Although I have been
described on a number of occasions as an 'angling journalist',
I am not accountable to any editor and my writing does not have
to be tailored to a target audience. Therefore I am able to write
what I like without any 'jazzing up' of the article - I've had
that happen before and I was uncomfortable with it. Being quoted
as saying stuff when you weren't even aware of what was going
on doesn't sit right with me. But apart from that sort of thing
which isn't an issue for me any longer, the most important positive
about being in control of my own destiny is not that I can write
what I like but that I can fish where I want.
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Pleasing
myself where I fish
I'm
never going to be sent out on location to fish for this species
on that venue. Not that any fishing is a hardship, but I want
to be able to go somewhere because of my own choice rather
than because an editor requires a feature for a magazine.
And by the same token it's not a problem if I blank or struggle.
With no pressure on me to produce a big fish photograph every
week I can focus first and foremost on enjoying my angling.
I
do take my fishing seriously, but the context of the adverb
is that I want to get the best out of my hobby for personal
pleasure reasons as opposed to simply fishing for results.
If I struggle for a week or two on the big fish front, as
long as I am enjoying myself, that's no problem. And not having
to produce the goods meant that this week I decided to do
some eel fishing on a number of venues that I have been wanting
to try for a while. I had no idea whether eels would be found
but that was part of the excitement. I could blank - or I
could catch a 5lb'er.
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No
eels but I caught a small pike
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A
unique species
The eel
is a unique species. It doesn't breed in our waters so you don't
get a stock of established fish in the way that you do with other
species. Any eel that is found has made its way from the Sargasso
Sea, carried hundreds of miles by the Gulf Stream, which is a powerful
river of sea water that makes its way from the Caribbean to Europe.
And it's this current that brings the masses of tiny eels to our
estuaries and then into the rivers. By the time they arrive they
have grown considerably and are what we call elvers. Fish the lower
Severn in summer using maggot and you catch one every cast.
It's easy
to get annoyed by them - I know I do when I am zander fishing and
they strip my deadbaits in seconds. But spare a thought for the
amazing journey that they have made, and hopefully that will help
to temper the frustration. From the rivers they start to make their
way into local pools and tributary streams and from there they will
end up in all manner of venues. And whilst many will return back
to the place of their birth to breed, some will stay. And it's these
fish that grow and attract the attentions of a small but dedicated
band of anglers - the eel specialists.
Fishing
the local canals
And whilst I am
not in the camp that says eels are a nuisance, I'm not as
focused as those who live and breathe eel fishing. But as
an all-rounder I do appreciate them very much and wanted
to have a week pursuing them on local venues. Apart from
a Black Country pool that I visited, the other places were
canals. The high cost of petrol has seen me fishing the
extensive network of man-made waterways a lot more than
I have done in the past. With mile after mile of water available
on my doorstep it would be foolish to ignore such a wealth
of opportunity.
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Tip
of the week
Respect
the eel. Next time you catch one and it tangles everything,
don't get angry.
Instead
consider what a journey it has been on.
And
if eels bother you that much then avoid baits that will
get picked up by them, it's as simple as that!
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Whilst
boat traffic can be a bit of an issue during the summer months,
as I was arriving just before dark it didn't create any problems
for me. As I set up on the towpath, all the holiday people had long
since moored up for the night and the boats I passed all had their
lights on and curtains drawn. The canals can be quite busy during
the day, with boaters, walkers, cyclists and anglers competing for
space on and alongside them. But once darkness kicks in it is a
different picture altogether and peace and tranquility is the name
of the game. Well, on the rural canals anyway. The urban ones can
still have a few undesirables about, but that's another story!
Offering
minimum resistance
I
opted for 10lb line and although I have used wire traces
in the past, I recently bought some Quicksilver in 25lb
breaking strain for the purpose of eel fishing. None of
the venues had pike in them - or so I thought - otherwise
I would have gone for wire. The rig was a very simple 1/2
ounce free running bomb and with the bale arm open
and Nash featherlight carp hangers pulling the line into
the runner on the bite alarm, there was absolutely minimum
resistance to any eel that should take the bait.
I used a roach head on one rod and a tail on the other.
Hook choice was a size 4 Drennan Super specialist. Casting
out, all that remained was to sit back and wait. My sessions
were quite short, no more than three hours, but with plenty
of free evenings I did manage four canal visits and one
to a pool. I caught a pike from the canal and apart from
that, and a run I had that I suspect was from an eel, the
week was pretty quiet. But as I said at the start of the
article, I'm not under pressure to produce so there is no
problem.
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The
bite alarms mostly remained silent
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Maybe
next year
Unless
I had suddenly hit on an absolute eel goldmine my intention was
to fish the one week only anyway, so the fact it was a one-off is
nothing to do with me struggling. Next year I may have a prolonged
period after the species but for now I was happy just to do the
week. But without any deadlines to fish to, no editors to please
and just my own personal pleasure levels to think about, that's
not even an issue. And long may that continue!
Click
on the icon for this week's video clip
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The
week ahead
With
lots of local rain over the last week or so it's time to
get the barbel gear out. I haven't been on the River Dove
for a year so that's where I intend to fish on my next session.
My last trip to the river saw me catch a barbel that weighed
in at 16lb 1oz, so join me next week to see how I get on
and whether will be able to repeat that catch!
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