Summer Nights (awellawellawella ooh)

Thursday 8th July 2010, 17:30 - 22:00. LAA Wasperton Lower with Jeff. Hot, hot rain, light breeze, clear water, slow flow.

I'm not even keen on Grease.

Home life prevented me from getting out Tuesday evening and work prevented me from getting out early on Thursday. I mean seriously, who's running this shower? Anyone would think this is my hobby and not my life force.

SAP at the ICC to Longford Coventry in a GPS high score time. Jeff was at the ready.

I couldn't contemplate leaving any sort of bait in the car during the day as buckets under axles tend to attract attention in Brum and often lead to controlled explosions nowadays. A symptom of modern life.

I had a bag full of lures and a single (now broiled) deadbait at my disposal for this trip.

Lure fishing for me feels on a par with Barbel fishing for Danny. I've never really had a 'great day' lure fishing.

I pulled variations of metal and rubber through the river whilst working my way from the very top of lower Waspo' to the very bottom and all I had to show was one jack, two perch follows and a jack drop-off at the net.

The jack I caught even bit the tail off my lure.

2lb 6ozs

I know from experience that when fishing for non-predatory species in conditions like this on the Warks Avon you're wasting your time until the light starts to fade. When we first arrived I gave Jeff the benefit of my limited knowledge of the stretch and I remarked that I could see the bottom in most pegs and that that was a first for me. Gin clear and slow sums it up.

Only at nine o'clock did the roach shoal which inhabit the 'end of the reeds' run by the car park start to top. Before this time you would have thought the river was devoid of fish.

I wonder if lure fishing for predators follows the same principle as even a small predator is prey to some bigger fish in clear bright conditions. Later evidence supports this.

Jeff settles into tip fishing and we chat about stuff:

As the light waned I divided my single deadbait into thirds, cast out two simple leger rods (or is it ledger!?) and quickly caught another jack of 3lbs 9ozs.

Soon after recasting and the tip was bouncing again to the tune of an 8lbs 3oz pike.

I recast the remains of my deadbait and succeeded in missing the next two bites in quick succession.

"Jeff, I'm out of bait. Home time."

No score sheet tonight. My theory is that the majority of fish are holding up in any shade or cover to be had during the day in these low water conditions, only venturing out into open water once the light dims and their chances of being eaten alive reduces.

Cheers.