Ideas in action?

Wednesday 11th October 2017

This is another post based upon dreams v's reality. As I started writing it's fast approaching 23.30 hrs, on Wednesday night, and I'm just about finished getting the tackle sorted out ready for another early start tomorrow. I have knocked up a small balsa bobbin which might give better bite registration than the light weight carp swingers that I was using on my previous session. I am only taking a single rod, thus no chance of getting distracted by those bloody carp. Perch, and only perch, will be my target species, although a decent Ide wouldn't go amiss! These club water perch are quite a strange angling project, for me. I have yet to, actually, see a two pounder from these venues, yet the club members speak of fish in the four pounds plus bracket. I realize that the majority of anglers within the club are match anglers, thus big fish are not something which they have any regular experience of gauging. I don't know how many individual fish ever get weighed in a match situation - it's all about total weight as far as I'm aware. So my challenge is to explore the void which exists between fact and fiction - do four pound plus perch actually exist in these club venues? (I'd be overjoyed with a three!)

Thursday 12th October 2017

Well I'm back home after another silly o'clock start at the club fishery. I would have liked to have got this post finished before I left for work but events conspired against me and having custody of our grandson, Harry, took priority. I really enjoyed myself this morning, although conditions were a little too bright for perch fishing - in my opinion. I had one bite, which I missed, that might have been a perch; all the other action came from carp and ide. Very pleased with how my little balsa bobbin performed, so now I will be tweaking my bait presentation in order to optimize my bite to fish landed ratio.

My latest bobbin - much smaller than a 2 p coin.
I had started to play around with a permanent marker, so as to make
it look like a wasp. I will complete the job before my next outing

The lovely dawn was equaled by the angling. It was a pleasure to be outside getting my string pulled! A couple of carp, an F1 hybrid and an ide all found their way into my landing net whilst a larger carp did me right over. With my 3 lbs hook link and size 10 barbless hook I didn't stand a chance of stopping it going wherever it wanted - there was only ever one winner in that encounter and it wasn't me!

My bait was positioned just off the end of the reeds, two rod lengths out?
If you look closely the bobbin can been seen hanging directly under the bite alarm.
This presentation allowed fish to take at least 18 " of line before feeling any
resistance - I was very pleased with my indication if not the lack of perch.

There was still one Ring Ouzel, in the same hedgerow, along with a handful of Redwing, Song Thrush and Chiffchaffs. A lone Goldcrest put in a brief appearance and several small groups of Skylarks passed overhead. It was a very pleasant way to waste a few hours, even if the perch hadn't read the script!