It Was a Busy but Good Day

I was up today before the cock crowed, I was surprised to see a leaden grey sky that virtually touched the roof tops, going outside to top up the bird feeders I thought "Its a roach fishers day today" When I left the river yesterday evening the sky was clear, frost was starting to settle on my tackle and clothing. I had two trout though one was a good fish for the River Ribble I reckon it would have been well over 3lbs I also had a nice chub about 4lbs. Most of my fishing time was taken holding a rod that didn't want to move. I really thought I would catch as the W/T had risen by 2 degrees F. I reckon the fish realised there was going to be a drop in the temperature.

Having fed the birds I had a shower then breakfast of porridge followed by toast and tea. Collecting a gun from the gun safe I then chucked a few cartridges in my pocket. My first job today was scare off the cormorants. Having loaded all what I needed for the day. I drove into town to collect the Angler's Mail and Daily Mail plus two loaves of wholemeal bread. Fifteen minutes later I am parked up at the top cabin. The light was just appearing on the eastern skyline as I made my way across a very muddy and partially flooded field to the river when I expected the cormorants to appear for breakfast. After wriggling myself into a willow bush for camouflage I waited for the predators to appear. Ten minutes later five cormorants flew low up river, giving quite a long lead on the first bird, (these birds are very deceptive in flight and it’s easy to shoot behind). Suddenly the quiet dawn was disrupted as I pulled the trigger, by the quacking and squawking of about fifty ducks taking to the air, at the same time cormorant crashed to earth. The other panicked and flew in all directions, to make sure they disappeared I fired the second barrel Doing an autopsy on this creature I discovered a well partially digested trout of about a pound. If you have a fishery or are a member of a club, I would recommend you apply for a licence to cull cormorants, yes, I might only be allowed to shoot five but by having a licence to shoot cormorants, I can also fire the gun to frighten them off my fishery.

Two Mink destroyed

Back at the cabin I put the kettle on for a brew and then sorted out my tool kits, I had to replace some barbed wire and two fence posts. Tea finished I went off to check my mink traps, a fine misty rain was falling with a definite rise in the air temperature, First two traps were empty but I was lucky with the 6th and 10th trap both contained a mink. A shot from the rifle ended their destructive way of life and a few more song and water birds would survive this spring. Making my way back through the wood I was lucky to take out a grey squirrel. It had been a good morning with the predators. Back at the cabin I locked the guns away, the repaired the fencing. Having done that job I collected an eight foot pole which has a hook on the end. It was time to patrol the waters edge for night lines that local thieves set. I'd probably covered a mile and a half of river bank when I found two hand lines which were quickly removed. In place of the night lines a set a surprise on the bank for the thieves when they return. Some years ago I crept up close to a thief one night who was fishing for trout, then set off my dummy launcher which uses a .22 blank. He didn't return all I noticed was a horrid smell.

Having completed my walk of both sides of the river about 4 miles it was time to make up a load of bread mash for feed, when I left the river last night I filled a large bucket with dried bread then covered it with water. When I arrived this morning it was ready for mashing. I see too many anglers arriving at the waterside with a loaf of bread purchased that day. The first thing they do is stick a few slices in the landing net to make some mash. All they get is a horrid gluey mess not fit for any fish. The way I was taught by my grandfather was dry the bread out in the oven or airing cupboard. I dry my bread out in the boiler room, I had my wife pick up a few fine mesh washing bags which are ideal. I fill these with chunks of bread, which after a few days will be well dried and perfect for making mash. Collecting the bucket of bread I poured the lot into a fine mesh net then allowed the water to drain away. While this was happening I checked the hook I'd been using for sharpness, it was ok so all I had to do was remove a couple of feet of line then retie the hook. Having squeezed out as much water as possible from the mash, I dumped the lot in a bowl, using a potato masher I spent ten minute pummelling the mash. In the old days we used a chunk of wood. I now had a bucket of mash that would send thousands of small items of bread down the stream, a great attraction to any fish but it wouldn't feed them.

Having got all my jobs done I was ready to fish, putting the kettle on, I went and checked the W/T I got a reading of 40 degrees F a drop 2 degrees F over night. Back in the cabin I fried a couple of eggs which I had on toasted with a mug of tea. I was ready to fish. The rain looked as if it was set in for the day. Having picked five swims I baited each with two balls of mashed bread adding a few pieces of sausage paste in two swims, chunks of bread flake in the other three swim. The first swim was one I would use a chunk of crust so I pinched on 4 LG shot, each shot was about half an inch apart. My theory is the fish picks up the bait then moves one shot then the second and so on. If the shot were pinched tight to each other the fish would feel the total weight. Now I can't prove my theory, but I have used the idea for many years and I catch my share of fish. Within thirty seconds I had a trout, I cursed it under my breath, pulling it ashore I slid the hook out from the fish without touching the quarry. I do get annoyed when I see anglers squeezing a fish, all they do is cause major damage to the internal organs. Trout are very fragile. Ten minutes later I had another take connecting this time with a fish which could pull, chub I thought then the swimming motion told me it was a trout. This one was about 3lbs with spots the size of half a crowns. Again the fish was unhooked in the water; it’s easy with a size 4 hook.

A Good Chub

Moving downstream I moved the shot fifteen inches up the line removing one at the same time and baiting with a chunk of sausage paste. Casting out I bumped the bait down the stream, then repeated the process. After about half an hour, I had a solid pull connected with a nice fish (are they not all nice). The rod hooped over as the clutch grudgingly gave some line. At last a proper fish, I hate catching trout out of season. Five or six minutes I enjoyed fighting it out with this fish. Soon I had the fish coming towards the net where I could see it was a chub about 4lbs, then it was mine. On the scales it went 4lb 9 ounces. If it had been feeding I reckon it might have been a five. But I was more than pleased. I then walked a couple of hundred yards upstream to release the fish. I fished on, soon catching another chub this time about 3lbs. An hour later with no more bites I moved to the next baited swim. Again I changed the shotting pattern to fish a chunk of crust, after baiting I made a cast so that I could get the bait positioned underneath the trailing branches of an alder tree. Five minutes later I had a small pull then a savage one the strike connected with a powerful fish which moved out towards midstream then moved upstream. Had I hooked one of those dream fish I thought. Suddenly the fight went from the fish and I quickly netted another fish which I reckon was a good four pounder. On the scales I got a reading of 4lb 6 ounces. Half an hour later I was moving into my next swim on the edge of a weir pool where I had a perfect seam. It’s a swim which in the past has given me chub to 6lb 3 ounces. This time it was sausage paste I moved the shot up the line adding another 2 LG. casting out I worked the bait so it settled on the inside of the crease. I sat back holding the rod waiting for that magic moment when the rod tip move and you feel it right through the body. Five perhaps ten minutes later the tip pulled round I set the hook. Minutes later I netted a chub about 3lbs. In the next half an hour I had two more fish of similar size. Then the swim died. Time to move on. Arriving at the Clay Hole I baited again with another piece of sausage paste, casting I allowed the bait to roll with the flow so it would pass under a large oak tree on the opposite bank. Within a minute of the bait reaching the desired spot I felt a pull and missed. This happened three times but I connected on the fourth. A chub was soon netted about 2lbs. I expected a better fish, but better than catching a trout. I fished on until darkness with no more fish. It was time for home, before leaving I threw in about 20 bait size pieces of sausage paste. Then checked the W/T it had gone up to 42 degrees. Hopefully it will be 44 degrees F tomorrow. It was a happy angler that trudged upstream to the cabin for a cup of tea before driving home. Tomorrow I plan to fish the Clay Hole from the opposite bank where it’s over hung by alders, willows hawthorn and that big oak.