Its the time of the year when the spring sun shine warms you heart and the sights and sounds of spring lift your spirits or. it just bloody cold and miserable.
Today was the latter 10 deg C which coupled with brisk northerly wind made it feel like -10 deg C.
I arrived nice and early and upon leaving the warm of the car, the cold hit me. But it wasn't just cold, it was freezing. After a chat with some hardy overnight carp anglers, I headed for the opposite end of the lake where there was some shelter from the cold wind.
It was hoped that it would just be me that found comfort out of the wind and perhaps the tench would too.
I set about getting the best out of the conditions by fishing three rods with completely different rigs and baits to give myself a fighting chance of a bite or two.
First out straight was a method feeder with a size ten hook baited with two reds, the second was a the marginal bolt rigs with caster on the hook, plus a PVA
bag of hemp and casters, the third and final rod was a helicopter rig with fake casters and a feeder full of reds.
Soon I was under the shelter boiling the kettle for the first brew and a pot of porridge for breakfast.
The porridge was going down nicely, when the middle rod Delkim sounded. The bobbin shot to the top clunking on the rod and the bait runner started to fizz. Rest!
I was soon attached to a fish and it felt ok so after applying some pressure a fish came to the surface, but it didn't have a nice dark green look to it, but a dark brown look.
The bream was soon subdued and was in the net.
At around 4lb it was a decent slab, but not what I was after.
The bream was slipped back and the feeder refilled and recast.
Looking about the lake, I had been joined by a pole angler and a carper, whilst the pole angler was further down the lake, the carper came and plonked themselves within spitting distance of my left hand rod. With plenty of room on this lake for 15-20 anglers, I do wonder why some people choice to invade your space.
The wind started to subside and there was a glimmer of sunshine, but alas the glimmer was soon gone, the wind picked up and the heavens opened.
Sitting under the shelter, I was starting to question my sanity sitting here half in spring gear and half in full winter gear.
The rain continued for an hour, but as it stopped the bobbin on the margin rod started to dance, seem like the roach had woken up.
After five minutes of the bobbin raising and falling, I picked up the rod to find something attached. Upon in a tiny roach had snaffled the bait.
The morning soon past wit not alot of action and after rebait, recasting and rebagging I set about cooking up a warm lunch.
With lunch done and the mess tin tidied away, I sat back with a brew. The rain had disappeared and the sun poked through on occasion.
On once such appearance, the middle rod was showing signs of life, short rises and falls of the bobbin, but I sat on my hands until the bobbin shot up and the bait runner churned.
Upon picking up the rod, and I was pleased to find a health bend in the rod. The fish headed for the weed bed, but I managed to turn it and it headed back out in to open water.
The fish rose to the surface and I caught sight of it, it wasn't a bream that was forsue and as it came closer, I was certain it was a tench. The fish came to the surface and it was a nice looking tench with a big paddle tail. I grabbed the net and steered the tench to the net rim..The tench saw the submerged net and turn with a powerful surge from the paddle.
The line went slack. B*****ks!
The sight of the tinca disappearing into the depth was both a pleasure and a pain.
But it was a sign that spring had sprung and better times would hopefully be just around the corner.
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