Bored by some slow specimen hunting, this week spelled a welcome return to fishing with fun and action in mind. And why not indeed? It beats sitting there so deadened that parts of you start to fall off. Stafford Moor is one of those rare places worthy of the name "mixed fishery" to the very letter- loads of variety, stacks of suprises and a perfect place to go for a mixed bag with a few genuine question marks over what you might catch.
I love nothing better than using a long rod, centrepin reel and sensitive pole style set up for varied waters such as Woody's Lake. You get finesse for shy biting fish, but also terrific versatility and with the flex of a 5m blank and the free running control of the pin you can land even large bonuses on light line. But if that sounds rather technical, my real reasoning is that it's bloody good fun and the rattle of a centrepin reel is surely one of the greatest sounds in fishing.
By feeding three close in lines with different baits in each, I hoped to get a real mix of species and so it proved. Chopped worm and groundbait drew skimmers and a tench, corn tamed half a dozen lovely crucians, while bigger pellets came in later for bonus carp. I love this game! We get so specialised in our approach, but it's so refreshing when you just don't know what will bite next.
A massive thumbs up to ever helpful fishery boss Andy Seery here, as well as photographer James Callison who was at the fishery to capture a beautifully sunny spring afternoon. This place is well worth a visit, however you like to fish.
Equally good fun however was meeting up with the PAC members and non members alike for a cracking little lure fishing day on the Grand Western Canal (above). All of our intrepid anglers present caught fish and got into the spirit of the day- lots of banter, but no bitching; an element of competition but also great sportsmanship. Lewis Palk, for example, had his winning fourth pike netted by the angler he was neck and neck with for the lead! Not that Ian Woodason had much to worry about, having scooped the prize for best fish on the day with a pretty Tivvy pike not far off four pounds (yes, that is Ian- despite his current beard disguise!).
Everyone caught then, but it was Ian's brightly coloured jerkbait that dominated early on, before action slowed in the sun and smaller jigs took most of the fish. Crazily enough, in spite of the many hundreds of casts on the day Ian's fish came with virtually the first shot in the entire match! It nicely closed an enjoyable if testing season for the Pike Angler's Club- but do watch this space for updates and a new venue and events next year. The Region 13/Devon PAC Blog is the place to look- and should have some more pics from today's friendly match: http://devonpac.blogspot.com/
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