Warwickshire Avon - The Untrodden Pt.9

A gin clear Warwickshire Avon is never a good proposition really when piscatorial pursuits are on the agenda, because invariably you know the outcome of the session before it has even started. It's just tough as old boots out there usually and unless you fish in to dusk and beyond often those bigger fish just don't show up at all, they are not stupid...

....unlike the snot rocket the Pike mind you often they go against convention and decide not to use their brain even though they have one. 

Talking of which, these carp below are on a technology park I work at a few days a week and they are certainly not stupid because at lunchtime they all congregate near a walkway bridge to be fed by those that work at the site. Sadly the site is CCTV's up to the eyeballs as I'd have a go for them. It would be like fishing at Tunnel Barn in the summer I suppose, but with the added attraction these carp will be worth catching, with the biggest grass carp I would say were over 20lb. 

Now a northern pike's brain is small relative to its body size, making up only 1/1305 of its body weight. This is typical for most fish, whose brains are usually about one-fifteenth the mass of a similarly-sized mammal or bird. Some biologists believe that the small size of a northern pike's brain may explain why they are not concerned about predators. Others say that their sharp teeth mean they don't need to fear anything that moves in water, air, or on land.

In comparison, the average human brain is about 140 x 167 x 93 mm and If spread out, the human brain would be roughly the size of a pillowcase. Talking of pillowcases I was surprised I managed to get out of bed when the Fitbit vibration alarm jumped in to life because I was nestled between a couple of warm pillows myself and I didn't sleep particularly well if I'm honest, so I could have stayed in bed and enjoyed the sanctuary. 

But no, I stuck to my intended mission and with one pike rod and a packet of smelt decided to try and winkle out a Pike from the syndicate stretch. I'm an inpatient angler I must admit and a roving one at that so sitting it out in one swim is just not for me so this sort of session is perfect especially when I wanted to case out a potential trotting swim.

I'd taken more of a look at one of the swims I made the first time I was here and it looked ok to trot, however with many of the stingers now wilting and dying off because winter is on the way it it looks a much more comfortable swim to fish nowm, and this session confirmed it was good to go. 

Anyway I didn't have long because I had a busy day ahead but enough time to try and winkle out a pike or two. I arrived just after 7.00am and as I hot footed it across the wet grass a 40 strong group of cormorants flew overhead most likely having just left their roost ready to plunder the fish stocks somewhere in for them anyway, perfect belly filling conditions. 

I got fishing anyway where it wasn't until the third swim the smelt got some attention. A bob of the float at first which I saw out the corner of my eye, where after nothing developed a twitch of the bait to get to rise off the bottom soon led to full on run.

I tightened up to the circle hook where the pike went off on a chub type run trying to get in to very bit of cover. Its spirit was no match for my dedicated pike rod setup so it was soon in the net after a decent battle. A lean pike that could do with a feed and was probably circa 7.5lb or so but it certainly brightened up the relatively gloomy day with a nippy wind.

That sadly was my lot, I fished another swim however that was the only bite of the morning. A blank avoided and if I'm honest I was quite happy with that. There was literally no fish topping or showing whatsoever, so this face was most welcome.