Still here ( two)

Health warning

Had to re-jig my fishing day with Rob for mid-September as I had a first thing appointment with the Doc this morning re my bp readings and it cocked up the timings he had in mind..

It really confirmed my expectations that my readings after a week of taking my own, were borderline!
I told the Doc I had no wish to be taking pills for the rest of my life and that I was now determined to improve my life style following the earlier diagnosis..
He's given me two months to clean up my act!!

Relocation of venue

If I wasn't going to the river I thought, I'll pop of down to lake two.
So, I remembered my hempseed which is letting of a bit of a pong and got out some dead maggots. Determined to see a if there are any roach in this lake and how big they are.
Arriving at 4:30 and decided to fish the north bank,which I found was the shallow end! Just about two feet, but never the less I thought, if your after the roach give it a go.

A few handfuls of hemp and dead maggot and I settled in my swim, which is a bit closer to the larger of the two small islands in the lake. Close enough in fact, that I could see within the wooded growth what appeared to be large eggs, so I extended the lens and took a snap, they were and it looks like a goose has abandoned it's nest, or not returned after the day trip out for food!

I sat there for about an hour with just a few taps, but mostly piddly rudd attacking the float.So I moved down towards the east bank but stayed on the same side and found about 5 feet of water.

A few handfulls of bait again and dead maggots on the hook, from about 6o'clock until 8 o'clock I must have had about 40 roach mostly about this size, some a bit smaller and some just a tad larger and got towed around for a little while and all I got for my pains was a carp scale.
As it turned out I was quite happy not to have had the carp move in and was packing my bits away when this one took me for a long trot into the darkness. It's about the biggest I've had out of the lake at just under 10lb.

I was wondering on the way back if I had seen a barn owl this year yet, they used to be about all the time, they must have suffered over the last two winters up here, because I couldn't recall seeing one at all.
But, I did catch a glimpse of a tawney and a little owl and heard both their call during most of dusk time.So many linnets about this year too.
On my way back a heron lifted off across the front of me and slowly beat his way into the field and landed, looking back at me as I drove past.
The hares were about again, just two tonight, both did the silly jagging run just in front of me back out to the main road through the farm lane.

This lake may have a surprise in store for me, but although I have a great deal of anticipation as it starts getting dark no real specimens to show for it!

What to do ? The rivers are beginning to call me

Later

The bedside clock reads 01:15, I'm awake thinking about those silent rolls with the flash of silver, those scattering fry when topping up the loose feed and I'm thinking thinking, I wonder?
02:15 still tossing and turning, same thoughts, sod it I'll get up before I wake her up and have a look through my books.
First one I grab is Angling Essays Graham Marsden's latest as I'm half through it at the moment .Mark Wintle has a chapter on roach and Graham has a chapter on rudd.
Mark's is no good, it's a history type chapter, Grahams helps a bit, so I then pick out John Bailey's Roach the Gentle Giants, that doesn't help. "Faddist" Roach fishing now that may help, it does a bit, then I turn to John Wilson's Method manual, that confirms a few things, then back to bed in the hope of some sleep it's 03:40!
Tossed and turned until about 06:50, got up and made a cup of tea...Maidenhead man's on time, his daily ritual, he'll be no good.
I wonder if Dick Walker's Coarse fishing will have some more clues ? Sun's shining, grass will be too wet to cut from the morning's dew.....why not ?
Breakfast first!