Who am I?

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 23 February 2024

Not entirely to plan

 The opportunity was there, Bev perfectly happy for me to go, so I'd hoped to get the Black Dyke caper underway this morning. The weather gods, however, weren't playing ball and that, after two days of rainfall, it ensured, on arrival, it was immediately clear that the venue wasn't fishable. Fortunately I had a plan B and within ten minutes my loaded barrow was back where I'd been on Monday, two rods fishing by 06.45 hrs. Little more than an hour after casting out my right hand set-up was away. A really weird bite which, if I hadn't hooked the Pike, I would have put down to Eel activity. It was a fiesty battle with the Pike actually "tail-walking" on one occassion, and ended with me netting the twentieth "double" of the 2023/24 campaign. It was a stunning fish, tipping the scales at 17 lbs 8 oz - oh, how I wish it had come from Black Dyke!

I remained on the bank until 11.00 hrs, landing a second fish, of around nine pounds - I didn't zero the scales properly, but know it wasn't a "double", just before 09.00 hrs. Birding was pretty good with Peregrine, Common Buzzard, Marsh Harrier (3) and Kestrel providing plenty of opportunities to point the binos. Some forty plus White-fronted Geese remain on site and Wigeon are still present in good numbers. I managed a record shot of a Chiffchaff which paused briefly in the adjacent hedgerow before continuing on its' way

To be fair, it was a very pleasant morning out on the flatlands, I just hope that the weather will settle down so as to allow me to get a baited rig into Black Dyke before March 14th brings down the curtain on another Pike season.

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