This year, as last, I was Duncan's guest on a little lake deep in the grounds of a walled estate. Tench were the target species, with anything else a bonus. 03.32 Duncan arrived (two minutes late!) to pick me and my gear up. 03.50 we were through the spike topped, doored gateway onto one of the estate's private roads through a bit of mixed forestry.
03.52 we were parked up, backs loaded and on the last little bit via Shank's Pony. 04.00 we were each in our chosen pitches and tackling up under a mix of moonlight and early, pre-dawn twilight.
Duncan fished in 1970's style this year. With his ABU Match rod and Cardinal reel. I too moved forward a decade this year to the 1960's with Richard Walker MkIV Avon but stuck with the 1950's Speedia reel. We sat on chairs this year too instead of the baskets we used last year. Baskets keep you too high up and as most of my fish are caught under the rod top, a low seating position, back from the water's edge is preferable.
Worms for Duncan. Bread for me as my wormery was all but destroyed in the -17
°C frosts we had this last winter. Duncan had brought me a pack of worms but I thought it made more sense to hang onto them for restocking my wormery. We both had fish, but Duncan's Sport was certainly more brisk as he was kept busy by perch whilst my float either sat there motionless or simply disappeared with no in between fiddlings apart from a couple of lift bites.
It took a while for fish to come to my bread and the first fish, a tench, actually came to the surface with a splash then dived hard to my left into a snag and instantly snapped the line on something sharp down there. I do hope that fish can get rid of the barbless hook or that someone catches it soon and kindly removes the hook.
Meanwhile, Duncan was bringing in fish after fish...
I tied on another size 10 hook. Reset the depth to lay an inch or two on the bottom and persevered with the bread, one cast flake, another cast balanced crust.
Meanwhile, Duncan was bringing in fish after fish...
At 05:22 I wound in to nip over to Duncan's swim to photograph him in action (and to pass his net to him as he had left it out of easy reach).
Ten minutes after this, my float slid away again and this fish ran out towards the middle, before cutting back to the snag on my left. This time it was possible to keep the fish high and turning as it neared the danger spot and Glory Be... it was in the net. Thanks Goodness for that, no longer was I watterlicked!
One more tench came a little later, as the sun came over the trees I had a rudd on the drop. Much later on, trying a big worm close in to the marginal sedges got me the biggest perch of the day and a comment from Duncan regarding my excessive good fortune!
By 10.32 we had finished for the day having had a great time. We are already considering how, where and when we might go Coarse fishing again. BUT he's got to get rid of that non-period hat...
richard
Another Coarse Season nicely started...
. You're lucky to get on a proper old lake like that - around me it's mostly carp puddles - I genuinely long to find somewhere where I don't catch carp 
. Still, I must find somewhere and do some dawn tench fishing this month, not done it for a few years now but you've inspired me 
.
.
Linear Mode
