Small Brook Fishing Pt.25 - Milk Bottle Tops and Microminiaturization

Its been a while since I've visited the little stream to do some fishing but with the local rivers banging through again I was hoping there would be some rebite here. I've caught all manner of fish from this diminutive waterway and it was the dace in particular that really surprised me because there are some really nice chunky ones to be had.

Tis the season to be jolly mind you and like the dace from this dirty stream there is also no hiding from my winter belly, lots of socialising of late and plenty still to come . To be honest it's the same as this year on year where the 1st of January brings abstinence and clean living to one's life order, where the willpower is certainly tested. 

.....Mussssssssssttttttttttttttttt Resist !!!!

Anyway a bizarre dream the other day post some lovely French Bleu d'Auvergne, a very lucid one this.... anyway an enterprising tackle dealer with a shop near the local lunatic asylum chatted up the psychiatrist in charge one day. 

'Look,' he said. 'Why don't you encourage your patients to take up fishing? It's very soothing, very therapeutic. Make the world of difference to their well being. You've got a big lake in the grounds, anyway, and I'll be happy to sell them all the tackle they want."

'Good idea,' said the psychiatrist. 'Just one thing, though. We can't trust the poor lads with money. They don't know the value of it. So if they offer to pay in milk tops, just accept them and I'll settle up with you at the end of the month.'

'You're on,' said the tackle dealer.

Every weekday for a month the shop was packed with patients from the asylum. They bought so much tackle and bait that the dealer was constantly phoning the wholesalers to order fresh supplies.

At the end of the month, in came the psychiatrist. 'How did you get on with my lads?' he asked.

'Marvellous,' said the dealer. 'No trouble at all. They bought no end of stuff and paid for it all, just as you said, in milk bottle tops.'

'Great,' said the psychiatrist. 'Well, I'd better settle up with you now. What's the damage?'

'Five thousand seven hundred and forty three pounds 11ap, including VAT,' said the dealer.

'Seems reasonable to me,' said the psychiatrist. "Can you give me change for this manhole cover?'

Anyway to the fishing, well I had a pint of maggots and a float rod and that was it. The stream was well up however despite that, there are small areas of the stream that I could fish. From small slacks to back eddies. It didn't take long to catch the first fish either, literally the first chuck of the float it shot straight under a fish was on.

The first fish was a brook brownie and a rather skinny looking fish and a fish that looked a bit sorry for itself. The next fish, well that turned out to be a decent roach, however stupidly and very cavalier of me I decided to swing it in because I hadn't extended the landing net handle. 

Well you can guess what happened, yeap it and the hook parted and gave me the two fins as it dropped back into the drink. 

....Oh FFS !!!

Lesson learnt and all that I got about fishing again...

Plenty of bites from roach, dace and also a hybrid ? but once the bites dried up and a I tried another couple of swims, I decided to knock it on the head when the rain started in anger.

So around an hour and a bits fishing, was actually pretty prolific really considering the colour of the water. Nothing big mind you apart from that roach that dropped off but all in all I satisfying box ticking exercise where I needed to get out drowning maggots because this seasonal affective disorder has kicked in bit time and I need to seize every opportunity I can.

I will hopefully get out the weekend though and next week it's Xmas but I will be working till the death sadly because I've burned up all my holidays up this year. I'm just hoping the river will be in better fettle than they have been recently.