The shoal of canal roach which had somehow eluded us, even though we knew they were there, just a week ago simply had to be dealt with. There was no way this could go unaddressed
I couldn't sleep, the alarm was set for four-thirty to be there at first light but I was up at four in eager anticipation. There were times in my life when four consecutive blanks would have knocked the stuffing out of my enthusiasm to such an extent that tiddlywinks would have been more attractive than getting on the bank but now, this time, it had only fortified the resolve; this was not a challenge requiring the avoidance of a blank to help a team, this was a longer-term campaign, the pursuit of big canal roach, and it was not to be taken lying-down
Sun rising on Big Roach potential |
I knew The Old Duffer would be another ten minutes, at least, but by then I had gleaned enough information and walked 7 or 8 pegs past last week's blanking spot to the epicentre of seismic rutilitude. The sun still was not apparent as I set my kit down and went back to guide my, now enthused, partner in crime to 'the spot'. My ability to describe the sight of a topping shoal of this type on the canal is limited, firstly I have hardly ever had the opportunity to view fish of this size behaving in this manner, usually in my past they would have been 2 to 3oz fish, and I have never stalked fish on a canal, but there is an undoubted serenity in the sight. The distant, apparently gentle, swirl and emanation of magically concentric rings captured in the early light againt the flat calmness of the waterbody, but with the contrasting splash of the tail-flick at close quarters...truly adequate words fail
The groundbait problem had reached a new level. Even my most trusted supplier no longer carried white crumb of the requisite coarseness for the task and, with a stated and measurable lack of confidence in straight liquidised bread, it was time for some more invention. Bread was liquidised but left to dry naturally and then mixed 50/50 with (very fine, in texture) 'punch crumb' and introduced to some canal water ('canal water - bread crumb, bread crumb - canal water', etc.) to swell to a sloppy consistency. Now this looked the part and, when dropped from a height of about 3 feet into the water just past middle, would land with a sloppy 'splat' to attract inquisitive fish to the commotion and have the flavour to bring them close, combined with the consistency to keep them sufficiently occupied
Meanwhile, back at the roachy ranch, topping had subsided - apart from the occasion perch-bait leaping clear
His Duffness soon had a 6oz roach on his trusted maggot and after ten minutes biteless a little doubt crept in but, literally as it was doing so, the first lift bite (which I am now just starting to cope with the shock of ) occurred. I was opting for stronger elastic (no.6) today to get the fish away from the baited area more quickly than I had managed previously and this was successful as only 6" or so emerged as a clearly chunky fish struggled against the inevitable conclusion - that we were back in business and the quest to break the 1-3-12 roach best had properly resumed with another pounder
The beginnings of a lift bite in action |
Perfect silver bream |
The three roach were weighed at the end after being hurriedly photographed at 1-3-0, 1-1-0 and 1-0-4...aaargh, still no p.b. breaker, but what a two hour session!! The method is refining as we proceed and with the advent of pre-session stalking I am increasingly convinced that the p.b. is looking ever more likely to go soon
Not a flattering shot but the thinner-bodied silver bream, at 11ozs on the right, gives some scale to the roach |
Golden maggot: The Old Duffer 3 (roach, bronze bream, perch)
Parps' Rugby Team result: Won 2, Drew 1, Lost 1