SUNDAY 2nd DECEMBER 2012

Weather  -2c Start No wind/Clear Skies

Venue River Yare

The day started with a session in the boatyard trying to catch a few livebaits. This is something i normally do in advance so on the fishing days we can get away as early as possible to reach our locations up or downstream. For various reasons i had not been able to get there on the Saturday so this was our first job on the Sunday morning. The boat dyke was fairly heavily coloured from another Two days of rain during the week and after around an hour we had not had a single bite on anything. We tried Maggots,Bread punch and even chopped worm all to no avail. We decided to go out with just our dead baits and see if it was any better on the main river. The water was a horrible chocolate Brown and pushing hard. With that in mind we also thought it would be pointless heading into the city swims as the river being much narrower there would also be bombing through..
The outfall was our choice and we set off around 8am for the 10 minute trip.
As we turned the bend our plans were scuppered again as another boat was already moored tight onto the outfall with rods spread out around the river.
Another quick decision was made to fish the natural bank 500mts downstream of the outfall an area we call Cormorant bay... The name came from the fact a pair of these Black Fish eating machines used to have a roost overlooking this tiny bay. The roost has been empty so far this year so we tied up close into the bank on an old dead tree.

As we plumbed up and set up just one dead bait each, we saw the other boat at the outfall was on the move.. We thought we may just as well give this swim a try now we were settled in. By now its just gone 8:30am and we both fish off the back of the boat "uptide" style. Amazingly Neils bait is picked up within 10 mins and he soon has a 4lb jack boated and returned.
This proves to be a false dawn and two and a half hours later that remained our only take. The outfall was looking like our next move and after another 15 mins we are tied up on the wall overlooking the white water of the outfall. 
Our baits are soon in position and this time my dead Bluey is taken and as always in this swim, the fish kites across into the flow of the outfall and feels much bigger than it actually is. After a brief fight we slip the net under a lovely 10lb 15oz scrapper. Can only wonder what a big fish would feel like in that flow... 
That fish has come just before mid day so once the rods were back out we started cooking our lunch. It was quite a nice day now if not a little bit too bright for fishing. With the river still pulling hard and and the tide rising fairly quickly, we agreed to stick it out here today rather than another move. The lunch went down a treat and the kettle went on for a brew. From out of nowhere, suddenly my reel started hissing and line was pouring off. I was using an Abu 6500 multiplier set on free spool with ratchet on so the sound was like you hear on those Shark fishing films. I picked up the rod, locked the spool and leaned back... Nothing !  I could not believe it.
It came back minus the bait but everything else was ok, no bent hooks etc.
We could not believe something could have picked the bait up so quick and without warning, screamed off but not been hooked. We were both looking out over the river when it happened and had not seen any birds etc surface afterwards but neither of us was convinced it was a Pike. An otter maybe ?
who knows.
That was the last bit of action on the day and we packed up around 2pm and headed back in. We should have guessed the day was not going to be too successful when we failed to get any live baits first thing. Still at least we both caught and went home wondering.... Did i hook Jaws ? 

SUNDAY 25th NOVEMBER 2012

WEATHER - Gale force winds with Rain, clearing late Pm. Temp +5c

With the weekends weather forecast predicted to be gale force winds and raining, i visited the boat on Friday afternoon to gather a few livebaits which i then stored in keep net at the mooring. By Saturday afternoon i fully expected to be going to the boat to release the baits and come home but i held off hoping for a change in the weather next day.
On Sunday the wind was still blowing a gale and i seriously considered calling it off.Neil had woke up to no electric and things blowing all over his garden, so decided to give it a miss. My son Dean however, coming on his first trip of 2012 agreed to give it a try,i told him we would probably be fishing from the mooring rather than going out afloat.
When we turned up at the boat, it was clear we were going nowhere. It was bobbing about like a cork and the trees nearby were bent over at Forty Five degrees. We decided to tie the boat to the staging to stop it banging about and fish one rod each out of the back. It always sounds worse when your outside on mornings like this, but this was as bad as ive fished in for quite a while.
Once we had the boat secured and the back cover opened, it all seemed much cosier, like fishing out of a floating bivi.
We both started on float ledgered dead baits and then got comfortable, out of the rain and wind with the kettle on straight away. By now it was about 7am but still very dull and miserable.
We fished on like this until 9am then Dean switched over to a paternostered Live Perch. We are on our second coffee of the day when Deans float moves around a meter against the tow. It then buries and he is into his first Pike of the season. A bit rusty from several months of not fishing, the Pike which he eventually boats goes 8lb 4oz. Not bad way to get off the mark. 

I

First blood to Dean

I resist the temptation to change my rig over to a livebait, but at half Ten im flicking out a small live Roach into my side of the Dyke. Its a full Thirty seconds before my float shoots off, im thinking ive got the depth wrong until the rod hoops over. I'm soon un hooking a 5lb Jack.

The interesting thing about this fish, its one im sure ive had before while fishing in this dyke. It has a distinctive "Glass" eye (looks like cataract trouble) and battle scars on its side. Looking back through my diary, im sure i caught it last year. Its nickname will now be "Glass eye" and its soon back into the dyke and away. In the picture you can clearly see, unlike this Pike, its Frosted eye and scars.

  Glass eye makes an appearance

I re bait with a similar sized Roach and re position back up the dyke. Almost Two hours passes without anything when suddenly my float "Jumps" up out of the water followed by a striking Pike. No need to strike or anything here, i just pick up the rod and its game on. This fish instantly feels better and even manages a couple of decent runs against the clutch of my 6500 reel. Dean does the business with the net and it goes 8lb 5oz.
I'm straight back into the same area within Five minutes and am surprised to see my float sliding off again straight away. Again the fish powers off and gives a lovely account of itself. This one looks a double and after quickly un hooking, indeed it goes 11lb 6oz.

 11lb 6oz

Dean is next to get a take, again his float just moves off against the slight flow in the dyke. He hits it straight away and he too is giving line to another hard fighting fish. With a couple of scares near the back of the boat, these fish seem to know exactly where the engines are, i slip the net under what looks another decent fish. His one weighs exactly 9lbs and ends up being the last fish of the day. By now, 1:45pm the wind has dropped almost completely and the sun is making a late appearance. We are both pleased with the Five fish we've had today. It just proves the old saying 
"you wont catch Pike staying at home".
I could quite have easily had a lay in today and not fished but im glad we did in the end...

My swim at the end of the Session