Recce day

As previously mentioned one of my aims this year is to explore new waters. Yesterday I was out fishing with my mate Neil and we decided to check out a few areas knowing that it might not result in the best of fishing but when finding new places to fish you have to accept the rough with the smooth so to speak.

Our first spot was a river and we knew it wasn't in the best nick but we wanted to try this area with dead baits which would have been a better option in the coloured and flooded conditions. We tried a few areas and sussed out some promising looking spots and parking which would all improve our time there next time we wanted to try it. Nothing came of the fishing but we expected that with the conditions. It was not late morning so we set off for our second area.

On arrival at the second area, again the river was up and very coloured but we expected that and set about with the baits again in a slack area that must hold a fish or two. It wasn't very long before my float was bobbing slightly then looking as if it was going to go under, sadly the fish must have dropped the bait as nothing more happened. While this was going on Neil was in the process of baiting up another rod and getting the right depth, he cast out and no sooner had he sat down when his float started bobbing and moving about. He waited til the best moment to strike and a fish was on. We were sat high up on a bank and getting down to net a fish was a bit dicey, i went down with the net and got his fish in but it was a decent double and it didn't all go in with the back end hanging out as it was in the shallows, Neil could not get the right angle from up the bank to direct the fish in anymore and the fish kicked and came out the net. A moment later the hooks came out and the fish was gone. a real shame as it was a nice fish, I'm not sure what we could have done better and it wasn't really any ones fault, but being the nets man i did feel like it was mine.

Nothing else happened for some time so we tried another spot before we made the decision to move areas again and try a canal spot this time that might be a bit clearer and give us a chance with lures too.
It was a recce day so we took a lure rod each and a bait rod so that we could test the water out on different methods. Casting the baits out to the far bank we started to jig about with ultralight set ups to see what might be about. having being sat down all day i thought I'd have a little walk and said to Neil that I was going to try abit of walk trolling as it had produced for me in the past when unexpected and saved the day. No sooner had i finished telling Neil and walking off my rod hooped round and a fish was on! Looked like a small pike but it shook its head and hooks pulled. Surprised that the method worked i set off again, a few more paces and again a fish was on. This time i got it in and we were both surprised at how fat it was, it was like a little barrel, obviously feeding well.

Neil came over and we started to cast around this area more and i think the very first cast from Neil and he was into a fish, they were in great condition and fin perfect probably never been caught before. We started to get that buzz now where a fish is expected on every cast.

Surprise, surprise I was in again! A better fish this time and again a lovely conditioned fish and fat as a pig they must have been gorging on something. Maybe a shoal of bait fish which would have been keeping them packed into this area?

I had another fish soon after which was the smallest of the day, what a mad 10 minutes!

The fish then started to dry up other than another take awhile later that felt like the best of the day, sadly it came off but that's fishing for you. 

A great result in the end but more than that we had some new places to try another day when conditions were better.