12/09/2020 - Bagging up on the float again

Can't believe it has been nearly a month since I last wet a line, but work and home life have been incredibly busy and time seems to be on permanent fast-forward at the moment. As much as I have enjoyed working at home during the current COVID-19 crisis, the days do tend to get blurry at the edges! In an attempt to slow things down a bit I'd earmarked last Thursday afternoon for a session on the river, but even that fell through last minute as work intervened yet again. I had a new purchase to try out as well. Not happy that I was fishing the pacier swims on the Derwent as effectively as possible with the fixed spool and with my trusty Speedia permanently attached to the Drennan Ultralite, I'd purchased an Ikonix centrepin at a bargain price off Fleabay. Thankfully, my very understanding wife suggested that I go out on Saturday instead, thereby foregoing a trip with her up to the allotment to do a few hours digging and rotavating. Tough choice, as normally a few worms is the scant reward for a stiff back! 

However, a stiff breeze from the west dictated that I travelled over to the relative shelter of the Soar at Kegworth rather than the Derwent again, where the downstream wind would have made it tricky with the new pin - that would have to stay in the box for now. Headed up to my usual sheltered and shaded spot in the wood and stationed myself on the edge of the flow, marked by the line of foam generated by the weir upstream. Running the stick float down with the bubbles I was into a bleak straight away. 

As on previous visits it was a bite a chuck, resulting in yet more bleak, occasionally interspersed with a dace or chub, or a crushed maggot, requiring constant re-baiting on my part. 

Increasing the depth on the float and continuing to loose feed saw a subtle shift in species, with roach becoming dominant and, on the odd occasion where my underarm cast fell a bit short and the bait scraped the bottom, the odd skimmer and very welcome gudgeon. 

Having got the swim going I positioned the paternoster rod in the slack to my right, hoping that a big stripey was hanging around on the fringes ready to pick off an unsuspecting silver fish. Carried on catching steadily for a couple of hours, by which time my bait pouch was empty and I couldn't face clambering up and down the bank to fill it up again. Whilst I had some small perch on the float, the paternoster rod failed to register any interest for once, even from the usual "nuisance" pike. Never the less, I'd had seven species from a still productive River Soar, the final score being 45 roach, 34 bleak, 21 dace, 10 chub, 3 perch, 2 "gonks" and a skimmer! With some calm, warm days still to come and a much less busy work calender, prospects look good for another float session on the Derwent with the new pin, before things start to cool down and thoughts turn in earnest to the pursuit of some predators.