A Little Surprise

A belated report this week, due to a spot of food poisoning that knocked me about earlier in the week.

I headed out last Sunday late morning to face the worst of the weekend weather. Dodging the showers I hopped my way up and down a 100 yard stretch of the Avon, armed with a couple of pike rods.

A slow start in the first peg saw me eyeing up a move, but then I had the strangest bite on my left hand rod. Pike bites on deadbaits nailed on the deck tend to be quite tame and deliberate affairs. This was a complete slammer though.

I struck into it immediately and thought jack. It wasn't fighting like one though and then I saw those rubbery lips and my eyes lit up. My first chub to a deadbait. Not a specimen though - just a fish of 3lb 4ozs that had engulfed a 5 inch section of lamprey.

The pike fishing was slow on the upstream jaunt with just one jack to show for much endeavour. The return run was a little better with fish of 9lb 6oz and 11lb 8oz as the light levels started to dip away.

That's me done with the Avon for now. My last session of the season will be on the Leam if all goes to plan and I'm looking forward to getting out the stick and pin again.