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.