The Species Hunt

 "Make it your habit not to be critical of small things"

Edward Everett Hale

 Let me tell you about the species hunt. Ive never had any interest in it before,I don't know why.

However, when me, Cocksy and The Dunmow Hungry F****r put a quid up for grabs for the angler who catches the most species in 2021, i suddenly developed a huge hunger in winning wiping the floor with the pair of them. And it's been great fun so far.

I think it will take at least fifty species to win, more if I avoid work for the next few months.

But let's talk about the spring. I've just had a momth in the camper, fishing the Grand Union  and Kennet and Avon canal and one or two other places. Well, not only fishing but I did have a dabble most days.

My no 1 target was ruffe and gudgeon, not so easy to locate in many waters these days. I was assured by a contact that the town stretch in Devizes the place to catch them. Or ruffe anyway.

First day I picked a spot and immediately started catching, decent perch, roach, hybrids, skimmers, better bream....but no ruffe. I persevered and ended up with five ruffe and was ridiculously chuffed to have caught them. No gudgeon though.

 I cycled back to the campsite, probably five miles along the canal, a stretch full of fish, but not known for gudgeon. I stopped at several places for ten or twenty minutes, catching a variety of species at each spot.

THE gudgeon swim

 Last swim looked perfect, with loose reeds close to the bank. I put a few maggots in and lowered the float inches out from the bank and a minute later a gudgeon hit the bank. And I let out a ludicrously loud "Yeeeeeees " ! 

After I started fishing ultra close in I caught gudgeon in loads of swims, but anything further out resulted in plenty of fish but no gudgeon. 

I really did get as big a kick catching those ruffe and gudgeon as I do catching much, much bigger fish. More so in fact.