The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Short afternoon session yesterday with Vole.

A forest surounded pond ( with the hum of the New Epping road behind one side of the lake, 8 ft deep on the side we fished)

Float fishing bread flake over the " Vole Mash" or a single grain of Tescos sweetcorn. A selection of Sea food for those fish that partake, and of course Vole had his trusty Hemp and Tares.


I think Alan had a few Rudd before I got there. But me.........



The float didnt move once

Bad luck John, thats just the way it goes sometimes.

John,

Thats the joy of the ponds There are fish there but sometimes they just don't want to know

Two years ago I blanked at Highams Park and Connaught, something that didn't happen much in the 70's and 80's.

If the weather forecast holds i'll be on Baldwins next week.

Gaz

A very attractive water:


But some 200m from the car-park, and it really is worth scouting out the path before lugging your kit down - access is far from obvious! (I did, for once, and the ensuing smugness has helped me survive what followed) It's also right next to a road, so traffic noise is ever-present. Raised next to Staples Corner, it doesn't really worry me, but some dislike it when they seek a spot of P.and Q.

My very first cast, on a grain of wheat, produced a sailaway bite, and I now proudly present my first Wake Valley fish:


That was it for wheat; an even smaller specimen fell to bread, a bit later. And that was it.
A pinch of groundbait dropped intoabout 18" of water at my feet was hammered by fish of about 2-3" long, but no such response to that thrown further out, for bigger fish.

I was then joined/invaded by a party of pond-dipping schoolkids, which didn't help, but their catches - a couple of lesser water-boatmen in the open water, and a few hoglice in the thick leaf-litter layer on the bottom, may have thrown a useful light on subsequent events. They cleared off, and so did the fish. Plumbing revealed much deeper (~8') water just beyond the lily line, but no hint of a bite could I buy.
I'm driven to conclude that the rudd have a collective PhD in Time-to-Skedaddle-ology; and that the bottom of the lake is largely covered in leaf-litter, soured by two years drought and now under-populated by detritivores and going putrid. Nevertheless, I saw a sedge-fly hatch, and that may mean there's a better bottom somewhere. Much plumbing required, I feel, and possibly experiments with zig-rigs and on-the-drop methods.
Also spotted a Grass Snake, but only had my cheapo camera. Bother.

John must be starting to think I'm a complete Jonah!


This sign was up near the car-park:

- so the Corporation is doing its bit to spread the word!

Looks a lovely pool chaps.

It sure does.

That does look nice indeed.

Vole,

Rumours still abound of some very large carp in Wake.

Gaz

Best left as rumours, lest the desperadoes night-fish it and blow it for everyone else... but I heard the same from a local. If I ever see one, I have a cunning plan!

The Corporation of Lodon are pretty hot on the night fishing thing.

I used to night fish Connaught waters and Highams in the late 70's early 80's

They just want to try to keep the poaching down removing the larger carp and banning night fishing is a means to that end.

Those forest ponds are so pretty though.

Gaz