TIME ON MY HANDS....?

[Janet]

I'm glad it's not just me who doesn't like to get their fingers dirty!

 

After that cold but rewarding day, I was unpacking my bag and relocating my worms, wondering when I could manage to arrange transport to get up to my new lake for another day’s fishing…..my redundancy money hasn’t come through yet, so I have to be a bit careful with the pennies for another week or two. £20 for a taxi there and back is a bit more than I can afford on a daily basis! The lake is just about within energetic walking distance, if I didn’t have a full rucksack and chair to carry. Lightweight it may be, but by the time I’d staggered home from the shop with all this new gear, I realised that it was ME who was the lightweight!

 

However, I needn’t have worried. I’d no sooner tucked my nice shiny new membership card away safely with my rod licence when I received a call from Pete, one of the long-standing club members, asking if I wanted to go up again tomorrow for the day. Brilliant! Problem solved.

 

The weather wasn’t looking too promising on the morning we had planned, in fact it was looking distinctly murky and miserable, with a forecast of imminent rain, but when he called early on the day to check if I still wanted to go ahead with our trip, there was only one choice really. It was very overcast, with threatening clouds gathering and intermittent drizzle, but what the heck. Why not…YES! I’m not a wuss, although I have to admit that I don’t deliberately set out on a fishing trip if it’s raining hard. I don’t really mind bad weather, as I’m usually prepared for it, providing it doesn’t do its worst until I’m ready for it. What I really don’t like is setting up in the rain. Everything stays wet and messy all day then. I’ll happily sit there with lashing rain, providing I’m prepared!

 

I have a brolly (only ever used previously as a sunshield), brolly arm for my sexy new chair (totally useless, as you’ll hear) and my trusty fur lined coat. Was I up for it? You bet I was!

 

Pete laughed when he arrived and saw me standing expectantly on the doorstep with all my gear! New chair, unhooking mat, rod bag and new rucksack. Yes, all the gear and no idea. Still, as I explained, this lot had been bought especially for me to enjoy this new water. I can’t always manage to carry this amount of stuff. I was slightly bemused to find that the back of his estate car was completely empty, allowing plenty of room for my gear. And clean? What’s all that about? Steve’s car last year was like an immensely smelly tardis on wheels. Where was all his stuff? Ah yes, I found out when we arrived at the lake and he opened that alien shaped pod thing on the roof. Yep. Just the same as me. Rod bag, chair, mat, rucksack etc. Yep. Tackle Tarts R Us…..

 

Arriving at the lake, we found another angler already in residence, looking much like a gnarled garden gnome, shivering in the cold. Rob, one of the other regulars from the tackle shop. It really is amazing how many strange men I’ve come to know over the past eighteen months. At first they treated me as a bit of a novelty, but I’m pleased to say now that they accept me as just another angler, and are great with help and advice. Some of them even listen to me when I tell them what bait/tactics are working for me! I knew I was really getting into this fishing business when I found myself giving them advice! (and more to the point, they listened!)

 

We put our nets in the dip tank, and rather than start fishing straight away, Pete started to point out the different pegs, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Hopefully, over the coming months I’ll learn more for myself, but his hints I’m sure will prove to be invaluable. I learned for instance, which peg has a particularly deep section. Most of them are more or less the same depth, but it would possibly have taken me months to find this little bit of information for myself. I’m intending to take each peg in turn (depending on the weather!) and do a thorough job of mapping the contours of the lake bed at each one.

 

Someone, possibly on this site, once advised keeping a note book, and marking features, depths etc in it for future reference. As I’m planning to spend as much time as possible here, I’ve started to do just that, together with notes about weather conditions, air & water temperature what baits/tactics worked (or more often, didn’t!) I’m an organised, methodical sort of person, so doing this is no hassle for me, and I hope will prove interesting in future months when I look back on it. I always keep a diary of my fishing trips, (which is more or less what you’re reading now) so I’m hoping this extra information will just add to it.

 

Anyway, back to the fishing! I chose to fish the same peg I did yesterday, as fortunately the wind wasn’t quite so bad, and it is a particularly pleasant and scenic spot. Even with the wind, the water itself is somehow quite sheltered. There was still quite a breeze, but it was nowhere near as cold, so I thought I’d take a chance. Before I’d left yesterday, I’d tipped in the remains of my groundbait, left over frozen maggots and some pellets, and I was hoping that there may be one or two stupid fish still hanging around waiting for second helpings.

 

Pete chose to fish next to Rob, on the opposite side of the lake, and was soon landing his first fish. What a cracker too! A fine tench of about 3lbs. Bit of a surprise for him, as he hadn’t had one for months, and didn’t expect it because of the drop in temperature. He was chuffed to bits with it.

 

I’m pleased to say that this time I managed to set up my chair without any mishaps, (I couldn’t afford to – I had an audience this time!) and soon I was settling back to see what would come my way. I was secretly praying that I’d catch quickly. I usually fish alone, and I really, really wanted to show them that I do in fact know how to catch fish! Luckily I didn’t have to wait too long before the first fish graced my net. A beautiful leather carp. Only about 3lbs, but like all the carp in here, even the tiddlers, it put up a great fight for its size. It was closely followed by a couple of cute little mirror carp, neither over 2lb, but still worth catching, and then for me, possibly the best fish of the day. The tiniest little carp I’d ever seen! It was less than 2” long, but it was an absolutely perfect reproduction of its larger cousins. I know I’m daft, but I love these little beggars! I didn’t even realise I’d hooked it – I assumed my float was failing to settle properly due to the weed, and not this cheeky, greedy little thing trying to swallow half a worm. It just looked at me as it was hauled unceremoniously out of the water as if to say “What the f**k you looking at missus?”

 

Perhaps one day I’ll be aiming for bigger and bigger fish each time, but for now I’m still thoroughly enjoying just catching and learning. The novelty hasn't worn off yet! I treat each trip as a learning experience. I do get a bit miffed with blank days, but even if I don’t catch anything, it’s never a wasted day really. It's a bit frustrating, but nothing more. By the time I get home and start sorting out my tackle, I've forgotten the blank, and am just looking forward to the next time. It just makes me more determined to do better. Each time I'm out, I take the time to experiment with different floats, different shotting patterns, different hook sizes etc and gradually I’m finding out what works and what doesn’t, and when it doesn’t work, what to do to change my “luck” and get it working again. It never ceases to amaze me when I look back over such a relatively short time and I realise just how much I’ve learnt, not only about the actual fishing, but about the countryside, watercraft, fish behaviour and the effects we have on our environment. All those things which I never knew I needed to know, but which are now absolutely essential.

 

I feel immensely sorry for the newcomers who read the magazines, look at the pictures of these huge fish being landed and immediately think they have to buy all the “right” equipment then haul out big fish time after time. Maybe it’s an age thing? I long ago learned that there’s no satisfaction behind instant gratification. They are missing out on so much. I’m not for one minute knocking the experienced guys who go after the big carp. That takes a lot of dedication, knowledge, skill and perseverance. Not my scene, but you never know, one day you may find me skulking in a bivvy behind two rods and bite alarms…..

 

Still, as hell hasn’t frozen over quite yet, I’ll carry on…

 

It was persisting it down by this time, and I had given up trying to struggle with my brolly and the wind. I’d seen Rob also struggling with his, and Pete didn’t even attempt it. Every time I tried to put it up I was feeling more and more like Mary Poppins, just ready to take off and float down the valley. As my chair was on a wooden peg, there was no way to bash it into the ground as an anchor, and I really didn’t feel safe in using the brolly arm on the chair unless I could use the guy ropes to lash it down. Unfortunately there was nowhere suitable for this, so I just persevered. Luckily it wasn’t constant rain. We had the odd spell when it died down, and lulled you into a false sense of security before lashing down again!

 

I’m pleased to report that this time I was better prepared, and I had much better headgear. I’ve recently bought a Shimano Biocraft wading jacket for my fly fishing, and the hood that came with it is absolutely perfect. Kept all the wind and cold out, and made sure that there was still blood circulating to my ears. It’s a bit like those anoraks you used to wear as kids. All very well if you’re looking straight ahead, but turn to left or right and the world suddenly goes dark! I’ve never actually worn the jacket yet, but if it’s anywhere near as good as the hood, then I consider that I’ve made a wise investment.

 

After these three fish (well, three and a half if you count the tiddler!) I decided to rest the swim for a while, and stretch my legs. I threw a few chopped worms and my magic pellets in by the lily pads, then laid my rod down by my chair, and wandered over to have a chat to the others to see how they were doing. Now, and this you have to remember, by this time it had stopped raining……

 

I chatted to Rob for a while, who although he hadn’t caught much, wasn’t at all dispirited. I’ve fished with Rob before on my other pond, and several times we’ve both gone without a bite all day, so this was nothing unusual (sorry Rob!) I did hear Pete at one point, after he saw me landing my second carp, shout across “Come on Rob, you’re letting the side down!” No, Rob’s always cheerful, despite whatever the weather chucks at him. At one point, during a real deluge, he called across “Looks like we might be in for some rain….” Muppet!

 

Wandering round to Pete, I was able to watch him bringing in a lovely little carp, before casting out again and repeating the process. We then had a nice chat, and he told me a lot about the club, how it was run, some of the history of the lake and what species had been stocked and when, together with some information about forthcoming club events and other things that were in the pipeline for the future. I have a really good feeling about this club. I had a look at the pictures he’d taken on his phone of his tench (it looked much bigger than it had from the other side of the lake!) What a beauty! I then wandered back to my peg….

 

Oh NOOOooooooo! Janet, you dozy cow! It looked like something from a gory horror movie. Whilst I’d been away chatting, I hadn’t noticed the very light drizzle….I’d also forgotten to cover up my maggots and pinkies… What happens when you mix water with little wriggly things? Yes! The Great Escape! I’d need more than Steve McQueen on his bike to extricate myself from this mess. My side tray, arm and chair were absolutely crawling with the little buggers. You know when you spill a pint of milk and as it hits the kitchen floor it suddenly expands to a gallon? Well, a pint each of pinkies and maggots do much the same! They were all over the peg, rampaging through my rucksack and crawling into my rod bag! Thousands of them!

 

It must have taken me almost half an hour to try and clean up before I could sit down safely without a pinkie crawling over me. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against maggots and pinkies, provided they knows their place, which is in their designated bait tubs and not crawling up my sleeve! I immediately put fly spray onto the shopping list, as I feel I may need it in the next few days!

 

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, although livened up by Pete listening to his I-Pod and regaling us with tunes throughout the afternoon. When I say tunes, I mean tunes in the widest possible sense. Totally unrecognisable as music, apart from when he burst into an excerpt from Oklahoma during a particularly heavy and violent spot of sideways rain….”Oh what a beautiful morning…..” I really must start using boilies, as I’m sure a pouchful hitting him at 50mph across the lake would have shut him up!

 

By the end of the day, soaked and cold, with rain dripping off my hood, I’d managed to land 6 carp up to about 3lb, several tiddly carp of no more than a couple of ounces, two lovely rudd and another nice roach, although nowhere near as good as yesterday’s. As the light started to go and the rain got heavier and more persistent, we packed up and headed back to the cars. The last words I heard from Rob as he climbed out of his waterproofs and into his car were “Looks like rain later…..”

 

All in all? It was cold, it was wet, it was windy.

 

And I enjoyed every single minute!

 

Janet

Edited January 16, 2008 by Janet

[wanzelbin]

Thanks Janet. I hadn't seen the previous post either - very good reading (laughed a lot at the worm washing), though I've now got loads of work to catch up on!

 

D

[Darren T]

another good read Janet. though if you keep releasing maggots into the wild like tht your redundancy will be gone before you know it!

[Janet]

Thanks for your kind comments! I'm glad you enjoy reading my little stories. You guys on this site have been incredibly helpful, so I like to let you know how I'm getting on, and show that I do listen to all your advice.

 

I'll be much more careful with my wrigglies from now on!

 

Incidentally, Pete had a rather nifty bait tub, which had a second lid, smaller lid in the middle, which prevented his maggots crawling out if they got damp. He bought them on E-Bay, but although I've searched, I can't find anything similar.

 

Does anyone know where I could get some?

 

Janet

[Darren T]

i did find these on ebay janet. i dont know if you want 4 but for 6 quid its a good deal regardless.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-X-NO-ESCAPE-MAGGOT...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Janet]

You know, I really luuurrrrve this forum!

 

Cheers Darren. I've ordered some of those boxes. They aren't exactly the same, but they do work on the same principle, so I'm sure they are just what I'm looking for (and at only £7.28 for four, including delivery, considerably cheaper than I was expecting!)

 

Thanks for your help. You're a star!

 

Janet

[Darren T]

the thing is even if you dont want them all i am sure you can find someone who wants a couple of 2.2pint tubs for a fiver!

[Janet]

My escape-proof bait tubs arrived this morning, so no more mass break-outs!

 

Thanks again for the info Darren. Much appreciated!

 

Janet

[Darren T]

i just hope they work!

[Janet]

Well, after a couple of months of not being able to fish this lovely little lake due to bad weather and transport problems, I was very lucky last night. I'd been chatting by e-mail to Pete about various club-related things and he said that if the weather was OK today he was thinking of going up for a session, so would I like a lift and a bit of company?

 

You better bet I would! I was practically on his doorstep then and there, bag packed and my trusty mutant ninja kamikaze maggots raring to go! I'd just spent an interesting hour or so in the kitchen, making a batch of cheese paste, and was dying to try it out. Many thanks to the members on here who helped me with advice!

 

We'd decided that he would call me in the morning and we'd hopefully arrange a trip, but it would very much be dependant on the weather. This is a lovely lake, but really only comfortable at this time of year when there isn't a hoolie blowing. There’s precious little shelter here. The wind whips down the valley and finds all the gaps in your armour, chilling you to the bone, and it's not really conducive to a good day's fishing. I was up with the crack of dawn, (Dawn didn’t seem to mind….) and was just lying there listening for the pounding rain that we've had to endure for several weeks. It was suspiciously quiet out there....not a sound. I hesitantly pulled back the blinds to see that yes, as ever recently, it was still raining, but very gently. A nice, gentle, soft drizzle, coming down vertically for a change. We're more used to the heavy horizontal stuff round here! Things were looking good so far.

 

When Pete called me as arranged, as usual, he left the decision up to me. Did I want to risk it, and go for a fishing session in the rain? Why do men always ask such silly questions? I know why. It’s so they can blame us when it all goes wrong! In answer to his question though, yes, of course I did! I haven’t been “proper” fishing since the middle of November, and I was practically going stir-crazy. We arranged a pick-up time, and then I dashed out to the tackle shop for my usual – a pint of red and white maggots to go – then headed home to finish packing.

 

Pete picked me up on schedule, and we set off. Luckily the rain had stopped by this time, and I was hopeful that it would stay that way. There was still no wind to speak of, so that was a good sign. On arriving at the lake, we found Andy busy stringing up lines across the lake to deter the local goosanders, which are quite a problem round here. but apart from him, we were the only ones there. The lake was looking lovely. Despite all the trees being bare, and the water lilies having died back for the winter, it still looked very inviting. Barely a ripple touched the surface of the water. The bulrushes were still standing stately in the margins, although looking a bit worse for wear, but on the whole it looked idyllic, and we were very fortunate that the wind was just about non-existent. The hawthorn bushes and surrounding trees were also bare, but full of birds chattering away. I spotted a couple of moorhens on the opposite bank, but they never made it down onto the water. Although a bit chilly, conditions couldn’t have been better. It was actually much warmer than we’d thought, and we were both commenting on this as we finished getting set up in our chosen swims. We didn’t begin to feel the cold until almost the end of the day.

 

I had a bit of fun and games on the bank, as I realised that I’d forgotten how to set up my chair, but luckily Pete was over the other side of the lake chatting to Andy whilst I made a complete plonker out of myself! Well, I knew how to set the chair up, but I’d just bought myself an umbrella arm and an extendable rod rest for it, and I couldn’t quite figure out where they all fitted! Oh it’s all far too technical for me! I should have had a proper practice session in the comfort of my own home! Still, eventually it all seemed to fall into place, and I was ready to start fishing. I really do love this chair! It’s such a refreshing change from sitting on my little folding stool. I set it up with the rod rest to my right (much better than trying to find somewhere to bang in a bank stick) and the umbrella fixed in position and ready for the inevitable action (yeah, right!) On my left in the tray I had all my bait boxes, full of maggots, worms, paste and my usual never-fail magic feed pellets. I’m pleased to say that my escape proof maggot boxes work a treat! Go on, escape from that you little buggers! It was almost like being at home. All I needed was a cigarette and a nice cup of tea, and yes, I’d managed to remember to pack both! It was so nice just to get set up, sit back and then reach for that “Aaaah” feeling. Almost as good as a pint of Guinness in the pub after work.

 

I was in no hurry to start fishing, as I knew that my cack-handed setting-up performance and clomping around on the peg had probably sent every fish within 50yds diving for cover, so I threw in a few tiny bits of cheese paste and a few willing maggots, then went over to chat to Pete as he got set up. We spent some time discussing the forthcoming work party next month, which it is hoped will help us make some improvements, although for me it is just perfect as it is. There are plans to improve the bank access round the lake to the far side, rebuild and repair a couple of pegs that are getting a bit beyond it, trim back some of the lilies which are getting rather overgrown, tidy some of the overgrown grass and generally help to make it into a place where it’s just nice to be. Let’s just hope that we get enough members to allow us to do all this work over the course of a weekend. Why are anglers so quick to criticise their clubs, yet so slow to volunteer their services when they are required?

 

Anyway, eventually I got fishing. I gently cast out with a couple of competent and highly trained maggots who proceeded to go on a work to rule, whilst Pete was having bites like there was no tomorrow, and landing fish. After a couple of missed bites, he landed his first fish, which I think was a mirror carp. Weighed in at 1lb 9oz, but fought like a good ‘un, as most of them do on here. On one of the other waters I fish, even double figure fish come in quite meekly to the net, but on here even the smaller ones put up a fight that belies their size. It was only a few moments later, during which I managed to hook a good fish (the one that got away?) and then lose it and have several good (but missed!) bites, that he landed his second of the day. Exactly the same weight at the net, but this time a lovely long, lean crucian carp. I was quite surprised. The crucian looked much bigger than the mirror, despite being the same weight, but as he explained, it was much slimmer and longer in the body. It was in absolutely perfect condition though. He said there wasn’t a blemish on it. I was sitting about twenty feet away, and even I could see it was a lovely fish. I commented on the beautiful red fins. I was rather envious! I don’t mind missing bites, but not when there’s someone else watching! Oh dear Janet. You must do better!

 

Thankfully, my luck changed before too long. I gave my highly trained maggots a rest, and switched to using the cheese paste that I’d made the night before. Best Danish Blue and a whole round of mature Stilton, mixed with bread, olive oil and a touch of chilli powder. My son arrived home from work as I was making it and thought I was cooking him something interesting for his supper. Tough luck son. Complain to Childline if you’re feeling deprived. This is mother’s bait!

 

I moulded the paste carefully round my hook, leaving the point just exposed, and I cast out more with hope than expectation. I really wasn’t feeling lucky today. I was happy just to be there, and enjoying the experience. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. Within minutes I saw the float dip. Firstly it dipped below the water tentatively, then it bobbed up again and stayed there for what seemed a long while, leaving me a bit disheartened, thinking I’d managed to miss yet another bite. I seem to be good at doing that! Oh well. Better luck next time. Then, out of the blue, a second dip saw it sail off with a real determination. “Oh no you don’t”, I thought, and suddenly I was into a fight with a true leviathan of the deep. Well, almost! After a good fight, I landed a lovely mirror carp. I don’t have any scales, but I knew it was a good one for this water and particularly so for the conditions up here today. Pete, bless his little cotton socks, brought his scales over, and we weighed it in at 2lb 8oz. Yes, I know that’s not huge to some of you carp anglers, but it’s the biggest one I’ve caught from here, and it was a wonderful feeling. After hearing other anglers talking about fishing up here and blanking recently, we were more than happy with our catches today. It put up a great scrap for something of that size, and I was delighted with it. It put up a bit of a fight as it came to the net, so I was delighted to have captured it. It didn't want to be caught. It nearly wasn't, as I realised too late that I'd reeled it in too close....still, I got it in my net in the end.

 

I didn’t get so much as a nibble after that, although Pete managed to net a monster that was just a bit shorter than the length of worm he was trying to catch it on! Still, who cares. Towards the end of the day, the sun going down was producing the most fabulous winter light, that sort of special light that you just don’t see at any other time. All things considered, it was a lovely day.

 

The weather stayed kind, the company was good (so long as you don't let him start singing!) and that’s just what fishing is all about to me. It’s not about huge catches. It’s not about bigger and better every time. It’s about being out there, having fun with good company, catching the odd fish if you’re lucky, but most of all, going home after a day and then planning for the next one!

 

Why didn't I discover this years ago?

 

Janet