The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.*** - Gastrophilanthropists and Grim Discoveries

Stupidly I decided to watch the news yesterday, the first time in a month or so now. The lockdown clearly not happening in many parts of the country particular London where some of the scenes were frankly quite staggering, a pre pandemic public picnic on stanozolol.

Mixed messages from the Government and clickbait media hasn't helped, it's all gone a bit Pete Tong hasn't it. Luckily I've resisted the temptation to get on social media, common sense me thinks, especially with ones keyboard bashing temper tendances.

Now talking about not good, fishing is still be off limits which ain't ideal for ones wellbeing usually, but I've had a good week thus far, a new small stream and small river set-up purchased, line loaded, quiver bent.

A TFG centrepin and an 8ft Darent Valley which has an ultra-slim blank looks just the ticket for those small waterways I love to fish. Both for under 90 quid which I though was pretty good. I like centre-pins with a knurled knob because in the field with some other pins I've got you need to carry a screw driver which is easy to forget until you need it.

So with the fat harbouring Zander topped up with a belly filler every couple or three days for ones water fix, the swim well and truly primed and ready for when the draw bridge is raised.  The canal at the moment literally alive when the suns out, it helps that water levels are low, the clarity clear.

Carp in numbers, not huge ones, but they are so easy to spot, backs out of the water, bow waves created. I won't bore you, but the fry and also the roach shoals are quite staggering really, even the Wife seemed impressed and usually her eyes glaze over with anything fish or fishing related.

Tadpoles in their thousands throughout the 2 miles length we walked. Their path often hindered by the marginal branches, reeds and leaves. They soon figure it out though and get on their way, where exactly are they all going to anyway ? Still a nice sight to see, the fish no doubt will get fat because of all the food that is coming their way.

Now during this lockdown something hit home, an angling acquaintance once told me his life's ambition was to retire to a town or village with a river running through it. I really am spoilt with the waters available to me, 5 minutes by car I can be on the canal, small river, stream or brook, 10 minutes I can be driving down the banks of the Warwickshire Avon.

Fingers crossed that a new WBAS syndicate stretch of the Warwickshire Avon comes to fruition, if so it will be cracker, seeking solitude as a fisherman is where my allegiances lie, this will deliver that, with a chance of a barbel too.

I'm not bothered particularly with fish of specimen size. The location and setting trumps that, if I don't see anyone else, a thumbs up from me, this will be that sort of venue, only the like-minded in attendance not a full car-park.

One thing I will do this coming new season will be to fish with worms, so I've started a wormery to breed and fatten my own. A small compost caddy, coir lined, some topsoil and we are all ready to go, just need worms now to call it home and some potato peelings to get it started.

Now a message from someone out of the blue was a bit of an eye-opener, a skull and other human remains, yes you heard right, a skull have be found at one of my club waters.

The area where the grim discovery was made, is very well known to me, not only having fished opposite it quite a few times last season but also I found the injured kingfisher a stones through away from it.

I'll be keeping an eye on the local press to see how the case progresses, this looks like one for 'Frost'

Sam turned 9 Saturday, he is eager to get back fishing too. No fishing related presents this time, a cabin bed that despite saying it would take around 3 hours to assemble, it actually took over twice that.

Still the tunes were blasting, the elderly neighbours wondering what the heck was going on, I quite enjoyed it. So his new bed sorted, some redecoration and the Jeremy Wade canvas print now pride of place on his wall next to his big plush Zander which now has somewhere to call home.

I thought having a birthday without his friends to celebrate with it would upset him. But no we had a good day overall. Some lego building, a nice walk out fish spotting, a wayward armed octopus that you connect to the hosepipe kept them occupied in the 23 degree heat.

A Chinese take-away as a belly filler and afterwards Facetime with Nanny Brenda and Grandad with the lighting of the Colin the Caterpillar cake.

Even the balloons he didn't think he would get was waiting for him after his bath, balloons I'd not seen before, the Wife doing good yet again, we knew he had day when he asked to go to bed without any promoting, he was battered.

So as ones hair gets bedraggled, the beard now past the itch, I'm surprised I've managed to keep these ramblings going on for so long.