JANET v PAUL

[Janet]

….like a woman on a mission!

 

Goodness, what a day it was yesterday. Up at three in the morning to be showered, dressed, perfumed, packed and away for four thirty…..what on earth is it about fishing that makes me haul myself out of bed at such an ridiculous ungodly hour? I wish I knew, because if I could bottle my enthusiasm, I’d make a fortune!

 

Paul was bang on time to pick up me and the kitchen sink, and we arrived at the lake to find it a perfect picture postcard scene – peaceful and serene, with not a breath of wind. As we (or should I say I….) carted several hundred lots of tackle round to our favourite pegs, things were looking good. Paul was relegated to more important duties – making the brews! He may look useless, but appearances can be deceptive, as he does make a particularly good cup of tea…. As dawn broke it looked wonderful, and it really is one of my favourite places to watch the sun rise. Pink and blue mottled sky, fluffy clouds, the lake surface like a mirror, only broken by the occasional surfacing fish. Please remind me, next time Paul says “it looks like it might turn out to be a nice day” to give him a good slap to make him face reality! We knew that the forecast was for rain, and we weren’t to be disappointed!

 

After the first few hours, which were just glorious, conditions gradually worsened, and it turned into one of those days only suitable for ducks. For several hours in the afternoon were hammered incessantly by an almost unremitting gale from the south with the accompanying lashing rain which persistently persisted it down for most of the day. Luckily Paul “smelt” the approaching rain before it arrived, so we had our brollies in position ready for the onslaught, literally with seconds to spare before the deluge hit us. I’m pleased to say that my new Korum brolly performed admirably today, although I’m glad I took the sensible precaution of pegging it down at the back. I managed to get it set up perfectly, and both me and my maggots stayed relatively dry and warm throughout the day. Thank you Shimano, for the velcro bands that came with my new rod. They were perfect for securing the pole of my brolly to my chair for that extra bit of added stability! I do like multi-functional items! The wind was coming from behind us, so the brollies offered good protection, and thankfully the temperature didn’t drop too much, although it was a bit nippy early on in the morning.

 

 

Once we were set up and comfy, with a nice freshly brewed cuppa, we decided on our challenge for the day. It was to be one point for every fish, regardless of size, then a few bonus points for certain species (providing they were large enough to be correctly identified) – 10 points for a tench, 15 points for a barbel, and 20 points for a crucian carp, as they are particularly difficult to catch up here. Anyone catching one of our few elusive chub would be the outright winner there and then. It made for some interesting moments. No Paul, that is not a chub, that is a mirror…..No Paul, that is not a chub, it is a common. NO PAUL, you muppet – even from 30 feet away I can see that is NOT a chub!!! Ah bless, there’s nothing quite like a desperate man, is there?

 

I was relegated to tea-making duties for most of the day, as Paul refused to budge from his peg unless I could find a twenty stone rock to hold his chair down whilst he was away! Still, as he commented, my place is in the home….actually what he said was “Bloody woman! Why don’t you get back to the kitchen?”, followed closely by muted mutterings about getting women anglers banned at the next AGM. Still, I didn’t mind making the brews, as it gave him a chance to catch up…..bless him!

 

Now, what about the fishing? Well, for me it was fabulous. I had an excellent day, despite the appalling weather. Paul, however, didn’t fare quite so well, but we can’t quite figure out why. I couldn’t seem to do anything wrong, whilst he couldn’t seem to do anything right. It didn’t matter what he tried, it just wasn’t working. Now Paul knows what he’s doing – he’s been fishing for over thirty years, and has forgotten more than I’ve learned in the last two years since I started, but he was practically pulling his hair out in frustration today, and I don’t blame him. No matter what he tried, it just wasn’t working. We have learned however that his peg has been very heavily fished during the past week, with anglers on it almost every day, some of whom were piling in copious amounts of sweetcorn and groundbait, so that may have had an adverse effect. Why do they do it though? That sort of tactic is better suited to a carp lake, not a small mixed coarse fishery like this. It doesn’t matter what they chuck in – they aren’t going to catch any huge carp, because there aren’t any!

 

Unfortunately, because of the torrential rain, moving pegs once we’d set up wasn’t really an option, unless we wanted to get soaked to the skin and sit in wet clothes all day. If the weather had been better, I’m sure Paul would have moved to a more productive swim, but in the event he really didn’t have much option other than to stick it out. He did catch some decent fish, but lost a few and was plagued by those annoying unhittable bites from tiddlers all day.

 

The real thrill of this little lake is that there are many and varied species here, some easier to catch than others, and you have to choose your tactics to suit. Today I did as Paul suggested we should do last week, and upped my game a bit. I didn’t just sit back and fish for anything that happened to swim by. I actually worked hard at it, really concentrated on what I was doing and made conscious decisions to alter my shot pattern, change float, use a different bait, adjust the depth etc according to how it was fishing throughout the day. The concentration helped to take my mind off the abysmal weather! I used rather more ground bait and loose feed than I’ve done before, and it worked, keeping my swim busy for most of the day. I used a mix of Easy Cheesy and Sensas explosive feeder stuff as ground bait, and hook bait was red and white maggots, soft halibut pellets, bread, sweetcorn and some rather good soft hooker pellets that the fish seemed to love, although they do tend to come off the hook rather too easily. I’d spent the previous evening chopping the various pellets and sweetcorn into tiny pieces to use as loose feed so I didn’t have to mess around on the bank. I knew it was important to keep loose feed going in, but I didn’t want them to stuff themselves with a free banquet! Paul however, seemed to have an “eat all you like” buffet on the go, judging by the many mutterings emanating from peg five….

 

It paid off handsomely for me, and I’m pleased to report that I caught some lovely fish. The first one to start me off was a delightful little common carp, that weighed in (yes, we actually weighed a few today) at just slightly over 2lbs. Not huge, admittedly, but a lovely little fish in lovely condition. The next one was a beauty for me – a fabulous little crucian, only the third one that I’ve ever caught, and by far the biggest (until later in the day!) at about a pound and a half ….I was chuffed to bits when I saw it, so insisted on a photo!

 

 

 

Oh yes, I was on a roll…..I had a few large bream (well, large for me!) the largest of which weighed in at just over three pounds, and a couple of good tench averaging a couple of pounds each, also several decent commons, mirrors and skimmers with a few roach and a lovely little perch thrown in for good measure. Nothing huge, but all excellent fun, and in lovely condition. All of them were reasonably sized, apart from two tiddly roach that ought to have known better! I was more than happy with the size and quality of the fish – my new rod is superb, so whether it’s a half pound skimmer, a bolshie carp or a fighting tench, I get some terrific sport. I can honestly say that I’m never disappointed with anything I catch.

 

The highlight of the day for me though was in the last hour, when I hooked into something that took off like a rocket. Damn, damn, bugger, sod it and double damn! This beastie wasn’t heading out to the lily pads. It came straight towards me and dived straight under the peg! Oh flip (or words to that effect…) What on earth was it playing at? I managed to coax it out, and then it set off towards the middle of the lake and the lily pads. There was just no stopping it, and I could hear my reel grudgingly giving line. (I say grudgingly, but I can’t think of a nicer sound!) as it then turned right and headed over towards Paul’s peg. I managed to turn it before it reached the sanctuary it was seeking, and then the ungrateful little sod headed straight towards me again, and dived down into the reeds on my right. Oh no you don’t! I’m not having this! I WILL land you! Eventually I did, and the bolshie little fish came fighting all the way to my net.

 

Wow! What a result! A golden, glistening, gorgeous crucian! I could have kissed it! (but I resisted….) I rapidly unhooked it whilst still in my net in the water, then scooted quickly with it in my landing net to Paul and his scales. What a cracking result for me. Just the tiniest smidge over two pounds. It was only when I released it that I realised I’d forgotten to ask Paul to take a picture! Trust me though, it was a beauty!

 

Around seven o’clock, we made the decision to pack up as soon as there was a break in the rain, so I gradually started to put things away and get ready to make a dash for it. Once I’d put everything in my bags, and taken all the accessories off my chair, I put my rod away, and began to fish with my new whip instead, as it only takes seconds to pack it away, so I could keep fishing until the last possible minute. You always have to have that one last cast, don’t you? Big mistake! My float immediately sailed away, and I found myself playing something which bent the whip almost double before the hooklink snapped and it made its escape. That’s the last time I buy any ready made rigs – I’m going to learn to do it myself in future. After tying on a new hook, it happened again and I lost another decent fish! The whip bent and a big fish headed for the lilies before it suddenly went dead and the hook pinged back at me. I’m ashamed to admit that my language was most unbecoming for a lady!

 

I was more than a little annoyed with myself, as if I’d been using my rod, I’m sure I could have landed these beasties. I was only using a size 18 hook with a single maggot, just to have a bit more fun before we left, and now I really don’t have a lot of confidence in this whip, although I did catch a few on it last week. I’ll make up some new rigs for it, (yes, Janet WILL learn how to tie knots properly!) and try it again next time before I consign it to the bin….

 

That is, of course, if there IS a next time after today’s performance! “Paul, will you weigh this for me?”……”Yes Janet”…..”Thanks Paul”….”No problem, now f**k off back to your own peg!”…..He’ll probably not want to go fishing with me again then! It was a bit unfair today, as I am constantly asking him questions about feeding, casting, shotting etc, and he’s given me some good advice over the past few months which has helped to improve my catch rate. I put it all into practice and had a great day, whilst he struggled. Still, that’s fishing for you, I guess! Despite it all, I know he was pleased that I’d had a good day, and I know he’ll whoop me next time! (Well, I know he’ll try….)

 

If the weather had been better, we’d probably have stayed for another few hours and fished into the darkness, but with the rain and wind I think we were both glad to get away. We knew the forecast wasn’t good before we started, but I don’t think either of us anticipated just how bad it was going to be. Still, fishing is fishing, and neither of will let ourselves be put off by a bit of inclement weather. Our main criteria is that it should at least be dry when we set up. We both hate setting up in the rain. However, once brollies are up and tackle sorted, the weather can do what it likes.

 

As for the result?

 

Fish landed – Janet 22 Paul 9

Challenge points – Janet 78 Paul 27

 

Yes, the trophy is back in its rightful place, where it belongs!

 

Total overall in our friendly matches? Well, I’ve managed to creep up a bit and I’ve now won five, whilst Paul’s won six, so he’s still ahead. As I said, it was an excellent day for me, but very disappointing for Paul, so although I had a great day, I couldn’t take a great deal of pleasure out of my small victory. I much prefer it when we’re both catching consistently. I well know the frustrations of having a day like that, so I wouldn’t wish it on anybody else!

 

Cheers Paul. I had a great day, despite the weather (and the singing!)

 

Janet

[Paulfisher]

I’m ashamed to admit that my language was most unbecoming for a lady!

 

Sorry? A What? A lady? Good god. You wish!

 

Seriously though Janet, Well done. You were the better angler on the day. I will however thrash you next time, as soon as my back has heeled from your whip lashes.

 

Paul.

[Janet]

Sorry? A What? A lady? Good god. You wish!

 

I resent that remark! Who else do you know who washes their worms and uses a spoon for mixing groundbait to keep their hands clean?

 

You were the better angler on the day

 

Wow! I don't believe you actually said that on an open forum!!! Thank you muchly kind sir. Nice to know that you now know your place....I meant it when I said it was WAR - Women Anglers Rule......!!!!!!

 

Seriously though, you'll probably beat me next time, but I'm not going down without a fight!!!

 

The next challenge should be interesting!

 

Janet

[nursejudy]

Excellent report as always janet ,so lovely to hear of a female winning!!!! sorry paulfisher,

janet your enthusiasm shines through your writing keep it up you put many of the men to shame

 

WELL DONE

 

 

and well done for paul too..

[Janet]

Lovely to hear from you again Judy! How are you?

 

Despite the weather, it really was a good day for me. It really amazes me to look back and realise how much I've learned in the past couple of years, and also, how much I still have to learn. The novelty hasn't yet worn off, and I still get a real buzz every time my float dips, no matter what's on the end of my line. It could be a 2oz perch, a 2lb tench or a 20lb carp...I love 'em all! It's also very gratifying that I can now hold my own against the men! I'm the only female member of this club, and I'm just so pleased that I'm now managing to get some good results.

 

Much of it is down to Paul, as it's only due to him that I've had the opportunity to go up to the lake so often, and learn how to fish it. He's infinitely patient with me, sorting out my tackle, answering all of my silly questions, providing butties, brews and transport, and keeping me amused throughout the day. I'd love to report some of the bank side banter that goes on, but this is a family forum, so I'll keep it to myself! Suffice to say, there's not a day goes by that I'm not in tears with laughter....

 

He is a grouchy old bugger though, and doesn't like being whooped by a mere woman, but he's learning to live with it....after all, it's the way it's going to be from now on....

 

Janet

[Paulfisher]

Again, I refer you to a previous text message!!!

[Paulfisher]

but I'm not going down without a fight!!!

 

I have something to look forward to then.

[BoldBear]

It's starting to become a bit of a habit lately; beating Paul I mean. Still it's probably something to do with womens genes (genes not jeans )

 

well done Janet.

 

NB. You will have to beat her next time Paul (instead of letting her win )

Edited August 11, 2008 by BoldBear

[Janet]

I have something to look forward to then.

 

Bad boy!!

 

Boldbear, I'll have you know that I don't wear jeans. I always dress for the occasion - twin set, tweed skirt and pearls, with a lovely pair of matching camo court shoes....I'll have you know, my tackle box was specially designed for me by Gucci.

 

And as for him letting me win? Wash your mouth out with soap and water then go and sit on the naughty step until you learn to behave!

 

You obviously don't know Paul! There's no way he would actually let me win!! He's mean and miserable and horrible to me....!

 

Janet

[Andy Macfarlane]

Janet.....you should write books. It's pretty clear you aren't shy of the keyboard.