Estate lake tench - catching at last

Friday the 15th of June

With yet another day of heavy rain forcast and having gone like stink at work all week in anticipation of just that I found myself back at the estate lake and setting up on the lawn at 9.30am, this time on the right hand side that had been producing recently and thankfully the rain held off for a while allowing me to get sorted out in comfort. With the wind pushing into my face I had no alternative but to angle my shelter towards the road side slightly, not normally an issue but on this piece of bank it means that you have to escape whatsoever from the public that stroll past.

Not long after depositting a couple of maggot feeders out into the drink I was into a fish which after a typical frantic scrap showed itself to be a male of about 5lbs,a good start. The weather then closed in rapidly and drove horizontal sheets of heavy rain across the lake leaving me praying that I didn't get a bite, ten minutes later and the sun was out, wind had dropped and I was left bewildered, most strange weather. Another half an hour of standing out enjoying the sun and black clouds were spotted on the horizon which soon arrived above and once again it turned wild, in fact the wind got up to such an extent that I was forced to dive out into the wet to re-secure the shelter's pegs. Once again after a fairly short spell it was back to a light ripple on the water and sunshine, you wouldn't have thought it could be the same day.

Wild, but it got worse

The tench didn't seem to find the weather too off putting and I was soon into fish number two, this time a passing father and young son stopped to watch and came over to have a closer look once it was landed and on the mat, again a male of 5lb's odd. Now I like to pass the time of day with folk and have a bit of a natter but there is a limit and this bloke didn't seem to know when to clear off, the lad was in and out of my maggot tub and dad just kept popping in the odd word or two now and then to half justify the fact that he was hanging around like a bad smell. In fact it started to tip down with rain and still he stood there letting the youngster get soaked through to the skin, there's some odd folk about. When he did finally go on his way no sooner had I settled down than a teenage lad stuck his head under the brolly asking what I was doing! I quickly worked out that he wasn't quite the full ticket bless him else I really would have started to worry, he turned out to be the estate garden labourer sent to sweep up feathers, in gales and rain, poor lad. Of course you do also get the odd more, shall we say pleasant to the eye, passer by along this bank to brighten the day but nevertheless by mid afternoon I'd about had enough, I do love my peace and quiet.

A couple more tench came to the net before tea time signalled the rain arriving with a vengeance, it just rained and rained and rained, by 7pm my mind was made up, I was due back first thing in the morning and so there would be no great loss in calling it a day. The deal was done, shoot off home, get the kit drying off, takeaway ordered and then a swift pint of Kingfisher while waiting for it, lovely job.

Fate had one more surprise in stall for me, as I slammed the back door of the van shut I spoke to a bloke standing near the estate gates, saying that I would be glad when it was winter for better weather, big mistake. It was a good twenty minutes in the pouring rain before I could break off conversation and even shut the drivers door, I ask you....!

Saturday the glorious 16th of June

With the bank that I fished on Friday closed to angling at the weekends, and to be honest I don't think that I could have coped there for another day anyway, I had a choice to make swim wise. The area that had produced Phil's big hit of tench had been fished several times mid week but hadn't done more than three fish in a day, they had definately moved out. My suspicion is that they were gathering in the area with spawning in mind but it hadn't quite occured, a few spawned out females were being caught but most were still carrying, all good stuff for us anglers after a big fat lady!

The alarm was set for 4.45am for a reason that I can't quite explain, I think I had started out setting it at 4.30 but decided that I really could do with some sleep and so granted myself another fifteen minutes. As it turned out that was a wasted bit of brain power expended as I was awake at 3.30 and couldn't get back off and so was up and about not long after four, madness.

As I unlocked the back door I wondered just how many other anglers were making an early start for the opening of the river season, years ago we used to pester our dad to take us at ridiculous hours. I can clearly remember perching on a deckchair in the pitch black and freezing cold not long after midnight next to my favourite weirpool with not a hope in hell of catching anything till dawn as we just weren't equipped for the job, but it was the glorious 16^th, it had to be done.

Arriving not long after 5am I found one angler already setting up, I would imagine that from now the lake will be much quieter with a lot venturing out onto running water but while the tench are fat I will be sticking it out. After a quick chat I left him too it and headed off into the wood, or tried to, the gateway had become one great big puddle and I was forced to unload and carry my kit through bit by bit while balancing very precariously on a couple of bits of old fence post, I could see disaster looming but thankfully made it without going headlong into the mire.

I was in two minds as to which swim to pick but a kindly tench showed me the way when it rolled a few rod lengths out in front of my favourite spot and the decision was made. I don't often fish close in on this lake but it would be rude not to plonk a bait on that show and so I did, followed by a few small balls of groundbait, the other rod going out maybe fifty yards. Half an hour later I was contemplating the wiseness of that close in rod, each time I recast the long rod the big Drennan feeder would be splashing across the surface in close proximity and I couldn't see that doing much good so I decided to re-position it near to the other bait. I had got as far as cutting a piece of pole elastic ready to mark the line when off the margin rod flew with a vicious take, thirty seconds later and I would have wound it in. A fish of 6lb 4oz's was netted after a very spirited scrap close in and I thought perhaps I would stick with the margin!

Twenty minutes later and the long rod signalled a bite, again the usual good fight that these tench give saw it kiting all over the place and I soon realised that the margin rod had to go, it was just a liability with a risk of it costing me fish due to snagging up during the fight. That fish was another low 6lber and both rods were soon sorted out and fished out at range.

The action continued steadily, most fish were plump females and several fought as to give the impression of big fish, just steady powerful runs rather than the jagged fight that the smaller ones often give. Mid morning saw me into another fish and this one was of a better stamp at 7lb 9oz's, unfortunatly showing the result of healed mouth damage from some time back which I'm afraid isn't rare with these fish. Hopefully now that the fishing has become more restricted we won't experience so much fresh damage and future up and coming fish won't suffer.

Best of the day

My mate the cheeky chaffinch had followed me across the water it seemed and she was doing her best to deplete the maggot supply, then her fella arrived too and the pair of them kept me entertained for hours, I've never seen birds other than robin's come so close.

 
I took a piece of video just to prove how close, you'll have to excuse the picture quality, it is my first ever attempt at videoing and I'm not really equipped for the job.

By mid afternoon I was up to nine fish landed, a couple of males and a perfect little female of maybe 3 1/2lb, several of these small fish have show lately and it's good to see, hopefully the lake will carry on producing good fishing for years to come.

The fishing then died off and by 6pm I decided that I really ought to get off home to see if the wife had left me yet.