With time short, and conditions as unpredictable as ever, September has closed with a trail of budget accommodation, blustery waters and bloody fingers in search of pike and other species. With fuel so pricey, sometimes the only way to make ends meet is to kill a few birds with one stone and take a road trip. A successful one, I'm pleased to add- as you can see from the state of my fingers.
Last week, it all began in slightly calmer style as I was delighted to guide fly convert Owen Haynes on what looked like the last good day of summer. We had a blast with lots of visual fish present. Despite only relatively recently taking up fly fishing, Owen put spiders to good use in some of my favourite spots, taking a good tally of fish- and was unlucky to miss out by a hair's breadth on what looked to be a real monster rudd. It matters less when you catch a hatful of pretty, nicely conditioned roach:
I always like to send folks away with some bonus flies too, and keen to catch a pike next, Owen went away with some new pike patterns for a spot of "field testing"!
Shortly afterwards, I was hurtling across the country to catch the PAC Convention, along with some strategic stops on the journey. If you travel light, you can quickly set up anywhere- and I couldn't resist a shot in Somerset on the way up. A little disheartened to see the carnage and bare spaces created by the weed cutter in operation, I was relieved to find a shoal of chub on the canal. They just wouldn't rise for a dry fly, but a Spider Sedge flicked to the edge of the shoal was snapped up by this nice fish:
After a couple of jack pike on the Severn en route, I rocked up in the Midlands to continue my shoe-string fishing tour on the reservoirs. With a good handful of waters to choose from, you're spoilt for choice, but a day with Zoota Lures maker Alex Prouse (see www.zoota.co.uk) was a must. I had admired his beautiful jerkbaits at a couple of shows in the past and couldn't wait to see them in action.
I've enjoyed jerkbait fishing before- but usually with the solid variety you work with the rod tip to swerve left to right. There's something extra special about a model someone has tested and finished by hand however and the pike seemed to agree. Drifting to cover plenty of water, we started to get follows and hits. Alex was first into a fish, a nice double:
The day was exciting enough when I spotted a really long fish follow. Alex recommended a switch to a smaller "mini Wagtail"- and fatefully, ten minutes later, the line stopped and I got that nervous excitement of a fish that held deep and ponderous. At the first sight of it my jaw fell slack. Bloody hell, I was a gibbering mess! Some big water fish are thicker than your leg, others are really long: this one was both. I would be lying if I said the fight was a breeze- it was torturously edgy, as the fish was only hooked lightly by one treble. I was having horror visions of another pike in this bracket I hooked last season on Chew, which shook its head and was gone. Not this time!
At 27lb 10oz, I was supremely grateful to Alex and his brilliant lures. I don't usually dare dream of a pike anywhere near size until much later in the season- and to catch it on a lure was doubly special. Just to prove the lures were no one hit wonders, he proceeded to catch some lovely pike of his own among a string of spine tingling follows and big hits. Not only are these lures deadly- they're also a lot tougher than those I've used in the past. And if they get really hammered, a lighter can always be used to make running repairs!
The next day was a complete change of scene as I fished elsewhere with predator fly expert Nigel Savage. We had further fun with some very scrappy pike, but I was especially intrigued by his tactics for zander. This couldn't be more different to casting for pike, with jig style flies and depths often 30ft or greater to contend with:
I would liken it to jigging- but by no means in a dismissive way. Flies are trailed and carefully worked behind the boat, rather than repeatedly cast, which would be fairly ludicrous with the vast depths involved. Doing everything by touch is a lovely way to fish and Nigel took several zander from the depths.
It was also a great week for meeting other pike anglers at the PAC Convention, where I had the pleasure of giving a talk to a group of keen youngsters. With areas like rigs and catch and release well covered by seasoned heads, my remit was the rich area of pike legends and tall tales from the archives. From the great Mannheim pike myth, to tales of geese, dogs and small boys being eaten, it was all good, far-fetched fun. In fact, the pike season couldn't have got off to a more rewarding start. I'd also encourage Westcountry rods to check out the Devon R13 PAC blog (see my links page at www.dgfishing.co.uk) for upcoming events. Nathan Edgell is first up in late October at Mill on Exe- with an exclusive water fish in and other good things to come.
As anyone who likes to seek out new locations discovers, fishery owners come in all types. I've met some brilliant, supportive characters, as well as some first class nutters! I don't think some of them realise the huge importance they play in the sport- treat your anglers well and they'll be back time and again. The curious part comes when you encounter owners who would almost rather you weren't there. With perch fishing especially though, it's worth seeking out those more hidden places which are hardly promoted and where "fishery management" means a bloke hopping off his tractor and saying "that'll be six quid please".
Autumn is invariably the most colourful time of the year. I'm glad in this instance I got Frazer McBain on the case again, who could make even the meekest little pond look elegant and mysterious. I've been doing more pole fishing lately for the perch. The pole is brilliant for getting accurate depths and pushing baits into tight spots- and as well as my favourite chopped worm tactics, I'm also using stepped up rigs to present small roach in perchy spots. It didn't start brilliantly on this occasion though, with a smashed pole section. Just as well the best areas are often near the bank- and this two and a bit pounder took a tiny roach close to cover over a decent helping of chop:
Talking of off the beaten trail waters, initial trials have begun with the PAC boys on what could be an exciting little detour. All made possible by the efforts of Adam Moxey- who has done a sterling job sniffing out the place and talking to the owner. I can't name it just yet- although the boys who came to the first PAC meeting of the season at Mill on Exe now have an inkling of where our annual fish in will be held. Top class winter wear from Mox too- he was so well concealed from the cold he looked a bit like an armed robber.
I had no pike on this occasion, but managed a perch on a drifted dead roach (an unusual occurrence on this method) and enjoyed a beautiful day in good company. Mox said the fateful lines "Just watch my rod for a minute mate, I'll be back in a few minutes" -and lo and behold, Chris Lambert was on hand to hit a screaming run and land a beautifully well conditioned double.
It's been a really sociable few weeks in fact, and I also had a great day out with Mox and Russ Hilton on the Grand Western. We tried wobbling, lures and flies out. All of the methods caught plenty, the place looked as cute as a canal gets and the pike were fiesty if not huge:
Definitely a month for predators then, and not only of the fishy variety. I took my other half Jo to Yarak Birds of Prey centre as a birthday treat and had a blast holding and photographing all the different birds, like this eagle:
