Colonel’s Diary – Stardate 4th September
2012-09-05
Apologies in advance to my one regular reader, but this has
to be a short ( well, shortish!!) one as I know Paul is anxious to receive my
report on the ‘new bait’.
Another visit to my favourite pool; you know, the one named
‘Willow’, where my nemesis, the leviathan, Walter, resides. This time my
intention was to try out two new things. A new bait, in the form of a Chilli
Garlic Sausage boilie by Cotswold Bait Creations and my new rod, a ‘Merlin’ by
The Edward Barder Rod Company, eleven feet of the most delightful built cane
you could ever wish to hold. The bait was from Paul’s shop and in the form of a
‘session bucket’ and amazing value, in my view. The rod, pristine and
‘pre-owned’, was the result of some hard bidding on a well known auction site.
Well, I am a pensioner, and never able to afford the £1600 price tag on a new
one.
No omens on the journey this time, unless you count being
hounded by ‘white van man’ on the final leg, down the windy, unmade track to
Lonsdale Park, that is. However, whilst tackling up, I was treated to a fine
display of aerobatics by a large, dark buzzard, against a backdrop of fluffy,
cotton wool clouds in a watery blue sky. He even did a spot of ‘wind-hovering’,
for me. Must have thought he was a Kestrel; first time I’ve seen that flight
pattern in a buzzard.
I attached one of the Sausage boilies onto a simple hair rig
with running lead stopped 6” up the line with a split shot and heaved the lot,
with a small PVA bag, out towards the middle of the pool, where intermittent
bubbling was to be seen. I’d made up some bags at home with a mixture of the
chilli sausage pellets that came with the session bucket, plus some chilli
stick mix and mixed pellets. My reasoning was the fish would have a penchant
for the hot ‘n spicy stuff, just like their owner!!!! And, sure enough, within
the half hour, Delkim screamed for attention and I lifted Merlin into a
pleasing hoop. Result, a two and a half pound Chub. Chub?????? Do they not understand
what species boiles are designed to attract ? Nonetheless, a delightful little
scrapper, I was glad I’d set up a balanced tackle arrangement, matching 6lb
line to my willowy Merlin. A reassuring start, but before I can classify it as
‘an instant bait’, I needed to set my hook in a ‘golden scaley one’.
No sooner said than done. Next to fall to the seductions of
Mistress Chilli Garlic was a hard scrapping Ghost Carp, testing Merlin’s metal
to a greater degree. I probably bullied him a tad, as he was still tussling in
the folds of my net when I raised him into an alien environment, and he
indignantly gave me a good spraying of lake water for my trouble. Very
promising; the classification of ‘instant’ was on the horizon. But I needed to
set my steel into something larger before making it a ‘definite’.
Sure enough, the strike from the next screaming run was
altogether something different. You know, that almost ponderous, cement sack
but moving, feel on the end of your line. Of course, it didn’t last long. The
fish decided it ought to be going in the opposite direction to the one I
intended. It turned, quite violently, and the inevitable happened with a single
shake of it’s head, aided by the creature’s sheer bulk. ‘Son of Walter’ had
just got the better of me, I think.
It’s highly likely the next muncher of a deep red Chilli
Garlic Sausage ball bait was probably Walter himself. I know lost fish always
grow in the mind’s eye, ‘the one that got away’ and all that, but this latest hooked fish really did have little regard for me or Merlin.
If I’d been using line capable of giving him a fair fight, then Merlin would no
longer be with me in one piece, of that I am sure. I was well and truly
undergunned and, although I had him on for longer than the previous ‘big ‘un’,
after a couple of minutes of the Colonel’s softly softly approach he decided
enough was enough, and ploughed off towards the reeds. It was then that and we
parted company.
I, like most anglers, do not enjoy losing fish, but I’m
comfortable in the knowledge the barbless hook and lead will be quickly shed.
Even so, I called it a day with Merlin and the golden scaley ones and went back
to float fishing for Roach, vowing to bring ‘The Bishop’ and 12lb line with me
next time. One thing, though, I reckon this Chilli Garlic Sausage stuff is a
bit of a winner………but, keep it to yourself, eh?
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