I squeezed in a lot of fishing in April and it was a decent month in some good weather. My Tench efforts started with Friday mornings before work. Fishing a deep old clay pit early in the year is always tricky, the weather is warming up but the deep water is slow to get going. I had a couple of goes and whilst the early morning dawn chorus is worth it on it’s on, the fishing was slow. I did manage a couple of small Tench but not the bigger fish I was hoping for. I had to reflect after the most recent session, were the bigger fish I knew resided in lea years ago even in there any more? It was never a prolific Tench water so I wondered how many fish I was actually fishing for. There are other waters near by that have Tench in them, perhaps I should be channeling my efforts in there instead? I’ll keep on trying in May.
I also had a couple of efforts for a Gilt Head Bream. There have been reports of fish appearing in the estuaries so I’ve had a couple of goes trying to work out a couple of marks. I know I’m in good areas, but so far the only fish I’ve caught have been small school Bass. They are beautiful areas to fish so any time spent there is welcome. The spots I’ve been fishing are a little off the beaten track so the quiet and solitude enjoyed whilst fishing there is just gorgeous. At one spot we enjoyed all sorts of wildlife including Red Kites overhead. I’m seeing these beautiful birds increasingly in the area, a sign of their growing numbers and spreading populations.
After a couple of winter sessions at Innis Trout Fishery to keep my fly eye in, I was looking forward to heading out onto the moors to enjoying some big wild water. The forecast was for a moderate easterly wind, probably on the limit of my comfortable fly casting ability but and east wind typically dies off in the evenings so I ventured out hoping it would be ok. On arrival I could see it was fresh and any thoughts of fishing on the end of the wind were quickly banished. So, after parking the car I headed to the back of the wind onto some familiar bank were I hoped I could find a fish. In the bright spring sunshine, it didn’t look ideal. I decided I’d just walk until I found a sign of life rather than casting blind. I guess I was a couple of miles from the car before I finally spotted a fish, an it was text book. There are very few trees around those moorland lakes but a couple of Hawthorn bushes at the water’s edge were enough to provide the fish with a feed. Hawthorn flies were being blown from the Hawthorn bush (I said it was text book) on the water and there waiting for them were a couple of little fish taking the bugs from the surface. I sat and watched this for a while, a perfect trickle of feed for the trout and not one bug lasted more than about one minute on the water. I reached for the fly box and the choice was easy, a Hawthorn surface pattern that would be flicked amongst the natural flies landing just a few meters from the water’s edge. The first take came quickly but I missed it. No bother, the fish were still there and on the second effort a small fish took confidently and after a quickly, lively scrap, was unhooked in the water and was heading back on it’s way. Perfect.
I watched the water for a little longer the commotion had moved the fish on, plus the wind was now dropping and the bugs weren’t being blown form the bush any more. The opportunity had passed to it was time to move on. Walking slowly back towards the car I found more signs of fish close to the surface. I swapped flies, this time a wet Hawthorn pattern and a Soldier’s Palmer on the point. A bit more casting and walking and another fish was hooked, a larger fish this time that put up a great scrap. It was a really lean fish but these things are pretty wild, not pellet diet here and the moors are sparse places, there’s no great larder of food so these fish are products of their environment. It’s a tough place! Round the corner and into the next stretch of bank, the wind was really falling away and the water was glassing off. Another rising fish prompted another cast and the fish took instantly. Another good little scrap and the fish, which shared similar colours to the stunning sunset was heading back into the depths. What a perfect evening.
With the weather warming up I was tempted to try some surface fishing for carp but at the last minute decided to put some light float fishing tackle in the car and try for a big Rudd. I often see these fish in spring, warming in the sunshine before they group up and spawn. The previous days had been really warm so this felt like an ideal chance. However, when I finished work and stepped outside it was decidedly cooler than the previous days, not quite what I was hoping for but the kit was in the car so it was time to have a go anyway.
On ariival at the lake it was kind of what I was expecting, quiet. The cooler weather meant the fish weren’t lying on the surface, thy weren’t obvious anyway. I put on my polaroid glasses and went looking for them. Checking the spots you’d expect to find them, I found nothing. Walking and checking, walking and checking I eventually spotted a single fish swimming away from me towards a bush in the margins. I quickly baited the hook with a large grain of corn and flicked it towards the the bush. The cast was rushed and not quite on the money. However, I spotted a previously unseen fish come from a different direction that raced toward where the corn was sinking and the float slid away without hesitation. A quick strike met with a decent resistance and a decent Rudd was hooked. After a good scrap that had the long soft rod bent into a dent curve, a good fish slipped into the net. If you’re in the right spot it can happen as quickly as that. Previous experience of good sized Rudd told me there was likely to be others around so I unhooked the fish and left it quietly in the net in the water. I baited the hook again and repeated the cast towards the marginal bush. Almost as quickly I spotted another shadow appear and race towards the bait, another fish hooked and the one was even bigger! Two in the net and I was chuffed to bits with a solid brace of Rudd. Could I push my luck for a third? Yes, and a forth! At which point I was really pushing my luck with the fish waiting quietly in the net so got out the unhooking mat and posed for a few pictures. Big Rudd are stunning fish. They’re pretty rare but where you can find them, they typically aren’t fished for. Since everyone is focussed on Carp, Rudd enjoy a quiet life out of the headlights and only occasionally when a big one manages to eat a 15mm boilie with a size four hook hanging near it do they are get noticed. And even then they are considered a nuisance. Not in my book. On light tackle they are stunning fish and an absolute joy to hold.
So that was April, plenty of fishing, lots of wildlife, some good sunshine and a few fish caught, perfect!
