Too Keen

Date fished 6/6/2025

7am until 3pm

A house warming, birthday and Anniversary party in London immediately got me thinking about fishing. Sadly the rivers are still closed for coarse fishing so it was a canal trip again. I usually fish at Coventry on my way south, but some investigation told me that I could try for zander in Milton Keynes. Speaking to my host, he said "I can get there on a direct train, I will meet you"! And that's how a plan works!!

My mate Jar, aka Mum, aka Alan, who I have fished with before met me in "the Keens" in the hope of catching something. I was after zander, he was after everything. I had a lure rod and a ledger rod with sweetcorn and breadcrumb as bait. 

I parked up like a troll and had a few casts. It was shallow but definitely looked fishy. This was confirmed when I text the (best) only lure angler I know - Tom. He also had mean things to say about my tackle, so we will ignore him!!

With no bites, I went and braved the multitude of roundabouts and collected Jar from the train station. Parking back under the bridge we went off left to find the lock. A few casts but mostly chat as we wandered, we were soon at the lock. A nice grassy area just beyond and it was time to lazy fish. It was lovely just catching up, casting a little and watching the float as small fish attacked the sweetcorn. Nothing with a big enough mouth, not including us two that demolished a kilo (if not more) of sausage roll!

The heavens opened and we took refuge under a smaller bridge. We really did look like trolls here, although the views were spectacular.

As we walked back, it was clear that a lure and ledger approach didn't work as a team. The sun was bright and we could see fry and smaller fish in our margin. Jar fancied a go at lure fishing. I switched over the rods and soon we were both flinging plastic into the canal, not littering! Also some of his casts didn't make the canal, just the trees!

I had explained that a real lure anger would of changed their lures a million times by now, and would probably be flinging some kind of floating, ribbed, sinking paddle tailed abomination with a rattle.

Jar looked at the lure box and decided on a sparkly number. Second cast he shouted " I have something".

Those of you will remember, I was after a barbel on the small river for a while, I took Jar and he caught one just whilst holding my rod. I thought, had he now fluked a zander too?!

It was a lovely perch, his first. I was buzzing, not because it wasn't a zander, but just to be able to take a good friend fishing and share in their success/happiness. 

We fished on and soon I noticed a large dark shape swimming down the middle of the canal, then another and another. A large shoal of big bream were on a day out. I chucked in some corn and bread hoping to slow them down. A few went for it, but the shoal didn't stop. I quickly set back up the ledger but as a boat came round the corner, the chance was gone. I think the bream carried on to Birmingham.

I sat under the bridge as Jar cast around the edge. A savage take on the lure shocking him, but sadly it got off. As we were at the car, hot and bothered and I had been awake since 2.30am, we decided to jump in and drive the 60 miles back to his house. At three hours and 18 minutes, you have to "love" Friday evening London traffic!

Cheers Jar 

Photos from Jar: