All's well on the Daw End.

[Catfish.017]

After last weeks struggle on the canal it was with no great expectation that I travelled this morning. First light around 5.15am. I put a cast out with flake just over the near side lilys, no feed, just the bait. After a few minutes the float wobbled, dipped and slid away. The rod bent over but little else happen for a few seconds. Bream I thought but then it started tugging like a Tench. Still unsure I bent into it and it shot off to my right through lilys, gathering a big clump of gungy algae on the line above the float. I managed to clear most of the clump away and could feel life on the end somewhere? Straining the gear to the limit I slowly dragged the fish back towards me and into the net. A Carp of about five pounds Phew! A nice little fish a high backed Common, deep bronze coloured and very clean. My tackle was in a right mess with all the weed and gunge so I fed some mash and casters before setting about tidying it up. I grabbed a clump of weed on the line not realising my favourite Harcork float was in amongst it. I snapped the float in two. Damn and blast! Another few minutes went by as I retackled by which time there was some right good bubbling over my ground bait . Nevertheless It took quite some time to get a bite on a bit of popped up crust, the first of seven Tench hooked over the next few hours. Five landed up to three and a half pounds. The two I lost did the old lily stem trick on me leaving me well hooked up. A decent Bream came along too and a few small Roach and Perch.
Curiously the same couple I met last time came cycling along and again I hooked a Tench as they drew near and another as we talked, that one I lost. Soon after, it began to rain; not too badly to begin with but it got heavier and heavier. I had put my over trousers on but my favourite dawn session coat, an old waxed cotton Barbour clone, leaks like a sieve and soon I was wet through. Undeterred I soldiered on but the surface gunge was beginning to drift and make a nuisance of itself so I gave it best at 10.15am and headed back to the car and a change into a warm , dry Hoodie that lives there.

[Grumpy]

Lovely account of a fine morning and co operative Tench.Great stuff!

[Catfish.017]

Yep, nice to get a few again and only one repeat capture, a fish of around two pounds with the top lobe of its tail bitten off!