17/08/2010 - River Derwent

Headed down to Borrowash again for few hours. Tried different swim to last time, but still in same area. Initially found it hard to catch any bits. Had only had two perch and a gudgeon in the first hour. Light finally dawned that the fish were up in the water, so shallowed up the float, started spraying maggots and soon started catching bleak, roach and chub. First go with the perch paternoster saw a very positive take. Wound down to feel a very heavy fish that didn't seem very perch-like at all! Confirmed when it drew opposite me, then took off like the green, spotty missile that it was, smashing the hooklink in the process. Don't usually suffer from pike trouble on this section of the river, but had another hang onto a roach I was bringing in a bit later. On the perch front, the biggest one of the night at about half a pound had come to the float and it was getting just dark before I had another take on the paternoster. This turned out to be a small perch that had ideas far above it's station. Luckily the chub livebait had been blown up the line and was still ok, so it went straight out into the area where I had been trotting through a few minutes earlier. Didn't even get the line in the bobbin before it was off. This definitely felt like a perch and was soon confirmed to be a specimen of 2lb 3oz. Unfortunately, my first mistake of the night had been to leave the camera at home, so had to make do with a quick piccie on the Blackberry. At least it was enough to show that it was a different fish to last week.

Last gasp 2lber

Was pretty dark by then, so soon discovered my second mistake of the night - my head torch was on the passenger seat of the car having stopped to speak to another angler as he was leaving (he'd had one barbel all day). Eventually made it back to the carpark to find the only other angler on section packing his gear into his boot. He'd fished since 3 o'clock for one bite - a barbel that came off! Seems things aren't getting any easier on the river for the barbs and probably won't do until we get a good flush through.