Wasps!

Another quick session at Jubilee on Thursday evening and after the fruitless trip to Ryton I was looking forward to getting a Carp on the bank, it's been a few weeks now. I could see several fish on the top sitting motionless and I thought I would try a few casts to see if I could get a take without throwing out any freebee's. A few false casts were thrown to get the range then I cast in the direction of one of these Carp, at first I thought I'd just spooked the fish but all it was doing was dropping down to turn and rise at the fly, that was probably the quickest take I've ever had off a Carp. It was a good heavy scrap and it wasn't long before I was taking a picture of a 12lb 8oz common before quickly releasing.

I fed this swim to try and get some other fish to show some interest but all stayed quiet so I moved to a swim on the other side of the point behind me and started to introduce some freebee's, a couple of fish showed some interest and it wasn't long before I had several fish competing for the free snacks. After casting out I kept being buzzed by some fly like creatures but being focused and ready for the next take I didn't let it bother me. After hooking a small Carp, it was when the fish was on the mat that the buzzing around me came into focus and I realised that sound was coming from several Wasps. 

Some people have a fear of flying, others fear dentists, I can't stand wasps.

I stayed calm as they didn't seem to be that angry and continued to deal with the fish and release it before freaking out, after letting the Carp go I looked back and could see that the population of wasps around the mat had increased then I noticed where they were coming from, right next to the mat was a small earthy patch in the grass and a small hole which had several of the stripey beasts exiting rather quickly. I stood at the waters edge thinking about how to escape this swim without being followed by an angry buzz but then realised that the wasps weren't around me, I think being dressed head to toe in realtree might have helped, maybe they couldn't see me?

I grabbed what gear I could lay my hands on without taking my eyes off the wasps and walked very quickly round to the next swim continuously looking over my shoulder. Observing from a distance I made a plan to rescue the rest of my gear from the buzzing hoard of Jasper's, it was a close one, I had several enquiries whilst picking up my bag but I resisted the temptation to run up the bank, hands aloft, screaming like a girl and made it back without being mobbed.

It took a while to calm down from that experience and I won't be fishing from that peg again this year.

When I eventually calmed down and my casting returned to normal I had a take from a fish that took loads of line on it's first run, onto the backing at one point and after a very heavy fight the reward was a lovely looking Carp, almost a leather at 13lb 2oz's