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An individual, of no great importance, who is unable to see the natural world as a place for competition. I catch fish, watch birds, derive immense pleasure from simply looking at butterflies, moths, bumble-bees, etc - without the need for rules! I am Dylan and this is my blog - if my opinions offend? Don't bother logging on again - simple!

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Friday 18 November 2016

Ringing the changes

It's been a strange sort of week. I've had three visits to the legal bods; ref Dad's estate and, by logical necessity, these taking place during work hours. Although my supervisors have been incredibly supportive, it's completely messed up any other plans; I've had to make up lost time here and there, so it's been quite a mish-mash! Thus it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that I've had nothing to blog about recently.
Hopefully this latest legal saga will see the final pieces of the jigsaw in place and, therefore, a light at the end of this particular tunnel? Still, every cloud - as they say! Out pike fishing in the morning, looking to pick up where I left off last Sunday. It would be ridiculous to expect a repeat performance, but I still fancy my chances. The original plan was to fish Sunday, but the weather forecast is absolutely crazy - 60 mph gusting south - south westerly gales with heavy rain - not ideal in my humble opinion; so we're out for breakfast in Faversham instead; could be interesting? Tomorrow is predicted to be a chilly, bright dawn, with a very moderate westerly - excellent. Three rods, mackerel, sardine and roach being on the menu for the session. I've got my dyes and flavours in reserve, should they be required, but I'm headed for a new section where the fish haven't been subjected to these baits, as yet, so I'll play it as I find it. I've never put a bait out in this section of the drain, although I've often walked past thinking I should give it a go.
I have been completely blown away by some stunning underwater camera work by a guy who masquerades behind the pseudonym of The Ginger Fisherman - check this sequence out for a pike behaving like a clued up carp - click here Luke has a Water Wolf camera system and has used it, occasionally, to watch how well his lures are working - this latest technology is taking our understanding to a different level, absolutely brilliant. I remember some Hugh Miles' underwater footage of a pike circling a lamprey, deadbait, suspended beneath a crude/cumbersome float set-up, somewhere during the "Catching the Impossible" series - Bernard Cribbins ends up with a twenty plus as I recall? (and using a Mitchell 300!) To see carp rejecting baits or shying away from rigs is what I would expect, given their ability to learn - to see pike demonstrating similar abilities poses an awful lot of new questions. May be I've not caught a twenty from the drains because I'm not skilled enough - not because there isn't one present?  Tomorrow marks the start of a new era - I'm going back to basics. "The only man who never failed was the man who never tried!"

5 comments:

  1. Dyl, Could be a connection between the size of bait the pike are usually caught on, or how often in nature they ever come across such a prize such as a large -intact-dead fish. Unusual food item = unusual outing to the bank.
    I imagine that in nature, any poorly fish will be whacked by the pike when still alive. Since we don't 'do that tactic', I'd go down the particle route, since if a very large fish died, it would end up in tiny bits as it rotted away.
    Didn't Mumford (Ray) take some biggies swing-tipping tiny baits over fish meal ground bait.
    I once had a 12lb when eel fishing. I was using Bleak sections and the bite was ever so slow.
    The issue of bite offs isn't far away.

    All the best, Ric.

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    1. Rich - a very interesting train of thought and one worthy of further exploration? During my eel campaign of last winter, I too experienced a number of pike picking up small fish sections (Spratt/Sardine and Bluey) and giving beautiful slow textbook takes. Using singles on heavy (50 lbs b.s.) braided hooklinks didn't create any issues with bite offs, although I might just have been lucky? If this tactic was deliberately aimed at pike then wire traces would be standard kit. I don't know what brand, but Benno uses some incredibly supple wire for his fly fishing and this stuff can be tied using knots suitable for braid.
      I don't remember the Ray Mumford story but do recall Neville Fickling creating his own "hot spots" by regular introductions of dead-baits into certain swims. I'm sure that there is some mileage in this idea - I'm out on Wednesday morning, all being well, and might give it a try on one rod and see how it compares with the others.
      Take care mate - Dyl

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  2. How about lobworms injected with fish oil?
    Good luck - Ric

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    1. Richie - there is plenty of scope for exploration here. I have got a post, in preparation, covering some of the potential of these ideas we have covered. See what you think - it should be posted very shortly? - Dyl

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