All good things ................. let's go Piking!

Running the garden moth trap, this year, has been a superb experience. At this stage of my journey, moths are never going to be anything more than a distraction and yet provided me with an amazing array of challenges (and results) which have, undoubtedly, helped me through the very stressful times involved as Bev and I negotiated her cancer treatment ordeal. It was, however, as I examined the egg trays this morning that I realised it was now time to get the trap into storage, for another winter, as the Pike bug is really started to take hold. I'd been down on the banks of the RMC, yesterday, and my only action took the form of an aborted take. A small fish and a (very) big bait? I'm not 100% convinced, as there was something about the line lay which caused me much head scratching after the event. I need to get back, asap, to put plan B into the mix. 

My first RMC "twenty" taken just a few days after the passing of
my Mum - 20 lbs 9 oz - 17th Feb 2013

The RMC, Pike, adventure has been an ongoing saga since Benno introduced me to the venue way back in 2012. As much fun as it had been, during that early period, it was the advent of Covid and the associated "lockdowns" which proved to be the turning point from my perspective. Added to that, it cannot be denied that retirement has also impacted upon my angling results, in a very positive manner, since April 2021. Quite where this adventure will now take me, is in the lap of the fishing gods, yet I am happy to keep pushing boundaries in the hope that I can continue to make memories as a consequence of my interaction with the outdoors and the people I encounter along the way. 

My thirteenth, and biggest, twenty from the RMC
23 lbs 6 oz - 1st February 2024

My goal, if that is what it is? (some would say fantasy). remains the desire to catch a Pike in excess of 25 lbs from the RMC. If I achieve such a feat, then my next target has to be a "twenty" from the "Kentish" Stour. Let's also place that quirky side project, a double from a new venue, there can be no worries that I'll run out of challenges before 14th March 2025!

Pike prep and nocturnal garden action

November's arrival always feels like the Pike season is really getting started,  and looking back through my recent diary entries (since retirement!) this month has certainly provided some fantastic Pike action for my rods. Because I am no longer reliant upon time off work, in order to cast a baited rig, I have no desire to spend time on the bank whilst those guys in employment, who are limited for time, need to use the weekends to enjoy their angling experiences. I have enough on my plate attempting to discover the whereabouts of the fish I seek without needing to worry about what other anglers are doing? Obviously I keep an eye on the weather forecasts, yet the RMC is calling and the kit is fully prepped, thus, I'm able to jump into the van should opportunities arise within a Monday to Friday window. 

Dark Sword-grass - I've already recorded three this November 

The nights are lengthening, noticeably, as the calendar indicates the imminent approach of Armistice Day, after which, the lunacy associated with blatant commercial greed  as the "Christian" festival of Christmas takes centre stage. Thanet is still experiencing overnight temperatures remaining above 10C, thus the garden moth trap is providing interest every morning as I examine the egg trays. Migrant species still provide the bulk of the entertainment yet there are also odd residents which help keep me enthused.

Spruce Carpet - only the second of 2024

My fifth 2024 record of Golden Twin-spot - a migrant species which
I am recording more regularly as the years pass.

Another aspect of keeping an eye on the garden, once darkness falls, is the activity around the feeding bowls. Although I've not seen a Fox for quite some time, the bowl is always empty in the morning, whilst Hedgehogs remain very active. There are still, at least, three individuals visiting the feeding bowl regularly and I spent a while playing around with my camera kit, as I was watching the Tamworth v's Huddersfield Town on the laptop in my study.  

I've stopped using Tesco Kitten biscuits so now only offer Bakers "Small Dog"
Meaty Meals and the hedgehogs aren't complaining!

Am I overthinking?

I was back down to the RMC, at 05.15 hrs on Wednesday morning, and headed for a section which produced my first "twenty" (3rd Dec 2020) after the covid lockdowns had been enforced.  I am not convinced that my location skill-set is up to speed, as yet, although this is the fourth season on the trot that I am seriously targeting a "big" Pike from the venue. Happy to report that my efforts were not in vain, as I landed a small "jack" of five or six pounds, and yet this was cause for me to move swims. I went back to the area where I'd landed the two doubles, on Monday, and didn't register another bleep on the alarms for the rest of my session. I am glad that the next Canterbury/Thanet PAC regional gathering isn't too far off, as I wish to pick the brains of my fellow local Pikers about the logistics of my approach to this particular challenge. Thankfully, the guys are fairly brutal with their opinions, so I should get something worth thinking about as a consequence of my request? 

Siren R3 bite alarm, monkey and an angled needle, with an open bale arm on the reel,
loaded with braid. Bite indication, at such intimate range, can't get much
 more sensitive - unless I'm prepared to stare at a float and that ain't ever gonna happen!

I am totally confident in my tackle choices, bait presentation and bite indication sensitivity, thus feel that it is just tweaking the location strategy which will put another piece of the puzzle in place. That final piece will be down to pure fate. Can I catch a Pike of 25+  lbs from the Royal Military Canal? It will remain the driving force behind my efforts until such a time as I achieve this goal or am unable to undertake the arduous barrow pushing ritual any longer. due to physical inability (aka old age!). 

Diamond-back Moth 

Away from angling, the garden moth trap continues to provide plenty of entertainment as the autumn draws to a close. Yesterday I was taken aback with the discovery of two Diamond-backs on the egg trays, this morning it was a Box-tree Moth which stole the headlines, yet flew off before I could grab a photo. The migrant visitors included eighteen Rusty-dot Pearls, six Olive-tree Pearls, three Scarce Bordered Straws and a Radford's Flame Shoulder but, a Large Wainscot and a Feathered Thorn were of much more interest.

Large Wainscot - the second garden record this autumn

Feathered Thorn - a garden year tick!

The freezer is full of dead baits, my kit is prepped and ready to go, so it won't be too long before I head off  to the RMC for another session chasing that dream. I do, however, have a couple of other ideas, in the pipeline, which might provide a distraction as the season unfolds. 

The 2024/25 RMC campaign is up and running

It seemed crazy that I'd not caught a fish, of any species, since 5th September and the Pike season is now three weeks, plus, into 2024/25. I had to make a start and thanks to Bev & I getting down to check the state of the RMC, on Saturday, plans were drawn up for a "silly o'clock" session this morning. Because of the weekend clock change, I was on my way just after 04.15 hrs and had two baited rigs in the canal just before 06.10 hrs. The right hand bait couldn't have been in the water more than ten minutes when the alarm sounded. It was a very slow, tentative, bite and I was convinced that Eels were responsible for the stuttering rise of the monkey up the angled needle.  Still, probably in auto-pilot, I went through the time honoured ritual, allowing the line to tighten before setting the hooks. BLOODY HELL! This was no Eel, as it tore off across the canal before deciding that Appledore might be a good option? It was a fantastic scrap and, as I drew it over the net chord, actually thought I might have fluked a "twenty"?

Once within the confines of the landing net it became obvious that, although a very large fish, it lacked the bulk to push past that magical figure. The scales revealed the true weight to be 17 lbs 10 oz and there was absolutely no way I was moaning about that for the first Pike of the campaign. Safely into a retaining sling, the rod was re-cast and I sat back enjoying the dawn, although huddled under a brolly due to some light rainfall.. I'd experienced an aborted take on the left hand set-up around 07.25 hrs, yet within an hour the same rod was away again and this time the fish was hooked. A nice, feisty, individual, which actually tail walked on a couple of occasions, before being engulfed in the folds of the landing net. At 12 lbs, exactly, another very nice fish to add to my tally from this superb venue. 

I remained on the bank until 11.00 hrs, although actually packing up the rods at 10.15 hrs before getting the self-takes done. Not  too sure when I'll get back down to the canal, but I do have an idea for a mini project at a venue much closer to home. I need to have a chat with the land owner before anything else can happen. To finish off, I need to mention the fact that I recorded my second Marbled Fern (Musotima nitidalis) of 2024 yesterday. Nowhere close to intense patternation of the individual I trapped in August, this moth was almost bland by comparison.Still, a very good garden, and Thanet, record.

I prefer the alternative Fern China-mark vernacular name for this species as it
seems more aligned to the UK moth nomenclature.

Moths, birds & "Greenpeace" hooks!

Not too much to report of late, hence a lack of posts, but I am still enjoying my morning examination of the visitors to the egg trays within the 125w MV trap. I am indebted to Ian Roberts, and the superb Folkestone Birds website, purely because he posts daily news of the migrant (and scarce/unusual) moths being attracted to the traps within his local area.  Radford's Flame Shoulders have been recorded on a daily basis, max of two, since that first record. This morning was to see my second Merveille du Jour of the autumn, plus nine Olive-tree Pearls, seven Rusty-dot Pearls, three Scarce Bordered Straws, a Silver Y, a Pearly Underwing and a Gem.

Silver Y

However, none of those moths are particularly unusual, given what is being reported from elsewhere along the Kent coastline. It was the discovery of a Dark-streaked Button (Acleris umbrana) which really stood out. I had trapped one on 20th July, yet failed to appreciate the significance of the encounter. This morning I was much more aware of the status of this species and that it was a very scarce visitor to a Thanet moth trap. To say I had fun and games attempting to get some useable images wouldn't do justice to the shenanigans involved. I ended up in the conservatory, with the moth perched on a window, using my work lite to illuminate the moth, whilst attempting to use the camera in the other hand. 

A bit "washed out" due to the work-lite.
Dark-streaked Button - a scarce & localised species in Southern UK

At this time of year, Oak Rustics are a species which can be almost guaranteed to be present on the egg trays and I'm seeing them regularly, a max of three yesterday morning. Garden birds are also a major part of my daily routine, thus I ensure that the feeding station is kept topped up. Blue & Great Tits seem to be particularly numerous, at present, although House Sparrow numbers are certainly on the upward trajectory. Obviously I am always on the lookout for something unusual, yet am still happy to watch Chaffinch & Goldfinches visiting the feeders as well as the continued visits by both of the Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

Oak Rustic

Garden Goldfinch

I did take the rods down to the "Carp Puddle" for a couple of hours, yesterday. Two bites - two hook pulls! I think I must have been using "Greenpeace" hooks? Bev and I took a drive down to The Battle of Britain Memorial Site, this morning for the obligatory "coffee & cake" before heading out across Romney Marsh to survey a section of the RMC. Thankfully, the canal looks in decent nick and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get a baited rig into the venue in the, not to distant, future?

Normal(ish) service resumes

After venturing "off piste" with yesterday's offering I am hopefully back on familiar territory with today's post? On the Sunday morning, before we left for Bath, the moth trap had produced another two Radford's Flame Shoulders plus the first Large Wainscot and Oak Rustic of the year. As time was of the essence, no images were obtained, but that's not a major issue. This morning was to continue in a similar vein to recent days. Two each of Radford's Flame Shoulder, Scarce Bordered Straw and Olive-tree Pearl, plus nine Rusty-dot Pearl providing continued evidence of insect migration. The discovery of the first Red-green Carpet, of 2024, provided more evidence of the onset of Autumn and the realisation that there can't be many more weeks before the trap is put into storage for another Winter break.

Chiffchaffs continue to trickle through the gardens, pausing to feed if the opportunity arises. The male Great Spotted Woodpecker was back at the feeding station before flying off back towards the mature trees that surround the Newlands Farm paddocks and the St. Lawrence College sports ground. It seems reasonable to surmise that this individual is a local breeding bird? House Sparrow numbers are starting to build again, after a period of absence, whilst the odd Chaffinch and Goldfinch have also begun to visit the sunflower heart feeders. Out in the garden for much of today, I kept the camera close to hand and was pleased to grab a few shots to assist my blogging efforts.

A smart Jay, carrying an acorn, flying over the garden

It's really difficult to know if a lone Common Buzzard is a local resident or
a migrant. This bird did seem to be headed in a southerly direction, but it 
certainly wasn't in a hurry!

The local weather forecast is all over the shop, so I'm not sure if, or when, I'll be able to get out with the rods again?

A simply wonderful event

Bev's daughter, Debbie, her partner Adam and kids, Emily & Harry joined us to travel down to the city of Bath to attend the wedding of Darryl (Bev's son) and his fiance Alix. The less said about the travelling experience, the better, the M25 is now beyond a joke, However, it really doesn't matter as we are all now safely back home after being part of an absolutely brilliant occasion. Half past seven on a Sunday night was never going to be a time for a church or registry office gig - oh no. The ceremony took place within the building housing the Roman Baths in Bath city centre.

An absolutely stunning place for a wedding

The whole service was conducted with all the professionalism and dignity associated with such a major event, and yet the lady conducting the wedding plus those friends and family involved in contributing by doing the readings ensured that humour was never too far away. Bev, as mother of the groom, couldn't stop smiling as the proceedings unfolded. I would think that the actual service lasted little more than thirty minutes, yet we stayed on site for another three quarters of an hour enjoying a glass (or two) of "champers" and some very fancy nibbles whilst the newly weds were chatting with their families and friends. Emily and Harry were the only two children at the event and got lots of attention from the fellow guests. 

Emily and Harry dressed for the occasion

The happy couple mingling

Bev and her Auntie Christine sampling
some rather fancy nibbles

From the Roman Baths, we then headed a few minutes across the city to a venue called the "Cozy Club" where the celebrations really kicked off. It was a fantastic night with a wonderful vibe as friends and family celebrated this happy event. Bev and I got back to our hotel just before 01.00 hrs, yet the party had shown few signs of slowing down as we were leaving.

Mr & Mrs - happy daze

Obviously this is not a post which fits into the usual contents I offer, yet it was so special that, as part of the journey, has a place in my "observations" as I meander life's pathway.