More tales and some tench...

I've fished a couple of times since my last post but had nothing really significant to report, well except for my attempt on a new stretch of canal for zander. I spent most of the session watching carp bubbling all around me even under my rods whilst I was blanking for the zeds!! Then last Sunday morning getting caught out during the rain,  I landed a 5lb bream and whilst dealing with the fish, watched my chair get blown over by a gust of wind and my trusty camera that was sat on the chair roll off and straight into the lake. Unlike Jeff and his phone saga, I did manage to save it but it isn't really working now. I fear the cost to repair it might not be worth the expense, so I expect I will be looking for a new one soon instead of a new float rod or some reels ! I've had to resort to using either my phone camera or an old 2 mega pixel job, so you'll have to excuse any grainy looking shots for now.

Possibly the last shot ever from my trusty cannon A650IS

The reason behind the cameras demise !

 Yesterday however, I decided to give the tench lake another go for an after work session, after a short rest from it recently.  By 7:00pm I had the bait spodded out and the maggot feeders cast in position, all I could do now was sit back and hope the fish would play ball.   Thankfully it didn't take long to find out as one of the rods ripped off on a vicious take, the rod hooped round on the strike and I was finally into a tench again. The fish fought well for its size but was soon safely landed.

A lovely little 4lb honeydew tench, a colour of tench I've only ever seen in this lake.

The next fish came shortly after on the other rod, nicely christening my new (old style) fox micron alarm. Slightly larger than the first it was still a way off this years target of 8lb.

practicing my anglers serious face !

The new hook patterns and increase to the hooklength I'd made recently seemed to be doing the trick, with both runs connecting without a problem so far.   The third run then convinced me further still, I hope I've solved the problem of dropped takes that I've been experiencing this year ?

Fish number three took off down the lake to my left taking line off the clutch, leaving me worried it would head under the overhanging trees and snag me.  I tightened the clutch up and got it under control again, it came in as good as gold now and I soon had it scooped up in the net. This one looked a better stamp, a nice fat ball of a fish that looked ready to go pop any day now. At 6lb 6oz she is a years best and helped notch a few more points on the board for me.

That would be my last fish of the evening, but not the end of the action.....

As darkness drew in I started to get some stuttery bream takes but they just wouldn't connect for some reason?  A few of these takes were struck at and a few left to develop but none resulted in any fish.  I ended up swapping over to corn on both rods but this didn't change the results as they still managed to avoid capture.   As far as I know my line was as flat as possible, being kept slack and with flying backleads on.  I can only put it down to a problem with the hook and rig mechanics,  either that or all the takes were line bites ? I doubt it's the latter and think it's the former that was at fault here though.  I will have to have a tweek with the rig and see if I can resolve this one on my next opportunity. The rigs were all working fine on the other bream pool I've been fishing, so it's a bit of a mystery.

As I write the new season has already begun, and I know the draw of running water will soon take me away from these lovely fish again for a while.  There's my first river zander to catch, or maybe a river carp and not forgetting the obvious barbel, chub and grayling of course.  Bring it on ! but I still hope to stick at it with the  lake's beautiful tincas and bream at least a few more times though the summer.