2-0

2-0 to the roach that is.

We're in Holland in the camper. We were greeted with the river Waal being eight or nine feet down on the level at the same time last year. Incredible. 

The first evening I saw a roach roll as I was setting up and ten minutes later I hooked a fish. This was jagging and nodding, without the weight of a bream or big ide. Roach for sure.

Just as this thought entered my head it came off. Disappointing, but I thought this was a sign they'd be a few about.

I was wrong. Plenty of ide, bream and a solitary silver bream, but no more roach.

As usual, the bream followed me about, the bstards. No photos of them.

I tried several different areas, one extremely shallow, maybe three feet and surrounded by weed. After several hours without action, the tip dropped back and again, the nodding of an obviously big roach. It got stuck in a weed bed, but I eased it out. Then it went solid in more weed and this time it came off. I was not amused.

The big ide I was catching worked their way through the weed and the hooks stayed in, but not the roach. Sometimes the luck just isn't with you.

We're moving on tomorrow, so one short early morning session left to see if I can nab one of those roach.

It's been extremely windy and when you're on a massive river and it's blowing in your face it makes things very difficult. Although there was little flow, I needed a 60 gram feeder just to keep it in place, such was the power of the wind.

And it destroyed my Angling Direct umbrella. Not surprising, as its made of pipe cleaners and plasticine. It's OK, just don't use it outside.

I almost forgot. One evening I'd been breamed out on one side of the crib, so I chucked some sweetcorn in on the other side, a very shallow, sandy bit of ground where I caught plenty of ide last year.

I was only fishing a couple of yards out and after ten minutes or so the tip whacked round and somehow I failed to make contact.  The corn was flicked out to the same place and again, a thumping take which this time I hit.

The fish fled to deeper water at great speed. Definitely not an ide, but what was it ? It circled a few rod lengths out....an asp. Quite what it was doing eating sweetcorn I don't know, but a welcome surprise anyway.

I've got a canal to check out tomorrow,  so a bit of variety, which is always welcome. 

The Dutch predator season opens on Saturday, so we'll have a go at more asp and maybe zander then.