First of all, thanks for setting up a tournament once again Starvin’, a cracking excuse to get out, and even my wife was agreeable to me spending the whole day going fishing instead of taking care of my family responsibilities. I was even excused my husbandry responsibilities on my return at 11:30 last night! Yes, I shall do the washing up this morning.
I set my alarm for 6am. This is a time I remember from years ago, a most uncivilised time frequented by drunks emerging from hedgerows and horrifying creatures of the night returning to bed. As it was I woke up shortly beforehand and surprisingly managed to get out of bed – without waking my wife up too! I switched the alarm off, although it went off while I was drinking coffee and reading about Neil’s fantastic success – I was going to be hard-pressed to top that.
I’d had a think about what I might be able to catch: my predatory Pike and Perch, the usual Roach and Rudd, Eels, Ruffe and Gudgeon, a Chub or Tench might make a welcome appearance (I’ve caught neither) maybe a Bream and possibly a wild Carp. Perhaps a Dace or Bleak might appear but I don’t think they make much of an appearance here – Trout and salmon certainly don’t! There was also the possibility (though very remote) of getting some Minnows and Bullheads, but I didn’t find any. So there were some possibilities to do well, but some were in the realms of fantasy. I could see seven that were possible.
I was armed with my two spinning rods and reels but had added a box of coarse tackle bought especially – legers, floats, swimfeeders, split shot, microscopic hooks and some 3lb line to use as a leader. Not ideally suited for general coarse fishing but it would be fun and I really do not need anymore rods.
So, around 6:15 I left the house in sunshine armed with a tub of maggots and my Prowler and headed for Geldeston, a nice launch point with cracking amounts and varieties of fish and a d**ned fine pub to boot. I had to be home by 11:30 so this launch would see me out for around 4 hours. Nearly there it occurred to me that the access gate on the dirt track would likely be closed, so I diverted to the River Waveney at Ellingham – again an easy launch point and a very pleasant stretch of river. It ad started to drizzle in the last few miles but this stopped by the time I was unloaded and on the bank – I had cloudy blue skies and sunshine all day with a bit of wind but nothing too bad (So glad Richi chose the date this time!!) Neither of these places are open to motorised boat traffic, so the water is clear, weedy and teeming with fish.
Unloaded and all tackled up I launched. Fishfinder was U/S through the batteries having died – not needed anyway, just curious as to the depth here.
I paddled for around 15 minutes to a mark which I had previously spotted (last summer) a huge shoal of big Bream. Being a tree overhanging the waters edge made it interesting anyway as these are favoured spots of Perch and Pike – using them as ambush points – and other fish as cover from those, herons and other predators. I’d got nothing on the troll, and with the amounts of weed about only ¼ of the length could be trolled anyway.
Sticking 3 red maggots onto a size 18 hook I cast about 2ft out from the tree. The float bobbed almost straight away and then went under – I struck and was into something very good – certainly a few pounds worth. Maybe 10 seconds in and the hooklength snapped – size 18 hooks have very light line tied as hooklengths. I tried again, same thing happened and I loosened the clutch right off. Maybe 30 seconds or so and the hook came free. nuts! What they were I do not know – in that water either chub, Bream or Carp. I cast out again and had my first boated fish: my first Chub, a juvenile:
I caught a dozen more, similar size, and missed loads of bites then dropped the float down to raise the bait in the water. Immediately the float hit the water it bobbed and went under. I was now into the Rudd. Similar in size to the Chub I caught a bunch of these with a few more Chub thrown in. Still not picking up anything different I decided to move for the last hour of this session.
Trolling the weedless stretches with a Shakespeare Big S (blue Mackerel Pattern) saw no takes. Stopping amongst lilies to reel in until the next clear stretch I saw a massive swirl as a pike lunged – and missed. Reeling in some more the myopic fish managed to miss it again! It seemed to be in the 6-8lb region. A few casts produced nothing except one follow at which a smaller fish – maybe 4lb – made a run and veered away at the last minute – I saw it clearly and I suspect he saw me too! A change of lures – first to a Perch Pattern of the Big S and subsequently a Rapala Surface Popper in Perch Pattern. No more action.
About five more minutes of paddling saw me by another tree under which I cast the maggots with a size 18 hook. Immediately I had a run from another large fish which was on for a good minute before again snapping my hook link, disappearing once again unseen. I was bloody livid by this time! On went a size 8 and a bunch of maggots and I repeated the success of reeling in loads of small Chub and Rudd.
I paddled back with no hits on the lure rod and set off home to make a picnic and go to the zoo with my wife and girls (we only have the one car you see). Two species caught, 1 missed.
Manoeuvring the situation effectively I deposited them and saw them through the gates before heading back to get my rods and maggots (in the fridge) and hit the River Hundred, which runs through marshes along the bottom edge of the zoo. It was here I’d fished in the winter competition and caught the 10lb Pike that had taken 3rd place in the AA vs. KFDU competition. I figured luck might come my way again in the two hours before fetching the girls back.
I launched from a bridge straddling the main A12 into a river covered by lilies. Apart from a few small areas there wasn’t a lot of clear water so I headed downriver to where I knew I’d find some trees – hoping that the water would be clearer here. It was.
Down went the float rod and maggots and up came a stripy little Perch. Another tiddler and another species.
I pulled out a couple more and moved further down to the corner my pike had come from. Here, on the bend, there were a few clear patches and I dropped down onto immediate bites. Another Perch came up followed by a handful of juvenile Roach.
Time ran out after a pleasant time here and I went to fetch the girls. 2 more species bringing me up to 4. Instead of meeting where agreed, however, I had to go and find them. Following the sound of the jungle drums (a typically Suffolk thing) I found them watching the Zulu dancing and had to remain for half an hour. Not a problem as it’s a good show. It also gave me the opportunity to nick loads of delicious cherries off the trees by the place they use!
Herein lay another bit of smart manoeuvring. The family were off to a friend’s house for coffee and cake (they’d taken the daughter with them to the zoo) and I managed to get dropped off at Oulton Broad for a couple of hours more fishing. I really cannot believe my luck this weekend!! Anyway, I launched and went looking for the Pike – this being my usual spot and being one that usually produces. Not today though and I gave up trolling, after snapping a rod while trying to lift a lure out of a snag (got it in the end though)
I then stuck some maggots on for some more species whilst chucking a lure out now and again. Just a few small juvenile Roach (and a possible Dace but I’m not convinced so won’t claim it) came to my hand before my wife called to say she was back to pick me up. I didn’t blank, but neither did I add to the species list. It was then time to go back, have dinner and get the kids ready for bed.
Back out for my fourth launch, and back to the River Waveney – this time at Beccles. This has a stretch that often produces a Pike on the troll but this time resulted in a Dory. Not the fish but the boat. Anyway, I anchored up in a bay a mile down from the launch point by a bridge where I used to fish as a teenager. I’d seen a decent fish jump there too and the water was high which is ideal for lure chucking here.
I cast the Blue Mackerel Shakespeare Big S and wound it in. Maybe five turns after starting and it was hit.
It’s easy to forget the power of river Pike against those from the Broad – and this one fought a hell of a lot more than its size would suggest. I didn’t weigh it, didn’t even lift it right out of the water, unhooking over the side. Around the 4-5lb mark and in beautiful condition I had tempted species number 5!
While changing over to a pair of leger rigs on the rods (quite a current at this point) I got asked to go and take a photo of a chap and his son with a 16lb Carp fresh out of the river that day (they’d had Tench as well). As I couldn’t get out and run around (half hour of daylight left and I had fish to catch!) I passed him my camera. He failed to take a picture and totally ballsed up all the settings on the camera so much so I could neither focus, take a photo nor adjust anything. Battery out, in again and then camera reset to default settings. Anyway, sorted that out, got given some sweetcorn (left mine in the car) and went back to my spot and dropped anchor again and sat back to wait.
And wait.
And wait.
I moved upriver. Legering sweetcorn on one rod and red maggots on the other I sat in the dark. And waited. The spinning rods can’t take a quivertip so I had to hold the line or just reel in now and again – no chance of striking shy bites.
Reeling in the sweetcorn I felt some weight on the end but it didn’t feel like a fish. That’s because it wasn’t – I’d got myself a Turkish Longclaw Crayfish.
It spent the night in a bucket and my kids were playing with it this morning. They like them you see. I like them too but this one is being saved for my mates’ pond – enclosed and unable to escape it may help keep down the population of his pond. If not, I’ll eat it another day.
Down went the bait again, replaced this time with maggots, and I waited some more. The trouble with fishing on a river at night with legers for small fish is the compulsion to smoke far too often. It was just after one of these that I reeled in species number six!
A fighting-fit and bloody slimy eel was banging away on the end of the line, tying itself up like a bootlace and slithering around all over the place. Not a bad eel at all, but as is their wont the hook was right down. Instead of knocking it on the head to take home for Pike bait or pulling the hook – and its stomach – out I cut the line as close to its mouth as possible, in the hope that the tiny size 18 hook will rot away in due course and allow it another chance.
Anchors up and time to come home. Four launches, 2 rivers, 1 Broad, a bunch of hooks lost, and six species. A bloody marvellous day out and a reminder how much fun fishing for small coarse fish can be. I'll do it again regularly I think.
