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First fish of 2011

Garry Lee

Garry Lee

Senior Member
I thought that I'd go after some Perch in a small club pond near to where I live. Bankside at fist light, water finally ice-free, worms on the hook, a few chopped worms as groundbait. Master plan in place, sit back and wait, and wait, float finally lifts and disappears and I strike..................... into a Tench! Only a small one but quite unexpected given the temperatures and the depth of the pond.

Any other (relatively) unusual catches out there?
 
I was out on the river today, i thought I'd see if I could winkle out a few silver fish whilst priming the swim for a perch at dusk. The river was dead I only managed one bite on maggots which I managed to bump on the strike. As it got closer to dusk the temp started to drop and i seriously considered going home but despite starting to shiver i decided to stick with the plan. I switched my end tackle to a size 16 on a 3.5lb hook link and impaled half a lob and cast out.

Nothing first run through but on the second the float slid sideways and under, it looked like I'd snagged bottom. Drat I thought, I'd not got many lobs and was probably about to lose one, I lifted the rod trying to free the hook from the snag. The snag moved, the snag kicked it's tail, the snag wasn't a snag. It was a strange heavy fight not like a perch at all, maybe a chub I thought and maybe a big one, nice!

Then I saw the fish, it was a pike, not a monster but sizeable for a light float rod and light mono. I played it for what seemed like an eternity constantly expecting the line to break. It finally started to tire i reached for the net, i went for the scoop and simultaneously spotted a bigger pike coming for it. I lunged there was an all mighty splash and my fish was in the net, the biggie slunk back to the depths. My first fish of 2011 went to just less than 7lbs I might head back to the swim and see if i can bag the bigger one soon.
 
Gary,

I have also found that tench feed avidly on worms in the coldest of conditions and last january i was catching tench (on worm) whilst half the lake was frozen. Oddly, or perhaps not, i was also after the perch at the time, but caught far more tench than perch on one pit. Most were hitting the worm as it fell through the bottom layers, mostly just before hitting the deck and usually, but not always close to dusk. Opened my eyes a little.

Paul
 
That was the last thing on my mind to be honest. I was desperate to avoid the first blank of 2011.
 
Caught my first fish of the year today, no ice on the lake, at last, first cast, pike 20lb 4oz, recast, 15lb 12oz. moved swim, a 6lber followed by a 14lb 10oz. That feels a lot better, absolutely soaked, but happy, the robins liked it too, munching the leeches off the unhooking mat!
peter
 
Peter Littleworth said:
Caught my first fish of the year today, no ice on the lake, at last, first cast, pike 20lb 4oz, recast, 15lb 12oz. moved swim, a 6lber followed by a 14lb 10oz. That feels a lot better, absolutely soaked, but happy, the robins liked it too, munching the leeches off the unhooking mat!
peter
Click to expand...


Bloody Southerners! There's not a lake ice free in God's Own County.

Dream session Peter, congratulations.
 
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