Mission accomplised

[RUDD]

Having not fished or even had the urge for sometime I was surprised On Sunday when a somewhat very small window of opportunity came my way and I came up with what would seem to some as a ridiculous plan.

Armed with a 13ft Waggler rod set up with a small reel, 2.5lb mainline, 1lb bottom, size 22 wide gape canal seed hook and a small bodied 5bb peacock insert with half a pint of red maggots well over a month old, a landing net and a few sundries off I went to the deep clear reservoir.

 

Now some may remember the my first session on this water was for Roach without a sniff followed by a cracking spring and early summer fishing campaign where I had double figure Bream, Tench and Carp, some very nice Crucians and a monster sized Eel, others may remember me making some plans to target the Roach I know are present from observations come mid summer up in the water (didn’t happen).

 

Back to Sunday; The humble Roach, the only species present in that water that I had not caught, a species as far as I am aware not caught in there this year by anybody and most certainly the most shy species in there being the only species I have not seen with polaroids on round the margins.

On arrival I scanned and scanned and scanned the water for a sign – nothing.

So gut feeling found me starting to set up in a deep peg until I saw two rises near a peg on another bank. Off I went to a very tight tricky and deep peg, plumbed up (12 feet deep), fine tuned rig and first cast went straight over an overhanging branch, disaster.

Pulled it free straight into a bramble bush, recovered a big tangle and had to reset up.

Second cast caught the bramble bush resulting in another lost hook length.

Put on another and knocked over my shot tub losing all my no 9 shot in the mud/grass.

Third cast landed perfectly and after half an hour not a twitch.

Recast and nothing for another fifteen minutes, in the mean time I spotted a Dab chick diving in the peg I had first fancied, I kept a close watch and also noted the occasional swirl of a topping fish. Another tangle with a small bramble branch, another tricky cast, not a sign of a bite.

 

 

Not the best of starts but I was in a world of my own, relaxed watching a static float and the Dab chick when rudely awoken by the mobile ringing. A mate had arrived in the car park with his daughter and dog. They wanted to pop down to see me and asked where I was.

Something inside clicked and I told him the original unfished peg as I decided to move.

The move was made and during a ten minute chat I flicking a few red maggots under a tree every thirty seconds and was sure the insert rose a few millimetres out of the water on the second cast. The friends left and I had around twenty minutes to tempt a bite.

 

Again casting was awkward but I found a technique and soon had the float tight under the over hanging branches, was it my eyesight or did the float move?

Yes was the answer as all of a sudden it slid away into the deep water, a gentle lift of the rod had me feeling the slight judder of a small fish, seconds later a pristine virgin Roach of around two ounces lay in my hand – mission complete, well almost, I fished for another ten minutes catching another two and missing five or six bites.

Three small roach that for around six ounces are hardly going to make the headlines.

But three fish I had to work hard for, three small fish that have drummed up the need to go fishing once more, possibly the three most satisfying fish I have ever caught.

Three small Roach that may open the door to the bigger specimens I am sure lurk in the depths.

[gozzer]

Nice write up, and well done.

 

​ That's one of the best things about roach, they can give themselves up one day, and can be the most finicky, the next. Same from water to water. I love roach fishing, although I prefer running water, I've rarely given up the chance of fishing for them anywhere. Whether it be a decent bag of them, a couple of bigger ones, or a few hard earned small ones like yours on a hard day, it's always a pleasure to catch them.

I hope you find the bigger ones. From my own experience, I've found that stillwaters only produce big fish for a limited time, then you have to wait for the next good year class to come through, (if ever).

 

John.

[Dales]

Success is not always measured in pounds & ounces and there is always a lot more pleasure in catching fish that you have had to put some effort in to catch.

[Anderoo]

Excellent Rudd, and just when I was thinking how long it had been since a good topic!

 

I know that feeling very well, it's hard to explain sometimes but you describe it well. I reckon this is the start of a very interesting little journey, I hope you keep us up to date with progress.

[BoldBear]

Nice report Rudd, I enjoyed reading it.

 

Keith (BoldBear)

[Phone]

RUDD,

 

This one. - - - I really enjoy threads like this one. I can tell you took a little time and it is extremely well written and projects a lot of passion. I hated to spoil the mood by reminding you Brits those are dinks. Barely bait fish. Ohh well.

 

Phone