Sunday 19th February 2012

Weather  -  -1c start to max +4c during day


Venue  - River Wensum, City Centre, Norwich




Its an early start today with just myself and Neil fishing, Dean has Cricket nets starting today so cannot fish. We are loaded on a very icy slipway at just after 6am and with the nav lights on set off for the One hour run into the city. We want to be fishing with as low light conditions as possible so its still quite dark as we head off. 
The area we have decided to fish is much further into the city and takes about Thirty minutes longer to get there. We also need to get there early to get our mooring spot on the far bank before any other anglers set up on the bank itself.
In no time at all its getting light, around 6.25am but the temperature feels much colder than the minus One on the way to the boat.
Full winter gear and silly hats are out in force today, but as ive often been told, there are only Two types of wally. Cold Wally's and warm Wally's !


We arrive at our chosen spot and its free of any other anglers so we tie up and get sorted. What happens next is fairly remarkable, as you read on, you will see why.
We are going to fish Two rods each, One with dead baits and the other a live bait, rotating them round as we go on, ie. Deads close in, lives out in channel, then switch them about until we find some fish.
Our first casts are made at exactly 7:15am and after just Fifteen minutes my live Roach is taken. A lively 7lb fish is boated and released straight away. We never weigh any fish now that we think is under our own Pbs, we just estimate them. Im re baited and back, but no sooner ive put my rod into the rest, Neil is into a fish too, this one on a float ledgered Smelt. This is a better fish and as Neils PB is 13lbs we have to weigh it. It goes 13lbs EXACTLY !!!
A quick photo and its back in, my live bait is off again, within Five mins. This fish feels slightly better than my earlier 7lb, but comes off before we get a sight of it. Neil is in again (9.10am) this fish again on a dead bait Smelt out in the main channel. This fish stays deep and just plods, normally a good sign. slowly but surely its played to the side of the boat and its a decent looking fish. As Neil draws it over the net it goes berserk and the water is turned to foam. I scoop it up and as i reach for the net rim to lift it in, the hooks ping out !
Result, a self unhooking Pike ready to be weighed. This fish goes 15lbs exactly, a new PB for Neil.
No sooner the fish is photographed and slipped back, (9.20am) My dead Smelt is away. I tighten up but it drops the bait instantly.
Not to worry Neil has just re cast his Smelt back into the channel and its taken instantly (9.25am) An 8lb fish is boated, unhooked and released.
This rod is re baited and cast out, His live bait road is then taken (9.30am)
A "nuisance", not really, 4lb jack is unhooked in the water. The sport is so hectic there is not really any time to take photos let alone brew a hot drink.
Its (9.45am) when the newly baited live perch on Neils rod is once again taken. This fish is about 7lbs and goes straight back. Finally at (9.55am) my dead, Red coloured Sardine is picked up. This time i wait a fraction longer and hook up to a nice fish of 14lb 7oz (it looked bigger honest)

Do I look cold In this     -  14lbs 7oz

We then have to wait all of Twenty whole minutes for the next take,(10.15am) just as ive put the kettle on (Coffee trick always works) Neils live Perch is away and again this fish feels bigger and stays deep in mid river. Slowly its coaxed in to the net, again this fish looks a decent double. After unhooking and a quick photo this fish is recorded at 15lb 8oz, another new PB for Neil. 

A Warm Wally with his 15lb 8oz new PB

After weighing Neils fish i make the decision to reel in my rods and make a drink and our lunch, Quarter pound cheese burgers. Within Ten minutes Neil misses another take on a live bait but then things slow down enough to have a hot drink and eat our food. Its been a hectic Three hours with hardly time to do anything except unhook fish and re bait, we are not complaining though. These days don't come often enough. We must have found a decent sized group of fish on the feed, in the right place, at the right time as they say.

After our lunch and with things a bit quieter, we decide to move back into the Riverside section to finish the day off. 

We moor up near the Norwich City football ground and its not long before we are both in again. Neil has a 7lb fish on another live Perch and mine goes 8lb 

taken on a float ledgered Smelt. Its around 2pm now and the sun is actually quite bright and starting to warm us up. We decide to head back after a lovely days fishing.

Final tally          Neil,    7 fish  15.8, 15.0, 13.0,8,7,7,6 (lost 2 more)

                       David   4 fish  14.7, 8,7,7 (lost 2 more)

                                 11 fish   -  108lbs 5oz

Thursday 16th February 2012

Weather - Sunny with Temp up to +10c


Venue -   River Wensum, Riverside Road, Norwich




After almost Three weeks without fishing due to both a bad chest infection for myself then Two weekends of snow, ice and a frozen boat dyke, we finally managed to get out once more. Myself, Neil and Dean decide to have some Nosebag (Breakfast) before fishing today so we don't need to cook food during the day. Three full English and teas are ordered and devoured in no time at all. 

The boat dyke has finally thawed after the cold snap and already the resident Pike are chasing their breakfasts all over the dyke. We could probably have a decent days fishing in here, but the size of fish tends to be much smaller. 
We are loaded and on our way by about 8am, giving me half an hour to sort out the tackle on our way. Today we have chosen to fish the "match length" at Riverside road. There is always plenty of bait fish in this section and so we are hoping the Pike may be making up for the last Two weeks bad weather and gorging themselves on the resident Roach shoals.
Its 9am when we cast our first baits in and we are not even completely organised when Neils float ledgered Bluey is picked up. A decent fight turns up a nice fish of 10lb 4oz, a good start.

10lb 4oz

Dean is next to get some interest, again its a float ledgered Bluey this one fished tight to the bank behind the boat. This fish also puts up a lively scrap and even tries a mini tail walk. This fish goes 13lb11oz and becomes Deans new PB.

13lb 11oz (New PB)

We carry on trying various baits and switching between float ledgered deads and paternostered lives and eventually Neil picks up another fish, a jack of about 5lbs. What happens next can only be described as "mindless". 

A yacht is making its way downstream under power from a small but noisy outboard, fairly close to the far bank, well away from us and no danger to our lines. When for no reason at all almost in front of us, it turns towards our bank. I grab the rod that is nearest to the boat but its already over the line and we are hooked up. A second rod is also caught and both reels clutches are  now singing. Despite shouting to the bloke on board the boat carries on and shows no sign of stopping or even slowing down. We have no option but to hold the spools and pull for a break. Both reels are loaded with 50lb braid so unbelievably we do actually start to slow the boat down but as the lines are pulled tighter they obviously reach the prop and both line are cut off just below the float stops. Im absolutely fuming but can do nothing apart from set up the rods again. It is a lesson learnt though, in future the rods will be coming in as soon as any boat gets anywhere near to passing us. I later find out , the guy on this boat has a habit of doing this to fisherman so be warned if a small light coloured,noisy yacht approaches.. reel in !

Back to the fishing and as we have spare rods set up, we are soon fishing again. Its around half Eleven by now and the baits have only been back in for Ten minutes when Deans Live Perch/ Float rig disappears and the line is peeling off. He tightens up and almost straight away the fish feels bigger than he is used to. Slowly but surely with the fish staying deep, its near the side of the boat. The fish then tears off and the clutch is singing again, this time for the right reason. Again he carefully brings it closer and its soon on top, mouth flaring shaking its head. I net the fish first time and we prepare to lift it in. I already know its a new PB for Dean, his second of the day. Once the hooks are out, she is in the sling and goes 17lb 4oz.

A lovely looking fish with a real belly starting to show.

17lbs 4oz ANOTHER new PB

After a few quick photos we put the fish back into the sling to lift over the side. Im just explaining to Dean how we then lower it in, get the fish upright and let her recover, when with one flick of its tail its launching itself out of the sling like a torpedo back into the river... I thinks its recovered.

Time then seems to go very quickly without any more takes and at half Two we head back to the marina. I don't know why but ive failed to catch again so when we arrive at the mooring myself and Neil slip a live bait out behind the

boat. We have hardly moved anything when Neil is into a fish. A 6lb Jack is unhooked in the water. No sooner my rod is back in, that too is snapped up, this time a lively 8lb fish. This too is unhooked in the water and we can pack up. Blank avoided !!!

Isn't Nature Wonderfull

A New Lure Idea