Bitten off by non bite pike!!

Date fished 18/9/2020
6.30am until 2.30pm

With a day off work and my original plans cancelled I decided to make hay whilst the sun shone and hit the bank. I had some unfinished business with some fish below the bridge and I hoped I would be able to fool them this time. Well, I fooled them enough last time, I just didn't land them ( I say them, really it was "it", as it was only one and its still playing on my mind now!).

Armed with meat, pellets and 3 slices of bread I was heading to the Swale at Morton. I parked at the copse down the lane and wanted to fish the swim where I lost the Charble or was it a Barub? Whatever, I hate losing something I have not seen. The Pike on cheese paste is testament to that, if I had not landed it, I would of assumed I lost a Chub, I never would have guessed Pike. I don't mind ( well, you know what I mean) loosing a fish if I have seen it, but I hate loosing a fish and never seeing it. The 2 from June 22nd are also still on my mind!! Right, lets move on with the blog before I really loose my marbles!!

As the mist started to rise off the river and the banks were slippery from the night dew, I gingerly crept towards the river. I had a quick cast in the first swim ( I caught from here last time) , but no fish so I walked on down stream.
I arrived at my chosen swim, rigged up a simple link ledger with meat on the hair and cast in to the danger zone! Holding the rod on the rest, I waited for the tell tale interest and pull. I decided to fish pegs from here back upstream to where I parked. The river was quite a bit lower than last time. Nothing happened, so I used my loaf and changed bait.

Nothing on the bread either, so I left the fish to eat the sandwich I had given them and I walked back up stream.
I got to a peg that had a slack on the far bank just before a bush. I wanted to cast just off the slack and near the Bush. I cast and my weight landed on the far bank! A quick tug and it dropped gently into the slack. I left it there a few minutes. As I started to reel in, I felt resistance and then a pull. I had a fish on but I had no bite indication. I played the fish into the flow and saw it, it was a long lean fish and was spirraling around the line. Now remembering what I said above, I did get a good look and I am 99.99% sure it was a Pike. As it thrashed it's tail, the line in its mouth broke, completely bitten through. It must have been sat in the slack and just gobbled up the chunk of meat falling right in front of it, but did not even move or feel the small link ledger.

I fished several more swims and finally came to one I could sit down in. I had brought my bucket seat and all the other bits of bank had been too steep. I decided to cast mid river and sit down for a cup of coffee and a biscuit. As I finished up, I could hear the RAF practising their moves. Suddenly my rod was doing the loop de loop and a fish was on. I played it quickly to the net. A nice Chub, un weighed but about 3lb I would think.

I fished a few more swims but had no more fish. I saw the kingfisher and a white egret type bird and a mink swam right through my swim, only splashing under when it looked up and saw me watching it!
As I walked back towards the car I had a large crayfish again. It hung on till I just about got the net under it, but it plopped back into the water. I then saw another angler. As is becoming more regular now, I "knew" this angler from the fishing groups I am in on Facebook. It has to be said, there are some benefits to all this social media!! We chatted all things fishing and it was great to have a natter. Keith gave me some of his bait to use, and although it stank like vomit (sorry Keith) apparently the fish were all over it. I used it in the next few swims but I am afraid to say Keith, no fish on it for me!!

As The afternoon got warmer it was soon time to head home. I am thinking of trying the Tees tomorrow but with no maggots yet, it will be a 9am start at the tackle shop and then on to the bank. A bit more civilised than my 0430am alarm this morning. It was great to catch in another different area today and really good to meet some other anglers. It is a solitary hobby most of the time, but it's nice to share. What was rewarding was Keith saying he enjoyed reading the blogs and it helped him get back into coarse fishing. Well done Keith! I am pleased, we do need to talk about your bait choice though!!