Its Raining Cat & Dogs, but its Nice Weather for Ducks

Saturday was yet again fishing time, but with the forecast of heavy rain, I was hoping that at least it would hold off for me to get to the water and set up for a days pike fishing.

The alarm went off at 05:30 and it was the usual thoughts for 15 minutes before I got up, showered, dress and headed down stairs to feed the matrix cats and get the gear ready.
I was out of the house by 06:30, but was somewhat delayed due to having two hitchhikers on the back seat. Buster and Spike, whom had been let out for their daily antic's, but had decided that a days fishing would be a great adventure. After 10 minutes of chasing them in,out and back in the car, I rattled the cat treats and lured them back into the house in order for me to make a hasty get away.

I arrived at the water by 7ish and as I was putting on the bib n braces, one of the other local angler drove into the car park. We exchange pleasantries and discussed where we were going and both set off on our way.

I had decided to fish a large bay, hoping that the maybe some of the big females had started to follow the jacks into the bays for spawning.

By 07:30 all rod were baited up and cast out around the bay at different ranges. Usual baits were on two rods, but a golden oldie was on the third, a sprat. Now sprats aren't a bait that I have used for many years. Usually they are bought to be crushed up for prebait or to fill up the baitbombs with. But as I had a number of large ones, I decided that I would give them a go again.

By 08:00 the rain had set in and i quickly setup the brolly and pulled the rucksack and other bits underneath it. I must admit, I don't like fishing under a brolly as it takes the edge off a days fishing and means that I tend to sit under it and vegetate. But today would be different as i had picked up the wind up radio from the utility room on my way out.

So radio was charged up and turned on to a local radio station and the boredom book came out. The boredom book as I call it is a book that i pack at the beginning of the season, but knowingly does not comes out very often due to fishing with others and or catching fish, but because I was tucked up under the brolly, it seemed appropriate that it should come out to accompany the radio.

By 09:30, the baits hah, had a good soaking and recasts were in order, but on the bluey rod I decided that I would add a bait bomb with home made filling.

Baitbomb with homebait attractor

After the third rod had been recast, I hear a snaffling sound behind me, i turned around to find some type of dog with it nose in the cooler box. The owners were no were to be seen, so El dog O was ejected nicely from the cooler box and off he ran up to the top path.

As nothing much was happening on any the rods by 11:30,  I decided that I should present one of the bait higher up in the water. So one of the ledger rigs was reeled in and as I was re rigging it as a roving float, the enhanced bluey tail was off on a run. I got over to the rod and tighten up and struck. Solid resistance was felt and I was into a fish, but just as my thoughts were of what sort of size it was, it was off and i reeled in the rig to find a nicely mangled bluey tail.

Somehow the pike had picked up the bait, whilst missing the two trebles, run off with it and then ejected it once i had tighten up. Oh well, ho hum.

Midday came and it was again time to recast and rebait. The sprat had remained untouched so was replaced with a smelt and the mackerel was re juiced and send back out.

Lunch was consumed and snack bar shared with the ducks and I laid back in the chair and my mind started to drift onto the end of the pike season and the start of the bream/tench season in April.

Know I love my winter pike fishing, but this winter has been so cold at times, I really haven't wanted to go out. Instead i wanted to be under the warmth of the spring sun fishing for big bream and tench. I'm also think that on one of the waters I fish, they have some big Roach and Rudd. So I hoping to get some of them too.

Anyhow, back to the rainy pike session.

My thoughts are disturbed by a swirl to my right and a pike has caused a commotion on the surface within ten feet of the bank. The roving smelt, is quickly reeled in and cast underhand to the location of the swirl. For ten minutes its retrieved and cast out in the general area, but nothing take it.

The afternoon is soon upon me and the rainy is still lashing down. I starting to feel abit bedraggled and my thought are of packing up and head home in time for the Man U game. No I not a Man U fan, but the wife is, so i wanted to be home so that I could watch it with her and spend some quality time with the missus.

A wet net, but only due to the rain

15:30 comes and I pack up and walk (slipping/sliding) back to the car. The wet gear is load into the boot of the car and I'm away.

Not the best of days in terms of fish, but sometimes it is nice just to be out.

Next weekend is my long awaited trip to Bluebell Lake,  Peterborough with the PAC, so I have that to look forward to, whilst I get through a week of work.

Tightlines