A quick lesson learned

Fri 9th April

At the last minute I decided to grab some tackle before leaving the house so I could fish straight after work.   I work near to, or pass several well known commercials on the way home, so decided to have a go for a Perch or two at one these venues.   I picked the fisheries main match pool as I fiqured its the oldest on the complex, so could possibly hold a specimen or two.   The venue also had the latest opening time that I could establish, being 8:00pm.

By the time I'd finished work and got to my swim it was 6:30pm, leaving only had an hour and a half before the fishery closed.   I baited a swim with red maggots a rod lengths out from an overhanging tree to my left.
First cast with a juicy lobworm and the float soon bobbed twice and was away.   I struck and felt the rod bend round satisfyingly into a good fish.  

The fish moved off at speed towards a pond aerator taking line off the clutch as it did.    By this time I figured it was obviously no perch and tightened down to try to turn it.    As I did the 3lb reflo hooklength suddenly parted at the loop pinging the float back into the bramble behind me!  Not a great start.   I hate leaving hooks in fish, so I decided to fish straight through with 4lb drennan double strength in hope of landing the next stockie carp that snaffled a worm again.  

The remainder of the session was spent watching the float twitch from time to time but never sinking under.    I had obviously made the carp wary and they were extremely cautious in their investigation of the bait but were crashing around the swim obviously enjoying the free maggots.   I just couldn't get another take from the carp and I suspect the thicker line or size 6 hook was puting them off ?
Just as I was getting into the session it was time to go!  and at 8:00pm exactly I was the last person on the complex,  just as dusk brought the prime time for the Perch to feed !

I quickly made my way back to the car park in fear of being locked in.  This is one of the problems I have with commercials, they are fully geared up for the match fishing fraternity but don't accomodate other styles of fishing too well.   It would be nice if they allowed fishing for an hour after dark to take advantage of prime feeding times but then as a specialist angler not just interested in the carp I suppose I'm in the minority of anglers visiting the place.  

Session  length - 1hr 30 min
Weather - sunny clear
 Air temp  - 17c to 11c
water temp - not taken
 pressure -  high 1032 hPa  rising