After a couple of trips to Lyons Gate, I decided on a return to my usual haunt of Revels Fishery and a swim that I had in mind, on the main match lake. This one carries a small extra charge - which you can pick up if one's pole touches the electric fence right behind it. A careful positioning of a high legged pole roller, however, should leave the warming up to some decent coffee and, courtesy today of Pink Floyd, some decent rock.
This swim is a real pole banker with a lovely island at about 13m right in front, with margins that just scream fish.
Drennan Acolyte Carp pole with a 6.6lb main line to a Preston Tyson float on 5.6lb trace and a barbless Middy 14. Been really impressed with these Middy hooks and trust them implicitly.
Bait was Spam, a mixed batch of cubed 4, 6 and 8mm, corn and some small prawns. I also had some 6mm strawberry Dynamite pellets but, interestingly, pellets "blew" on here a few years back and, although expanders can have their day, small cubes are the bait of choice. I also potted in chilli hemp with a few cubes, corn and just a very few pellets along with two or three cut up prawns.
On went a 6mm cube and, after 20 minutes, a skimmer around the pound mark took and was netted, quickly followed by another around half the size.
A shade before the hour mark and, after a couple of missed bites, the float stabbed under and a common around 3lbs battled well before being netted.
This swim also has a habit of producing close in and I tried my luck with just the top three and a mug of coffee but nothing today, nobody home.
I thought I'd change down a tad and put two 4mm cubes on and, after a quarter of an hour or so, a small roach around 4oz, quickly followed by an identical sample and a rudd maybe an ounce lighter.
Another pot of hemp with a single sliced up prawn went and in and the Spam kicked up to an 8mm cube. A mirror around a pound and a half followed bringing a half hour of nothing although a grey heron landed nearby and a well laden RAF Chinook struggled to or from somewhere.
I thought I'd stretch my legs and that's when I remembered the fence, courtesy of the buzzing, tingly feeling in my feet. A single profanity sufficed and I moved both the pole and myself to a place of safety, in my case the on site tackle shop where I promptly bought enough Middy hooks to build a hammock and had a quick chat with the owner who always makes me smile. I'm always accusing him of something he's never guilty of, emptying the lake, making me spend too much, but he always takes in good stead. A real good sort.
Back at my swim and another coffee now on my box table, I went back out with an 8mm cube and soon hooked into something solid. After a good, solid tussle I slipped the net under a barbel around 4lbs. Nice. Big smile.
Another small carp of 12oz or so was soon followed by another around 2lbs. I thought I'd try a single of corn which brought a small carp, circa 2lbs but felt a lot slower than the meat, call it intuition, I switched back to the meat and soon had a small perch around 5oz. I really began to enjoy today, the weather was the usual watery sunshine with odd spits of rain but, largely, good for the time of year.
Another pair of small skimmers and a roach followed some good news, the various lawyers, estate agents and the like had decided on a date of 26th April for the new house. I wished I could hibernate and wake to find it all done, I detest it but it has to be done I guess. Should open up a lot of new waters anyway so that's something positive.
Just as my mind started to wander, another solid thwack and a lump which turned out to be a mirror of come 6 and a half pounds. It fought really well and reminded me of Bill Sykes' dog in that it was missing half a fin, had one eye that looked decidedly blind and just looked like a Liverpool sailor in general. A little like the late, great Father Jack, in fact.
I went back out for one last ship out as er indoors had discovered some new toilet seat we apparently couldn't live without and, to keep the peace, I promised I'd join in a trip to Argos with the same enthusiasm I would apply to raiding the float displays in Ringwood.
The last fish was another tiny carp of maybe a mighty half pound.
It was good to beat the rush hour traffic to be truthful and, I have to confess, I ended up showing a little too much enthusiasm over a London Transport tube map bedding set which was added to the toilet seat. She smiled at the guy in Argos and said "he's paying".
Forty two quid. I could have had a stack of stick floats for that. Yet, I buy a tub of number 8 shot and the questions flow like the Severn after a downpour. I'm a martyr sometimes but then, I suppose, aren't we all?
That said, after getting home to a very decent steak and chips, she'd recorded last night's footie AND fast forwarded it to the start of a premier Liverpool performance so do I have anything to complain about? Not really, no. Will that stop me? Refer to previous answer....
Take care, all and have a great last week of season.
