A break is as good as ......

In complete contrast to the weather we've had so far this week, last Friday's session was much colder. There was a cool north easterly breeze blowing across the horseshoe pool at Jubilee when we arrived for an afternoon/evening stint on the fly. Both myself and Barry fancied a go with the fly rods for a while but the way the weather had been lately it was just too cold to get the fish up in the water and by the looks of things, this session was going to be tough.

The peg I chose had the wind blowing from left to right with a calm area just in front of the peg, a couple of pouches of biscuits were put out amongst the surface crap that was littering this side of the lake, in amongst all the leaves, blossom and feathers one Carp found a couple of my treats and started to pick them off one at a time, that was good enough for me and I set about getting the tackle assembled ready for the first chuck. By the time I was ready for the first cast the my constant feeding between tying knots had payed off as there were now several fish in front of our swims, Barry was already chucking the fluff so I joined in. These fish were very wary of the fly and I struggled to see any pattern to their movements, I had several refusals and changed fly colour several times before I got a take. It was good to feel the carbon bend under my hand again as a Carp made off with my fly.  It's been over a year since I last cast a fly at a Carp and I can quite honestly say that I missed it, the fight was most enjoyable and I couldn't help smiling as a reasonable fish tore around my swim.

A thirteen on the fly.

Barry gave me thirteen pounds for this Carp but it wasn't about weight, it was about enjoying my break from Ryton.

The second fish of the day was slightly bigger Ghostie, it felt a good few pounds bigger and fought like it, testing my rod and reel control with some quick powerful twists, turns and runs.

A good scrap from this one.

I had another two fish that evening, one was very long and lean with a very recognisable scar near it's tale, I think I may have caught this fish a couple of years ago. I could see the fish confidently slurping biscuits off the top and I was trying hard to position the fly in the right spot which took a couple of lifts and recasts to be perfect, my 'Biccy' fly was next in line to be taken and within a blink of an eye the Carp's mouth appeared next to the fly, I instantly lifted the rod to tension the line and it was on, the water exploded as this fish tore off across the lake stripping line at a great rate of knots on the first of many runs.

Seen you before!

Come in number four, your time is up!

This session was great fun with four fish on the bank, I had to do it again!

Sunday afternoon I returned for another go with the fly but things looked bleaker, the air temperature was down and the wind was a little stronger, it took a good hour or so to find some fish willing to feed and it was to be a tad tricky casting into the wind, still, I love a challenge.

Casting was a little testing and as soon as the swim next door became vacant I moved in and was able to get a cast slightly across the wind increasing distance and improving presentation but it still took ages before I had a fish on the bank, just as I did, Barry and Jan turned up.

Worth the wait.

Barry wasn't fishing but it's strange that whenever he turns up at my swim I almost always catch a fish!

Whilst I was chatting to Barry and Jan I almost missed a take from my second Carp of the evening.

'Gummy'

This 'gummy' beast had obviously been mistreated at some point as it had a badly deformed mouth, and damage to dorsal, one of it's pectoral fins and tail. It seemed happy enough slurping down the biscuits though.

This change in the weather is what the Carp at Ryton have been waiting for, as I write this they are happily thrashing the water to a foam making new baby Carp and I've Just had news that their also at it at Jubilee on both pools, Barry was there today and had ten fish out on the fly, the little git's four ahead now!