River Thames 19th june 08

Was supposed to be working overtime today, but was cancelled at the last minute, so as Claire and
I had both been ill, we decided to have a few hours down the river to get some air after claire had
been in the house all week.
We decided to go to  a spot we have fished a few times before.

A quick trip to dads to pick up our whips, tackle box and lure rods, then via the tackle shop for a
couple of pints of maggots and we were on our way.

We arrived at the river to find a few people dotted about, but the swim we wanted next to the
bridge was free. (this was the swim that claire had her PB perch of 1lb 6oz last year)

I set up to identical rigs, for each whip, and we began fishing. I had fist bite about 5 minutes later
and a nice roach was on its way in, I had a feeling that a pike would be lurking in the cabbage weeds,
 and sure enough as I was abuot to lift the roach from the water, the water erupted in front of us,
soaking myself and claire in the face. I managed to lift the roach from the water just before the pike
 grabbed hold. One lucky roach!!

next put in resulted in a missed bite, before claire managed a similar sized roach, which was duely
whipped out of the water as quickly as the float had gone under!! Claire kept moaning that I was
putting  the roach back where the pike had swirled. She doesnt like seeing the pike attack the small
fish!!

I managed another similar sized roach, which incidently were pristine fish, before the float shot under
 and a strike was met with about 4 mtrs of elastic shooting from the end of the pole!!! Bearing in
mind im only using a number 4 elastic, 3lb mainline and 2.6lb hooklength to a 20 hook, I was a little
under gunned for this fish.
The fish just held in the flow, not really moving, I tried applying strain from above and it came up a
few feet, them it came towards me. Then it swam out into the flow abit more, holding statinary
again!! About 5 minutes past until "twang" the elastic snapped!!! I was a bit gutted, not only that I
had lost a complete rig, but that I had left a fish towing a float and a small amount of elastic.
Maybe 2.6lb hooklength is too strong with a number 4 elastic. I think ill stick to 2lb or less from now
on. Or ill up it to a number 6!!!

After that, as I couldnt repair the pole, I had to pack it away. So I only had  claires whip left set up,
so I had a few casts with a spinnerbait, which resulted in a fat, fighting fit pike of around 6lb. And
having no landing net, I had to hand land it!!

Shortly after this, we packed up as claire was feeling very hot, as neither of us had been aware how
 burnt we had became friom the sun! So a short drive later and we were enjoying a nice cold 99
with a flake!!

We then decided to have a drive to Walton and maybe a little wander with lures at the weir.
Once we arrived I set up both rods with spinnerbaits, and off we set.

Its nice to note that all of the river appears very overgrown, it so nice to see it in thsi condition
after the 3 month lay off, However give it a few weeks and the old swims will, again, become all
trampled down and open. Shame really that anglers cannot be more careful with the bankside,
after all we spend alot of time there, no one wants to sit next to the river with broken shrubs and
empty stella cans do they??

Claire decided to change her spinner bait, to a mepps spinner. All of claires gear os more focused
towards perch with smaller mepps and spinner blades. She had a real fondness for perch having
caught them to 1lb8oz, it took me years to catcha  perch bigger than a pound!

She continued to cast her spinner around, resulting in nothing, shame really, I would have liked her
to catch, plus being over 8 months pregnant, she was doing very well to be out fishing at all!!

We moved up about 2 or 3 swims and the river is a bit slower away from the weir, plus the cabbage
 weed looks so pikey along here, there is loads of the stuff. A few casts in my swim resulted in nothing.
 I chucked it upstream into claires swim and had an exsplosive take straight away, however it came
adrift just as quick, DOH!!! I thought that was my lot, however 2 casts later and I had slowed my
retrieve right down, and I saw the pike follow the lure very closely before flaring its gills and inhaling
the spinnerbait, the resulting fight was great, as another super fit river fish shook  its head to try
and escape, however with 40lb braid and 40lb wire, there was only really gonna be one winner.
Twas me, and another 6lb'er was handlanded and a quick photo taken.

We left shortly after this. I am going to return to chertsey, armed with a float rod and running line,
so I have a sporting chance of landing whatever it was that I lost!!
That is provided it stops raining!!!! British summer, lol!!!