Day 1/7 - Battery check!

Date fished 22/6/2020
6am until 12.40pm

I am off all week and thinking of fishing everyday for the next 7. Stay with me, if today's anything to go by it's gonna get bumpy!!

The alarm went off at 4am, by half past I was driving away and by ten to six I was parked in  a farmyard ready to fish the Tees. My first trip of the new season and I was excited.
I was fishing where I had the 10lb plus net of fish last June. Was today the day I beat It?
Please read on, but in short the answer is no!

Walking down the hill to the river, I was so eager I slipped on the wet grass and landed on my knee. Not the best start.
Getting to the river, there was a good track above the swims. Last year, it had been a jungle and it was luck I found the swim. Today, I walked straight to it and it looked great.

The river was a little low and very clear. Instead of fishing off the bank, I dropped down to a new mud bank behind a fallen tree. I was not in the water, but at the same level. It was a better place to fish from.

A few hand full of maggots went in while I tackled up. 13ft float rod, Abu Garcia 1044 with 4lb line, to a size 18 on 2lb hook link. Float was a 6 no 4.
Setting the depth, I was soon casting and feeding. The sun was just in my way, and seeing the float was hard. However, I managed a lovely perch on my 3rd trot down. Time to send it to Ellis as his alarm call!!

The sun made it difficult and the wind was picking up so I changed to a loafer style 3ssg float. Again, I caught, Roach and a few chublets. It was great to be back on the bank.

Soon the kingfisher went off down the river shrieking. It was time for a coffee. I kept the feed going in and sat back with a coffee. First cast after, 2 herons flew past at exactly the time I cast, 1 took a detour left and the other dived for cover. Glad I didn't catch them, not sure I would have landed them!

The next angler I was to see was a furry kind. The otter working the far bank, doing somersaults in the water and generally larking about.

I sat down for a sandwich and suddenly the next fish catcher to appear was a pike. It swam at my keep net, attacked it (have just seen a small hole) and tried to get the fish. As I stood up, it swam away. It was not the size of the pike that sat with me last year in this swim for most of the day. She was much bigger.

I decided to change floats again. The wind was quite strong now and in truth, I got in a big tangle with the loafer so switched to a bolo instead. Fishing away, I saw a fish appear near the keep net, thinking it was the pike, I went to scare it but saw it was now a big perch. I am not sure on the water to eye magnification but let's just say "forearm length" It was a lovely fish. Of course, I threw it some maggots and dangled my hook in front of it. It was not disturbed at all, and lazily swam away upstream under a bush.

I had been given maggots from a local angler as I could not get to the tackle shop before 6am, so it was great to be able to fish straight away. Thanks Chris!
I was also given some worms from Tom. It was time for a worm. Second trot down, the float buried. I struck and hooked something decent. It swam up stream, then over the width of the river, I think it was a good sized perch, but I am not 100%. Not sure if it was 'the' perch. Unfortunately as I tried to back wind on the closed face reel, the hook came out. I fished on. A few more Roach and I was getting into the flow. Another perch next, a bit bigger and a smile was forming.

I fished on and the bites dried up. I was only going to fish until lunch time and with the maggots going down, I was nearly ready. I thought I would empty the net, weigh the fish and fish on for a bit longer while the sun dried my net.

Collecting my 13 fish in my landing net, I was ready. I took my brand new korum digital scales out the bag, pushed the button. Nothing!! A blank screen. I was raging, had I broken them? Had they been faulty. "Oh darn" I thought.
Never mind, this net was no where near my 10lb target, so after a few pics, I released the fish.

As the net dried, I used the last of the maggots but kept a worm on the hook. The float buried and I struck, another solid fish pulled back. This time it came to the surface and caused a big boil in the water, I did not see it though. It then swam straight towards the far bank and the hook link snapped this time. I am not sure if it was a chub or a pike that took my worm but it didn't feel perch like!

That was the final straw, so I packed up and headed for the tackle shop to buy bait for tomorrow. £30 lighter, I drove home thinking about the lost fish and the broken scales!

I have just got the box out the recycling bin and grabbed the return slip.
Now, I will tell you, cos you can keep a secret!?I just tried a new battery in the scales and they work a treat!!!
At least I can weigh anything on day 2 now!

There is a moral in there somewhere but after one day, I am not sure I learnt the lesson. I will let you know after day 7!!