Over thinking?

Back indoors after a superb session down on the RMC, today. A stunning day, weatherwise, with bright sunshine and clear blue skies, yet a rather frisky westerly blowing directly along the canal causing a few issues with the bite indicators! It seems incredible that I was on the bank from 06.20 hrs until 13.45 hrs and only saw four other people taking advantage of the glorious conditions. However, Baz was one of them and we had a really nice chat about this, that and so much more. He's still catching a few Carp at Beachborough and enjoying his retirement in much the same manner as I am. 

It was after the events of Wednesday that I had a serious think about how I'm approaching the RMC campaign this winter. I couldn't begin to guess how many miles of the canal bank my rods have been leapfrogged since November? What actually happened on Wednesday was that I moved the rods almost immediately after landing the only Pike of the session. The result of this, pre-planned, approach being that there was no further action on the rods. Had I located some fish, only to go through the leapfrogging ritual, and moved away from them? Today I was intent on staying put in my chosen area and seeing if the "bait & wait" tactic would pay dividends. Although less than a quarter of a mile away from where I'd fished on Wednesday, this particular section of the canal hasn't seen one of my baited rigs since March 2023. There is logic in this decision making, but it's not something I'm willing to explain. 

Bite No. 1 - 14 lbs 2 oz

Three rods were fishing by 07.05 hrs, sunrise was at 07.42 hrs, yet it wasn't until 09.20 hrs that my right-hand alarm finally signalled a bite. Under normal circumstances I'd be getting ready for a second move of the morning. It was a fairly dour battle which resulted in a Pike of 14 lbs 2 oz visiting the unhooking mat. It looked like it had seen a bit of action, so it was placed in the recovery sling prior to getting some photos. 

Bite No. 2 - 16 lbs 4 oz

I was "umming & ahhing" about getting the camera kit set up when, at 10.50 hrs, the same rod was away again. This time it was a far more spirited tussle which produced a lovely Pike of 16 lbs 4 oz. So now I'm in a dilemma. There's a Pike in the retainer and another, bigger fish, in the net. Photo time. I managed to get the original fish photographed and was just in the process of getting the second fish transferred from the net into the retainer when my left hand alarm burst into song. 

Bite No. 3 - 17 lbs exactly

Absolute chaos ensued as I landed my third "double" of the morning. At 17.00 lbs exactly, it was a lovely, clean Pike, yet extraordinarily skinny and covered in leaches. I got the fish sorted out, rod's recast, and then set about getting the selfies done.. As it turned out, that was to be my lot for today. I certainly won't complain about three bites - three doubles, but I still hanker after that encounter with a "fish of legend". You've gotta be "innit to winnit" and I wouldn't have it any other way. Just as an aside, it would seem that I might have to work a bit harder with the self take kit. It could just be raising the height of the camera or, maybe, the acquisition of a polarizing filter for the 18 - 55 mm lens?