This mornings session I was like a fly with a blue backside. I just couldn't settle. I usually have this stretch to myself but after positioning ones deadbaits a figure appears from around the bend, a fellow maggot dangler.
To be fair he's a decent chap and we've had some good conversations in the past because he is after carp and whatever comes along and I yeap, you guessed it, I am usually after the Zander.
We'd arrived at the same place but from opposite directions and both wanted to fish the same area. Not an issue there is enough space, but I want fishing on my terms, no one in sight.
He'd started earlier than me, 2 hours in-fact and I was banskside at 7.00am, an early started for sure. Nothing wrong with that, the best time to go, when the fish feed, the bigger fish off guard.
The problem was he'd walked past a shallow bend where there were carp spawning, a good 10 to 15 fish doing what they do this time of year. So my plan of trying for a few more bloggers points kiboshed there and then. Not only is there Zander in the stretch we both headed to, but there are Carp too.
I wanted to try and winkle one out before challenge end, and out of all miles and miles of canal I fish, this small section they are ALWAYS here. Well unless they've their minds on other things and yeap. I chose the day they are partaking in bankside bukakke. (Don't Google it, for God-sake )
I gave the swim half an hour for Zander but nothing doing at all, I rarely blank in the area too. hmmmm, they are certainly off the last couple or three weeks.
See'ya, I'm off. 10k steps done within a few hours, various areas fished.
I'm finding bites hard to come by at the minute despite putting the effort it. Ones rewards have been few and far between of late, like I've done something wrong or something.
In a typical canal session I'd at least pick up a few fish leapfrogging like I do, but swim after swim, section after section, even changing the canal entirely, I've struggled for a bite.
After countless dog walkers, odd looking joggers who look like they'd need oxygen at any moment and death old'uns who don't respond to a 'morning' , ones resolve was becoming tested for sure.
But then I need to remember the good times here, not the bad !!!
So I headed to the swim that produced my PB of 9lb, a last horrahhhh ?
One bait smack bang in the turning bay, the other next to some cover. The towpath now like a circus, there are less people in my village I'm sure of it. Anyway an hour in, the right hand float starts to bobble, only tiny indications at first, but then a pull of around an inch.
A bite, a bite !!!, it then went to a confident pull quite quickly, so I lifted the rod tightened the slack and pulled in to the fish.
Then with a couple of seconds I lift the fish up to the surface and see its flanks and then can actually see the bait being pulled from its mouth. Damn !!! looked a good stamp of fish too, possibly a >7 lber such its statue.
I should have let the bite develop a little further, but not having a bite for a while, these thing happen, I got caught up in the moment. Now sometimes put the bait back out there have another go as it, but sadly not in this case. A blank to end this years Closed season Zander Quest, which to be honest, has been as tough as old boots. Luckily ones mixing with the great unwashed is about the end and the river season is upon us.
I was starting to lose the will and that's not like me Pt 167, yes Pt 167, if anyone needs a break or a bit of luck it's me, I think I need a distraction from fishing, anyone point me to a rave in Manchester ?
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