Winter is here

Not having been fishing for about 6 weeks I was starting to get crabbit (grumpy for non Scots readers) I had planned a Grafham trip but the forecast for day one looked shaky for the kayak 15mph wind limit rule. Saturday looked fine but it was too far for me to travel for a single days fishing, so I decided the trip was off on Thursday morning. On checking the local forecast at 6am before setting off for yet another plan B trip I couldn’t resist having a look at Grafham. The forecast was now fine, the laptop was thumped shut and I was out the door 5 minutes later.

It was great to be back on the water, if nothing else it would be a shakedown on my new Lowrance Ti/Berley Pro combo. In my mini refit I had also added a Yakattack dogbone camera mount fitting this to the mast hole with RAM 1.5 inch wedge mount. One of the first things I noticed was the water temperature, the last time I was on here it was 16c, it was now 10c, winter is here! I then took a run over the first snag which I like to target, wow! The structure scan was impressive, it looked like a pencil drawing of a tree. When I sold my old unit I had posted it off to the new owner before realising that I hadn’t backed up my GPS marks. Initially I was annoyed about this but they were so easy to find again with this I needn’t have worried.

I picked up fish here and there, this one came from one of my marks which looks like a boulder field about 20ft square.

This one from a ridge that looked around 40ft long.

I probably ended the day in double figures but without any of the larger Perch I was attempting to target. What surprised me was the general lack of fish in this part of the loch.

 

When I woke up the next morning there had been a heavy overnight frost, my C-Tug was frozen to my Outback. The stove wouldn’t light so it was cold pasta for breakfast and ice cold water, not the hearty start to the day I had planned. The water temp was now 8c, the water level had also risen by about a 1.5ft due to a release of water upstream. I knew I was in for a tough day and as my mate Scott once put it, I was washing lures for most of the day. Large lures like Bulldawgs, small drop shot lures and shads- it was a balanced day in this respect.

All in it wasn’t a great couple of days fishing but the new kit worked well. I can’t say when I’ll be out next as the month ahead is busy. The weather, as ever will also play its part.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost normal?

It’s been quiet recently, almost normal apparently, according to my wife. No fishing over the last month has meant I’ve been able to catch up with friends and do some things I’ve been putting off for a bit. I don’t see myself being back on the water for a couple of weeks yet either.

I made this mash up recently, wish Rodney had been with me on some of these trips. It's been a year since the accident, he's sadly missed.


Mash up from Martin A on Vimeo.

I’ve  also been doing a few things in the background, sold some gear I wasn’t using as well as my Lowrance to pay for a fancy new toy. Really looking forward to using this with side scan in the months ahead.

At the minute I’m waiting for some bits and pieces to arrive for a mini refit of my Outback. It’s rubbish  having to wait for the post to arrive from abroad, just couldn’t source what I needed in the UK. I should hopefully be good to go by mid-October.

On the whole I’ve had a decent enough year, really can’t complain. I didn’t set myself any objectives, just kind of drifted along.  Over what’s left of this year till the end of 2017 I’ll be looking at some tougher targets which should push me a bit.

I want to hit 5 from 7, Pike, Zander, Common Skate, Conger, Blue Shark, Bass or a specimen Perch. All from my kayak. I might allow myself a substitute if I don't fish for Bass, maybe a Tope. Other than the Perch and Pike I won’t be precious about the proportions of the others, but I won’t be lacking ambition on that front. Doing this from my Outback will mean a lot of travelling and a reliance on others to a point regarding involvement and planning.

To be updated over the months ahead with the best specimen (or any specimen in some cases)