Catfish angling - Orchid lake trip

Sunday the 19th to Tuesday the 21st of August

As you may have read in Leo's blog Fishermans journey and Phil's blog Travelling Man with Merv Wilkinson making up number four we had a two day session planned after catfish on Oxfordshire's Orchid club lake kindly arranged by Phil a few months ago. Merv wasn't on the original list to attend but with a couple of other lads unable to make it he took the chance to do his first all night session in about twenty five years, a brave man at knocking on 77 years old. It was also Merv's first tiem using a modern bivvy and I reckon he looked the part by the end of the session, after he started flashing a laser pointer around all that was needed was a crate of Stella and he'd make a carp angler!

Merv in ultracult Dad's Army mode

We got set up by about tea time on Sunday, I must admit I did feel a bit strange having my first attempt at the species on a lake containing probably four fish in excess of 50lb's and another half dozen 40's, I'm not quite sure that I wanted to jump straight in with a big one, I've alway thought it best to start low and give yourself something to go for.

My patch

 Leo got his choice of swim but was a little dismayed to find that the previous tennant hadn't cleaned the kitchen very well, obviously didn't fancy it after he'd cooked it!

Nice!

Not long after dark myself and Leo stood between our two swims chatting when there was a great big splash just in front of us, Leo remarked that he thought it was a surface feeding cat but he was soon proved wrong when we realised that it was actually attached to Merv! The problem being that between Merv and the fish were my baits and one line was soon entangled, it soon became apparent that one of Phil's rods had suffered on the other side of Merv, the bloody thing had done a lap! We watched as Merv and Phil made some sense of the tangle after netting the fish and then trotted off for a look at the prize. The cat went over39lb's on the scales and was a pb by a long way, but what really made it special was how excited Merv was, after all of these years of fishing he still gets that same thrill from it, a true inspiration and a lesson to all of us, it made me smile.

Not long after returning to base camp Leo decided that he was going to turn in for the night, I sat up for a while enjoying the cool fresh air after what had been an incredibly humid and sticky day, listening to splashes out in the darkness and the odd rat scuttling along the margins. By midnight my eyes were heavy and I got in the bag, I was just about aware of Leo up and recasting as I drifted off.

I was awoken with a jolt at 3.15am by Leo's buzzer on a one noter, well as one note as a Delkim can be, I shot out just as I saw Leo scramble from his bivvy and hit into the fish. Now I have read a report somewhere or other that suggested that Mr Heathcote had been sitting on the edge of his seat all night like a coiled spring, casting at the hint of a roaches fart and reciting Mr Crabtree articles. Well if that was the case then I have to wonder why I was tasked with finding his specs and headtorch that he had scattered far and wide while stumbling from his pit, I did briefly consider just how amusing it would be to watch him playing a monster tadpole while partially blind but couldn't be that cruel. Well after a substantial scrap Leo drew the fish to the net and to my great relief in it went, we both had 42 inch nets and had been a bit concerned that they would be too small. Leo reckoned that it wasn't a big one but on lifting the net I knocked that idea back and at 43lb+ I wasn't wrong. The photo session was, erm, different, Leo got more than a little slimed to say the least and was more than thankful that he had a change of clothes. After all was done and dusted and the fish returned I must admit that I lay in bed wondering if I really wanted to catch one now without the waterproofs that I had left in the van.

Monday drifted by as time only can when fishing, doing nothing much but somehow it flies by but of the catfish there was no sign. Soon enough the light started to fall from the sky and our hope grew, so did the appetites of the local mozzie gang and we became the main course, hordes of the little devils moved in for the kill but my deet based repellant did the trick, Leo however had a somewhat more, erm, it's difficult to know what to call it, let's just leave it at "different" mode of protection, it certainly scared me so god knows what the mosquito's thought.

Be scared, be very scared

All remained quiet on our side of the lake and we both called early doors after a hard day doing sweet fa, I was just at the point of nodding off when there was an almighty crack as a big old tail came from the water and slapped it's surface hard, it scared the living daylights out of me and my heart was pounding. That however was the only excitement of the night and Leo didn't repeat his earlier success either, morning brought news that Phil had bagged a low 20lber and that Merv had lost one, which saved my rods from getting wiped out once more!

And that was that, we all got packed up fairly early and were picked up by the truck to carry us and our kit back to the car park. A big thanks to all involved for a very enjoyable session, I didn't get one but I've had a taste of what it's like and will be ready for next time, complete with head to toe waterproofs!