A Sunday to Forget!
Sunday 8th June,
I am enjoying fishing with Daz!
Like me, primarily a Rivers man, Daz also enjoys all types of fishing and is quite happy with the extra long sessions, early morning starts etc.
Similarly too, we both have medical conditions that mean we are not in top form always and he readily understands my occasional lapse into sleep at odd times! Just as I understand his late cancellations or acceptances, dependant on the good or bad days!
What I do find remarkable is his ready acceptance of the catalogue of disasters that I stumble into and his Dont Panic approach to handling them! If I was offered to fish with me! I think Id run a mile, but Darryl seems to help solve the problems without turning a hair
Today, I was really glad of his Company!
Thus, as I greeted him at 4.00 am and we set off to research our Bull river stretch, he assured me that it was No Problem when I explained that I had just had 2 bad nights and was feeling tired before we even started.
We discussed our finding and pre-baiting plans for the river and quickly arrived at the lane entrance to it.
This stretch has extremely difficult and long access as follows.
Firstly you turn down a lane and follow a gravel path for the length of a field.
You then come to a Pride of Derby locked access gate, which leads you through 2 more long fields and reach an S bend that takes you off the gravel path onto a meadow with extremely long grass, that is sometimes used by the Bulls.
Drive across the meadow, which terminates at a Railway Bridge and at the end contains a small car park, where it is advised you park your car, as according to the book To avoid damage to your car by Animals
I told you these damn Bulls were big!
However, as there was no sign of recent occupation, we parked beside the Railway and kitted up.
Because we intended to walk the whole stretch, we tried to travel as light as possible.
1 made up worm ledger rod each, chair, small bag with terminal kit, worms and a single landing net for Daz, a single umbrella for me.
I should also have taken my flask, but found that, having made it, I had managed to leave it at home, often expected, but the 1st time this year.
Luckily, I had a pint of flavoured milk in the car and Daz carries a flask of hot water, as he prefers to make fresh tea.
Finally, we donned full waterproof gear after our last experience with the weather here!
We still had a walk across two meadows to reach the start point and we were now in Bull Country!
Happily, they were not close today and looked somehow less awesome, maybe because we were now prepared!
Reaching the first stretch, we set up and started fishing.
It was comfortable in the chair and before long I could feel my eyes closing as no bites were keeping me alert
I fished and dozed until 8.30 and then we moved swims.
This time the Bulls spotted us and quickly posted sentries to avoid our escape after they had watched us scramble down the bank to 2 promising new swims.
Daz was having tiny indications almost continuously on the quiver and retrieving mangled worms each strike!
He persisted, trying smaller and smaller worms, until eventually he struck and caught what he described as The smallest chub I have ever seen
This actually pleased both of us as it meant the big chub were breeding OK, as the fish was too small to be a stocked one.
Trying again and from a similar bite, he then caught a small Brownie.
We were then hailed from above by another Angler, who stayed awhile, freely telling us where and how to fish and claiming that he had caught 5 fish that morning, 1 trout and 4 chub!
He left, to fish just upstream of us, but shortly afterwards called from just a few yards away and brandished a 2- lb chub in the air!
I suspect that worm was not his only bait, from the conversation we had!
Daz moved downstream and we again decided to move and cover more swims.
However, that depended on the Sentries, but after a few minutes of eyeball-to-eyeball contact and a lot of bad language, we plucked up the courage to crawl into the meadow and move downstream.
I am really keen to establish the barbell swims, but today I was very fatigued and we had travelled 3/4s of the way down the river.
Setting up my chair in a swim the other Angler had described as prolific, snaggy and named as the willows (Several willow trees line the opposite bank) I quickly cast a light bomb across the river.
It is the most unusual swim I had so far found!
Rather than go downstream, the current appears to back up on the far side, the bomb moves up along the far bank until it shortens and the main current grips.
It then swings in an arc in front of you, rolling down in a semicircle, until it rests in the slack beneath some bushes just below your feet!
Ideal for searching the swim, but unfortunately nothing fishy appeared to impede its progress.
Daz had another record!
This time it was the smallest trout he had seen and not hooked!
Simply bit the worm and hung on to it as he reeled in!
Determination like that should see it either quickly taken when full size, or go on to record proportions!
About 12.30 now, a light drizzle had been falling since 11.30 and the river was extremely coloured, more so than I have ever seen it.
This defeated our gravel finding attempts and we believe, put the fish off feeding.
Here have this
I awoke, sitting in a downpour, with Daz holding out a hot tea for me!
Ive been up to the end he explained and I found you asleep when I returned, even the damn rain didnt wake you
It was 3.30!!!
I was freezing and extremely grateful for the tea. The only dry thing left was the Umbrella in my rod bag!
We moved off the bank and discussed the state of the river.
Patently we needed a dry spell to lower the level and clear the water in order to truly find all swims, snags and features.
Also to catch fish!
However, we had a much better idea now of where the fish were caught and meeting the regular Angler (5 years of visits, he said) was a bonus!
As if the bad spirits had heard our conversation a savage wind blew up out of nowhere and the rain poured down in Torrents.
I lost yet another packet of cigarette papers to the wet as we stood stoically under the dripping trees waiting for the rain to ease.
Eventually it did and without further incident (other than a bit of nervous Bull braving) we made our way damply to the car.
I felt nervous on approaching the meadow, as the rain lay in huge puddles about us!
I had explained to Daz that my car was notorious for becoming stuck in mud, earlier, but we had decided to risk it, as the type of rain we had just experienced was simply not forecast,
However, we set off across the meadow ok, but I stopped just before the S bends of the gate and again expressed my fears.
Obviously, farm vehicles and animals squeeze through this area and the ground underfoot was much softer.
Youll be alright said Daz Just keep going at a steady pace
So I put the car in gear, steady as told and just before the gate entrance the wheels spun, the front dropped and the car became stuck fast!
We stood silently surveying the mud, nearly way up the wheel hubs as the situation slowly dawned.
We were 3 meadows up a lane with no name!
2 meadows away was a locked Gate, which we would have to walk down and unlock to allow access for any emergency van that we could raise, providing my mobile worked here.
It was after 5.00pm on a Sunday! So it was likely to be a long wait.
It was going to be costly!
Lets try and get it to grip I said, Fill up the wheel tracks with stones
For the next few minutes we packed stones and slates, picked from the fields, under the 2 front wheels.
Having taken off my boots to be able to drive, my shoes were now saturated and mud covered as were the bottom of my Jeans.
I didnt even notice until later.
Getting back in the car, I tried again.
Stone flew out, wheels skidded round and the car sank deeper into the mud!
Daz, still unruffled, but slightly annoyed, kindly blamed the farmer, the club and everyone else bar me. After recent friends comments, you can see why I like this man.
Ill go and find some wood said Daz, that ought to do it
He disappeared across the meadow to the right, aiming for the hedgerow.
Having been here before, I surveyed the wheels with growing despair and decided to delay the, to me, now inevitable HELP call until his return.
With nothing better to do, I decided to repack the wheels with stones and try 1 last time.
Agonisingly close to safety, I looked out of the car at the gravel path just 15 yards away through the gate!
Daz was nowhere in sight, so I breathed a prayer, started the engine and this time put her in reverse.
If I could only rock her and get her a bit of momentum!
Something told me to be vicious, so I revved the engine, dropped the clutch and she moved back a fraction!
Then I fumbled the gear change!
She dropped back sullenly and in a rage of frustration, I hit reverse again and screamed the engine! She rose almost startled and I hammered her into 1st,
With a lurch she shot forward, narrowly missing the gate and I wrenched the wheel around aiming for the corner.
She shot sideways through and dropped back in the mud, Stuck again, BUT we were through the gate!
Daz returned with wood and a large circular metal bin top.
Amazed to see I had got her out, he joined my wheel packing efforts, using wood, as we were both confident now.
This was far less deep and frightening than previously and so it proved.
At the 1st attempt, my poor car managed to reach the safety of the gravel path.
On the drive home, rain and puddles washed most of the mud away, but she still looked like this in the morning.
Imagine the state at the time.
Incidentally, I had the drivers window open and I must get the mud off the interior roof before I go to Ireland
So did we then drive home?
No, sterner stuff than that for Daz and I! (Unfortunately LOL)
We had planned to go to Grimleys Lake and spin for the Pike I had been successful with earlier this week and now we saw no reason not to complete the day.
So, stopping briefly for me to get a bite to eat (1st today and quickly lost!) we made our way to Grimleys!
Donning full waterproofs again and inserting my wet feet into my wet Wellingtons (awful feeling) I again emptied out my small bag in order to travel light.
Pike specimen landing net, Spinning rod and small bag with lure box.
Oh! And I needed the lure that had caught the 2 Pike on Friday.
Forceps, trace spares (Daz here kindly gave me 1 of his wire/braid mixed specials that we had just discussed on the forum)
Then 2 more lures (inc. a buzzbait that I have no faith in, but promised Newt I would try)
All 3 proved to be too big to go in my lure box!
So, I dropped them in the bag and watched exasperatedly as the catching lure (the one I most wanted) rolled perversely into the corner of the bag and set the centre treble into the material.
I tried to free it by hand but it was obdurately stuck fast!
So I grabbed the centre oh the hook with the forceps, gave it a sharp twist and pulled.
It came away and buried the tail hook up to the shank in the soft base of my left thumb, which was holding the bag open!
Ouch!!
Desperately trying to keep calm I turned to Daz and said Err I need some help here mate, Ive just set this hook deep in my hand, can you get it out with your forceps?
He rose to the occasion well!
Despite going a bit white, he got out his forceps and clamped them on the hook!
God that hurt!
This is going to hurt he said needlessly, Just press down against the barb I said
A quick jerk and it popped out and surprisingly; there was very little pain then, much more when the forceps went on!
That saved a hospital visit he grinned, Youd never have done it on your own
I wouldnt even have attempted it on my own!!! It is a size 4 Treble!
So we went home!
Did we hell, not after all that!
Sticking a small piece of plaster over the hole that was leaking blood all over the place, we joked that it should attract the Pike and set off for the lake.
Oh how I wish I could drive to all the pegs of my fishing trips!
We spun for over an hour on the lake and I tried my 3 lures, including the buzzbait, but to no avail.
Another guy wandered in and we got chatting and I told him of my success earlier, pointed out the swims I had caught them from, discussed other waters with him and where we had been.
When he said goodbye, he thanked me profusely and said he wished everyone were open in the club.
I could not believe how, after the earlier storm, the evening had turned out so placid, but the sun shone down, the wind ceased and it became a typical summers evening.
However, the cold influx of rain and the colour of the water seemed to have put the fish down!
I called to Darryl that I had had enough and would wait at the car, but he joined me along the path.
He was a bit unhappy, but his news bodes well for the future!
Unlike me, he had had a take, but a really vicious one, almost head on to his favourite lure.
He showed me where the fish had hit and stripped off all the paint from the shoulder of the lure to just short of the 1st treble and therefore safe from the hooks!
It was a mess and his conversation as we divested our needless weatherproof clothes was of paint and yacht varnish to restore his favourite
I would have understood if, after todays saga Daz had declined any more fishing with me! but as we got to his house, he decided that on Wednesday (the only day we shared free) he would show me the way he uses the method on Pride Lake!
Car behind the peg! Pike rod out to the side! Fantastic!
I really look forward to that!
As I drove home, approaching 9.00 pm, I pondered over the disastrous day!
I had met a guy who gave us freely information on the river we are going to target in the season.
I had met another who had been grateful for what I could offer.
I had spent 15 hours in good company by water and I had more to come.
I had found someone I could rely on for help in these little emergencies that I seem to attract!
Hey! That wasnt a bad day!
Trev
Ziptrev
Shouldn't happen to a DOG!
Edited by - Ziptrev on 10 June 2002 4:06:24 PM
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