It is a few years since I last fished, so I went down the local post office and bought a licence (£27), which is quite good value, but substantially more than when I was a lad.
However, the OH and myself spent a few hours (it would have been fifteen minutes if left to the missus - I hadn't even tackled up and checked the depth and she was wondering when we were going to move to another spot!!) in a delightful spot at a local river.
We got there early - according to her 10am was early (I had suggested just after dawn), but there was only one other angler about fifty yards away, so I began to unload the fishing brain cells in order that I may catch a fish or two. It was good that I had brought my reading glasses along (never used those in my younger days), because I would never have been able to thread the line through the rod rings, unravel a size 18 hook to nylon, or heaven forbid, manage to find the slot in a non lead split shot.
However, all was sorted, and a handfull of maggots dispatched to the far bank in the shade. Then the first cast, which landed around five yards short, but no matter, because seconds later, the float slid away and a glistening four ounce dace was being unhooked and returned - one cast, one fish.
This continued, with small fish being caught every other cast. Other anglers turned up but were not catching. I had to tell the missus off, because when I caught yet another miniscule dace, she asked if we could eat them, and when was I going to catch a seabass??????
It was absolutely scorching - no shade, and with the missus ensconced in a book I continued to plunder the very small fish on offer.
Then I had a very different bite, a slight dip, then a bit of a slide away, then a definite pull into the depths. I struck and was pleased to find a bit of resistance, and a fish which was pulling quite hard. The net was required and the fish reluctantly gave itself up - a three quarter pound perch, lovely markings, spiny dorsal fin erect, glistening in the sun.
I had other nice fish - roach to nearly a pound, but that perch just looked so good - only spoiled by my wife's question:
"Can we eat it?"
The answer to that is quite simple. She had chicken biryiani tonight and I had chicken dansaak.
However, the OH and myself spent a few hours (it would have been fifteen minutes if left to the missus - I hadn't even tackled up and checked the depth and she was wondering when we were going to move to another spot!!) in a delightful spot at a local river.
We got there early - according to her 10am was early (I had suggested just after dawn), but there was only one other angler about fifty yards away, so I began to unload the fishing brain cells in order that I may catch a fish or two. It was good that I had brought my reading glasses along (never used those in my younger days), because I would never have been able to thread the line through the rod rings, unravel a size 18 hook to nylon, or heaven forbid, manage to find the slot in a non lead split shot.
However, all was sorted, and a handfull of maggots dispatched to the far bank in the shade. Then the first cast, which landed around five yards short, but no matter, because seconds later, the float slid away and a glistening four ounce dace was being unhooked and returned - one cast, one fish.
This continued, with small fish being caught every other cast. Other anglers turned up but were not catching. I had to tell the missus off, because when I caught yet another miniscule dace, she asked if we could eat them, and when was I going to catch a seabass??????
It was absolutely scorching - no shade, and with the missus ensconced in a book I continued to plunder the very small fish on offer.
Then I had a very different bite, a slight dip, then a bit of a slide away, then a definite pull into the depths. I struck and was pleased to find a bit of resistance, and a fish which was pulling quite hard. The net was required and the fish reluctantly gave itself up - a three quarter pound perch, lovely markings, spiny dorsal fin erect, glistening in the sun.
I had other nice fish - roach to nearly a pound, but that perch just looked so good - only spoiled by my wife's question:
"Can we eat it?"
The answer to that is quite simple. She had chicken biryiani tonight and I had chicken dansaak.
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