Shy Bites And Line Bites

On a mild, mid-March day, I headed to Birch House Fishery and chose peg 18 on Buzzard Lake with my Masterline Avon AV110-C Carbon Quivertip. I baited up with red maggots and casters and set the rod up with a Daiwa J1350B reel, small maggot feeder, and a size 18 hook. It's been several years since I've used a carbon rod, and I'd forgotten how light they are!

Shortly after casting, I started getting line bites, and I soon landed a few small Roach and one a bit bigger. More small Roach followed, and it was nice to be legering again. Touch legering to feel those really sensitive nibbles on the bait.

After a few hours, the bites slowed down, and I noticed fish nearer the surface, including a few Carp topping. I switched to my favoured method, float fishing with a small inset waggler, about two feet below the surface.

The bites came quickly and after landing several small Roach the float disappeared, and the line spooled off. This was no Roach. I'd hooked into a lovely scaled Mirror Carp which gave a half-hearted fight before going over the net hoop.

Although the south-westerly wind was a bit chilly, it was good to get out after all the recent storms, and the Ducks, Coots, Moorhens and noisy Black-headed Gulls joined me in the Spring sunshine. I think I also heard a Ruffed Grouse drumming to celebrate the longer days.

I hadn't been to Robin Wood Fishery for a while so I decided to pay a visit. It was a warm, sunny Monday morning late in March; we'd had a good week of warm, sunny weather and nightly temperatures were above freezing.

Spring was definitely in the air as I set up my Avon Quivertip rod and Mitchell Match reel with a light ledger rig. Most of the maggots from my previous session had started to turn, and I'd bought a loaf of bread on the way. I cast out a single maggot from my peg on Lake 4 over mashed bread and casters, and waited.

Two other anglers had been on Lake 4 since early morning, and they said they'd both had a few Carp, so I was quite optimistic sitting in the morning sunshine, wishing I'd not worn a thick, long-sleeve shirt. Time passed, and I moved the bait around to different spots and changed bait a few times without hooking a fish.

I decided to change tactics and went onto the float as I'd seen fish near the surface. I soon began to get line bites but didn't hook anything, and after seeing the two other anglers catch another fish each, I remembered I had some fake corn.

I changed back to the leger, and after hours without a bite I finally hooked into something and got my first run. Shortly after, a nice Mirror Carp slipped over the net.

Spurred on by my success, I cast out the fake corn again. One of the anglers came over for a chat, and I watched the wildlife for a while. Everything from a Spider spinning a web in the reeds, to a quartet of Drakes looking for suitors and a pair of Canada Geese getting amorous on the lake! I also heard the Buzzards in the distance.

The anglers who'd been there since early morning packed up early afternoon, and about the same time, two other anglers arrived and fished on the opposite bank. One of them landed a nice Carp after about 15 minutes, and as I waited for a second fish, the wind increased and changed direction, putting a ripple on what had been flat-calm water.

I hoped the ripple on the water's surface might give the fish more confidence, and it wasn't long before more patience in the Spring sunshine was rewarded with another nicely scaled Mirror Carp, a bit bigger than the first.

I decided I'd enjoyed my day in the sunshine, caught a few fish and thought it was time to call it a day.