As usual

Date fished 9/6/2020
15:30 until 22:00






With my membership for Ryton and District Angling Club coming a few a days before lockdown, I thought it may end up being a very expensive decision. However now we are allowed to fish, I feel I have had my monies worth and consider my membership great value for money.
6 trips so far (including this one) - 1 blank, 5 Bream, 2 Tench and plenty of silvers.

As usual  I worked until 3pm then jumped into the car and headed for the lake. Still fishing Tilcon as usual, there is another lake called Stargate which I must try soon.
I was after Bream again as usual, with the usual two rod set up and Robin Red pellet. Staying true to form, I opted for my usual swim. Casting to the usual spots, I scattered a few pellets around and waited for the usual.

For a June evening it was unusually cold but I had a long sleeve thermal on so I was toastie warm. The clouds were still overhead and a few rain spots appeared.

As usual the lake felt good for a fish. There was plenty of fish topping and it felt good. Talking to a few people however, the lake was fishing slow. A match on Sunday was won with 8lb. Like all critters, the fish can have off days. Fish lives matter!



Sitting comfortably back, I watched the birds flying back and forth while I waited for a bite. Fishing this same swim is giving me a picture of what goes on where. Most of the fish have come to my left rod (I think). So unusually, it was the right hand rod that tapped and gave me a jolt. Taking line, it was a spirited fight. As usual, a nice looking Bream came to the surface and was quickly netted.
My usual procedure followed, minus a weight. It was not for a lack of scales, I have ordered the Korum ones from Angling Direct, but I brought my old ones just in case. This Bream was smaller than usual, so I didn't need to weight it. I would say 2 to 3lb is about right.

Both sides, that's unusual! 

Sitting patiently, I recast a few times and fed a few pellets. With still signs of fish, I was unusually impatient for a bite. Suddenly a loud crack to my right and stones shot up and hit my arm. It was unusual for some idiot to be throwing stones at me, but it has happened before (not whilst fishing I might add). Now, Tom said he might be coming fishing so I assumed it was him winding me up, I spun around but no one was on top of the bank. I looked again, no one. But stones don't just fly up at me on their own? very odd. I sat down and watched the rods. Still unsure of this unusual activity, I looked around. Finally the penny or should I say poop dropped? A bird must have delivered its payload and it splatted a few centimetres from where I was sat! It's supposed to be lucky if a bird poops on you I thought, although I didn't quite feel that now!

Doesn't look a lot but it made a lot of noise and kicked up a lot of stones when it landed!

Tom did arrive a little after 7pm, ready for the witching hour. We sat several metres apart and chatted loudly about all things relevant and irrelevant. A few knocks on the rods, plenty of fish topping and Tom throwing in free offerings no where near his hooks followed for the next few hours. Some noise from another angler alerted us to a nice common carp being caught. At just under 9lb, it was a match winner and would be welcome any day!


It was soon 10pm and time for me to pack up, it had been a long day and with few fish actually feeding, I was unusually happy to call it a day.
Packing up took only a few minutes and I was soon in the car heading home, leaving Tom for the last minutes of light. Approaching Mickly, I got a message to say Tom had lost a fish. Like me last time, a fish picking up the bait at warp speed and swimming off so fast, as soon as tension is applied by holding the rod the hook link snapped. It was disappointing but good for him for sticking around for that last bite.


As with all these evening sessions, the lake comes alive with fish. Unfortunately that does not mean they are necessarily going to take your bait. Luck pays its part too, and if the bird poop just misses you I am not sure if that's lucky or not?! I tried though and I bloody well enjoyed it, as usual!