Batting Opened, 49 for 2!...30/12/06

Well, I got afloat for the Anglers Afloat Winter Tournament - later than expected as after deciding last night to probably cancel, this morning was a glorious day, but windy. Great thought I, except my little girl was ill, so I cancelled anyway. Lunchtime came and she felt better, and wanted to go to her grandparents. So, at 1:30pm I launched at my alternate spot (not enough hours of light to head for my usual stamping ground).

the water was low, very low. No-one on the kwas catching, the boats I saw weren't catching - and nor the bloody hell was I!

Resigned to a blank, I crept wide past another boat moored mid-stream and had my first run, on a blue mackerel Shakespeare Big S. The run stopped and the lasiest pike I ever caught sidled up to the boat. I'd say around 3lb in weight, he measured up at a stunning (!) 49cm from fork to tip of the snout. Not the smallest pike I ever caught but certainly not a big one. But hey, I don't mind what size they are, I just like to catch them.



Things didn't really improve, and more paddling got me nowhere. With it getting late I was heading up past a second moored boat, and stopped to have a chat. Trying to light a cigarette was proving difficult so I modified the flame on my lighter and nearly took my ****ing face off, much to everyones amusement. Anyway, had a good natter and lapped up the 'I like your style' and 'do you catch from that?' and 'must be s truggle with a large pike' comments, and we wished each other luck etc. I headed back up to the starting point, then down again and a couple of hundred metres from them I had my second fish on! This back-breaking tackle-wrenching stomach-churning hard-fighting leviathan of the depths dwarfed my redhead Shakespeare Big S (just) and took almost 3 seconds to fight to a standstill. I'd say he was around 16oz, as it sounds better than a pound tops, and if I'd had a measuring device graduated in millimetres i'd have gone for it. 250-300mm tops, but as runner-up I placed him back quickly instead. Not that i'm complaining, mind, a run is a run and a fish is a fish.



So, thanks River Waveney, thanks Mr and Miss Esox Lucius, and thanks Starvinmarvin for the excuse to get out. And get soaked towards the end of my afternoons fishing!

England, 49 for 2!

Pre-Christmas Jack Yakking...20/12/06

Well, finally after weeks of torment I got out on the yak today. Due to it being half a degree below freezing and as foggy as a really, really foggy thing I went for the pike rather than the cod - going to sea would be really dumb.

Paddled around for a while with no luck, fishing gold shiner and red headed Super Shad Raps. Eventually, though, after an hour the gold had a take - and a nice fight from a half decent fish.





Hooks out and he gave me a smile:



3lb 9oz, and back in he went.

Then, nothing for another hour and a half. Getting fed up with the raps getting fouled with weed (after trying some other lures here and there) I stuck on a couple of Shakespeare Big S plugs - one blue mackerel and one redhead.

A minute went by and then:



A beauty, great fight too, 5lb 3oz. Really solid and chunky looking fish. It took the lure in one gulp and I had to do some fiddling to get it out - it was a back of the throat job, swallowed. A couple of minutes of twisting and pushing (including going in through the gill rakers for the rear hook, which I hate doing for fear of damgae) and I sorted it out, and esox went back in none the worse for wear.



As you can see it was now getting dark and I was heading in. Strung the lures out again and a few minutes later I got another hit, which I didn't photograph due to the light levels having dropped considerably. I didn't get the scales out either as I hadn't used the net to boat him but estimate a 2.5lb'er.

Then, back to my launch point with no further takes. My new Mukluk Chota Light's didn't let in any water, but next time I'll put on thicker socks as they weren't really very warm. My Mustad Bib and Brace kept me warm and dry, my fleece and jacket made me overly hot and I'm chomping at the bit for the next session - cold weather wasn't an issue.

Cracking afternoon, thanks pike!