Tuesday:- went stockie-bashing at Syon Park & had some success with boobies on a sinking line. So yesterday, went to the local canal (no close season) to try similar techniques with coarse fish. Apart from my fly rod I took a bait rod & some worms. Cast my booby & while it was sinking, I laid down the rod to ponce about with the worm gear, only to witness an explosive carp take the booby right at the surface. Couldn't reach rod in time, missed strike etc.

It gets worse.

Next time the booby was sinking & me again fooling around with floats etc, a duck took the booby. Yes a duck. Fought like mad, obviously having the extra dimension over fish of 'UP'. Then when I landed it (yes I used my net) it spat & hissed & pecked & fluttered until I grabbed the hook with my forceps & twisted it out. My arms are black & blue this morning. It flew away all right. Never gonna try two rods at once again. Ever.
Dave.

Reminds me of a time when I went carp fishing with a friend of mine who decided that fishing a pole and a ledger was sensible idea. I did warn him, and when his bite alarm went off it was worth day ticket money to see him wrestling with a fourteen foot pole and 7lb carp. Priceless.

Stick to one rod!!

Jon

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Jon
Always time for one last cast...

I might try that, duck is so much tastier than trout

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How poor a thing, sometimes I find,
Will captivate a greedy mind - Isaac Walton.

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I've hooked a very small duckling before now and had the mother attacking me while I tried to unhook it.

Not something I want to repeat.

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If you lend someone £20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment

Moorhens put up a tremendous fight. Loads of squawking, splashing about and when you land them they have these big comedy feet like something off It's A Knockout.

I would expect the same performance from Coot.

Consider yourself lucky mate! I did the same thing but with a gosling and a fekking great white angry goose of a mother in attendance. Ouch.

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that second story is funny

Funny you should say that Urien, I considered taking it for the kitchen, but saw that, if I could control it the hook would be easy to remove. There's another thread on here at the moment where someone caught a sparrowhawk. Now that would be frightening.

Whilst at Syon, I watched two coots seeing off a (ruddy?) duck which is about three times their size. They certainly are aggressive little buggers.

What are people up to today? Its windy here, trout season not open, coarse shut. Syon too far & too expensive. But I've got a new flyline to test. Hmmm.........

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Whilst at Syon, I watched two coots seeing off a (ruddy?) duck which is about three times their size. They certainly are aggressive little buggers.

Coots are as you say aggresive little buggers and murderers at that! They will drown every duckling they come across and fend off even geese!!
On many duck shoots, a coot day was held at the end of the season to bring down their numbers as the make serious inroads into the duck population.

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It is in truth not glory,nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting,but for freedom - for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with his life.(Declaration of Arbroath, 1320)

whilst fishin at dusk for seatrout ,i hooked a large very angry dog otter ,very brisk angry fight.snapped me in seconds.