Just another little one....

Not much to report on this week really, I fished a small river for chub earlier in the week and despite a couple of tentative taps the fish just didn't pull the tip round. 

 I then proceeded to come down with a heavy cold and chest infection (not quite full blown man flu but it was touch and go !) so the rest of the week was spent indoors mainly.

I did manage to attend my graduation ceremony at Symphony Hall in Brum which was a nice day out for me and the family, if not a bit surreal.  It was a bit like being on the set of the latest Harry Potter at Hogwarts, what with all the pomp and ceremony.

Birmingham's Mayor meets me

Then yesterday, after an afternoon spent decorating (hence the paint on my fingers), I decided to fish the canal arriving just before last light.  I planned to fish for perch on one rod and zander or pike on other.  The perch set up didn't start too well, as I managed to forget the rod rests so had to lie the rod on some dead reed stems.  Meanwhile I set up a zander float rig and fished that out in the marina.  A juicy lobworm was cast out on the perch rod to the edge of the shadow cast from a small pedestrian bridge across the marina.

After a while I noticed the tip pull round on the worm rod, and when I struck into a fish, it didn't feel too bad.  Unfortunately not the nice pound plus perch I'd hoped for, but a foul hooked zander of less than a pound !

As full darkness fell and with no takes on the zander float, I moved swims to the Pike spot I've been successful in recently.  As I was busy re-arranging my tackle, I heard the distant rumble of a barge engine down the canal, surely that can't be one on the move can it?  However, sure enough the boat came chugging up the canal towards me in the pitch black darkness.   He had no lights on, which I realised was either because it's illegal to travel the canal at night ? or to allow him to see with his own natural night vision rather than use a headlight?  Anyway, as the vessel passed me I was more surprised to see that he was actually towing another barge behind !!  I thought to myself "you must be even madder than me, out here in the dark".

I had a small zed of 1.4lb first cast, then strangely missed a couple of bites later on,  and that was it for another week.  

Currently on the score board and Mr Hatts week was just ever so slightly better again, (you do know it's not the Drennan cup don't you ! ).  I notice that Keith is still managing to sneak his nose into the lead, despite Jeff's haul of recent specimens, which gives an insight into how these percentages will play out once we all get some more species, especially now the spring is coming.  There's still 10 months left to go for us stragglers to catch up, so who knows what results will be revealed by the end ?   Right now I'd just be glad to get in the top 10 for the moment !