The End....And The Beginning

Last day of the season. Where to go ?

I didn't fancy a long drive so decided to stay local and fish The Forbidden. 

Started piking about 11.00. Bored by 14.00 and fishless. That is all.

Back at the van the ever so boring pike gear was dumped and the float rod came out, but not before a feast was prepared.

Six sausages, three rashers of bacon, two eggs and even chips, courtesy of a bloke parked up next to me. It was filthy food and thoroughly enjoyed.

The wind dropped and the sun came out and for a while it was quite warm. Well, warmish, I still had all my winter gear on.

Loose feeding maggots every cast, I waited. Hoping, though not expecting an early bite. The first bite came half hour late, at 17.00 and after that I had enough action to keep me interested. 

Mostly decent dace, all spawned out and a bit "soft" ( well, you would be wouldn't you ? ).

They were cracking fish though, with one going 9.5 oz, a double pre spawn for sure.

Sorry about the hideous latex gloves.

The Forbidden is a most undacey ( yes, that's a real word ) bit of water, deep and slow, lacking in any pacey areas.

In fact, for much of the year it's static. But who knows the ways of fish ? Next season I'll have a proper go for them in January/February. 

I've fished an enormous amount this winter. We've been lucky in that there's been very little flooding compared to the last few years, which has meant that fishing has been possible for the majority of the time.

The winter rudd fishing on the Gt Ouse has been incredible, both in numbers and quality.  Not only rudd, but big perch and silver bream, decent roach, zander and pike.

I didn't do as much chubbing as usual, a few trips locally, a couple to the Lark, but that was it.

Loads of trotting though, on both the upper and lower Stour, a bit on the Blackwater and Little Ouse too. Fantastic dace fishing, with roach, chub and brown trout thrown in too.

So, goodbye to 2024/25 season and full steam ahead to a spring and summer of mullet, tench, crucians, big roach, asp and sea trout.

Oh, and a big bream too

I read something this morning and the bloke said " Money can't buy you happiness, but you can go fishing and that's the same thing "

Touché.