Jump to content

My Heart Always Alights Upon The Nearest Perch …24/06/2013


Mark Crame

Recommended Posts

 

 

The title is a Byron quote. Theres todays cultural aspect covered

 

After my disturbingly gratifying success of catching sticklebacks on rod and line the other day my attention turned to minnow and bullheadas it naturally would. Now, Ive never had either so yet more research was made, friends pressed for info, questions asked and so onwith tip offs in hand I promptly ignored them temporarily and headed for the only place Id ever seen bullheads via a place I always thought should have them, The Oldest Concrete Bridge In Great Britain. (I thought I should capitalise on that). Built in 1870 its hardly Baalbek but then I couldnt have launched there even If Id intended to.

 

P6240134.jpg

 

Anyway, back to Homersfield and this bit of water. The water itself is the familiar River Waveney, the upper stretch of the Suffolk part of it. Forgive me for skipping the chronology as the thought occurred on the way back that I have now paddled all bar one short section of the eastern end of the river. Bungay loop later in the week then perhaps.

 

Anyway. Theres free parking here limited though, maybe 4 cars? A pub the other side of the famous bridge. The launch point is the other side of the bridge too, between the two but is easy inches of water over a hard bed of sand and stone, mini rapids as it runs pretty quick especially following rain a few inches down from a slab of concrete. Drop into the seat and youre away, straight down into a pool with a fishing platform. There are some decent fish here were talking chub of 3-4lb and the odd pike. Plenty of dace as well. No minnows for two years though apparently and never seen a bullhead here Im told. Oh.

 

P6240135.jpg

 

Well I saw the big chub but they paid me no mind. Off I set on my hunt...through tight weed and shallow runs, what would be barbel territory in other parts of the country...through crystal clear water, what would be a trout stream elsewhere...through lily pads, reeds, rushes and all manner of plants, with swallows diving and swooping and flitting and flying. This river HAD to be stuffed with fish. I tried the first pool I came to and whipped out a small chub.

 

P6240136.jpg

 

Then I spotted some midgets. I stopped, pulled into the bank, changed to a size 20 and a tiny pinkie and lobbed it in, once, twice, three or four times until I had it where and how I wanted by fiddling with the shot and holding the rod just so.

 

P6240137.jpg

 

P6240138.jpg

 

And then, as I watched, one of them took the bait, the whole bait and nothing but the bait (apart from the hook)...perfect!

 

P6240139.jpg

 

Super little mini chub, very happy with that! My thrills - being an angler of extremes - come from every fish but increase somewhat when they're either notably larger or notably smaller; mini fish appeal hugely. Kind of a bonsai complex I guess.

 

Well I carried on down and through tighter and weedier places, the water clarity still impressing me being probably more than ten foot without the polarised sunglasses I need to buy myself. But where were the fish? I was struck hugely by how empty it appeared to be. I mean there is no boat traffic, ideal conditions for shelter, good well oxygenated water and very limited bank access so you'd expect the river to be full of fish but amazingly I'd paddle for ages before catching a fleeting glimpse.

 

There were other inhabitants too. Aside from the swallows mentioned earlier there were ducks and their young, many different birds, cows on the bank...

 

P6240149.jpg

 

...and plenty of swans, just letting me know I must be careful as I passed.

 

P6240140.jpg

 

P6240144.jpg

 

P6240145.jpg

 

I tried another pool, chub to half a pound and instant bites if I cast into the run between the weeds...

 

P6240141.jpg

 

...before finally getting something different (yes, there is something other than chub in this river! with a roach.

 

P6240142.jpg

 

The next cast caught the reeds so I ended up pulling myself through the swim and carried on instead. More tight weedy runs, shallows and so on and then some woodwork as I came to some low and overhanging trees which needed getting through. I often wondered if Id make it to the sluice or whether the river would be blocked at some point but I always got through.

 

P6240143.jpg

 

I pulled up in a dark area that varied from six inches to a couple of feet in depth, covered by trees. I recognised it as being the furthest we'd come up-river all those years before, James and I, on his home-built wooden canoe. We'd slept on the riverbank that night and watched shooting stars and stuff, fished from the canoe all the way up with good catches of perch, we'd seen bullheads (the reason I was here), caught pike...this would have been the early nineties and Id visited this part of the river once since then, again on his canoe I think in 1998. As it happened James was off today but unable to join me.

 

Untitled-42.jpg

 

Untitled-43.jpg

 

Well I had plenty of chub and dace here, caught a few trees, lost a few hooks, spilt a few maggots and saw some whoppers and the first perch - before deciding that time was getting on and I had to scoot...

 

P6240146.jpg

 

Now, that bit of bank I mentioned sleeping on. I recognised it. I'd had a whopping great high-double pike hit a lure three times in succession back in the day without being hooked and we'd both had some smaller fish there. Well, as soon as I got there I saw that the water was deep and quite clear, the vegetation was lower than the surface and having transported my lure rod all this way I may as well give it a whirl the first time it was possible.

 

210cm 10-30g Xtraflexx, Maxximus LP Magnet 6bb, 20lb braid and trace wire and finally a 12cm Eco Snake multi-jointed lure in Firetiger. 100% Fladen right-through. Id not used this lure in anger yet, had tried trolling one when I first unwrapped it and they dont take to that so itd sat with the rest of its ilk (I have the full colour range) until a day like this where casting would be the only option. It was a pity she didnt troll though because the action was a sight to behold like an eel slipping through the water if the speed is got just so.

 

Well. Catcher of men or catcher of fish? I clipped on. Remember, this was the first cast of the day with the lure rod, the very first cast of this lure, and it resulted in my first freshwater PB of the season (the new-to-me stickleback not included) and was somewhere in the region of 2-3lb (the only scales are on the fish). A specimen fish then! Initially I thought I had a jack until I saw the flash of red from the fins...double, triple the size or more of my previous largest perch. I was gobsmacked and could watch it running and turning and showing its flanks thanks to the water clarity. Such a joy to have it so clear! Powerful lunges but not quite the speedy fight of a summer pike sadly. That is NOT an ungrateful complaint mind you! Well I got it alongside and was stunned. The flanks had a marvellous golden sheen that Ive not seen before and it looked like a carp or bream being so chunky. I lifted it carefully from the water and the dorsals snapped straight up. WOW! This was an incredible fish! I perhaps overdid it on the photos but with our most stunning coarse fish, great colouring, beautiful lighting and such a large example I couldnt not really!

 

P6240150.jpg

 

P6240151.jpg

 

P6240152.jpg

 

P6240153.jpg

 

P6240154.jpg

 

P6240156.jpg

 

P6240158.jpg

 

P6240159.jpg

 

P6240160.jpg

 

Well, now for unhooking. The rear treble was inside the mouth just forward of the gills. Im used to trolling wherein the hooks are almost always in the scissors on a pike, only once have I had one taken inside the mouth. I remembered that Id seen my pliers in the boot, drying out this put me in a slight quandary, I couldnt pull the hook out, what else did I have? My small disgorger was, well, small so that didnt workAh yes, of course. I DO have a v-shaped disgorger, I HAVE A SWISS ARMY KNIFE!!!!! Well, Ive never used this attachment before, unlike the hoof-pick, but it was spot on. Straight onto the shank, a push and it was off. Sweet! One last unadorned photograph and I slid it back; it was away, strongly.

 

P6240161.jpg

 

I shouldnt have had another cast, I couldnt match or beat a fish like this! I suspected a pike though and spoilt the prefect moment. Oh well.

 

I wondered what Isaak Walton would have made of this (apart from a fine meal of course). I had a look later:

 

The Pearch is a very good, and a very bold biting fish. He is one of the Fishes of prey, that like the Pike and Trout, carries his teeth in his mouth which is very large, and he dare venture to kill and devour several other kinds of fish, he has a hookt or hog back, which is armed with sharp and stiff bristles, and all his skin armed or covered over with thick, dry, hard scales, and hath (which few other Fish have) two fins on his back. He is so bold, that he will invade one of his own kind, which the Pike will not do willingly, and you may therefore easily believe him to be a bold biter.

 

Quarter of an hour later I was at the sluice. Now for what I came for!

 

I got out for a recce before portaging. Chatted to a fella whod had plenty of large chub this week nope, no minnows or bullheads here. Chub and gudgeon. Oh.

 

and a pike, attacking his catches. I offered to shoo him away, flicked out the lure and the first time it turned for it. Id need to twitch it differently it was in a foot of water and I was going on the other fellas directions. I spooked it and it went deeper and closer to the bank. Under the trees.

 

And that, dear reader, is where my magnificent, wonderful, lucky Firetiger Eco Snake now resides.

 

I failed to get anything in the pools here and bidding my fellow angler farewell I set off back, paddling hard non-stop for an hour and a quarter against wind and flow, somewhere in the region of four to five miles, before I reached the bridge again, caught a final fish and disembarked for the twenty mile run home. Id certainly put some miles in today buttarget missed.

 

Not that Im complaining mind

  • Like 1

Wetter than an otter's pocket.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another great report, many thanks for sharing.

Stephen

 

Species Caught 2014

Zander, Pike, Bream, Roach, Tench, Perch, Rudd, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Eel, Grayling, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

Species Caught 2013

Pike, Zander, Bream, Roach, Eel, Tench, Rudd, Perch, Common Carp, Koi Carp, Brown Goldfish, Grayling, Brown Trout, Chub, Roosterfish, Dorado, Black Grouper, Barracuda, Mangrove Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Jack Crevalle, Tarpon, Red Snapper

Species Caught 2012
Zander, Pike, Perch, Chub, Ruff, Gudgeon, Dace, Minnow, Wels Catfish, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Roach, Bream, Eel, Rudd, Tench, Arapaima, Mekong Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Marbled Tiger Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Thai Redtail Catfish, Batrachian Walking Catfish, Siamese Carp, Rohu, Julliens Golden Prize Carp, Giant Gourami, Java Barb, Red Tailed Tin Foil Barb, Nile Tilapia, Black Pacu, Red Bellied Pacu, Alligator Gar
Species Caught 2011
Zander, Tench, Bream, Chub, Barbel, Roach, Rudd, Grayling, Brown Trout, Salmon Parr, Minnow, Pike, Eel, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Koi Carp, Crucian Carp, F1 Carp, Blue Orfe, Ide, Goldfish, Brown Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, Golden Tench, Golden Rudd, Perch, Gudgeon, Ruff, Bleak, Dace, Sergeant Major, French Grunt, Yellow Tail Snapper, Tom Tate Grunt, Clown Wrasse, Slippery Dick Wrasse, Doctor Fish, Graysby, Dusky Squirrel Fish, Longspine Squirrel Fish, Stripped Croaker, Leather Jack, Emerald Parrot Fish, Red Tail Parrot Fish, White Grunt, Bone Fish
Species Caught 2010
Zander, Pike, Perch, Eel, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Crucian Carp, Siamese Carp, Asian Redtail Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Rohu, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Pacu, Long Tom, Moon Wrasse, Sergeant Major, Green Damsel, Tomtate Grunt, Sea Chub, Yellowtail Surgeon, Black Damsel, Blue Dot Grouper, Checkered Sea Perch, Java Rabbitfish, One Spot Snapper, Snubnose Rudderfish
Species Caught 2009
Barramundi, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Wallago Leeri Catfish, Wallago Attu Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Mrigul, Siamese Carp, Java Barb, Tarpon, Wahoo, Barracuda, Skipjack Tuna, Bonito, Yellow Eye Rockfish, Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Black Fin Snapper, Dog Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Marble Grouper, Black Fin Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Mutton Snapper, Redhind Grouper, Saddle Grouper, Schoolmaster, Coral Trout, Bar Jack, Pike, Zander, Perch, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Common Carp, Golden Tench, Wels Catfish
Species Caught 2008
Dorado, Wahoo, Barracuda, Bonito, Black Fin Tuna, Long Tom, Sergeant Major, Red Snapper, Black Damsel, Queen Trigga Fish, Red Grouper, Redhind Grouper, Rainbow Wrasse, Grey Trigger Fish, Ehrenbergs Snapper, Malabar Grouper, Lunar Fusiler, Two Tone Wrasse, Starry Dragonet, Convict Surgeonfish, Moonbeam Dwarf Angelfish,Bridled Monocle Bream, Redlined Triggerfish, Cero Mackeral, Rainbow Runner
Species Caught 2007
Arapaima, Alligator Gar, Mekong Catfish, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Pacu, Siamese Carp, Barracuda, Black Fin Tuna, Queen Trigger Fish, Red Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Honeycomb Grouper, Red Grouper, Schoolmaster, Cubera Snapper, Black Grouper, Albacore, Ballyhoo, Coney, Yellowfin Goatfish, Lattice Spinecheek

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice perch, nice write-up

 

Keep 'em coming.

 

 

RNLI Governor

 

World species 471 : UK species 105 : English species 95 .

Certhia's world species - 215

Eclectic "husband and wife combined" world species 501

 

"Nothing matters very much, few things matter at all" - Plato

...only things like fresh bait and cold beer...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nicely done Mr Crame! That's what fishing forums are made for, excellent stuff.

Out of the few stretches of water I would claim to have any decent knowledge of that' would definitely be one of them.

I love that stretch from Homersfield down and only reluctantly let my Fleece membership go last year after not having fished any of the waters for 4 years or so.

There's a certain little stretch that you floated over that is/hopefully not was, home to my Waveney Chub of 7lb and an ounce. It was the smallest of a group of three too.

Did you have a look at the side stream on the left just after the road bridge or is it overgrown? Often seen a few mini bottom dwellers shooting about in there, whether they were Bullheads I could'nt be sure.

Have you scouted out Chaineys Beck out the back of the common?

Or the section of along the backs of the gardens under the last bridge on the back road as you come into Bungay from Earsham. It's shallow, fast flowing with plenty of stones and cover???

How about the very last section of the side stream that joins the river at the back of the Cherry Trees 'Lay by Pit' opposite the town end of the golf course??

Syleham Mill pool?

Good Luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Excellent fish and write-up, this is the sort of thing that we've been missing on here for a long time. Hopefully your reports will spur others (including me) on to writing their own fishing reports. Even blanks can be made interesting....

John S

Quanti Canicula Ille In Fenestra

 

Species caught in 2017 Common Ash, Hawthorn, Hazel, Scots Pine, White Willow.

Species caught in 2016: Alder, Blackthorn, Common Ash, Crab Apple, Left Earlobe, Pedunculate Oak, Rock Whitebeam, Scots Pine, Smooth-leaved Elm, Swan, Wayfaring tree.

Species caught in 2015: Ash, Bird Cherry, Black-Headed Gull, Common Hazel, Common Whitebeam, Elder, Field Maple, Gorse, Puma, Sessile Oak, White Willow.

Species caught in 2014: Big Angry Man's Ear, Blackthorn, Common Ash, Common Whitebeam, Downy Birch, European Beech, European Holly, Hawthorn, Hazel, Scots Pine, Wych Elm.
Species caught in 2013: Beech, Elder, Hawthorn, Oak, Right Earlobe, Scots Pine.

Species caught in 2012: Ash, Aspen, Beech, Big Nasty Stinging Nettle, Birch, Copper Beech, Grey Willow, Holly, Hazel, Oak, Wasp Nest (that was a really bad day), White Poplar.
Species caught in 2011: Blackthorn, Crab Apple, Elder, Fir, Hawthorn, Horse Chestnut, Oak, Passing Dog, Rowan, Sycamore, Willow.
Species caught in 2010: Ash, Beech, Birch, Elder, Elm, Gorse, Mullberry, Oak, Poplar, Rowan, Sloe, Willow, Yew.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like everyone said, great write up and stunning perch. Thanks :)

As famous fisherman John Gierach once said "I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't."

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll try and remember to keep it up on here fellas, used to be a regular on the kayak forum. There's always the blog though (two actually, one of my own and one on the Fladen site) which has everything as I do plenty of sea fishing too.

 

http://kayakingangler.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Not tried any of those Dan - usually run up to the locks from Beccles. Have paddled up to Ellingham before and from there to Mettingham but Mettingham to Earsham sluice is the missing link. May give it a try. Headed to Norwich today and got minnow but no bullhead there either - plenty last year apparently. perhaps it's too early? Got until sunday for this leg then it's July-September. I've managed 18 species since 1st march, hoping for ruffe and bream on Thursday from Beccles/Barsham.

 

Thanks for the tips, will try them but will probably be on the next leg now.

Wetter than an otter's pocket.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mark - what a great write-up and outstanding photos. Thank you.

 

With a apology in advance for taking this topic in a slightly different direction, I wonder about the lure rod you used. From the looks of one photo it is a typical spinning/fixed spool rod with the larger rings toward the butt but you were fishing it with a low profile casting/multiplier reel. Wouldn't a casting rod give a better feel than a spinning rod held upside down with its rings on the top?

 

I'm used to spinning rods having rings on the "bottom" of the spine and casting rods with its smaller rings on the "top" of the spine and trigger grip. Each type seems to cast & feel better when used that way if you are doing a lot of casting with lures.

 

I know you are a pro and have access to pretty much whatever gear you prefer so I just wonder if I'm missing something. I don't fish from a kayak and it occured to me that space limitations might influence the choice of gear, especially if you only plan on making a couple dozen lure casts during a day's fishing.

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.