Early Morning Frenzy

Back on the Waal for the last five days of our trip. This normally heavily coloured river was clear, properly clear. With the sun out I could see the bottom in maybe five feet of water.

A quick afternoon session resulted in an unsurprising blank, but I was pretty confident they'd be feeding very early the morning.

Arriving just before dawn, the first cast produced a bite within seconds, the fish was hooked and then promptly became snagged up in my hitherto unsnaggy swim. 

Snap off and retackled, I hooked into another. This time the hooklink snapped under very little pressure.  Then it happened  again !

I had a swim full of feeding fish and was cocking it up.

Eventually I sorted myself out and had practically a bite a cast for just short of three hours.

It started with silver bream, hybrids, a rudd and roach up to a pound. Then better fish moved in, two big ide, half dozen proper slab bream that fought like demons and three stonking roach all over 2lb with the best two both going 2lb 6oz.

I was back eating breakfast at the van by 08.30 and I'm now prepping the gear for a dusk assault. 

Got to make the most of it, it seems at the right times they're feeding well.