Thursday 23rd February 2012

Weather   +4c  first thing rising to +16c 


Venue       River Yare, Surlingham broad and Postwick outfall


Just the two of us again today, myself and my son Dean. With reports of fish showing in and around the Norwich city centre, our usual swims are getting lots of pressure and attention so we both decide a change of scenery is in order. 
We load the boat with the usual car load of tackle, food and kitchen sinks and turn Left out of the marina towards Surlingham and Brundall. It already feels much milder than of late and the forecast is for bright, sunny weather later in the day, Not really ideal conditions for Pike fishing.Its difficult to work out where to start on this part of the Yare as so many spots look "fishy". We eventually settle on a reeded bank just downstream of the Surlingham ferry pub and soon have one dead and one live bait out each of our two rods.
The depth is a fairly even Twelve foot along this bank and the flow and colour look ok too. We both have different baits on each of our rods but after ninety minutes, not so much as a sniff on anything. We then decide to move further downstream and pop into the broad to see if that's worth trying too. Again we choose a fishy looking corner with sunken trees, weed and reed beds.
Its now almost 9:30am and the sun is getting brighter and warmer by the minute. Various layers of clothing are soon filling the cuddy of the boat, but still  our baits are being completely ignored. Maybe this "Spring" weather has fooled the Pike into other things rather than feeding. By 10:30am the only thing we look like catching is, the sun. 
We carry on ringing the changes for another half hour but nothing materialises so a final move back towards the marina is on the cards. The area we decide may throw up a fish or two is the outfall close to the A47 bridge. 
The water here always has a bit more movement and flow due to the outfall discharging into the river. 
On route back, we pass the newly constructed fishing stagings on the Surlingham bends. For weeks there have just been various pegs and markers on the bank. Today they are well and truly taking shape and should provide easy access and comfortable fishing when completed. 
       
                                     

We moor up just short of the foaming water pouring from the outfall and quickly get our Four baits back into the water. This swim is normally a banker for at least One fish and has saved many a blank day in the past. Another Ninety minutes  quickly passes and still we cannot muster a single take between us so reluctantly we decide to call it a day and head back onto the mooring. Dean is still eager to get a bait in the water as i start to unload most of the unwanted gear back into the car. I give him a Ten minute deadline to pack up. Almost instantly his float fished Perch is taken, the float moves away and Dean tightens up only to pull out on the strike. That just about sums up the day and he then packs his rods away having to suffer his first ever "Blank" since starting Pike fishing last October. We drive home in T shirts and sunglasses whereas Ten days ago the boat dyke was frozen solid !!!

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