Chub, Blank, Blank, Blank, Tiny Zed.

I've not posted on here for a while and there's a bloody good reason for that.... When I've not been at work I've been out fishing!

As I eluded to in an earlier post my domestic circumstances have changed somewhat recently. I'm not for one minute denying the negatives of my situation but on the angling front it feels like I have found the golden ticket amongst my maggots.

On most week nights and every other weekend I find myself with time on my hands, an unprecedented situation. Given it's January and money's tight then what better way to fill an evening than with a trip to the waterside. It's like I'm over-revving at the moment, like the governor's gone - in more ways than one, and it's only mid January!

Not all of my outings have been productive but that seems to be par for the course at the moment with the wildly swinging weather conditions. The title of this post sums up last week succinctly.

I had a 3lb 10oz chub upstream of a large wet tree on a short trip to the Plough AS one day last week (seriously, I'm struggling to remember even which day it was it's that far back). It was my first try with cheese paste so it gives me confidence to try it again.

Wet Tree.

3lb 10oz Chub.

I've already had one chub at 4lb dead this year so this one didn't increase my score in our bloggers fishing competition.

I then went on to blank on another night back on the Avon, but the sky looked nice at dusk.

The sky is nice.

I then blanked again on the Avon and didn't take any photos.

On Thursday night I met up with Jeff on the canal and had a go for roach using worm on one rod and either bread or prawn on a second. I fished these baits on light ledger gear and bite alarms so we could natter without me missing a thing. Apart from a liner first cast the early part of the evening was blank for both of us so we moved down to the mouth of the marina where Jeff's been doing so well for predators recently. Here I watched him catch three of the smallest zander I've ever seen. Although I blanked in part two as well as part one, ridiculing the size of his fish was much fun.

On Friday I had the day off work and so (once again with Hatt Senior) took a trip to Coombe after predators.

Blank.

Coombe was tough, neither of us caught, but I could tell Jeff was totally caught up with the potential of the place. Hinted recollections of double figure zander and bream, big crucians and king carp had him lying on the path frothing and twitching. In fact the harder the water sounded the more interested he became. I heated up a home made chile con carne on the bank at lunch time which buoyed the spirits and restored order.

After lunch I broke out the waggler rod and had a go with maggots. Even though this never bought me a bite I at least felt happy again having broken out of the predator angler's all or nothing constraints. I'm no expert when it comes to predators and quickly become disinterested unless results are forthcoming.

We cut and run before dusk and once again headed for the marina swim on the canal after a blank-saver.

Here I had a 12oz zander for my efforts.

Looking at the small slit in the side of this fishes mouth I believe Jeff caught it the night before, as this was where all of his hook-holds were. My hook is in the top lip.

If you're going to dive in for them I'll lend you my gnashers.

Just before packing up at the marina I resolved never again to devote a whole day to predator fishing, I'm just not cut out for it. Instead I will use a sleeper rod to fish for predators whilst doing something far more entertaining on the other rod, like seeing if I can stick it in my own eye.

Cheers.