CCCold SSStart.

A very cold start to the session at the weekend, minus three degree's in the car park and ice everywhere. We did a quick hike up the canal through the mist to see what was available in terms of liquid water as there was ice over most of the stretch we planned to fish, one of our favourite spots was ice free and also another spot we both liked the look of but had never fished, this was a few hundred yards up the bank so we chose to start there and work down if everything melted later in the day. Just after we arrived at our first spot and started setting up, a boat passed through and made the whole stretch fishable, well done that man!

 

Zander were the target and it didn't take long to get the first tentative drop on one of the bobbin's followed by a couple of slow steady pulls. Not a big fish but it saved a blank, this was soon followed by a second much smaller fish, had the bait not been cut in half it would have been bigger than the Zed.

 

We fished our way back to our favourite swim, arriving first I cast out and was sitting down nursing my burning frost bitten fingers, it was only a short walk carrying a metal pod in one hand and holding metal chair legs in the other but metal is not good to hold in freezing conditions, (Gloves will be in the bag for the next session) I had a take straight away, this was the full on head shake rattle of the rod tip with the odd drop or pull on the bobbin, a better fish this one. A lovely plump bellied fish of around three to four pounds, I was taking the pictures when Barry arrived and cast out his first rod, he picked up the second and noticed the bobbin move on his first rod, that bait must have landed right in front of a fish, after a quick tussle a fine Jack Pike was in the net.
 

 

A quick end to a cold session but temperatures must have risen as the frost started to rain down from the tree's, back at the car it was confirmed at zero degree's.