Better than a day not fishing!

Date fished 25/01/2020
8am until 4.20pm

Not really sure about today's blog. Not because it was a bad day fishing. Any day fishing is a good day! But, because I have not stopped thinking about the trip and still haven't figured it all out yet.

Ellis was back and we decided to fish the Tees. We agreed on an Association water that we have only fished once before, but saw enough to want to give it another try. Seeing some good Pike caught recently we decided to target Pike. As many of you will know, deadbaiting for pike is like watching the tv with it off! Not always enjoyable. We decided to take some trotting gear and maggots so we could alternate with some action, or so we thought!

On route to the venue, I got to a T junction and had to stop for a car.  Across in front drove Ellis. We had now turned our trips into sychronised driving too!
Parking up, we got the gear ready and walked a short way to the river.  Finding a perfect swim was easy, we just used the internet.
It looked superb and we were both soon sat behind rods baited with Lamprey. Finding a great slack section in front, we float ledgered our dead baits.

There were fish topping, large swirls and it all seemed very positive. We just had to wait.
We waited enough and soon we needed to be a bit more active and trot the floats down the river.
Ellis picked a yellow domed float, completely invisible to us! I picked an orange light one, completely not heavy enough to be cast to the flow. This trotting was not going well!!

Ellis fished upstream and kept a few pouches of maggots going in as we trotted. Soon, it worked and Ellis was playing a fish. Grayling he thought, Trout I said, Chub it was! A great start with a perfect chub of over a pound on the float. Unhooked, a few pics and back into the water in a matter of moments.

I changed my light float so I could cast to the faster water. Choosing a 4 SSG chubber float, I still don't think this was the right one! My line kept tangling, I was not fishing properly. A few metres up and Ellis was fishing properly, his rod bending again. This fish got under a snag though, he let the line go slack and waited. A few minutes later the fish came out and it was quickly brought to the bank. A nice Grayling being the snag finder!

Then the action stopped. Ellis plugged away on the float and I concentrated on the Pike. Suddenly my pike float bobbed, sat up and moved. I struck immediately and the rod bent over. I was playing with the drag as a small pike really started to take line. I eventually got it set right and played the fish towards us. We both saw the Pike spiralling under the water, it was about 4lb. Unfortunately it spat the hooks and was off. Obvioulsy I was using semi barbed trebles, with the barbed one in the bait. It was annoying the fish did not come for a photo, but to loose a fish coming off the hook is preferable to it being tethered or retaining hooks. So happily, I cast the lamprey straight back out.

After a few hours of nothing much happening. It was time for a change. I went back to trotting and was on my third float of the day. A few trots down and my float bobbed. I was in, well nearly. Does this constitute a non blank??

Ellis now fancied a move, so he set off downstream. He fired out a few maggots and cast out. Snag, lost his hooklink. Next cast, same. Third cast, lost the whole lot. He came back 15 mins later, not the most successful move!!
"At least you can put on an orange float and see it now!!" Was my offer of sympathy!

Another minnow to me, no pic, but trust me. I am not gonna lie about minnows. This one was maybe only 3 maggots long!!
As the afternoon drew on, Ellis went for another move. This time slightly more succesful. In his first few trots down, the float buried. He thought he was snagged, but the snag pulled back twice with big pulls! We will never know what was pulling but it was either a Tees Barbel, a Sturgeon or a killer whale!

The weather turned cold and we sat chatting as we watched the pike floats. Ellis had changed to mackerel as bait now, but I think we could have had cavair and lobster out there and still the Pike would snub it.

The cold got down to the bone and it was soon time to head back. As we came out the trees, the cold wind chilled us even more. Am glad we were sheltered from that during the day.
Back to the cars, we met some other anglers, they had one dropped run between them all day. The river looked spot on, but of late has not been fishing well. Not really sure why, and that's what keeps me thinking.

We discussed the day. Ellis did not need to bring the pike gear,  I didn't need to bring the pike net or the trotting gear!
Ellis concluding " if that's the case, we didn't need to come fishing at all"!!
Steady on mate, let's not think like that!!