On Sunday I started the morning by heading back down to my local cut for either a blast at the Carp/Bream or Pike, I had the tackle ready for which ever species I saw first and it didn't take too long before I spotted a small Jack of 4lb or so but I contrived to cast at the wrong end!, thus spooking it for good, I put it down to the fact it was about 5am.....
As the sun crept up and the temperature got to what I'd expect the fish began to move a little more and a shoal of maybe two-dozen Bream most of which were 6lb plus started moving, but these had other things on their mind seemingly, I did however find some snotty's feeding and this was my que to break out the slowsinkers, it wasn't long before I got some activity on the float and a confident pull on the float resulted in a surging fish heading away from me towards a vast weed bed, from this explosive take it was clear a Carp was mooching around with them on something, on 10lb line and a 2 1/4 TC rod this Carp gave me a good battle and put the gear through it paces, not to mention myself who at times was just hanging on, 5 minutes or so later though I had put just enough strength into getting this chunk into the edge and over the lip of my waiting net.
As I landed what was a Common of around 16lb I noticed loads of milt coming out, it was clear that this fish was ready to spawn or had been recently so to not cause anymore stress I slipped him straight back and allow it to repopulate a very sparsly populated canal, obvioulsy there was no way of knowing that the Carp were feeding with the Bream, I may have avoided fishing for them but you can't know everything, a very well proportioned fish too, a shame I didn't get a snap but I'll be back to fish for them in a few weeks once they have done the neccersary's.
As I headed to the end of the beat I headed back down after an hour or two and witnessed what I believe to be the Common I caught earlier in the day nudging the under-side of a heavily spawn-laiden female Common of 20lb+ which I suppose was to get the game going, clearly unfazed by the capture earlier in the morning. Nothing else showing and most of the fish were spawning so I packed up after another successful trip to what seems to be a very tough venue.
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| The left hand one was my 16lb Common. |
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| A loaded up Common. |
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| Another Common Carp hoovering up something whilst playing hide & seek. |
Really liking the photos you're catching in that clear water James. Any signs of any other species?
ReplyDeleteWell apart from 3 Crucian's that I spotted on my very first trip nothing other than Pike, Carp and Bream, have spotted no Perch, Roach, Rudd. Oh and I spotted a Catfish too around the 20lb mark but there is no structure or very little and the cormorants have hammered it to a point of total destruction, just hope they get a disease that wipes them out or the canal has no future, all the fish are old (Carp&Bream) no young back-ups and when they expire there will be nothing and the Eco-system may never recover......but Mother Nature always finds a balance, it's called a sniper rifle!!. Wish we could you one, I'd wipe them out single handedly. I will however continue to search the canal to maybe find different species and the basin at the bottom does hold Zander too and Rudd, only time will tell.
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