Karma Angling.

I'm writing this on the back of three PB's in three days, a purple patch of Hatt-ian proportions.

I'm not yet prepared to accept the nose-dive in form I'm certain I'll soon be dealt however, and intend to surf this wave until the bugger crashes ashore.

Last week started slowly. I arranged to meet up with David at Leamington Angling's College Pool after Sean had caught a decent perch there the weekend before. Talking to a few guys revealed perch of 2lb 11oz and 2lb 15oz had also come out recently and so our hopes were high.

I fished opposite David [no more url's] at the far end of the pool with one rod on an alarm for bream and my pole down the edge for perch. David was fishing similar tactics and to cut a long story short I watched him reel in a procession of bream and then cap it off with an amazing perch of 3lbs 10ozs.

That was, and still is, the biggest perch I've seen on the bank and although admitting I'd like to have caught it I was honestly pleased just to have seen it, and seen it caught by a pal.

I went back later in the week to try again for perch but succeeded in only catching carp. The biggest went 12lb 6oz.

12lbs 6oz College Pool Carp.

Now that's not a big fish, but when you consider these carp were only stocked into the pool a couple of years ago at between three and five pounds you get the impression they're growing on. A second hand report of a sixteen pounder from the venue now seems more likely than not.

[More url's follow! But it seems rude not to.]

On Saturday I met up with Les Lerigo, Pete and by happy coincidence Gaz' at Weston Lawns. I was after perch and settled into a corner which was due to be out of the wind for the day according to the forecast. Previous days had been bright, sunny and warm but Saturday brought a cold, foggy start. A day which never really got going with low cloud hanging overhead all day. Perfect for Perch!

I fished my centrepin reel with four pound line straight through with a fourteen foot float rod, and fed red maggots and prawns and fished a worm on the hook. I've taken to injecting the head of my lobworm bait with a bit of air so it sits just off the bottom, gyrating like a worm-woman belly dancer.

I had two perch of 1lbs 9ozs early doors, each of which made me smile with irony because they both exceeded Jeff's apparent glass-ceiling perch weight by exactly one ounce.

In between bites it was quiet, no knocks and sways like you expect when carp fishing the margins in summer, just a dead still float.

At midday the float wobbled and retreated beneath and my strike connected with weight. Although not a long-winded tussle the fish took line from the reel three times before I could get it up onto the surface.

This fish looked different, bigger than the others I'd had. I'd taken a phone call from Pete as he had parked up his car and between hanging up and him yomping into view I'd caught a 3lbs 3oz perch, a new pb.

3lbs 3oz Perch.

Buzzing, I caught up with Pete and Les and then sat down again to focus on the job in hand.

The next cast resulted in a bite, but this time I couldn't identify the fish from the fight, it was rapid, zooming about all over.

Once in the net it was obvious that it was a record gudgeon which had burned his pension payout on cosmetic surgery:

Massive Cosmetically Altered Gudgeon.

I had another of these celebrity gudgeon about the same size later on.

It took until five o'clock for the next bite on the float. There had been the odd wobble beforehand indicating fish in the swim but when it went, it went.

Once again the fish took line from the reel as I tried to keep it out of the bankside reeds. This one stayed lower in the water than the last. Have you noticed that it's only when you see the fish on the surface that your brain does the maths and scares the pants off you? Whilst they remain hooked but deep and out of sight you  have only your imagination to contend with. I believe this is why so many lost fish are monsters.

Once in the net I exclaimed to myself, "[expletive, expletive]... I think it's another three!".

Pete came over to witness and photo and it turned out it was my second perch pb of the day: 3lbs 6ozs.

3lbs 6oz perch.

Honestly? I sat out the last two hours in a daze, reflecting on a great day and wondering what the reputed big girls in there might go to at this time of year. It was a good drive home.

And so to tonight. Do you remember in the post before last I reported stocking Leamington Angling's Jubilee Pools with some nice fish resulting from a netting party of a Warwickshire stillwater?

I worked like a common dog that day, ferrying fish to and fro', wet and cold, and driving a transit in chesties. I'm proud to say however that every fish made it in once piece into their new home.

Do you remember this rudd? I lifted it out of the container for a photo as it went into the lake as it was such a memorable fish.

A big rudd stocked into Jubilee Horeshoe Pool.

Wanna see it again?

2lbs 1oz Rudd - Jubilee Pools.

I mean come on, check out the tail. A big split in the centre with a minor split above. It has to be the same fish!?

Now if that's not karma angling I don't know what is.

Here are the scores tonight:

Cheers,

Keith .J