Method in my Madness

 Firstly, sorry for not posting for near on six week, but I been very busy with PAC teach in, family do, etc. This has left me with little time to fish of late, but things are settling down and hopefully with a good wind, a few more trips should be made.

I had been out the last Monday for a short session, but due to unintelligent angling, and lack of time, my caught rate was poor with only a couple of bream and roach coming to my rods.

So with Saturday promising to be fine weather, I planned to go out for the whole day after tench, but half expecting bream to turn up as well.

Car was duly loaded up at first light and I was soon on my way to the lake for the day.

On arrived in the car park, I was surprised to find no other cars there, so I had the choice of the swims.

Barrow was soon loaded up and I was on the far bank with the wind on my back.

After a 10min walk, I was in my favourite swim and happy unloading the gear in my usual OCD manner.

Soon the rods were on the pod and the spodding was to begin in earnest. Twelve large spods of bait mix was deposited in an area about 35-40 yards out  on a gravel feature which was three foot shallower than the surrounding water, so the fish home in on the area during the day. I also baited a marginal area with a pint of hemp/corn/dead maggot mix next to some reeds.

After 1/2 an hour of allowing the swim to settle from the spod bombardment, Two baited methods feeders were cast out, one baited with three hair rigged fake casters and the other double reds to the mark float.

The method feeder rig I use is nothing special, it comprise of a Fox 43g method feeder and quick change swivel then the hook link using hooks between 12 and 8 depending on hookbait.
I had added in recent weeks a 1/4g pin down lead to help reduce the number of line bites and the hook length material have also been altered from standard mono to either braided or flurocarbon in 6" lengths.

The marginal rod was a simple semi-fix bolt rig, with a 10mm boilie for bait with a pva bag of crushed offerings.

It didn't take long for the bite to come and soon the bobbins on a long drop were jangling away with small roach attacking the baits.
Then a sail away bite came on the middle rod and the bait runner was clicking over. Grabbed the rod and a nice bend was felt with a fish on the end. Short but spirited fight and soon the target species appeared at the net, a tench!! Not a huge tench, but the first one of the season.

Quick snap on the camera and the tench is returned and I'm eager to get the rod back out, but the other rod is away and a large roach graces the net. All before 8:30am!!!

Both rods are now baited and recast to the marker and as the second feeder lands, a pair of lapwings can be seen on the horizon, another first for the season.

The lake is alive with activity and not just with the rolling tench and bream over the baited area. The whole place is alive with falcons, buzzards, song and games birds. The grass is green, the trees are in bud and there is real sense that the bank is awake and alive.

Whilst I'm in surveying the local wildlife the bobbins are twitching again and one of the method feeder rods is away again. The tell tell nod on the rod tip tells me its a bream, so soon its on the surface and in the net, score for the fake casters!!

Rebaited the feeder and its back out, but the other rods is away and a 2nd slightly bigger bream is soon subdued and in the net.

By midday, the total stood at a tench and roach, plus 4 bream and all when quiet. Time for lunch and a rebait of the margin rod which had remained untouched. The boilie bait was changed to fake corn with a real piece to top it off and this was put back out to the baited margin.
I was surprised that nothing have taken the boilie given the number of fish rolling over the top of the baited area, perhaps boilie wasn't on their menu today.

The quiet period ensued for a couple of hour and I started to think more spods were required, but then the margin rod baited with the corn raced to the top of the rod and dropped back to a complete slack line. The rod was grabbed and the reel frantically wound to catch up with the fish that was coming back along the edge towards me. Fish was self hooked and running, must be a tench or even a carp. Nope a 5lb Bream!!!!

The action then started to heat up on the method feeders, but the bite had changed, instead of fizzing runs, the bite became long and drawn out, three bream in succession gave the same type of bite, but each one was a fish in the 5-6lb bracket judging by the last dustbin lid fish.

By now time drawing on and with only an hour to go the total bream should at eight, in the last hour three more bream where added to the total giving me eleven bream, one tench and roach.
The total bag was in excess of fifty pounds of fish, with 4kg of mix used up, plus a tin of corn, half a pint of reds and some boilies.

The biggest bream was a good 6lb fish, maybe even a close 7lb fish.

What a result!

Tighlines