Warwickshire Avon - Kraken's and Kymatology

The chilled week in Wales seemed to go far too quickly despite not actually doing a fat lot because we had so much on our doorstep. With Halloween the weekend a chance conversation with an elderly lady who poured a rather nice pint of Sea Fury in a decorated pub. she'd pointed over to Coppet Hall beach where in 1910 the "Monster of the Deep of Saundersfoot" really scared the local population. 

You see while fishing with a wade on the beach at Saundersfoot in the early hours of Saturday morning, two men F. Beddoe and H. Thomas met with an experience which neither of them are likely to forget in a hurry.  

It seems that while drawing their net along a huge monster rose out of the water about a dozen yards in front of them and midway between the two men. 

It made a great commotion in the water, and blew and snorted like a whale. 

As far as could be seen in the darkness (it was 2 a.m.) it had the appearance of a giant octopus, with long feelers projecting from a huge black body. 

It remained for about two minutes, when it disappeared. 

The man Thomas, who was stricken speechless for about an hour, and who seemed much shaken when interviewed, said he felt so ill, and was frightened so badly, that on returning home he at once went to a mirror to see whether his hair had turned white. 

Great speculation is being indulged in in the village as to the nature of the monster,” but no satisfactory solution has been arrived at as yet. It is thought that this will put an end to this form of fishing for some time.“  Now sadly despite getting the kids involved to see if we could see the sea monster for ourselves there was nothing doing at all. 

An angler was fishing off the rocks though and seemed to be catching bass. Not huge ones admittedly  but considering all I could muster up was a dogfish it was rather nice to see. Now the sea always has offered mystery and intrigue where fish and creatures are concerned and its nice like fisherman don't exaggerate from time to time now is it. 

Like many I'm scared of the sea though, well it needs to be respected doesn't it because it can go wrong very quickly indeed. A little like the last but one day of the holiday where the heavens opened and it rained for almost the whole day.

A few quid spent in the arcade, a lovely chicken pie in one of the pubs it's surprising just how quick the day went. You don't need to dip your toes on the sea to experience it theses days though because there is vertical reality for that. Ben and Sam fully embracing it a few times, the pound coins quickly disappeared.  

Now VR is a big part of Automotive Design now and having being a sceptic it really is a useful tool and I cannot wait till the gaming world fully embraces it, because despite not being a gamer it could well offer another 'away from it all' experience that fishing offers me. 

There is a Kraken VR ride combined with a rollercoaster at Sea World Florida, I quite fancy giving that a go. Alton Towers used to have a similar ride, albeit it was a space scene if I recall. 

Anyway the first morning back on the Avon the only opportunity I'd get to fish there would be heavy rain for the whole session. but then I'm not a fair weather angler and I wanted to try my newly acquired cheap waterproof gear whilst we were away. 

Taped seams and decent feeling material what could go wrong, Well jacket and trousers for 22 quid, yeap, it could go wrong. very wrong. But then I was only planning to be out for a short while and any mishaps I could cut the session short anyway. 

Now the area I wanted to target I've caught Zander from in the past, ok nothing massive but I'm sure there are bigger ones that will slip up eventually.

The rain really was bucketing it down and the river going to rise again with the latest deluge. The river was perfectly fishable however still clear but with some depth here it still looked good for a zander bite. The waterproofs seemed to be holding up luckily and ok, not exactly pleasant but it was a short session so it didn't particularly bother me.  

What I didn't expect though was literally 2 minutes of dropping the bait in the margins I had a run, a decent run too so no messing around I tightened up to the circle hook. It felt a decent hold and after a spirited fight it was soon in the net.

5lb 8oz on the scales with a fully belly on it what a start that was. Probably the quickest bite I'd had from a Zander. That was it though, no more bites sadly with only a chublet caught on a huge lump of breadflake for the rest of the session. It's great to be back on the river, I love Autumn and the colder days and weeks to come, its more my thing. Oh and the waterproofs did their job rather well. yes I was surprised just as you. 

Saundersfoot - Puppy Love and Pupillography

With high-tide at 10.30pm I was umming and ahing whether or not to actually go fishing or not but I'd bought some mackerel from one of the limited options of tackle shops within the village, and the 40 mph winds that were due around decision time didn't seem at all bad.

If I didn't got this could well have been the last session and I fancied trying to catch another sea species to add to my limited tally, and I wouldn't catch anything without a bait in the water now would I.  

A walk down to the harbour at 8.30pm the sea was certainly choppier and the white water and crashing waves indicated things would get wild overnight. 

The harbour was filling up nicely and a chat to a boat owner who came to see if his boat was going to be fine, said that fill your boots it shouldn't be "that" bad because the "wind was going over us". It was the predicted rain I was more bothered about but it was still very mild and apart from the wind, almost pleasant. 

There was an angler on the outer wall already which has a stone and concrete apron which can make fishing from there difficult when retrieving tackle or landing a fish. 

At the end of the wall at the round section there is a vertical drop to the water which makes that section the favoured spot.

That spot seemed to be the go to swim so to speak but to he honest from a novice here the inner harbour wall was producing bites especially when the light went. 

It's much easier to fish off here and there are plenty of spots to fish as well and its handy it's well lit. The problem is during the day the inner harbour wall can get quite busy with crabbing going on which can limit your swim choice. What didn't help for me is that I didn't have a tripod so I had to use a bench or one of the harbour signs to elevate the rod.

A long cast is not needed, fish come very close to the wall but for me the best bites came the furthest I could chuck. 

I arrived at 9.30pm and another couple of anglers were already there but by 10.30pm they had already left. The angler on the outer wall was still there and I was determined to stick it out too.

I am glad I did as well because the bites started to come and after a fish dropped off assume a whiting or something I decided to stay put.

A couple of missed bites eventually a half decent fish was on and as expected it was a dogfish, this on fighting a little better than the last two.

The problem was as I was lifting it up the vertical  wall it was wriggling like a good'un and managed to lose the hook and it fell back to where it came from. Encouraging signs so I messaged the Wife to keep the RNLI in standby and got the bait out again.

I had been using mackerel strips cut from fillets but the frozen baits I caught were small whole fish so I defrosted them under cold water and cut the fish in to 20mm chunks. The baits seemed to hold more blood if that would make any difference. I'm sure it helped though because the bites were thick and fast and I bet I could have stayed till the tide went out.

I didn't take long for another decent bite (chub esk pulls) and another dogfish was on. The couple of caught before this session I almost reeled in without much resistance but these two pulled back a little which was nice to see.

Ok not massive dogfish only a couple of pound or so but the little bait nicking wrigglers can offer sport when the others fish are not interested. A couple of more decent bites without a fish on the end I decided to get back for a nightcap and before the rain got 'interesting'. 

Saundersfoot - Dolphins and Diverticulums

Well not for the want of trying we've tried a few different spots now at high tide, mainly from the harbour wall but also at a rocky area with the float. Desperate measures meant we swapped to a small lure from time to time, but we really are struggling for bites.

To be fair the others anglers I've been speaking to as well are also having the same outcome with only the odd dogfish being caught. Still the local pub(s) are well stocked and with the weather about to turn overnight hopefully I'll squeeze one more evening session it. (As I types this I'm 50/50)

The next high tide is 10.30pm so I might as well give it a go. The rain about to hit big time as is the wind. To be fair its been relatively mild given its nearly November but away from the shelter the wind that seems to be on the increase it does feel a little colder than that.

Still thus far a nice break away and who would have thought the same spot as Sam taking a rest from building sandcastles and digging holes we'd spotted some dolphins (This the other buoy to the right of the one in the clip). Sadly crudely filmed on my iPhone 7 but you can see them breaking surface. Well they appear to be dolphins porpoising I cannot think of what else they could be. 

A well deserved break from the CAD machine and unusual for us in walking distance of town. The property is only a 200 metres to the slip and from door to the harbour wall only takes 5 minutes to walk so all very handy, especially when it tucked away and nice and quiet.

So shall I go fishing again, I've still not decided !!! 

Saundersfoot - Dragon's Fires and Dromophobia

A rather large meal at Kookaba, an Australian themed restaurant based in the heart of Saundersfoot the evening before and then a decent home-cooked pub lunch in stupidly busy Tenby the Wife only wanted cheese and crackers. The rather large plate of pork ribs and cheesy garlic bread a meal to be honest both of us are not really used to.

Now my steak and prawns combo was quite nice as well to be fair with the steak a nice chargrilled flavour and cooked to how I liked it. I fancied some spice though and I stumbled upon a hot curry in the local supermarket and to be honest, it really was rather nice considering how cheap it was. I added fresh coriander to it and also some slices of chillies but I enjoyed it so much I might take a couple home for the freezer. 

The weather for this much needed work away looked very mixed indeed where we would be dodging the rain and avoiding the wind, but to be honest up till now (fingers crossed) luckily the weather predictors had got it largely wrong. 

Ok there had been rain but only the odd shower and the wind came in fits and bursts rather than been the norm. The tide times were favourable and  Sam and I have manged to get out quite a few times. 

The last morning session though only one decent bite where I'm sure after feeling the resistance the fish didn't come back for more. I decided to change the set-up and now using a simple running set-up, more what I'm used to because often after a long cast the ring would come back tangled. Inexperience, not doubt about it, so it was back a rig less likely to tangle.  

A builder working on a group of flats opposite the property we are staying as gave me an area to try for a dab. A deeper area basically near the harbour entrance but an hour there was sadly fruitless. When the sea is out I'll make sure I was fishing in the correct area, it did feel like it mind you as the lead took slightly longer to bump the sand.  

Even when the tide is as its peak it not that deep really but the fact you're fishing over clean sand means there isn't any risk of getting snagged. I fancied another doggy though so I'd fish myself later whilst Sam was in bed. 

Now Dogfish are common around the UK, especially around the south and west, and their willingness to feed on pretty much any bait presented on any rig sees them turn up regularly in anglers’ catches. 

This abundance, coupled with the small size of dogfish, means that anglers can at times see dogfish as a pest species when they repeatedly take baits meant for bigger and more highly regarded species. 

However, the dogfish is a member of the shark family and does provide a dependable catch on days when little else is biting, especially as dogfish feed just as well in bright sunlight as they do at night. 

The dogfish lives and feeds on the seabed in relatively shallow water around the UK, rarely venturing beyond fifty metres deep, and prefers sandy to mixed ground, although they can be found in numbers in some rockier marks.

Dogfish is not particularly nice to eat and has little commercial value, although it was once highly sought after for its rough skin which was used to polish wood and as a replacement for pumice. 

The fact that, unlike other fish species, dogfish have to be skinned before they can be filleted puts commercial fishermen off catching this species due to the extra work and processing time this takes. The status of the lesser spotted dogfish as a small shark is underlined by its modest UK shore caught record of 4lb 15oz, which has stood since 1988 apparently. 

Occasionally dogfish will be sold in fish and chip shops or fishmongers under the name of sweet William, rock or rock salmon (probably to hide the fact they are selling the unappealing dogfish). 

The population of dogfish appears to be staying stable and even increasing in certain seas around the country a rare thing indeed in these days of huge commercial pressure on fish stocks.

As we know most fish reproduce by releasing tens of thousands (in some species hundreds of thousands) of eggs into the sea. The vast majority of these will be eaten by predators, washed onto the shore or prevented from hatching in some other way. However, the sheer weight of numbers means that at least a few will make it through to maturity. 

Dogfish have a different method like sharks. They lay much fewer eggs which are protected in cases, known as mermaid’s purses. These cases are several centimetres long and attach themselves to rocks or vegetation and protect the fish as it develops inside. The dogfish grows inside these cases for around ten months. 

Once it is ready to hatch the baby dogfish is between four and five inches long and can fend for itself. This gives them a higher survival rate than many other species as the young dogfish are already fairly developed and are much more able to avoid predators. In areas where dogfish are common empty mermaid’s purses can be found washed up on the shore. Dogfish are believed to spawn all of the year round.

Anyway better get back to the fishing hadn't I. Well when I got to the harbour there were quite a few fisherman already there however still plenty of space to be able to fish. It's a lovely place to fish to be honest and very well lit in places so a chemical light for the rod top isn't really needed. 

I decided to give myself two hours and for the first hour and a half no bites whatsoever, the other anglers I could see were biteless too. Luckily for me though out the blue one really good chub'esk pull turned in to a decent bite and a fish was on. On the retrieve it felt larger than the first fish and sure enough when it surfaced it was. Ok not a massive set-up from the first dogfish but welcome all the same. 

I personally think they are cracking little fish I still want to catch one in the day though and get a decent picture of one rather than this rushed effort. No more bites till the end of the session and to be honest, 

I didn't see any other anglers catching anything either but then they could well stay much longer than I did. An enjoyable couple of hours though and I'm learning all the time and that's what its all about. 

I fancy another species to tick off the list though so I think we will persevere with the float set-up over the mussel beds on the slope and also try whitebait and also squid on the main rod. 

Saundersfoot - Metachronisms and Mermaids Purses

Now it's always an attractive challenge to fish a new venue for the very first time and especially when the angler is question is a sea fishing novice. I've had a dabble here and there for sure and banked some seabass but there are other species I really do fancy catching.

Gobies, mackerel, garfish, flounder the list goes on !!!

There's so much to learn from all those contributing factors which you hope will combine to help you actually catch something that's well worthwhile. A Bull Huss really would be nice, seemingly a dogfish on steroids. 

But angling is one of those sports where a bait chucking novice in the right time and the right place and show up the angler with much more experience.

However there's no doubt that familiarity with a certain fishing spot breeds contempt, as the angler learns which state of tide is best, that peeler crab is the top bait and daylight hours are useless, for example. 

Much like me as a river angler I've tricks and tips for specific species and no doubt that will be the same for the salt water angler. 

Those basic rules about each venue become engraved in our memory simply because the facts and features of success and failure are remembered, so they can be repeated or avoided. 

But it usually takes a first time visitor or a novice angler to remind you that fishing is never completely cut and dried, or that a well-known venue is not without its surprises. 

There are two basic approaches to fishing a new venue. Firstly, the angler must obtain as much information about the fishing as they can. The local tackle dealer, other anglers, catch guides, coastal reports, books and videos all offer valuable information, which without, much is left to chance, imagination and logic. 

The bonus side of the instinctive approach is that you're unbiased by factual information, and some would say, it's more enjoyable than taking everything for granted. 

However, few anglers would deliberately set out to fish a new venue without any inside info. This is left to the more experienced angler, who is less likely to proceed by trial and error.

The weather had cleared nicely after the morning blank so after a wellie walk from Saundersfoot to Wisemans bridge for an ok'ish Sharp's Sea fury pint I could actually see the ground I was fishing over. 

Soft sand basically and when the tide was at its highest maybe 6 or 7 foot deep or so. Now this dark session at high tide I decided to use the 3 hook flapper rig gifted to me by Scott Harris West Wales Fishing and this time scale down the baits I used for the first session. 

So small pieces of mackerel on two of the hooks and a small section of squid on the other. Scaling down I was hoping their would be a better chance of a bite. This time whilst the Wife was watching the F1 from the USA I'd cast a little closer to the wall as well rather than to see how far I could cast the baits.

As I said in the previous post the harbour is well lit so for the travelling light angler like me it is ideal for a bit of fishing because there is no need to bring everything but the kitchen sink.  

A sea tri-pod wouldn't go amiss to be fair as the harbour wall wasn't as big as I thought it would be, luckily the benches coming to the rescue. Sam was keen as ever because he got to use his new head torch and he really wanted to catch a dogfish.

 A much calmer evening and I could have stayed there all night quite happily. There was one other angler on the main wall casting in to the deeper water but we were quite happy where we were especially when I'd seen a dogfish caught the evening before.

After half an hour it was Sam who spotted the first proper bite and sure enough a few more rattles on the tip a fish was on. Now this Angling Direct Bass rod is a stiff old thing so it didn't really stand much of a chance but with Sam illuminating the water we had a dogfish on.

Not the biggest of the species admittedly but having not seen one up close before what a fantastic looking fish. It was well behaved too as I thought it would try and wrap its body around my arm. 

The eyes particularly wow !! it was unhooked easily enough and returned to where it came from. So it saved a blanked which many a sea angler can say. That was the only fish but as we were getting to leave a couple of old boys arrived just down from us and caught two in the space of 20 minutes. We'll be back for sure. 

Saundersfoot - Squaliformes and Squatterarchy

Saundersfoot for our weeks family holiday is a small seaside resort in Pembrokeshire, and one of the most popular holiday destinations in Wales. It has two beaches a family bathing beach and a quieter low-tide beach and a harbour, where boat trips can be arranged.

The village has a range of small independent shops including gift shops, a butcher and a small convenience store. There is also a wide range of places to eat and drink with plenty of pubs, cafes and restaurants to choose from.

With attractions such as Folly Farm, Heatherton Adventure Park, Tenby Dinosaur Park and Colby Woodland Garden also within a short drive, Saundersfoot is a perfect choice for a family holiday, but like all holidays in the UK we the Newey's like many other families would be dodging the rain. 

Now Permission to build the harbour was granted by Parliament in 1829 to the Saundersfoot Railway and Harbour Company for the export of anthracite coal from the many mines in the area, although coal was exported from the beach for centuries before this. 

The village grew up to serve the port which by 1837 had five jetties handling coal and iron ore and subsequently pig iron and firebricks from local sources. The course of the tramway from Bonville's Court mine bisects the village and ends at the jetty. 

The tramway from Stepside forms the sea front. The industry finally faded away in the early years of the twentieth century, so that today, the harbour accommodates private moorings, pleasure boats for seasonal tourism, and small fishing charters. 

Now luckily the tide times were kind and hopefully Sam and I could try and get a few fishing sessions in especially when we were only a couple of hundred meters from the harbour itself.

I'm no sea fisherman but like all anglers if there was a fishing fix to be had I'm all ears. Now a mention to Scott Harris West Wales Fishing a Youtuber who I got speaking to when I went for a nose at the harbour in hide tide the day we arrived. 

A good chat, some tips and he also gave me a 3 hook multi species flapper rig and a sticker for Sam's tackle box. He was fishing a match over at Amroth which is located on the south coast of Pembrokeshire 7 miles east of Tenby and at the start (or end, if you walk it the other way round) of the world renowned 186 mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path.

There is a petrified drowned forest, which reveals itself when the tide is very low. The petrified tree stumps can be seen poking through the sand and they have been dated to the last ice age!

There were quite a few anglers fishing the harbour where the easiest fishing is from the inner wall casting onto clean sand. A long cast is not needed apparently , fish come very close to the wall. Dogfish, flatfish, bass and other bottom feeding fish are caught along with mullet, mackerel and gar in season to float fished mackerel strip.

A quick google In the Autumn there are usually plenty of Tub Gurnard to be caught and sometimes smoothhounds although they are likely to be small pups.
Squid, mackerel or sandeel will take most fish.

A float set-up cobbled together from an old lure rod and also a cheap Angling Direct Bass Rod and also a Shakespeare reel hopefully we would pick up at least something.

Even a dogfish would do and luckily when I was talking to Scott an angler caught one when I was there. Now baits, well Morrisons finest mackerel, some white bait and some squid.

The first morning was rather a wet one with another 3 anglers braving the conditions. There wasn't much action for us and them apart from a couple of taps in the flapper rig rod. For such a cheap set-up <£60 the rod casted remarkably well and the reel has a nice smooth retrieve.

The float was nicely bobbing around too but nothing took the bait even close in to the harbour wall. There was a decent swell on the sea which might not have helped I'm sure.  

So when the rain was almost horizontal it was time to go but still I'm sure we will pick up something over the forthcoming sessions. Heck I might even scale down a little to at least get a bite. 

I think the best chance will be when its dark so I will fish a couple of sessions when Sam is in bed most likely. Luckily the harbour is well lit so fishing at dark shouldn't be an issue. There are a few other spots I can fish if need be but we will give this area a decent go first.  

Warwickshire Avon - Squid Games and Schematomancy

I don't know what all the fuss was over Squid Game having watched it now after the Wife was pestering me to watch it as it was on the social media must watch list. However there is one thing for sure, and that was that the mice in the Newey household loft must have been watching it with us too. 

Because over the last couple of days they have been lining themselves up to be put to the sword and many have succumbed to the plastic guillotine of doom.  Enough rigor mortis riddled psychotic Itchy impersonators for a belly buster breakfast for a pet snake, lets put it that way....

....it all started a couple of weeks ago when the odd rustling up the loft became more and more frequent and got to a stage where I needed to investigate. Sure enough when I opened the loft hatch and looked at the floor, yup the odd mouse droppings here and there was also a background smell of Stuart Little about it.

Now peanut butter is my go-to mousetrap bait but the larder cupboard was bare so a cheese triangle and some maple syrup came to the rescue, and boy what a revelation. I'd gloss over the gory detail but lets just say we almost skipped straight to the ninth episode of the Netflix series. 

Both of the kids schools wrote to each and every parent about Squid Game and he fact some of the kids were acting out some of the scenes, presumingly some of the parents allowed them to watch it, or they found other social media platforms to view some of the content. They highlighted it to being only suitable for fifteens and over 

If you haven't seen the series, it revolves around a contest in which 456 players, drawn from different walks of life but each deeply in debt, play a series of children's games for the chance to win a ₩45.6 billion prize, with a deadly penalty if they lose. 

A violent test of morality and humanity for sure, and something quite unique about the series if you can put up with the bad dubbing or even worse the subtitles.

Would I watch it again, errrrrrrrrrrr no !!!!

What I would watch again though is the float moving on the Zander rod and there was a Zander under it. 

Now with the tackle in the car it would be rude not to have another session especially as the Avon had dropped nicely and the area I had been fishing would have been in much better fettle. 

The last session it really wasn't ideal conditions with the river tanking through and the float being dragged off line. Groundhog day this one too as I'd pack-up half an hour before dusk and sit it out in another swim downstream to try and winkle out a Barbus as the light went. 

There is certainly a nip in the air in each and every morning now and the heating has been on and off during the day to warm ones cockles.

Still the fish are biting and that's the reason why I was here. When I got bankside I got speaking to a guy who had been in one peg since 7.00am so 10 hours or so without a fish. A couple of chub wraps and plucks and that was it. He recounted years gone by where he'd often had 5 to 7 fish all from the peg he was fishing.

Previous to this session he had 7 more that resulted in no Barbel whatsoever, tough going indeed...

Anyway bet get the rods out hadn't I, so I walked 5 pegs upstream and settled in to a swim with a nice slack and guess what, well within 5 minutes of getting the sections of roach out I had the first bite.

A very confident bite too, no messing around as the right-hand float moved from left to right and right in to the main flow of the river. As tightened up to the circle hook and it felt a good hold. Initially I thought it was a schoolie but then it kicked up a gear when it surfaced. Another nice Zed succumbing to the small baits. 

It was soon in the net though and was nicely hooked in the scissors, it can be a fine line with hook holds with zander especially when they start shaking their heads like they do. These circle hooks once they are in don't come out and this was well hooked luckily, it's my default hook now for Zander.

Anyway not a massive fish, not quite 6lb but most welcome all the same when the reports on the ground were that many had been struggling for bites. Two more aborted runs and one more bite I failed to connect I'm sure these are small fish not quite getting the bait in to their mouths. And that was it, two hours, once nice fish. 

Warwickshire Avon - Philargyrists and Photopolarimeters

I've never quite found the perfect float for canal Zander fishing that could also be used on the river. The Korum 8 gram Snapper Bobber Floats are almost there as they are very small indeed, made of high-buoyancy hard balsa and can withstand quite a bit of abuse.

But I've been using them of the river of late where unless you're fishing at close range they are difficult to see in lots of situations. To be fair the river was on the rise for this session and despite the turbulence of the 'slackish' water I was fishing they coped with the change in water quite well.

The Warwickshire Avon had reason quite dramatically in 24 hours and the gin clear water now had some colour in it perfect for Zander, well if it wasn't for the amount of debris coming down.

It had risen a foot and a half I'd say maybe more and I knew it wasn't going to be easy but the only real slack was close in so seeing the floats wouldn't be an issue. I like fishing floats for Zander and as light as possible because it amplifies bite registration. 

Fishing a simple running rig like I often do you just wouldn't pick up the same detail where sometime Zander can really mess around with the bait till taking it confidently. 

Often I'm sure they pick up the bait and drop it but with the floats being so sensitive that can be seen on the surface. They are finicky biters in the main but then can go all of a sudden Chuck Norris at the flick of a switch, 

So something like this inspired by the Bezos rocket 😃could do a job for both river and canal, because being a dumpy float with more red showing I could see the float much further away where on the canal its not really an issue.

What is an issue though is I've tried various nightfloats, even a bite activated night float all the way from the sleeping giant but none of them cut the mustard. 

The beauty of a 3D printer is that you can vary the wall thickness without having tool feasibility and issues so the float would always sit flat on the surface with the chemical light facing up. So 0.75mm wall and increase to 3mm or so should surfice 

Ok I knocked this up rather quick but you get the gist. I could print in clear material and fit a switchable LED light with battery etc, however as the bite activated float showed it just gets too heavy. 

Anyway the design came out at 8 grams (float only ) which considering its dumpier than the Korum jobbie I might get a couple printed and painted.  Now in many fishing books that refer to the Zander or Pike-Perch as almost a cross between a pike and a perc,  and many still believe today its the results of hybridisation and that it isn't a species in its own right.

That is because many anglers in the UK are still yet to catch one, and see this magnificent fish with 'Dracula Teeth' in its own right.  With Halloween just round the corner its a great time to get accustomed to the species. 

Anyway back to the session the bites came thick and fast however after four runs and no fish to show for it it was obviously small fish picking up the bait but not quite getting it all in. 

That can happen on the canal a lot hence why I use small baits in the main because both a big fish and a small fish will take a small bait. 

Eventually the bite culprits revealed themselves and a couple of schoolie two pounders were caught.  They may be small but for me its encouraging signs because there will be much bigger fish around for sure, and its nice seeing this class age appearing in an area they hardly showed before.

Now I did have a fruitless half an hour in to dusk for a last gasp barbel but after some debris took me out twice it was time for the off. With the river dropping I'm sure in the next couple of days it would be in great nick for a Barbel. 

Hopefully I can get back out Friday evening as that's the only window of opportunity I'd get, before that I've another ideal for the 'ideal float' watch this space, this one includes a light source but still light enough for its application.