Prepping and Blanking

I've been mulleting. I walk the river most days and like to think I know their habits and haunts, but I can't get a bite at the moment.

Loads of fish about but total failure. This will change I'm sure. 

My seven year old £3.50 Chinese bite alarms  packed up the other day, so I splashed out a total of fifteen English pounds for two NGT specials, with battery and carry case. Bargain I reckon. Whisper it, but the fish don't know what brand you're using.

On Friday I went to see Cooky on The Big Stillwater for a chat. No fishing tackle, just a chair and cooking gear. We demolished a dozen sausages, half dozen eggs, a can of beans and several pieces of toast between us, courtesy of the mighty Ridge Monkey grill.

Cooky was slaying the bream and ended up with fifteen between four and seven pounds. No sign of the big ones though.

He managed to get me a 15 kg sack of huge hemp. They'd sold the whole delivery before it was bagged up, such is the scarcity of decent quality seed at the moment.  It looks lovely. 

Sunday morning I walked the tidal river and upon returning, retired to the garden to feed on a leftover cold Chinese from the previous evening, before tieing up some mullet spinners whilst listening to Liverpool win the Premier League on 5Live.

That, as an old fart, is my version of "Living The Dream". You think I'm joking. I'm not.

I couldn't resist another go after the mullet in the evening with the fly gear but unsurprisingly blanked, despite being surrounded by active fish. Bastards.

Keeping It Local

More fly fishing for mullet along the tidal river, luckily ten minutes walk from the house. Me and PC gave it a good effort and we both had a take. Unsurprisingly, both missed.

Mine came first cast in a new area and I was day dreaming. 

Waaaak and JM joined us too for a chat and a social. As the day went on more fish showed but we remained mulletless. A good time was had by all, though.

I've also been poking about on The Big Stillwater. Looking for an elusive tench. A lovely swim in a shallowish bay was selected and baited with mixed seed and maize.

A couple of days later I returned and spent an hour with the binoculars scanning the water. A couple of coots were diving over my baited spot and after scrutinising them I noticed the feckers were eating my maize. Which meant the fish hadn't ! 

I still think it's a good spot and will persevere.

My regular riverside walk from the house, a three to four mile circuit, has seen a big influx of summer migrants over the past week.

Loads of sedge/reed and cetti's warblers, whitethroats, blackcaps, a cuckoo, the usual waders and wildfowl. Yesterday, I watched as four red kites and a sparrowhawk whirled and wheeled on a thermal in bright spring sunshine in a cloudless sky.

Three nightingales were calling in a sheltered, overgrown spot by the railway sidings, a sound that sums up spring.

The next blog post will hopefully include some fish shots. Maybe.

A Spring Day

Bit of work in the morning and then a proper breakfast.

Popped round to see the oldies and then down the Poach Pit for the afternoon. 

Full of birdsong, cettis warblers, blackcaps, chiffchaffs, blackbirds and plenty of martins and swallows. Lovely laying there in the sun.

Made some pva bags....oh I'm so carpy.

Even had time to mend my headphones, Jack Duckworth styleeeee.

Seriously,  another pair at the extortionate price of £6.50 were ordered. Surprisingly good audio quality and plenty good enough for when I'm working.

Had three nice ones, nothing big, before it was time to head back with the sun setting and birds still calling.

Grey Ghosts

The sun has been shining constantly, but here in north Essex the dreaded easterly wind has been cold and relentless. Bit sick of it now.

Until a couple of days ago I'd not fished for well over a week. I did make an hour plus trip to a pit in the Fens, but after a walk round and chat to Bully, frankly I couldn't be arsed. The hunger wasn't there, so I drove home without wetting a line.

However, on Thursday,  Me and S had a very quick go after some mullet, a couple of minutes from the house, trying out a couple of new fly rods I'd bought.

The rods were great, there were loads of mullet present, but we couldn't get a touch. Nothing unusual there.

The following day, I had a proper recce further upriver. The birdlife along here is fantastic, all manner of waders and wildfowl, the first of the summer migrants ( chiffchaffs and blackcaps mainly ) showing, a sparrowhawk, marsh harrier and several buzzards.

I'm pleased to say the mullet were spread throughout the river, it's a few years since I've seen this many this early.

Again, they didn't seem to be in feeding mood, I'd bought along the spinning rod which normally sorts a few out, but I couldn't get a take until, totally out of the blue, the spinner was grabbed and the rod whooped over.

I really don't buy the "British bonefish" tag that some people give mullet. Certainly, thin lips anyway. In my experience thicks fight much harder. 

This one shook it's head a bit and as it neared the net offered decent resistance, but it was soon in the net. Ah, the net. I bought a net for use wading or on flat banks that I could clip to my belt. Very handy and as cheap as chips. Or two bags of chips. Eight quid. Bargain.

A couple of miles away is a wood absolutely full of wood anemones. An incredible but fleeting sight, in a week or so they'll be finished and it'll be the bluebells turn. 

Enjoy it while you can.