Shall I shan't I ?

Fishing

I'm sure most of us have days when we can't decide whether to go out to fish or indeed where too go.
Well I decided I wanted to fish,so at about 10:30, I got my gear on and started to sort my tackle.
Do you think I could make up my mind? Nope!
Faffing about with my tackle, wondering if I should go on the Upper Witham for chub, the middle Trent for barbel and chub ,the farmers pond down in the valley, or drop shotting at my ex neighbour Ray's son Rik's place, over at North Somercotes.
In the meantime Steve Pope called on the telephone, to discuss the need for some more articles/anecdotes for The Fred Crouch special Barbel Fisher.
Anyway, the distraction did me good and I made up my mind, to fish the local pond.
So at around 11 am, I set off  for the two mile tripdown the road. What I didn't do was take a great deal of notice of was the heavy black clouds scudding along on a stiff wind from the south west.
It started to rain as soon as I arrived, in fact it tipped down. So the occasional shower forecast lasted nearly an hour with no sign of let up.

Decision made,I headed back home for a cup of tea and maybe some lunch, I totally dislike setting up in the rain.I shall  go back down later.
Faffed around again, with Pauline getting wound up about me not getting out now the sun was shining.
We decided to have lunch at teatime,around 6o'clock.

A few shots on the track down

I set myself up to try out my new Drennan IM9 matched with my Young's Heritage and a porcupine quill float. I decided to lay on with either dendrobena or flake, feeding the swim with maggots.
I really wasn't certain what I would come across today,I had a feeling I wouldn't be troubled by the carp, but I wasn't certain about the hoards of small rudd.
With 4lb Maxima straight through to a size 10, my first choice was the worms, tipped with a red maggot.

I was very soon into roach, rudd, and perch and then a surprise chub. A surprise because I wasn't aware that there were chub in the pond!

So I continued with worm and the occasional change to flake, when things got a bit quieter.

The best roach on the wrong camera setting!!

the second surprise chub

My second chub was landed after a bit of confusion, my float rubbers snapped and the quill blew down the pond,making me think at first that I had snapped up. I was still in contact with the fish.
By this time,it was getting close to off time, so rather than tackle up again I decide for one last cast and touch ledgering with a double dendrabena.

Almost immediately I got a twitch followed closely by a good tug.
It felt a much better fish which at first I thought was a carp, but,  yet another surprise!
After  zeroing the scales showed my very good perch of just a tad over 3lb.
I was shaking  because my right hand was cold, from holding the rod in strong wind, so after steadying myself, decided to knock the ounce or so off and settled for 3lb.
There had been a few chases close by, that I assumed were perch chasing small fish, but I didn't expect one of this size!

I must get set up for self takes, this shot doesn't do the fish justice.

So after all my messing about the fishing gods were with me at the very last cast. A new personal best far better than my old pb of 1lb12ozs out of the Upper Ouse over 10 years ago.

Tomorrow,  I shall be drop shotting at Rik's place.

Talking of Fred Crouch
I've just ordered this from Paul Cook number 3 of 25.