Awoke this morning to a settled looking day and had a good feeling about it, contrary to what I'd been led to believe the weather looked good, settled and rain free.
That was it. Instant decision made. I was going to my local commercial to test drive a recent acquisition. Last year I treated myself to a Preston Response M70 pole and recently, being impressed with it, added the Response Carp to my arsenal.
A brief shed visit to cube some 8mm luncheon meat and I was done and on the way.
I arrived to find few anglers present and plenty of space free so I plonked myself on the main match lake in a swim which has good form and a lovely set of reeds on the far side courtesy of an island, easily reachable with 13m of pole.
I started off with a rig I recently tied myself, 8lb main line carrying a Preston Tyson float down to a 14 on 6.9lb trace. That might sound a tad heavy but late last year I found myself attached to a real munter, circa mid twenties, which I lost when my mainline broke. I was gutted and did not care for a repetition.
After thinking about yesterday, I opted to start with a banded (indeed Bandem) Sonubaits 6mm white chocolate pellet. Pellets really "blew" on this fishery a few years back, expanders excepted on occasions but I had a good few fish on them last year so thinking they may no longer be quite as persona non grata as they were, I started with a bit of confidence.
With some Giles Robson blues on the ipod, I didn't have long to wait. The first Milky Bar kid was a common circa 1lb 8oz. Gotta start somewhere. A couple more followed, 1lb or so and one around 2lbs. After catching see through roach on the Yeo, these really did feel like giants.
I was well impressed with the pole, it handled well and I felt confident with it.
After a couple of tiny carp, circa 4oz each, I struck into a bream around 1lb 8oz. It turned out to be a lone specimen as the carp moved back in with six fish in quick succession, including the biggest around 4lbs 8oz.
A couple of small roach also piped up, one around 7oz, the other 3 or 4.
The carp came back, fish between 1lb or so and 3lbs and another skimmer around the 12oz mark, unusual in that looking at it, one eye seemed higher up the head than the other. Anyway, Iziah (one Iziah than the other...) went back unfazed.
Things quietened down on the pellet and I switched to a cube of finest Plumrose. The carp came back, peppered with the odd skimmer and a single early season tench, a giant of maybe 12oz.
I also had a perch around the same size on the meat and that fish looked newly minted. Nice.
A couple more carp finished the day, the last fish of the day, as often happens here, was the biggest, maybe scraping 6lbs.
As I had a fair bit to do, I really couldn't stay as long as I'd like but ho hum, I'd made the effort and the new pole had had a good debut.
Back on the river for season's end next week, I reckon. Best of luck to all for the end of another. As Binka mentioned, here's to lighter nights and the odd sneaked evening session. Cheers.
