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He is also a very keen angler, having come back to the sport in 1995 following a break of several years. In this regular column he will tell us about his progress as an angler – his thoughts about the sport, what he learns, the fishing trips he makes, the anguish, the humour, in fact everything he experiences as his angling career develops.
Pilgrim’s Progress – read it everyThursday!
Back On The Big Bream Trail – Part Two
In last weeks Pilgrim’s Progress I wrote about the first threedays of my recent campaign into Suffolk, to fish a gravel pit. Mytarget was to catch a double figure bream. The first 53 hours offishing produced a tench of 6lb 14oz, but I also lost a few otherdecent fish due to hook pulls.
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So, how did the next 48 hours go? Did I catch the bream that I waswaiting for? Indeed, did I catch anything? Read on and find out howthings developed.
Day Four
Without any break in the rain, I was awoken at 1.00 am by theright hand buzzer as it suddenly came to life. The way the bite wastransmitting itself through the line and manifesting at the alarm andthe indicator I was convinced I had a bream on the end. As I struckand was met with the resistance of a lifeless lump that offered theodd ‘nod, nod’ of protest, I was certain this was missionaccomplished, and I was playing my first double-figure bream.
As I gently drew the fish in, over the bar and over the sharpdrop-off three rod lengths out, and through the dense weed, I was nowsoaked to the skin. My clothes clung to me like a wet-suit. Still, Ithought to myself, it will all be worth it once I get this big breamin the net. No mishaps along the way, and the fish slipped gently andwithout complaint into the waiting landing net.
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| 50 metres onto the gravel bar |
Weighing the fish, the scales settled at 13-3-8. But at this pointI need to say that it wasn’t a beam that lay in the sling, but acommon carp. When I first saw the fish as I drew it into the net Iwas really surprised to discover it wasn’t a bream. I would havegambled anything on the fact that I had a double-figure slimy on theend of the line. Shows how wrong you can be sometimes.
The rest of the night passed quietly with the rain finallyquitting about 7.00am. No more fish on Wednesday, although I did geta few line-bites towards the end of the day as darkness came upon thepit and big fish activity increased. I was now halfway through theweek, and not even a bream on the bank. Still, I’m forever theoptimist and as I dozed off Wednesday it was with a sense ofanticipation of what the second half held that kept me going.
Day Five
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| would they prove irresistible to a big bream? |
The second half of the week started very much how the first halfhad ended – a few line bites but nothing tangible on the bank. I wasawoken though, in the early hours, by a number of rats fighting inthe undergrowth around the bivvie. Banging the side of the shelterseemed to do the trick, as I heard no more from them after that.
The rat is one animal that I do not have any affection forwhatsoever. There is not even one ounce of positive feeling within mefor the creatures. Forget the cute and cuddly Roland, the emotionaland compassionate Ben, the likeable and humorous Ratty. The realityis that rats are dirty creatures that carry and spread diseases, andcause untold damage with their habit of chewing through anything thatstands in their way. OK, you get the message. I don’t like rats!
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Weather-wise it’s been chalk and cheese since my last visit threeweeks ago. Then, apart from one spell of heavy rain, it was sun, sun,sun. Temperatures were in the high 20’s and I lived in shorts andt-shirt for the week. This week had been much cooler and we’d hadlots of rain and wind. Still, I’m not complaining. It’s better to bewet, muddy and cold by the side of a lake than sitting at home by awarm fire…..err…..isn’t it?
As darkness descended I settled down for the night, bringing theoutside items into the bivvie. Zipping up the door I was greeted by asight that didn’t exactly fill me with the joys of Spring. Arat-sized hole had been gnawed in the side of the bivvie. Gingerly, Iwent through everything inside, just to make sure that the offendingcreature was still not hiding away.
What I need now, I thought tomyself, is a nice double figure bream to take my mind off rodents.But did I get it? How did the final hours of the session go? All willbe revealed next Thursday (It’s sounding like an epic) as I concludemy Suffolk experience with ‘Back On The Big Bream Trail – PartThree’. By the way, my second mid-term school report would nowread ‘C+. Well done for persevering. I’m sure it will all come rightin the end. Remember, you’re not in a sprint, but a marathon’. Seeyou next week.
The Reverend Stewart R Bloor
Sedgley International Christian Ministries
PO Box 1216, Dudley. DY3 1GW.
Telephone : 01384 – 828033
Web site : www.sicm.org
e-mail : missionscentre@sicm.org
