6.30 am until 12pm
When your alarm goes off at 4am you know the day is going to be special!
Leaving the house before half past, I was heading to the Tees. I was going to a spot Ellis and I have fished once before and the blog for it has a "blank" in the title! Am sure I said this was going to be special.
Ellis was working today, so I was on my own. Parking up, it was a walk to the river. As I got there, the vegetation was in its summer mode and I could hardly see the water. Walking to the end I wanted to fish, I carefully set off down to the water. Eventually I managed to create a swim and flatten the nettles around me. It looked perfect.
This is where I would normally have a landscape picture, but not today. I was too busy with fishing to take scenery pics, this was special.
I had 2 pints of maggots with me and a few worms. I was adamant that I would feed properly. Too often I would walk back with maggots. This is bad and not just because it's up hill. I don't think I feed enough. I had been given good advice about this. I was going "matchman" style.
I fired out a few maggots and set up. Setting a bolo float, for no reason other than I like the name and Ellis used one on the Swale the other week! Adding weights, I was ready to go.
I just needed to flatten some more nettles. As I pushed down a patch, it knocked my bag over on which was resting the open shot pot and the maggots! Fortunately only the shot fell off, so if any one has any spare number 6's, I have none now!!
First trot looked good, second was better. A little chub. The phone deciding to make out I was taking the picture in 1432 or 1932!
It was still very early and everything just looked right. I fed, cast and trotted. Just like normal, with more feed. But unlike normal, I caught fish. Proper fish. I caught no minnows, and nothing smaller in length than my........ middle finger!
The smallest one did not go in the keep net, but the rest did. One of my targets for 2019 was to have a session on the river with maggots, float only and a keep net to see what I can catch. It didn't say it had to be special.
The trotting was perfect, the bites were coming, I played fish, netted them, fed more. I was loving it. I changed to worm on the hook and caught perch and chub. I looked at the time and it was still only early (pre 9am) and I had caught Dace, Chub, Perch and Roach - some lovely fish too.
I had caught a Tees chub on the float. Not a massive one, but good enough. I will be continuing with this target but it's a half tick.
The catching was steady. I was also getting snagged on something a little way out. It now owned 6 of my hook lengths!
Soon I was getting low on maggots. I was doing it right. I finished off the last few and I was still catching fish. I packed away happy and excited to look in the net.
Pulling in the net, it was stuck. It was not so heavy I could not lift it? No, it was snagged on a branch. Moved into it with the flow. I tried to free it with the net and pole but it was jammed. It called for a special rescue. Off came the shoes and I was in. Wading around the branch, I eventually freed the net. Now I struggled to lift it!! Not really. Trousers and socks wet, I clambered out.
I quickly weighed the fish, and put the smaller ones back. Counting over 40 as they all swam off. 10lb 11oz of river Tees fish.
I put a large dace back without realising, which is a shame. I would liked to have taken a pic. I kept a few of the larger fish to have a proper look at.
In truth, I have never caught such a quantity of fish (over 50) on the river with as many nice fish. The roach were superb as were the perch and chub, although I have caught bigger, never on trotting gear. It really was special.
As I walked back (the shorter way) I realised I had not even eaten any lunch. Wow! that really must have been something special.
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