The King and the Dragon

Sunday was bloody freezing when I ventured out of the house with the tackle in toe. Who ever said it was summer is kindly mistaken when it is 7 deg C at 06:30.


I arrived at the lake for another bash at the bream, but found that the swim I wanted to fish was taken by another angler who was fishing for the elusive carp. So  I ventured to another peg and found the newly constructed platform was so high that even the extra long bank stick would not got in. And without a pod, I had very little chance of getting the rods in a position I was happy with.
In the end I made the most of the swim I had and crudely setup the rods in a rather haphazardly. But I was fishing.

To avoid the small stuff, I ensured that the rigs were baited with decent sized baits. Double flavoured corn over a bed of fresh casters and hemp. the second rod was baited with fake corn and send over the far side of the lake to sit it out.

After an hour, the float sailed away and the first fish was landed a pristine roach of about 9oz, good start. Float was recast, abit more loose feed over the top and I sat back and poured a cuppa. The day was warming up and whilst the fish were groggy after a cool night, the wildlife was starting to wake up. A local squabble was under way with the lakes residents moorhens. It seems that mother moorhen no longer wanted her juveniles about and was intend on chasing them off into the thick lilly pads.

The reason for all the noise was that the mother moorhen had in fact a second brood of the year and as such didn't what the older siblings from taking the food she had gathered for he younger chicks. This squabbling when on most of the day. On the far side of the lake the blue flash was actively working the fry from the man made structures, she seemed not to be feeding others, but herself and I must have spend a good half an hour watch her diving on the vast shoals of roach fry. I did manage a couple of shots of her at rest. Including the opening phot were she was looking up in at the dragon fly, passing over her head. I was completely immersed in the birds and wildlife and this did result in a number of missed bits on the float, but it was worth it.

By midday, the temperature was soaring and bites were becoming few and far apart. 9oz roach were abundant and even the skimmer bream made an appearance along with some hybrids. The second rod was quite and the only bleeps on the buzzer were from the carp crazily crashing on the surface in the midday sun.

By 2pm the one and only quality roach was hooked and landed, A shade over a pound and a welcome sight, but it still wasn't the tench or bream I'd been targeting on this session. One day, I think I tackle the roach properly on this water.