A Mixed Bag

The camper was packed with the essentials. The usual, fishing gear, bait, food and drink.

It was a bloody disgrace, I'd not cleaned it out since the last trip in November, but I have to admit I like going feral sometimes.

I reached the river at dawn and was greeted with topping fish and dozens of cormorants. I really don't know how long the rivers can keep taking this endless battering from the dreaded " Black Death".

Tackling up with a very small feeder and half a lob worm in pursuit of a perch or two, I started off with a couple of smallish perch, then a better one,  followed by a few skimmers and proper silver bream. I do like a silver bream, especially when they're of decent size and these were....maybe 8 - 12 oz I guess.

It's a funny place to fish. The locals are very friendly, but you don't half have some funny comments along with the usual " Do you eat them ?" type stuff.

I had "Are you using grass as bait" from one woman. 

Another said, and this is word for word, "Do the swans swish the fish in for you?". Honestly, WTF does does that even mean ?

An angler next to me said "That great crested grebe is making an unusual call". I said to him it was an ornamental duck not a grebe. He said     " No, its a grebe with his silver winter coat ".

I went over to him, smashed his rod over my knee, hit him with a viscious uppercut and chucked him head first in the river.

Actually, I didn't, but should have.

Back to the fishing. Loads more skimmers, some very decent roach ( what matchman would call " dog roach " ) and one clonking rudd.

The skimmers carried on chomping my hard won lobworms, even when I changed from a half lob on a size 10 to two on a size 6.

Still, it's January, you can't complain when the quiver is constantly rattling and you're getting action on and off all day can you ?

Bully was further upstream and was also having plenty of fish, so it was another enjoyable day out.