peg!!!”

 

Of course, I didn't, and no, we didn't really heckle them. Gav had said they were only going to stay for another couple of hours, so we sat and had a natter, with a backdrop of a beautiful pink sky. As I said, we had all night, so we weren’t in a hurry. All the other pegs were empty, but these pegs are very well positioned, with a lovely view, features to fish to, and a bank at the back of us to provide a bit of shelter should the wind get up during the night. I had reason to be grateful to Gav, as he'd heard about my tussle with the toilet last week, and had moved everything around so I had a perfect, tidy little loo....it'll look lovely when I get some carpet down and a few pictures on the wall! I was only joking when I posted about the problems I had – I really didn’t mind, but I am very grateful to him for sorting it out. Paul had brought an extra lamp with him, which he installed on a hook so that I didn't have to fiddle around in the dark. They do look after me on this lake! As their token female, I think I’m a bit spoilt!

 

It wasn't long before Ray arrived, having managed successfully to annoy the wife again, so he'd been sent fishing. It was fun just sitting in the evening sunshine, catching up with everyone and finding out who'd been catching what during the past week. The next best thing to fishing is talking about fishing, eh? It seemed like the lake was fishing well, so it was all looking very good. Our club Chairman arrived shortly after, with his wife, and I spent a lot of time chatting to her. Neither of them were fishing – they’d just come up for a walk round. It turns out that I actually sort of know her, as we’ve spoken on the phone a few times during the course of my work. She’s not an angler, but is quite happy coming up here just to sit and relax whilst her hubby fishes. It really is that sort of place, and that’s the way we like it. It’s not really serious, heavy duty fishing – it’s just a nice place to sit and just be, if you know what I mean. The fishing is a bonus of course!

 

After they left, and it was time to start, I remembered the advice I’d been given (yes, I do listen!) and took my time making sure that everything was organised and within easy reach, and that I knew where everything was in preparation for nightfall. This time I managed to adjust my chair properly, so I was able to sit further back and have all my gear to hand. The peg is a little tight on space since they added the steps, but proved to be perfectly adequate. Even though the weather was perfect, I took the precaution of putting the brolly arm on my chair, and getting it ready to put up, just in case. It turned out to be a wise move!

 

It was about nine o'clock before we actually started fishing, as we weren't in any rush. Paul caught his first fish almost immediately, whilst I was still rescuing our landing nets from the dip tank. Still, it was only a tiddler, so he coped. Well, considering it was an Ide, it wasn’t really that much of a tiddler. It had the most exquisite salmon pink fins, and delicate, silvery scales. A real beauty to start us off.

 

I was a bit later at starting to fish, having almost had a heart attack as I was setting up. I was just getting my rod fettled when all of a sudden I heard an eerie laugh, which scared the life out of me! Paul had received a text message on his mobile, and the ringtone was Vincent Prices's deep, spooky laugh....straight out of a Hammer horror movie. He has no idea how close he came to getting shoved in the water!! (I've always wanted my own personal feature....) The night was to carry on like this, with me jumping out of my skin every two minutes, and Paul laughing at me for being a wuss. The rustling in the grass didn't bother me, nor the sounds of the foxes and owls - it was the fish that kept scaring me! The loud splashes at the other side of the lake were no problem, but several times during the night large fish leapt like dolphins right in front of me, some of them leaping clear over my float. Nearly all bream too - what on earth is up with the bream in this lake?

 

It wasn't long before I landed my first fish - a beautiful common of about two pounds, as I admired and unhooked it, it flipped itself over, and I saw that it had a large hole right through one side of its head, between the mouth and gill. We at first thought it could be an ulcer, but on second thoughts it seemed more likely that it had almost fallen victim to the local heron. It's very rare to find fish with damage in this lake, as we don't have any pike, not many perch, and we do have careful anglers who try their best to look after their catches.

 

As the sun finally sank below the hills and darkness descended, the sounds and smells became much more intense, and the lake, although still calm and serene, took on a whole new character. When it became too dark to see my float properly, I changed tips and added a starlight, as Paul switched from the pole to his rod, and a battery operated night float. I'd borrowed one of these from Steve at Padiham Angling Centre, but in the end I found that the starlight was more than adequate, and it lasted for a full seven hours, until dawn. It was rather strange, with three different coloured lights bobbing up and down in the water - Ray was fishing on the opposite bank, and it was fun to watch his light flying up and down every time he played a fish. Did he have a fish on or had he just hooked the reeds? It was touch and go every time! He spent so much time trying to rescue his float after one snag that we were seriously thinking of attaching bungee cords under his arms, like a big baby bouncer, and attaching him to the tree so that he could just bob up and down…..

 

I was using white maggots on the hook, with just a bit of loose feed, maggots, hemp etc on every cast, and it didn't take long before my little yellow light dived under the water and shot away. It quite took me by surprise, and it took me a second or two to react. Brilliant, a lovely bream of about two pounds. Oh yes, I was going to like this night fishing! My exact words were “Wow! This is so cooooool….!” I was like a wide-eyed little kid as I brought that fish to the net. I did find that my eyes played tricks on me at times, and I thought the float was moving when it probably wasn't, but once I got used to it I think it was easier than fishing in the daylight.

 

Despite all my careful preparations, with a bag full of extra layers, gloves, hat and torches etc, I didn't need anything other than my head torch, and I only needed that for unhooking fish and rebaiting. I was amazed at how my eyes became accustomed to the light. Although the lake is a few miles away from the town, the glow from the lights down in the valley meant that it never got totally dark. I occasionally used the red light when I needed to look for something in my bag, but apart from that all our torches and lamps remained unused. Oh yes, apart from Paul's ingenious brolly light! He'd got a circular light which was meant to clip round the underneath of a garden parasol, but worked perfectly on a fishing brolly. I'll out-do him next time, when I use my battery operated flashing fairy lights! I didn't need any of my extra layers of clothing either, as it stayed calm and warm all night. I was only wearing a t-shirt and a fleece, but it was quite enough.

 

The fishing remained steady throughout the night, but died off a bit when the heavens opened in the early hours of the morning. I was glad I'd fixed my brolly in position ready, as I wouldn't have liked to be struggling with it in the half light. It really was funny when the rain started. At first I felt just a very fine drizzle, and was surprised when Paul and Ray said it wasn't raining. Yes, it was, I insisted, but they kept saying that I was imagining things. I could hear the rain pattering off my brolly, and when I stood up and looked at the top of it, I could see the drops lying there. Would you believe it? I had my own personal rain cloud!! Honestly, it had to be seen to be believed. They both sat there bone dry, laughing at me. Thankfully it soon spread (why should I be the only one to suffer?) and soon it was positively bouncing. Ray had unfortunately forgotten his brolly, and clad in his fetching green all-in-one romper suit stuck it out for as long as he could before admitting defeat and going to sit in the car.

 

We were quite happy under our brollies, as the rain was coming straight down, and not sideways. My worms got a bit damp, and made a break for freedom, but I managed to retrieve most of them. My maggots tried it, but they were in a Colditz style box, so they were quite safe, unlike last time when they got damp and I returned to my peg after a walk to find it literally crawling in thousands of maggots and pinkies. Fortunately the rain soon petered out, and all was nice and calm again. At about half past two we reeled in and went over to the car where Paul lit the stove and heated up some chicken soup - very welcome. As the rain had stopped by this time, we woke Ray up (mainly to check that he was still breathing....) and he sat with us for a bowl of soup and a nice cup of tea. How surreal it was, sitting by the lake in the middle of the night. We had several longish breaks during the session, for hot cups of tea and bacon toasties, which were very welcome. I was a bit concerned that Paul had made them with both brown and tomato sauce….wouldn’t I be likely to get a case of “mixing my toasties?”

 

It started to get light around half past three, and gradually the world, and me, started to wake up to a new day. The birds began twittering and chirruping, and before I knew it, it was daylight again. I saw a fabulous sight at dawn as I was returning from the car after making hot brews. A kestrel flew across the path in front of me, no more than a foot above my head and only about six feet in front of me, clutching a baby rabbit. I've never been so close to a kestrel in flight before, and it was magnificent to see. Dawn? My goodness, where did the time go? It felt like we'd only just arrived, and it was time to start packing up to go home. Or was it? The day was shaping up very pleasantly, with a warming sun peeping through. Maybe just another hour or two? or three....or four? In the end we stayed until six - yes, a full 24 hours on the bank. Brilliant!

 

Ray left (reluctantly) after a good night. He'd had several barbel up to about three/four pounds, despite his night-time snooze. As he released them, he brought one up for me to have a close look at, as I’ve only seen one before. What a perfectly formed specimen it was. Shortly after he left, Roy arrived, and then the fun really started. Honestly, it was like a comedy show on that lake all day. Firstly, Roy, after hiding himself in the irises, had some problems putting his brolly up (just in case), and it ended up sat behind him like a big green satellite dish, swaying in the breeze. Cue numerous shouts of "Can you get Sky on that?" I can't begin to tell you how hysterical it then became. Once again I was taking stick all afternoon about the amount of feed I was putting in. It wasn't actually a lot, but hemp just sounds loud!! They have now decided that I am building my own walkway across the lake to get to the toilet, so the peg has now been renamed "Janet's Jetty". I really can't remember the last time I laughed so much (well, not since last week when Ray launched his keep net into the lake). By mid-afternoon I think we were suffering from sleep deprivation, as the conversation was getting more and more strange as the time went on.

 

At one point I heard Roy shout "Camera-a-a-" in a very dramatic way. I assumed he'd caught something special, so reached into my bag to get mine, only to find out that Roy hadn't uttered a word. Very strange. Soon it all became clear - it was a sheep! Honestly, this sheep was baaaa-ing the word camera! It got worse - we then ended up with a cow that moo-ed the introduction to "Why do fools fall in love”, which prompted Paul to sing again…. The conversation ranged from old TV programmes and films to musicals and songs. You know the sort of thing "Who was it who sang........?" "Who starred in.....?" Unfortunately, I can't remember the ones that we couldn't answer - my mind has now gone a total blank. I do know that we got into rather a heated discussion about the characters in the Munsters and the Addams family, which probably says a lot about the intellectual content of this conversation!

 

And the fishing? Well, it was OK until Roy arrived and started catching all the fish! I ask you, we'd been sat there all night and then he comes along and starts catching straight away? Shouldn't ought to be allowed. And besides, what self respecting roach would take a bit of banana? I’m sure that trick baits like that should be banned. Yes, he was catching roach for fun on banana. Still, these fish aren’t educated. They aren’t subjected to the usual barrage of shop bought flavoured boilies, so they don’t know any better. Nice one Roy!

 

The fishing was actually pretty steady for most of the night, but died off as it got towards midday. Did I manage to beat Paul this time? Well, no, unfortunately I didn’t, but I put up a good fight. He beat me 26-18.....not that I really mind, as it was a great time, and I was more than happy with what I caught. The competition really is just in fun - we're both delighted when the other catches (and of course, when mine is bigger). It’s nice to have a little bit of friendly competition going, but neither of us takes it seriously.

 

I caught my personal favourite just as the sun was coming up - a beautiful glistening crucian. I didn't weigh it, but it measured 14" from nose to the fork of its tail. An absolutely stunningly scaled and coloured fish that really made my night. I also had several large, and very feisty bream, that fought like bream aren't supposed to. The best thing is that almost all the fish of every species we caught were at or above average size for the lake, which is a good sign, and made for really excellent fishing. We both had fish of a decent size, although the bigger fish eluded us. Yes, they were all pretty good, apart from one tiny mirror that Paul caught, and another one that we mistook for a leaf or a piece of silver paper. honestly - it couldn't seriously be regarded as a fish, but he made me note it down. Oh the shame of it, being so desperate to beat me that he was clutching at anything!

 

Paul did however have one tiddler that was deserving of a mention. He'd made a cast towards the lilies, and unfortunately his bait landed on top of a lily pad. No problem, as he pulled it back towards him, a tiddly litte carp leapt out of the water and snaffled his bait, hook and all. I said it shouldn't count, as his bait wasn't in the water, but he insisted...we would have had a much better overall result if we hadn’t lost so many fish. I lost a couple before the net, and they were nothing to write home about, but Paul also lost a few very good fish, as did Roy. Still, if they weren’t in the hand or the net, they didn’t count… so na na ne na naaaa!

 

One of the ones that Paul lost was a bit unfortunate, as it managed to snap his line. We could see his float moving around the lily pads for a while afterwards, and he was a bit concerned about this fish trailing line. Thank goodness for clever fish and barbless hooks. It was only about half an hour after we saw the float disappear for the last time that he reeled in to rebait and announced that he’d got his float back. Yes, the fish had managed to shed the hook, and he’d been lucky enough to land it again! He did manage to lose one memorable one, which will go down in history. If I remember correctly (which I probably don’t) we were level pegging at the time. “Eat my shorts Janet”, he shouted, (or words to that effect) as he led a seriously big roach towards the net, only for it to shake its head, thumb its nose at him and then head off back into the depths with a quick flick of the tail. Classic, absolutely bloody classic! Sorry Paul, but you deserved it!!!!

 

Despite all the dire warnings, I had no trouble with ghoulies and ghosties and things that go bump in the night, although I did get a few scares with the incredible leaping bream. The slugs weren't as much of a problem as I thought either, although it's not pleasant to pick up your water bottle in the dark and find one sitting on the cap. There were no biting midges, no adders and no crocodiles, and unless I missed it, nobody was savagely murdered in the woods...

 

I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed it, despite Paul’s moonlight serenading and I’m looking forward to our next time. I’m very lucky aren’t I? I never seem to have a bad fishing trip. There’s always something that makes it memorable. This night was no exception.

 

Many thanks to Paul for taking me and providing the company and the bacon butties and the regular fresh brews, and to Ray and Roy for the entertainment. To be perfectly honest, I’d have enjoyed it if I’d totally blanked all night. The main thing was just being there, with good company and experiencing the lake at its very best. Listening to the dawn chorus, trying to identify the noisy little beggars….the lambs bleating, the curlews wheeling overhead, the kestrel on its return to its young with food, the frogs croaking in the reeds, the lapwing pecking in the field, the blue tits bobbing in and out of the hedges, the coot that really needed to be fitted with a silencer, the heron flying silently and elegantly behind the trees and countless other things that I’ll only remember after I’ve finished writing this. It really was a wonderful experience.

 

I’m very much looking forward to the next time.

 

Janet

[ColinW]

Glad you had a good time. Don't think it always stays that warm though. Clouds tend to retain heat but on a clear night it can get incredibly cold. Great fun watching the starlites isn't it?

[Andrew Burgess]

I am glad you enjoy it Janet as it been pleasure read the thread from the begining when asking the forum about night fishing and the follow up. So have you got any more night trip in the future?

[Newt]

LOL - after that trip, asking if she will be doing another is like asking if a bear has fleas.

 

The answer will always be a resounding YES.

[tincatinca]

To be perfectly honest, I’d have enjoyed it if I’d totally blanked all night. The main thing was just being there, with good company and experiencing the lake at its very best. Listening to the dawn chorus, trying to identify the noisy little beggars….the lambs bleating, the curlews wheeling overhead, the kestrel on its return to its young with food, the frogs croaking in the reeds, the lapwing pecking in the field, the blue tits bobbing in and out of the hedges, the coot that really needed to be fitted with a silencer, the heron flying silently and elegantly behind the trees and countless other things that I’ll only remember after I’ve finished writing this. It really was a wonderful experience.

 

I’m very much looking forward to the next time.

 

Janet, I am glad that you enjoyed the experience and the the above sums it up very nicely. Roll on the next time.

[Anderoo]

Great stuff Janet, sounds like a hoot!

 

24hrs without sleeping takes some doing too - I couldn't manage that

[Steve Burke]

I’m very lucky aren’t I? I never seem to have a bad fishing trip. There’s always something that makes it memorable. This night was no exception.

 

Those few words are the best of the many you've written!

 

You said you were very much looking forward to the next time. Well, a lot of us are too!

[Paulfisher]

You keep extracting the urine about my singing, but I do recall you requesting several numbers.

As you have written so eloquently, It was the company that made the night. (I am so relieved that Ray turned up) We may have to do it all again this weekend. Are you up for it?

[Janet]

Me? Up for it? You bet!

 

I'll have to check with R.J. to see if we're going camping this weekend, but if not, fishing sounds good....

 

I finally managed to get my new camera to work, so I'll add the piccies when I get home from work tonight.

 

Janet

[terry t shirt]

After reading this i'm almost considering joining your club and driving up just for the crack. Great write up and it shows fishing isnt just about catching fish.