A Pig on the Tidal

I'd found a spot on different tidal venue that was heaving with fish at a certain state of the tide.

Countless mullet, a few bass, a couple of brown trout and a group of carp. The carp were mostly small with one or two much better fish. How big was difficult to say but "big enough to make me want to catch them".

They seemed to move down to this particular spot as the river dropped, remaining there until there was only a foot or so of water.

After spending the previous evening observing and taking a few photos I went back on the bike, travelling very light, armed only with an 8 foot 6 inch, 15 gram spinning rod, small fixed spool and a bucket of mixed seed and maize.

Other bits a pieces in my pockets.

On getting to the ( very overgrown) spot  I went to put my foot down as the bike stopped, only to find that side was a mini ditch, whereupon I crashed, slowly and quite graciously, into the grass, stingers and brambles. Minor cuts only, worse things happen at sea.

A couple of handfuls of seed mix were deposited tight in the near side bank, where there was a tiny bit of slack water.

I watched for maybe twenty minutes, before I saw two carp travelling towards me in the middle of the river. They went straight over to the baited spot and started milling about. A good sign.

I decided to let them settle on the bait. A while  later the smaller fish drifted off, leaving only the bigger one.

I'd got a little 15mm orange poly ball as a float, set a foot deep and two bb on the bottom, four inches from the hook, on to which a single grain of maize was impailed. 

It was probably there ten minutes before it slid away. I struck and the fish immediately tore forty yards downstream, then started to kite into the far bank reeds.

I applied as much pressure as you can on a very light spinning rod and managed to ease it away from danger. For the next twenty minutes it came back and forth, twice I had it almost over the net before it dashed downstream again. I began to think I wasn't going to get it in.

It was much bigger than I'd previously thought but when, finally, I managed to scoop it up in the net and leant down to grab the arms, I realised this really was big, for a little river no more than fifteen yards wide.

I was shaking, sweating and absolute covered in stinging nettles. But most shaking.

25lb 3oz, a massive, bronze brute of a fish that I'm 99.9% certain has never been caught before.

To catch it on the float in twelve inches of water on a light spinning rod only added to the excitement and satisfaction. 

The landing net arms had actually snapped as I lifted it out, but that was a small price to pay. 

I cycled back immediately, jumped in the shower and then sat in the garden, the evening still warm as the dark encroached, enjoying a beer and texting friends to share the success.

It's a long time since a silly old mud pig got me that excited