30/08/2009

Big Roach - Attempt No.1 (Pickmere)


Back to Pickmere.

Slightly different strategy this time to catch a tench or a big roach. The gatekeeper reckons that his son in law has landed a 10lb tench recently and I've been told there's a lot of good sized roach and hybrids being caught, so we'll go for both.

The session starts the night before with 20 mins raking and then a blitskreig of Expo/brown crumb laced with hemp; pellets; corn and mashed bread. The morning after, I've gone for a peg with lots of tree cover near by and a gravel bottom - more roach than tench really but easy to get to - the cardinal sin I know!!

Bites all day on a groundbait feeder but far too many missed. Not a sniff of a tench (I'm going to have to be more targeted and not hedging my bets), but a steady flow of good roach all through till dark, the two best going 15 oz, compared to a PB of 1lbs 2oz. Nearly all the roach were over 9/10oz, so the best roach session I've had for probably 20 years. Switching to worms produced a predictable flow of smallish perch regardless of hook/bait size. A late strong run and a bite off suggested the eels have moved in, but truly torrential rain made it unbearable to stay any longer.

Then the fun started - 1.5 hours like a drowned rat trying to put down the bivvy, which has to be dragged all the way to the car park and ends up half erect stuffed in the back of the car, leaving me trying to drive home with poles sticking in my ears - triffic...

Mr Fish

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