Eventually I left the house for a well run fishery quite a way off, but with the vague fanciifull notion I might find somewhere 'new' on the way. Can't believe it, but I did.
Saw the sign 'fishing' and swung in !
Turned out to be a couple of small farm pools, run as a low key day ticket fishery, with the owner later explaing to me that it wasnt really what they did there, just a bit of a side line.
With no one else there at 8.45 on a sunday morning I plonked myself down on a likely looking spot and set up. Thought'it's bound to be stocked with carp' so started on a fairly beefy (for me) 10 elastic, in case,.12 hooklength and fished maggot at 3 1/2 sections, to see what was in there. Was into decent roach straight off and they continued coming. Then the owner appeared for his money.
"Oh", he says, "you're on the 'big carp' pool. The ordinary fish are in the other one."
I eplained i'd only had roach to which he expressed surprise but let me stay on and use my net on the promise of him being able to move them as the pools were 'connected' anyway.
"No problem" I said. "I'll stay here and catch these roach for you lol."
Then he said. " I know there are some big ones in here though, but i'm not much of a fisherman myself. How big is a big roach, 2lb ? "
Well, I dont care how many there are in the hampshire Avon, I 'aint seen one round these parts. Told him, a pound roach is a BIG roach. A 1 1/2 lb'er is a VERY big roach, and a 2lb'er is the stuff of dreams. Oh, he says and off he goes.
I had to think, well what size are they in this mystery pool then !! ??
Would you Adam and Eve it, he hadn't gone 10 minutes. I'd been catching steadily on the deck and trying to keep them there, but suspected they'd come up a bit. Shallowed up a tad and wallop. As it bolied I thought i was into a small carp after all.. but it turned out to be a beautifull, perfect, 1lb 8oz roach. Bettering my previous best roach, from the Severn, by an ounce
well, well chuffed. might have to saunter back sometime.
Didnt see another fish anywhere near it. The others were very nice but didnt go past 10oz maximum.
Might put a picture up if I can work out how, just cos im chuffed.
How sad is that ...still a big kid
