The Close Season Zander Quest Pt.183 - Bouncebackability and Bourgeoisification

A Newey Easter curry of opulence, this one a rich and refined Moghul dish which in years gone by were intricate and expensive to prepare, served to kings and sultans in elaborate imperial feasts.

They would include ingredients like cream, nuts, meat and expensive spices such as rose, cinnamon, saffron and cardamon which were used liberally to impart a delicate and sophisticated fragrance. The meat slow cooked for two hours so it can be cut with a fork, no knife to be seen here.

For this concoction of mine apart from the birds eye chillies and fresh coriander sprinkled on top those red flakes are rose petals believe it or not and they really did make this rich spring lamb curry one to remember. The rose petals adding romance and flavour, well that's what I told the Wife anyway.

The chillies pack some punch so a serving of yogurt based tangy raita on the side offers a nice palate pleaser.  Now opulence is a good way to describe this new stretch I've been fishing and I needed to keep the momentum up to try and track down that quest closer. 

I was in two minds whether to even both going fishing as overnight the temperatures had plummeted and I'd be waking up to a frozen windscreen and having to dig out ones gloves.

Fish cannot exactly warm themselves up under a hot shower now can they but like reptiles and amphibians, fish are cold-blooded poikilothermous vertebrates meaning they get their body temperature from the surrounding water.  

Temperature also affects metabolism and metabolic processes occur quicker in warmer water, this also adds to the amount of oxygen fish require. The biomass of Zander especially in one swim really was an eyeopener though so dropping a bait on the brass monkey's Zanders head one could well be up for a feed. 

The sun rise was very vibrant indeed and the sky would be clear all day. Not exactly brilliant conditions for fishing but this would likely be a short smash and grab session.

And to be honest an hour in to the sparse bush swim with only a dropped take I went on the rove. Two swims down eventually a couple of tiny ripples around the float a bite develops. 

The fish was going to the right and headed right under the cover so I had to find what had taken the bait  far quicker than I usually do. Zander can mess around with the bait before taking it confidently, but when they do they really don't care what they are dragging along with them.

This wasn't one of the Zeds that reside here though it was a micro pike, a micro pike that didn't like being caught at all, miserable so and so.

The footfall was getting busier once the dog walkers had had their cornflakes so for the last forty-five minutes or so I retraced ones steps and I sat it out in the swim where I had caught most of the Zander from over the previous two sessions. 

There was nothing doing at all, the floats illuminated by the strong sun which cleared the mornings frost rather quickly, the cold water now clearing, I cut the session short, the outcome even if I stayed much longer I'm sure would have been the same. 

But that is fishing for you, I'll be back, with the day being rather nice indeed, the boats will get start moving again, well lets hope so because any colour in the water really does help the Zander fishing.

The weather is still cold going forward but I need to keep up the sessions as I know this is the best time to catch a PB or even a double. 

Two evening sessions already planned, the area rested from my attention for a while could well work in my favour going forward and next time here Sam will be manning the lure rod to hopefully pick up one of the Zander that swims in these hallowed waters.