Warwickshire Avon - Phalluses and Physiognomancy

Now a meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while those using mathematical models and knowledge to prepare daily weather forecasts are called weather forecasters or operational meteorologists.

A job where a finger in the air seems to used extensively because, I'm not being funny but they seem to be more wrong than right these days where you would think with all the aids at their disposal it would be the other way round. 

You see I woke up to a couple of inches of the white stuff that wasn't predicated and when I left home it was still coming down in quite big flakes and must have been at least 3 inches when I left a few hours later after the inevitable. Anyway the snow was perfect for making snowmen or having snowball fights, but I thought this was far more apt to describe the situation. 

To be honest I'd chosen the evening before what I was going to target and that was a Pike. Here in the winter the bait fish shoal up and the pike are not far behind. I've never managed one of the big'uns get, a 12 lber being my best I think but there are some nice swims to fish especially with snow on the ground. 

So two rods, both baited with roach I had a few hours to drop in to these likely pike holding spots where every ten minutes or so I'd twitch the bait to try and get a reaction off a pike, if it was in two minds whether or not to take the bait.

It's surprising how many times that has worked over the years and it can often mean a blank is avoided but with the water temperature even lower than yesterday at 4.4 degrees ⛄❆⛇❅

But if anything is going to bite it's a pike in these conditions where even the chub can be often found huddling together with that extra layer on.

I'd disturbed two cormorants when I was headed down to the river and they were feeding throughout the short session. In one swim over at the far bank where there is thick cover every so often there was a huge disturbance in the water where the bait fish were scattering everywhere. At first I though it was a pike and after getting my baits over there quick smart the culprit showed itself upstream when one came out clear of the water and flew off with a belly full.

I love being out in these conditions though and we are lucky as anglers to see what we see when waterside. The fish were having other ideas because 4 swims down without a bite the 5 was my last gasp attempt to try and winkle out a pike before time was called on proceedings.

I've got all the winter gear now and to be honest I was pretty toasty but a fish would have been the icing on the cake because I fancied a picture of a pike in the snow with me holding it. 

As much as I had my fingers and toes crossed though it didn't happen so I made a hasty retreat and cranked the heating up in the Jimny as my hands by this point were feeling the chill.

It's hovering around freezing as I type so I suspect the snow will be hanging around for a while. The main roads are fine but they rarely grit the country lanes near me so some dicey driving conditions, but you know me, I'm certainly not just a fair weather fisherman, bring it on.