Smarting from the loss of that decent perch during my last session on the Soar I was keen to go back and try again.
I also still had over half a pint of maggots left somehow (I'm sure they multiply in the fridge), so finished work early and headed down the motorway and was parked up on the bridge in Kegworth by 4 o'clock. Walking up to the lock the river looked a bit lower than last time and was gin clear, so I could easily see the bottom well over halfway across. It was also bright and sunny, so all in all not great conditions for catching a big stripey. However, it was a cracking afternoon and just nice to be out and not in fornt of a screen, even better for having the whole section of river to myself again. Crossed the lock onto the island and followed the path upstream. Before too long I was scrambling down the bank and settling into "my spot" in the run off from the weir upstream.
Ran the stickfloat down amongst the bubbles and immediately had a small bleak, which went out on the perch paternoster straight away. Didn't have time to pick up the float rod before the bite alarm registered interest and the tip of my Greys 1.25 lb Specimen tapped a few times then slowly pulled down. However, turned out to be another micro-pike with eyes far bigger than it's belly. Carried on trotting and started picking up some nice roach, dace and chub, all too big for perch bait and I began to wonder when I'd get the paternoster out again before eventually picking up a few more small bleak.
Again, the response on the paternoster was immediate and was from the right species this time, but nowhere near the size I was after. Must have been a few of these around as the next couple of baits that I put out were just harried relentlessly. The rod tip would start bouncing about and then violently pull over, but I'd wind down to feel nothing and the baits would come back scuffed and lifeless. I therefore decided to wind the rod in until the last half an hour and carried on enjoying trotting in the sun, adding more dace, chub and bleak and a few of those pesky perch.
As the light started to fade I popped the paternoster rod out onto the crease once again and awaited developments. After a few minutes the rod tip tapped a few times and I was quickly onto the rod, pulling the line out of the clip and feeling it running out through my fingers. Wound down into a heavy fish but knew straight away it wasn't a stripey, which was almost immediately confirmed when a green, spotty torpedo erupted from the surface of the river and then charged around the swim, before burying itself headfirst into a bed of pennywort. Dug it out with the landing net and quickly unhooked him, the size 6 single nicely in the scissors, before sending him on his way. Packed up at this point and headed back to the car. Again, another busy and eventful session but no big perch.
Will perhaps give it one more go before trying something else but might need a bit of water and colour in the river first.
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