Well I managed to get out on Saturday for a few hours in the glorious barmy temperatures of 10 Deg C and warm south westerly winds. No scrap that, weatherman got it wrong again.....
Well I managed to get out on Saturday for a few hours and the temperatures did briefly get up to 7 Deg C, but soon plummeted to 4 Deg C and water temperature did not rise above 2 Deg C.
Craig and I arrived early to find that most of the water was still covered in about 2" of ice. It was so thick in placed that adult geese could stand on it and when you threw a stone into the air it bounced across the surface with that bonk, bonk sound. The wind was up, and whilst it was starting to move the ice, it failed to break it. In fact all the wind did was make the ice flex on the water to give you that weird noise of cracking straining ice. Very eerie in the day I have to tell you.
The water was for once clear of diving birds, no grebes, no cormorants and no goosanders.
We did after a hour find the top end of the water to be ice free, so we unpacked the car and trudged down to the first swim. The water is finally coming back up after what was a very dry winter, so I was hopeful that we should be able to find some of the deeper marks.
I cast a Joey mackerel out on rod 1 and was just casting the second when the BBB sounded and I grabbed the rod. line was peeling slowly off, so I tightened down.. Nothing. I reeled in and not a marked on the bait. line bite?
After a couple of hours of no events, there was a swirl on the surface about 20yds out. Not a Pike, but I suspect one of the large bream had come into the margins. Hopefully a sign of feeding fish, but alas as quickly as it arrived, it disappeared back into the depths.
11:00, we made a more to a new marked, looked on paper to be deeper, but with a gravel bar the Craig's' drifted bait struggle to make much head way at set at 10ft depth. Even at 8ft it struggled.
11:30 the BBB on the lamprey rod sounded and this time the line was peeling, slowly, but steadily. So again I tightened down, slight feel of resistance, then nothing. So I reeled in slowly. About 30yds out, it went solid for a 10 seconds that dropped off. On inspection, the bait had teeth marks. It looks like the pike had followed the bait in and tried to take it before it reached the bank. Oh hum.
By 14:00, with the wind shifting and now coming from the north, the rain driving in we had enough for now. With a long and soggy walk back to the cars, it was a hard slog. Must be out of practise after a long Xmas break.
Anyhow, It was nice to get back outdoors and fish, even if it was only for a few hours.
Got a double head coming up later in the month so will probably try out one of my other waters.
TL
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