I had my first session down on the still water that Benno and Luke had recommended. What an absolutely beautiful place. Peace and quiet, I only saw three other people all the time I was there, none of them doing anything to detract from the experience. It will come as no surprise, to those regular blog visitors, that I blanked. Not a single bleep from an alarm in three and a half hours! To be fair, what did I expect? It's Friday 13th, after all.
It's not a big venue, I'd guess four or five acres at the max. Today was about getting a feel for the place and looking for signs. The only fish activity I noted was that of Carp. A couple "boshed" out and several patches of bubbles suggested unseen fish feeding on baited spots? The birdlife kept me well entertained and it was very interesting to note that no Cormorants were hunting the lake, although they were present on the two others within the complex. Way too soon to start making assumptions, but knowing that Cormorants preferred prey size range is similar to that of Pike, I will keep an eye on this activity. Absolutely no shortage of Great Crested Grebes, Coots and Tufted Ducks, so the signs are positive that there is a healthy population of prey fish, but are they of a stamp which can sustain "big" Pike?
I suppose that the highlight of this first visit was the number of egrets active around the complex. I saw two Great White and five Little Egrets whilst in my chosen swim. Odd Grey Herons were also present along with a pair of Egyptian Geese, so there was always something to point the binos at. The most unexpected event was when one of the Great White Egrets flew over, calling as it did so. I've never previously heard these birds make a sound. I find it difficult to use the written word to describe noise but, to my ears, it was a rattling chatter of short, sharp, grunting notes.
I will get back down there, after the weekend, and am hopeful that I can tweak my tactics to encourage a feeding reaction from my target fish?
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