Back on the GUC

I was travelling to the midlands for a meeting on Tuesday so this presented me with an opportunity to have a catch up with my mates Stef & Kerry who stay in Warwick. The GUC is right on their doorstep so I made the arrangements and took Monday off. Travelling down from Scotland on Sunday afternoon the weather was horrendous, five overturned lorries and numerous trees were downed on the hard shoulder. I lost count of the adverse weather warning signs so the conditions on the canal on Monday wouldn’t be great.

I got off to a good start and had a Zed shortly after starting on a pearl dying minnow. The hook came out the second the net touched it, good start, I was pleased to get a fish on the bank.

Things were very quiet despite me covering a lot of ground. I tried various approaches but the fishing was slow. I went back to using the drop shot and got a hook up straight away but the Zed came off as I reached behind me for the net. The conditions were poor with strong gusts and showers so having had enough it was time for a change of scenery and a coffee on the way. The next spot always delivers something but I never leave here with any of the rigs I arrive with. Today was no different.

Swinging 60

Scott’s been closing in on his Jan-Dec stretch target of 60 Scottish saltwater species for a few weeks now. I’ve had a few texts from him in the evenings telling me where he is and what he’s been targeting to hit this number. I’ve been watching the TV with the rain bouncing off the windows. He’s been creeping about rocks and docks, at some points questioning his sanity no doubt.

We got together on Sunday to hit the SW in search of two species, Conger and Three Bearded Rockling. The forecast was good considering the weather we’ve been experiencing and on the drive down we had a catch up and talked fishing till we arrived at our untested mark. We negotiated electric fences and fields with Bulls eventually arriving at a decent spot as the tide was on the flood. Scott didn’t waste any time in getting a bait in the water while I put a plain lead on and made a few casts to suss out what the bottom was like around the spot I had chosen. Two rods were deployed by both of us, one for Conger and another for TBR. We picked up some small Coalfish and Pollack waiting for darkness to fall. These kept my rod tip nodding and held my interest till the main event got underway in darkness.

Expectations are always high as the sun dips over the horizon

Scott picked up an odd double shot of a Mackerel and a Shore Rockling. He commented at the time that fresh bait might just be what was required. This is always a boost to confidence when using frozen bait and it was to prove crucial. Scott had a bite which sounded very Eel like to me. I probably shouldn’t have told him as I’m sure it added a little bit of pressure as he excitedly picked the rod up and hit it. We could both see there wasn’t much weight to it but with two headlights focused on the water a small Conger appeared. I made ready to hand line it up the rocks but Scott decided he would just swing it  up due to its size. My fingers were crossed for him as when you need a fish the most errors can sometimes be forced.

A very happy chap and I was delighted I was there with him when he caught it. Well done mate, fantastic effort you’ve put in to get there.

Having done the same challenge a few years back I know how it can get. I won’t be doing it again, Scott probably won’t. He does however have a short Scottish hit list remaining. I’m sure I’ll get a few more texts when the rains bouncing off the windows and I’m watching TV.

Scott's species hunting madness can be found here Here




 

Fantasy Pike

I’ve never really targeted Pike, any I’ve caught in the last few years have been while targeting Perch. Living in Scotland and having access to some quality Pike fishing I’ll be having a look at this in the future. Over the winter and into next year I would like to make more use of my Outback. I’ve not even touched on the potential I have with it so far. Anyway, while looking at some gear I came across this video. This anglers day started with a mild hangover and poor conditions in February, three things that would probably have had me still in my bed. Quality fish don't catch themselves, instead of hibernating we should be out there, you just never know.

Perch on a dour day

I had a half day on the kayak a week past on Monday. The dog had his surgery and was making a decent recovery so I caught a break from dog sitting to head off into the fog and rain. The fishing was pretty difficult and while my usual spots seemed to be holding fishing they proved difficult to tempt. I found more snags than fish in this session losing a number of rigs. Even with the gusting wind I felt I was fishing the snags effectively using the directional guide on the Lowrance to sit just off them peddling slowly to stay stationary and making casts around the target areas. This usually works but various drop shot lures and shads went unnoticed. I did however manage three nice Perch just as the light started fade whilst fishing along the shallow end of a drop off that went from 3ft to 15ft. Bouncing an orange/motoroil Kopyto along the top of the drop off did the trick and the best Perch went about 2.8 pounds. The weather pattern we’re stuck in at the minute sucks!

Perch on dour day from Martin A on Vimeo.

The battle scarred mutt was also neutered, all things being equal he's probably doing better than you or I would be.