First one and on the board!

January the first, a new year and a new fishing season for me. The Avon had been given a rest for a few days so I was hoping to have a good session after Chub but the water level was up again with plenty of colour. As well as the weather, there's some added pressure with this years challenge between a few other local angling bloggers, I must admit to spending some time preparing things ready for the first day, like making sure that I'd not forgotten either the scales or sling and that my camera batteries were fully charged.

The first Chub on the bank weighed in at 2lb 11ozs which I thought wasn't bad for the first fish of the year, it had a rather nasty looking gash in it's side but I wasn't sure if it was from a Pike, there are a few in the stretch I was fishing today, or possibly a Cormorant. 

Cormorant or Pike?

After a quick move to another stretch I settled in on a swim that has recently seen multiple Chub catches in a single session for me and fed some maggot and bread mash before presenting a flake into the flow that pushed across the swim towards some reeds.

The first bite came fairly quickly and the fish gave a good account of itself in the heavy flow and was a little bigger than the first fish at 3lb 2ozs.

It took a little longer to get the next fish and it also took a little longer to land as it stayed very deep and kept pulling back through the flow kiting all over the swim. When it hit the mesh it looked a good fish compared to the previous one and it was fingers crossed that it would pull past four pound, it didn't by one ounce.

One ounce under four.

It came in at 3lb 15ozs and here's a shot of the scales. 

The needle isn't quite on four

At least I caught on the first day of the year and I'm on the board with the challenge.