The wind dropped. Me and Bazza walked along the upper tidal, on the look out for mullet and here and there were pockets of fish in good numbers.
I returned in the evening and wangled the first fish of the year out on the fly, the fight slow, long and relentless.
A very young looking fish of around 3.5lb.
A good start. We just need some good weather now and it'll be perfect.
The wind swung round to the south west and increased in strength. Nothing too bad and combined with hazy skies what you would think were perfect fishing conditions.
I'll keep it short.
A bream to start, then a big ide. Nice, we're going to have a mixed bag ? Wrong.
After that, a large proportion of the bream population of the entire Rhine system took up residence in mine and Bully's swims. Fished long, come in short, the result was the same.
No roach anywhere. Not surprising, who'd want to be in the middle of that lot ?
It was fun seeing the tip go round and playing the fish, some went quite well. The unhooking, less so, balancing on the rocks with a big snotty lump.
As the light faded they switched off. Same as yesterday.
For a while it was totally dead, but just before it was pitch black I had a mad ten minutes, landing roach of a pound, just over 2lb and 2lb 5oz.
It had been a mad day. Twenty six bream between 7 and 8lb, two big ide and three roach to 2lb 5oz. Bully had around twenty big bream and a fish he said looked like a rudd but had two spikey spurs on the dorsal fin. I reckon he's been shaamokin' da big fat Dutch doobie.
We calculated that lot came to well over 300lb.
Crashed out in the van drinking beer and eating bread, cheese, nuts, chocolate and anything that didn't need cooking. We were wiped out and fished out.
We had two good days on the roach at the "new" spot, a free park up and in a stunning environment too.
However, we were out of water and the bog was full, so we headed a few miles down river to a old town where two canals feed in to the Waal. Fishing right on your doorstep too.
After a idy up and a shower we headed into town for a meal, but not before Bully was kitted out in one of my T shirts, socks and skids ( washed ), as he'd somehow lost his clothes. It was a bit like when you forgot your PE kit at school and had to choose stuff from the lost property box and ended up wearing hideous black plimsolls and shorts three sizes too big.
A great alfresco meal in the sun, then back to the van for a kip, then out zandering.
We tried with lure rods for an hour with no success, both spotted fish rolling a hundred yards upriver. Lots of them and they looked roachy to me.
Quick dash back to the van, luckily only two minutes away, grabbed the gear and just as the sun was setting made the first cast.
Four feeder fulls of bait and next cast a bite. Lovely roach around the pound.
Next cast something bigger. It felt very, very heavy and as it surfaced the red fins gave the game away. In the net it went, scales out and Bully on the camera.
2lb 14oz and a reward for observation and being a hungry bastard.
I can't wait to give it a proper go tomorrow evening.
After yesterday's success we decided to have another go. You have to dont you ?
It had been a cold night, but the river looked in excellent condition and we were bathed in non stop sunshine all day, with not a cloud in the sky.
There was no reason to think we wouldn't have a few fish, apparently nothing had changed.
No bites for the first couple of hours and then, at the exact time we started to catch yesterday, Bully had a good roach and we started getting bites.
At the time I was weighing a rudd, a fish of 2lb 11oz, whilst Bully was netting a 2lb 12oz roach,leading to a lovely brace shot.
We'd have maybe three or four fish and then they'd disappear, only to return in half hour or so.
The last hour or so was manic, the bait was hit as soon as it reached the bottom. Most landed, some lost, others missed. It was a bit chaotic but roach fishing of the highest quality.
It was simple fishing, casting a open ended feeder full of seed and corn about twenty five yards, with corn/worm cocktail on the hook.
In the end I had four ide, with a couple over 4lb, a 2lb 11oz rudd, an asp/ide hybrid, lots of pound plus roach, with four big fish of 2lb, 2lb 5oz, 2lb 6oz and a monster of 2lb 15oz, which fittingly was the last fish of the day.
Bully had roach of 1lb 14oz, 1lb 15oz, 2lb 4oz and 2lb 12oz, with plenty more well over a pound.
I walked back to the van with the dark encroaching, whilst Bully fished on, but as it got properly dark the fish totally switched off.
Another stunning day.
We rolled up at the port at Harwich, thirteen miles from home. Passports checked and then we were pulled over by customs for first time ever.
Obviously Because Bully was with me. Bloke ruffled through the van and found my filleting knives. He said it technically illegal , read Stena's terms and conditions. I said it's a filleting knife. For the kitchen.
Yes, he said, he knew that because it had a fish picture on the sheath. Genius.
He then found Bully's fishing knife which he confiscated. No little fish on the sheath you see. No point arguing.
In the morning we arrived at Hellevoetsluis, where the Haringfliet meets the Voorne canal, a known hot-spot for roach and bream in the spring. Unfortunately, only the bream seemed to have turned up and we struggled with just a few bream, a monster hybrid and an ide.
We set off the next morning to the Waal, a spot I'd wanted to try for a while. A nice park up in the countryside, surrounded by lakes and wildlife. Perfect.
Turning up somewhere new this time of year can be difficult. Are the fish present, are they feeding and more worryingly has the snow melt from the alps that the Rhine / Waal suffers from started yet ?
I leaded about. The depths varied massively. One side of the first crib it was three feet, the other side eighteen to twenty five feet. We chose the deep side but within a few minutes I was twitchy. I've always done better on this river in deaths of five to ten foot.
I eventually found an area that looked about right and moved my gear round and started fishing. Forty five minutes later, nothing, but first cast from worm to corn and the tip jabbed round. Missed !
Next cast same. A cracking roach of 1.5lb, followed by fish on the next five casts.
I called Bully and told him to get his arse round here now.
He did and first cast he snapped off, breaking not only his line but his quiver tip. He sat there in his chair staring into space. Not a time for piss taking.
It went dead and two hours later I asked Bully if he wanted a go for zander in the evening.
"Well, I'm not gonna do this all day" he grumpily said.
A few minutes later, his tip went round and he was into a cracking roach of about a pound and a half. Then another, quickly followed by a much bigger fish. I waded out to net it and saw a clonking rudd and scooped it first time.
2lb 11 oz !
It got better. Next cast he was in again. A roach. An enormous roach.
3lb 5oz. Three pounds five ounces. THREE POUNDS FIVE OUNCES.
My turn next. Tip dropped back, an obviously big roach, jag, jagging away. I gazed in the net to see another giant.
3lb 2oz. Happy ? Just a bit.
From then on we caught fish on and off until we packed up. Mostly around the pound,a few smaller ones and another big one for me of 2lb 2oz.
A curry in the van was demolished, followed by a celebratory drink or two.
I wonder what will happen tomorrow ?
Season finished, onward to spring and summer adventures.
I'm packing the Hymer at the moment for the first trip away this year. Over to the Hook of Holland on the night ferry for a week fishing with Bully.
He's been warned about taking too much gear on multiple occasions, so may not be granted access to the camper if he does not obey. I, on the other hand, can take what I want.
Feeders anyone ?
20 pints of cooked seed and hemp, 25 kg of brown crumb and forty tins of sweetcorn for starters.
No need to go mad as they do have tackle shops in Europe ! Probably fishing the river Waal, Lek, a couple of canals and a very large water near the port, but we'll see how it goes and make it up as we go along.
The forecast seems to be reasonable, but in March you could get anything, so fingers crossed.
I've no idea what we'll catch. We've got feeder and float gear, lure rods, so armed for almost anything.
A big roach or perch would ge nice and maybe some zander, but we'll see. Can't wait.
